← The 2003 CIA World Factbook, Volume 2
@2001 Gdp (part 11)
Egypt
Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur Safajah, Damietta,
Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez
El Salvador
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto
El Triunfo
Equatorial Guinea
Bata, Luba, Malabo
Eritrea
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Estonia
Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn
Ethiopia
none; Ethiopia is landlocked and was by agreement with
Eritrea using the ports of Assab and Massawa; since the border
dispute with Eritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port of Djibouti
for nearly all of its imports
Europa Island
none; offshore anchorage only
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Stanley
note: the primary port is located in Stanley Harbour and known
locally as FIPASS (Falkland Interim Port and Storage System); the
facility consists of seven permanently moored barges providing 300
meters of berthing space; it was installed by the military after
1982 and handed over to the Falkland Islands Government in 1988
Faroe Islands
Torshavn, Klaksvik, Tvoroyri, Runavik, Fuglafjordhur
Fiji
Lambasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Malau, Savusavu, Suva, Vuda
Finland
Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori,
Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus
France
Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice,
Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nates, Paris, Rouen, Saint
Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg
French Guiana
Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
French Polynesia
Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
none; offshore anchorage only
Gabon
Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo,
Port-Gentil
Gambia, The
Banjul
Gaza Strip
Gaza
Georgia
Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Germany
Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden,
Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg,
Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Ghana
Takoradi, Tema
Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
none; offshore anchorage only
Greece
Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra,
Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus),
Thessaloniki, Volos
Greenland
Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn),
Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab), Qaqortoq
(Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001)
Grenada
Grenville, Saint George's
Guadeloupe
Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot,
Pointe-a-Pitre
Guam
Apra Harbor
Guatemala
Champerico, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Quetzal, San Jose,
Santo Tomas de Castilla
Guernsey
Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Guinea
Boke, Conakry, Kamsar
Guinea-Bissau
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Guyana
Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika
Haiti
Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane,
Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
none; offshore anchorage only
Holy See (Vatican City)
none
Honduras
La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo,
Tela, Puerto Lempira
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Howland Island
none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one
small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast
Hungary
Budapest, Dunaujvaros
Iceland
Akureyri, Hornafjordhur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik, Raufarhofn,
Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vesttmannaeyjar
India
Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam
Indian Ocean
Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban
(South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India)
Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South
Africa)
Indonesia
Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Makassar, Palembang,
Semarang, Surabaya
Iran
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war),
Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam
Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman,
Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan,
Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November
1992), Now Shahr
Iraq
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited
functionality
Ireland
Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick,
New Ross, Waterford
Israel
Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Italy
Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La
Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres
(Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice (2001)
Jamaica
Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho
Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)
Jan Mayen
none; offshore anchorage only
Japan
Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima,
Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima,
Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai
Jarvis Island
none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one
small boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another
near the southwest corner of the island
Jersey
Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Johnston Atoll
Johnston Island
Jordan
Al 'Aqabah
Juan de Nova Island
none; offshore anchorage only
Kazakhstan
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen
(Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Kenya
Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa
Kingman Reef
none; offshore anchorage only
Kiribati
Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton
Korea, North
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong,
Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang,
Wonsan
Korea, South
Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang,
Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu
Kuwait
Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina'
al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud
Kyrgyzstan
Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)
Laos
none
Latvia
Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Lebanon
Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani,
Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Lesotho
none
Liberia
Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia, Robertsport
Libya
Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's
Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Liechtenstein
none
Lithuania
Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda
Luxembourg
Mertert
Macau
Macau
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
none
Madagascar
Antsiranana, Antsohimbondrona, Mahajanga, Toamasina,
Toliara
Malawi
Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba
Malaysia
Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan,
Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town (Penang), Port
Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung
Kidurong, Tawau
Maldives
Gan, Male
Mali
Koulikoro
Malta
Marsaxlokk, Valletta
Man, Isle of
Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey
Marshall Islands
Majuro
Martinique
Fort-de-France, La Trinite
Mauritania
Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso
Mauritius
Port Louis
Mayotte
Dzaoudzi
Mexico
Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz,
Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz,
Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz
Micronesia, Federated States of
Colonia (Yap), Kolonia (Pohnpei),
Lele, Moen
Midway Islands
Sand Island
Moldova
none
Monaco
Monaco
Mongolia
none
Montserrat
Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry
landing), Carr's Bay
Morocco
Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra,
Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled
Ceuta and Melilla
Mozambique
Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane
Namibia
Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Nauru
Nauru
Navassa Island
none; offshore anchorage only
Nepal
none
Netherlands
Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen,
Haarlem, IJmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht,
Vlissingen
Netherlands Antilles
Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad
New Caledonia
Mueo, Noumea, Thio
New Zealand
Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington
Nicaragua
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto
Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
Niger
none
Nigeria
Calabar, Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Warri
Niue
none; offshore anchorage only
Norfolk Island
none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade
Northern Mariana Islands
Saipan, Tinian
Norway
Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund,
Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso,
Trondheim
Oman
Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut
Pacific Ocean
Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan),
Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San
Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney
(Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
Pakistan
Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Palau
Koror
Palmyra Atoll
West Lagoon
Panama
Balboa, Cristobal, Coco Solo, Manzanillo (part of Colon
area), Vacamonte
Papua New Guinea
Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul
Paracel Islands
small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and
Duncan Island being expanded
Paraguay
Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion
Peru
Callao, Chimbote, Ilo, Matarani, Paita, Puerto Maldonado,
Salaverry, San Martin, Talara, Iquitos, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas
note: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are all on the upper reaches
of the Amazon and its tributaries
Philippines
Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Guimaras Island,
Iligan, Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Manila, Masao, Puerto Princesa, San
Fernando, Subic Bay, Zamboanga
Pitcairn Islands
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Poland
Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie,
Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw
Portugal
Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes,
Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores),
Setubal, Viana do Castelo
Puerto Rico
Aguadilla, Arecibo, Fajardo, Guanica, Guayanilla,
Guayama, Mayaguez, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Qatar
Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id)
Reunion
Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Romania
Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea
Russia
Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan',
De-Kastri, Indigirskiy, Kaliningrad, Kandalaksha, Kazan',
Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Lazarev, Mago, Mezen', Moscow,
Murmansk, Nakhodka, Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Onega,
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Rostov, Shakhtersk, Saint Petersburg,
Sochi, Taganrog, Tuapse, Uglegorsk, Vanino, Vladivostok, Volgograd,
Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Rwanda
Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Saint Helena
Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Basseterre, Charlestown
Saint Lucia
Castries, Vieux Fort
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Kingstown
Samoa
Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
San Marino
none
Sao Tome and Principe
Santo Antonio, Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's
al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al
Sinaiyah
Senegal
Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis,
Ziguinchor
Serbia and Montenegro
Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo,
Tivat, Zelenika
Seychelles
Victoria
Sierra Leone
Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Singapore
Singapore
Slovakia
Bratislava, Komarno
Slovenia
Izola, Koper, Piran
Solomon Islands
Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Somalia
Boosaaso, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Merca, Mogadishu
South Africa
Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port
Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Grytviken
Southern Ocean
McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica
note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the
Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short
periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without
icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government
research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to
commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60
degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty
observers (see Article 7)
Spain
Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la
Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands),
Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary
Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo
Spratly Islands
none; offshore anchorage only
Sri Lanka
Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee
Sudan
Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin
Suriname
Albina, Moengo, New Nickerie, Paramaribo, Paranam,
Wageningen
Svalbard
Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden
Swaziland
none
Sweden
Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar,
Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall
Switzerland
Basel
Syria
Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Taiwan
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Tajikistan
none
Tanzania
Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Kilwa Masoko, Lindi, Mtwara,
Mwanza, Pangani, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar
Thailand
Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha,
Songkhla
Togo
Kpeme, Lome
Tokelau
none; offshore anchorage only
Tonga
Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai
Trinidad and Tobago
Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas,
Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora
Tromelin Island
none; offshore anchorage only
Tunisia
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis
Turkey
Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit),
Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon
Turkmenistan
Turkmenbasy
Turks and Caicos Islands
Grand Turk, Providenciales
Tuvalu
Funafuti, Nukufetau
Uganda
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Ukraine
Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson,
Kiev (Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni,
Sevastopol', Yalta, Yuzhnyy
United Arab Emirates
'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan,
Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina'
Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
United Kingdom
Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth,
Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London,
Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow,
Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport, Tyne
United States
Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago,
Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles,
New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland
(Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa,
Toledo
Uruguay
Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo,
Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis
Uzbekistan
Termiz (Amu Darya)
Vanuatu
Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)
Venezuela
Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina,
Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto
Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon
Vietnam
Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long, Quy
Nhon, Nha Trang, Vinh, Vung Tau
Virgin Islands
Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port
Alucroix
Wake Island
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Wallis and Futuna
Leava, Mata-Utu
West Bank
none
Western Sahara
Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
World
Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi
(Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Yemen
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha,
Nishtun
Zambia
Mpulungu
Zimbabwe
Binga, Kariba
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2121 Railways (km)
Afghanistan
total: 24.6 km
broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to
Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to
Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya (2001)
Albania
total: 447 km
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Algeria
total: 3,973 km
standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2002)
American Samoa
0 km
Andorra
0 km
Angola total: 2,761 km narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2002)
Anguilla
0 km
Antigua and Barbuda
total: 77 km
narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane) (2001 est.)
Argentina
total: 34,463 km (168 km electrified)
broad gauge: 20,736 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified)
standard gauge: 3,115 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 10,375 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Armenia
total: 852 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified) (2002)
Aruba
0 km
Australia
total: 41,588 km (4,612 km electrified)
broad gauge: 2,193 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 23,648 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 15,456 km 1.067-m gauge
dual gauge: 291 km dual gauge (2002)
Austria
total: 6,024 km (3,641 km electrified)
standard gauge: 5,566 km 1.435-m gauge (3,524 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 424 km
0.760-m gauge (89 km electrified) (2002)
Azerbaijan total: 2,122 km broad gauge: 2,122 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2002)
Bahamas, The
0 km
Bahrain
0 km
Bangladesh
total: 2,706 km
broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Barbados
0 km
Belarus
total: 5,523 km
broad gauge: 5,523 km 1.520-m gauge (875 km electrified) (2002)
Belgium
total: 3,471 km
standard gauge: 3,471 km 1.435-m gauge (2,631 km electrified) (2002)
Belize
0 km
Benin total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Bermuda
0 km
Bhutan
0 km
Bolivia
total: 3,519 km
narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
total: 1,021 km (795 km electrified)
standard gauge: 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Botswana
total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Brazil
total: 31,543 km (1,981 km electrified)
broad gauge: 4,961 km 1.600-m gauge (692 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge (630 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 25,992 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)
dual gauge: 396 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km
electrified) (2002)
British Virgin Islands
0 km
Brunei
total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge (2001 est.)
Bulgaria
total: 4,294 km
standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Burkina Faso
total: 622 km
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge
note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire
(2002)
Burma
total: 3,955 km
narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Burundi
0 km
Cambodia
total: 602 km
narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Cameroon
total: 1,008 km
narrow gauge: 1,008 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Canada
total: 49,422 km
standard gauge: 49,422 km 1.435-m gauge (129 km electrified) (2002)
Cape Verde
0 km
Cayman Islands
0 km
Central African Republic
0 km
Chad
0 km
Chile
total: 6,585 km
broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
China
total: 71,600 km
standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (14,600 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial
lines (2002)
Christmas Island
24 km to serve phosphate mines
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
0 km
Colombia
total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Comoros
0 km
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
total: 4,772 km
narrow gauge: 3,621 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km
1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2002)
Congo, Republic of the total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Cook Islands 0 km
Costa Rica total: 950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2002)
Cote d'Ivoire
total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina
Faso (2002)
Croatia
total: 2,296 km
standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km electrified) (2002)
Cuba
total: 3,442 km
standard gauge: 3,442 km 1.435-m gauge (142 km electrified)
note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations;
about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge
(2002)
Cyprus
0 km
Czech Republic
total: 9,462 km
standard gauge: 9,363 km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Denmark
total: 3,164 km
standard gauge: 2,324 km 1.435-m gauge (595 km electrified)
note:: total includes 840 km of suburban track (2002)
Djibouti
total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)
Dominica
0 km
Dominican Republic
total: 1,503 km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge
note:: 986 km also operated by sugar companies in 1.076-m, 0.889-m,
and 0.762-m gauges (2002)
East Timor
0 km
Ecuador
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Egypt
total: 5,105 km
standard gauge: 5,105 km 1.435-m gauge (42 km electrified) (2002)
El Salvador
total: 283 km
narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by
disuse and lack of maintenance (2002)
Equatorial Guinea
total: 0 km
Eritrea
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge
note: railway is being rebuilt (2002)
Estonia
total: 968 km
broad gauge: 968 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified)
note:: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear
on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2002)
Ethiopia
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis
Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
0 km
Faroe Islands
0 km
Fiji
total: 597 km
narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge
note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used
to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to September) (2002)
Finland
total: 5,850 km
broad gauge: 5,850 km 1.524-m gauge (2,400 km electrified) (2002)
France
total: 32,682 km
standard gauge: 32,515 km 1.435-m gauge (14,104 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
French Guiana
0 km
French Polynesia
0 km
Gabon total: 814 km standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Gambia, The
0 km
Gaza Strip
total: NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in
disrepair, little trackage remains (2001 est.)
Georgia
total: 1,612 km
broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge
narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (2002)
Germany
total: 45,514 km (21,000 km electrified)
standard gauge: 45,276 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km
0.750-m gauge (2002)
Ghana
total: 953 km
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Greece
total: 2,571 km (764 km electrified)
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail
system) (2002)
Greenland
0 km
Grenada
0 km
Guadeloupe
NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines
Guam
0 km
Guatemala total: 886 km narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Guernsey
5 km
Guinea
total: 1,115 km
standard gauge: 311 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 804 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Guinea-Bissau
0 km
Guyana
total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge
note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)
Haiti
total: 40 km
narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge; single-track
note: privately owned industrial line; closed in early 1990s (2001
est.)
Holy See (Vatican City)
total: 0.86 km
standard gauge: 0.86 km 1.435-m gauge
note: a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint
Peter's station (2001 est.)
Honduras
total: 699 km
narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Hong Kong
total: 34 km
standard gauge: 34 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified and double-tracked)
note: connects to China railway system at Hong Kong-China border
(2001)
Hungary
total: 7,875 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,620 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge
note: Hungary and Austria jointly manage a cross-border,
standard-gauge railway connecting Gyor, Sopron, and Ebenfurt (Gysev
railroad) with a route length of 101 km in Hungary and 65 km in
Austria; 156 km of this line is electrified (2002)
Iceland
0 km
India
total: 63,518 km (15,009 km electrified)
broad gauge: 45,142 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 15,013 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,363 km 0.762-m gauge and
0.610-m gauge (2002)
Indonesia
total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km
0.750-m gauge (2002)
Iran
total: 7,201 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,107 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (2002)
Iraq
total: 1,963 km
standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Ireland
total: 3,312 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat
Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)
(2002)
Israel
total: 640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Italy
total: 19,493 km
standard gauge: 18,090 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 88 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,315 km
0.950-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2002)
Jamaica
total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km, belonging to
the Jamaica Railway Corporation, were in common carrier service but
are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned
and used to transport bauxite (2002)
Japan
total: 23,168 km (15,995 km electrified)
standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 19,855 km
1.067-m gauge (12,683 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (31 km
electrified) (2002)
Jersey
0 km
Jordan total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2002)
Juan de Nova Island total: NA km; short line going to a jetty
Kazakhstan
total: 13,601 km
broad gauge: 13,601 km 1.520-m gauge (3,661 km electrified) (2002)
Kenya
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Kiribati
0 km
Korea, North
total: 5,214 km
standard gauge: 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Korea, South total: 3,125 km standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2002)
Kuwait 0 km
Kyrgyzstan total: 420 km broad gauge: 420 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Laos
0 km
Latvia
total: 2,347 km
broad gauge: 2,314 km 1.520-m gauge (270 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Lebanon
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m
note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)
Lesotho
total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in
the statistics of South Africa
narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Liberia
total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railways are in operation (2002)
Libya
0 km
Liechtenstein
total: 18.5 km
standard gauge: 18.5 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)
note: owned, operated, and included in statistics of Austrian
Federal Railways (2002)
Lithuania
total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (all service suspended) (2002)
Luxembourg total: 274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2002)
Macau 0 km
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2002)
Madagascar
total: 732 km
narrow gauge: 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Malawi
total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Malaysia
total: 2,418 km
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,361 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2002)
Maldives
0 km
Mali
total: 729 km
narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Malta
0 km
Man, Isle of
total: 60 km (35 km electrified) (2002)
Marshall Islands
0 km
Martinique
0 km
Mauritania 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Mauritius
0 km
Mayotte
0 km
Mexico total: 19,510 km standard gauge: 19,510 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Micronesia, Federated States of 0 km
Moldova
total: 1,300 km
broad gauge: 1,300 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Monaco
total: 1.7 km
standard gauge: 1.7 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Mongolia
1,815 km
broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.524-m gauge (2002)
Montserrat
0 km
Morocco
total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2002)
Mozambique
total: 3,123 km
narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Namibia
total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Nauru
total: 5 km
note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from the center of the
island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001)
Nepal
total: 59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Netherlands
total: 2,808 km
standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2002)
Netherlands Antilles
0 km
New Caledonia
0 km
New Zealand
total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2002)
Nicaragua
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Niger
0 km
Nigeria
total: 3,557 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Niue
0 km
Norfolk Island
0 km
Northern Mariana Islands
0 km
Norway total: 4,178 km standard gauge: 4,178 km 1.435-m gauge (2,518 km electrified) (2002)
Oman
0 km
Pakistan
total: 8,163 km
broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Palau
0 km
Panama
total: 355 km
broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Papua New Guinea
0 km
Paraguay
total: 441 km
standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Peru
total: 1,829 km
standard gauge: 1,515 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 314 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
Philippines
total: 897 km
narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (405 km are not in operation)
(2002)
Pitcairn Islands
0 km
Poland
total: 23,420 km
broad gauge: 646 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m,
0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2002)
Portugal
total: 2,850 km
broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Puerto Rico total: 96 km narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Qatar
0 km
Reunion
0 km
Romania
total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
broad gage: 60 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Russia
total: 87,157 km
broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note:: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrrier lines serve
industries (2002)
Rwanda
0 km
Saint Helena
0 km
Saint Kitts and Nevis
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane
plantations during harvest season (2002)
Saint Lucia
0 km
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
0 km
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
0 km
Samoa
0 km
San Marino
0 km; note - there is a 1.5-km cable railway connecting
the city of San Marino to Borgo Maggiore
Sao Tome and Principe
0 km
Saudi Arabia
total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2002)
Senegal
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (2002)
Serbia and Montenegro
total: 4,059 km
standard gauge: 4,059 km 1.435-m gauge (1,364 km electrified) (2002)
Seychelles
0 km
Sierra Leone
total: 84 km
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the existing
railroad is private and used on a limited basis while the mine at
Marampa is closed (2001)
Singapore
total: 38.6 km
narrow gauge: 38.6 km 1.000-m gauge
note: there is also an 83 km mass transit system with 48 stations
Slovakia
total: 3,668 km
broad gauge: 106 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,511 km 1.435-m gauge (1,567 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (2002)
Slovenia total: 1,201 km standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (499 km electrified) (2002)
Solomon Islands
0 km
Somalia
0 km
South Africa
total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314
km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2002)
Spain
total: 14,189 km
broad gauge: 11,804 km 1.668-m gauge (6,409 km electrified)
standard gauge: 455 km 1.435-m gauge (455 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,902 km 1.000-m gauge (781 km electrified); 28 km
0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2002)
Sri Lanka
total: 1,508 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Sudan
total: 5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge
plantation line (2002)
Suriname
total: 166 km (single-track)
standard gauge: 80 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 86 km 1.000-m gauge
note: Suriname railroads are not in operation (2001)
Svalbard
0 km
Swaziland
total: 301 km
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Sweden
total: 11,481 km
standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2002)
Switzerland
total: 4,511 km
standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 982 km 1.000-m gauge (975 km electrified); 46 km
0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2002)
Syria
total: 2,743 km
standard gauge: 2,425 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 318 km 1.050-m gauge (2002)
Taiwan
total: 1,108 km
narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
note: there also are 1,255 km of 1.067-m gauge routes belonging to
the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used
to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2002)
Tajikistan
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Tanzania
total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Thailand
total: 4,071 km
narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Togo
total: 525 km
narrow gauge: 525 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Tokelau
0 km
Tonga
0 km
Trinidad and Tobago
minimal agricultural railroad system near San
Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968
(2001)
Tunisia
total: 2,152 km
standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2002)
Turkey
total: 8,607 km
standard gauge: 8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (2,131 km electrified) (2002)
Turkmenistan
total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Turks and Caicos Islands
0 km
Tuvalu
0 km
Uganda
total: 1,241 km
narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Ukraine
total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2002)
United Arab Emirates
0 km
United Kingdom
total: 16,893 km
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified)
broad gauge: 357 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2002)
United States
total: 194,731 km mainline routes
standard gauge: 194,731 km 1.435-m gauge
note: represents the aggregate length of roadway of all line-haul
railroads including an estimate for class II and III railroads;
excludes 135,185 km of yard tracks, sidings, and parallel lines
(2000)
Uruguay
total: 2,073 km
standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in
partial use (2002)
Uzbekistan total: 3,950 km broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2002)
Vanuatu 0 km
Venezuela total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Vietnam
total: 3,142 km
standard gauge: 209 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,625 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 308 km three-rail track combining 1.435-m and 1.000-m
gauges (2002)
Virgin Islands
0 km
Wallis and Futuna
0 km
West Bank
0 km
Western Sahara
0 km
World
total: 1,122,650 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of
electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in
the Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and
4,160 km in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is
300 km/hr attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer
Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line
broad gauge: 251,153 km
standard gauge: 710,754 km
narrow gauge: 239,430 km
Yemen
0 km
Zambia
total: 2,173 km
narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
(TAZARA) (2002)
Zimbabwe
total: 3,077 km
narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified)
note: includes the 318 km Bulawayo-Beitbridge Railway Company line
(2002)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2122 Religions (%)
Afghanistan
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Albania
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious
observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing
private religious practice
Algeria
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
American Samoa
Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant and other 30%
Andorra
Roman Catholic (predominant)
Angola
indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%
(1998 est.)
Anguilla
Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12%
Antigua and Barbuda
Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other
Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)
Argentina
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Armenia
Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi
(Zoroastrian/animist) 2%
Aruba
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian,
Jewish
Australia
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%,
non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%
Austria
Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17%
Azerbaijan
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox
2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Bahamas, The
Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%,
Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or
unknown 3%, other 2%
Bahrain
Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Bangladesh
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Barbados
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%,
other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Belarus
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Belgium
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Belize
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%,
Methodist 3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%,
Pentecostal 7.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14%
(2000)
Benin
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Bermuda
non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic
15%, other 19%
Bhutan
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced
Hinduism 25%
Bolivia
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%,
Protestant 4%, other 10%
Botswana
indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%
Brazil
Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%
British Virgin Islands
Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%,
Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2%
(1991)
Brunei
Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%,
indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Orthodox 83.8%, Muslim 12.1%, Roman Catholic
1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 2.3%
(1998)
Burkina Faso
indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly
Roman Catholic) 10%
Burma
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Burundi
Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),
indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Cambodia
Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Cameroon
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Canada
Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%, other 18%
note: based on the 1991 census
Cape Verde
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs);
Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Cayman Islands
United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational),
Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Central African Republic
indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%,
Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the
Christian majority
Chad
Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%
Chile
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL%
China
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Christmas Island
Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21%
(1997)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)
Colombia
Roman Catholic 90%
Comoros
Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant
20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and
indigenous beliefs 10%
Congo, Republic of the
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Cook Islands
Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook
Islands Christian Church)
Costa Rica
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Cote d'Ivoire
Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%
(2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%)
Croatia
Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.3%, Protestant
0.3%, others and unknown 6.2% (2001)
Cuba
nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power;
Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also
represented
Cyprus
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic,
and other 4%
Czech Republic
Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%,
other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Denmark
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
Djibouti
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Dominica
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%,
Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%),
none 2%, other 6%
Dominican Republic
Roman Catholic 95%
East Timor
Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%,
Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.)
Ecuador
Roman Catholic 95%
Egypt
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%
El Salvador
Roman Catholic 83%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout
the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman
Catholic, pagan practices
Eritrea
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Estonia
Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox,
Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,
Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish
Ethiopia
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%,
other 3%-8%
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
primarily Anglican, Roman
Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Faroe Islands
Evangelical Lutheran
Fiji
Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%,
Muslim 8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is
a Muslim minority (1986)
Finland
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%,
other 1%
France
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim
5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
French Guiana
Roman Catholic
French Polynesia
Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no
religion 6%
Gabon
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Gambia, The
Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Gaza Strip
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,
Jewish 0.6%
Georgia
Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%,
Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
Germany
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%,
unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Ghana
indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16%, Christian 63%
Gibraltar
Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%,
Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
Greece
Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Greenland
Evangelical Lutheran
Grenada
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Guadeloupe
Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%,
Protestant 1%
Guam
Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)
Guatemala
Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Guernsey
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Congregational, Methodist
Guinea
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Guinea-Bissau
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Guyana
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
Haiti
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal
4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
note: roughly half of the population also practices Voodoo
Holy See (Vatican City)
Roman Catholic
Honduras
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Hong Kong
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Hungary
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist
and other 7.5%
Iceland
Evangelical Lutheran 87.1%, other Protestant 4.1%, Roman
Catholic 1.7%, other 7.1% (2002)
India
Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other
groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Indonesia
Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%,
Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)
Iran
Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Iraq
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Ireland
Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9%
(1998)
Israel
Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian
2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Italy
predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish
communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Jamaica
Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%,
Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist
2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual
cults 34.7%
Japan
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including
Christian 0.7%)
Jersey
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church,
Methodist, Presbyterian
Jordan
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but
some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Kazakhstan
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Kenya
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%,
Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely
Kiribati
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church
of God (1999)
Korea, North
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian
and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Korea, South
Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%,
Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%
Kuwait
Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi,
and other 15%
Kyrgyzstan
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%
Laos
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various
Christian denominations 1.5%)
Latvia
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Lebanon
Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite,
Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian,
Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL%
Lesotho
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Liberia
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Libya
Sunni Muslim 97%
Liechtenstein
Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%,
other 6.2% (June 2002)
Lithuania
Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox,
Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish
Luxembourg
87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
(2000)
Macau
Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997
est.)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonian Orthodox 67%,
Muslim 30%, other 3%
Madagascar
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Malawi
Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous
beliefs 3%, other 2%
Malaysia
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in
addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Maldives
Sunni Muslim
Mali
Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Malta
Roman Catholic 98%
Man, Isle of
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Marshall Islands
Christian (mostly Protestant)
Martinique
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu
0.5%, other 3.5% (1997)
Mauritania
Muslim 100%
Mauritius
Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant
2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Mayotte
Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Mexico
nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Micronesia, Federated States of
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%
Moldova
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5%
(2000)
Monaco
Roman Catholic 90%
Mongolia
Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the
southwest), Shamanism, and Christian 4% (1998)
Montserrat
Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal,
Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Morocco
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Mozambique
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Namibia
Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous
beliefs 10% to 20%
Nauru
Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Nepal
Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)
Netherlands
Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other
3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998)
Netherlands Antilles
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day
Adventist
New Caledonia
Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
New Zealand
Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%,
Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none
33% (1986)
Nicaragua
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant
Niger
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian
Nigeria
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Niue
Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely
related to the London Missionary Society) 75%, Latter-Day Saints
10%, other 15% (mostly Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Seventh-Day Adventist)
Norfolk Island
Anglican 37.4%, Uniting Church in Australia 14.5%,
Roman Catholic 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, none 12.2%,
unknown 17.4%, other 3.9% (1996)
Northern Mariana Islands
Christian (Roman Catholic majority,
although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)
Norway
Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and
Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10% (1997)
Oman
Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Pakistan
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and
other 3%
Palau
Christian (Roman Catholics 49%, Seventh-Day Adventists,
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission,
and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the
population observes this religion, which is indigenous to Palau)
Panama
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Papua New Guinea
Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%,
Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%,
Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant
10%, indigenous beliefs 34%
Paraguay
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant
Peru
Roman Catholic 90%
Philippines
Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist
and other 3%
Pitcairn Islands
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Poland
Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox,
Protestant, and other 5%
Portugal
Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)
Puerto Rico
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
Qatar
Muslim 95%
Reunion
Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
Romania
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%,
Protestant 6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%,
unaffiliated 0.2% (2002)
Russia
Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Rwanda
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim
4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Saint Helena
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist,
Roman Catholic
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Saint Lucia
Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Roman Catholic 99%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman
Catholic 13%, Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant
Samoa
Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with
the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman
Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
San Marino
Roman Catholic
Sao Tome and Principe
Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical
Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Saudi Arabia
Muslim 100%
Senegal
Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly
Roman Catholic)
Serbia and Montenegro
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%,
Protestant 1%, other 11%
Seychelles
Roman Catholic 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian
2.5%, other 4.1%
Sierra Leone
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Singapore
Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu,
Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Slovakia
Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%,
Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%
Slovenia
Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%,
atheist 4.3%, other 22.9%
Solomon Islands
Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United
(Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%
Somalia
Sunni Muslim
South Africa
Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about
60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60%
of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%
Spain
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Sri Lanka
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
Sudan
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian
5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Suriname
Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant
25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%
Swaziland
Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral
worship) 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai,
Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30%
Sweden
Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim,
Jewish, Buddhist
Switzerland
Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none
8.9% (1990)
Syria
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%,
Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus,
Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Taiwan
mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian
4.5%, other 2.5%
Tajikistan
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%
Tanzania
mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs
35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Thailand
Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism
0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)
Togo
indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
Tokelau
Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%,
other 2%
note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on
Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with
the Congregational Christian Church predominant
Tonga
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Trinidad and Tobago
Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican
10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%
Tunisia
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Turkey
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians
and Jews)
Turkmenistan
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Turks and Caicos Islands
Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%,
Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
Tuvalu
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Uganda
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous
beliefs 18%
Ukraine
Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox
- Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian
Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
United Arab Emirates
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and
other 4%
United Kingdom
Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5
million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000,
Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000
United States
Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other
4%, none 10% (1989)
Uruguay
Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population
attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing
or other 31%
Uzbekistan
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Vanuatu
Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 15%,
indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of
Christ 3.8%, other 15.7% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult)
Venezuela
nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
Vietnam
Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman
Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim
Virgin Islands
Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,
other 7%
Wallis and Futuna
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
West Bank
Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian
and other 8%
Western Sahara
Muslim
World
Christians 32.79% (of which Roman Catholics 17.33%,
Protestants 5.62%, Orthodox 3.51%, Anglicans 1.31%), Muslims 19.6%,
Hindus 13.31%, Buddhists 5.88%, Sikhs 0.38%, Jews 0.24%, other
religions 12.83%, non-religious 12.53%, atheists 2.44% (2001 est.)
Yemen
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small
numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Zambia
Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous
beliefs 1%
Zimbabwe
syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,
Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2123 Suffrage
Afghanistan
NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Albania
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Algeria
18 years of age; universal
American Samoa
18 years of age; universal
Andorra
18 years of age; universal
Angola
18 years of age; universal
Anguilla
18 years of age; universal
Antigua and Barbuda
18 years of age; universal
Argentina
18 years of age; universal and mandatory
Armenia
18 years of age; universal
Aruba
18 years of age; universal
Australia
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Austria
18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections
Azerbaijan
18 years of age; universal
Bahamas, The
18 years of age; universal
Bahrain
18 years of age; universal
Bangladesh
18 years of age; universal
Barbados
18 years of age; universal
Belarus
18 years of age; universal
Belgium
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Belize
18 years of age; universal
Benin
18 years of age; universal
Bermuda
18 years of age; universal
Bhutan
each family has one vote in village-level elections
Bolivia
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21
years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of
age, universal
Botswana
18 years of age; universal
Brazil
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
British Virgin Islands
18 years of age; universal
Brunei
none
Bulgaria
18 years of age; universal
Burkina Faso
universal
Burma
18 years of age; universal
Burundi
NA years of age; universal adult
Cambodia
18 years of age; universal
Cameroon
20 years of age; universal
Canada
18 years of age; universal
Cape Verde
18 years of age; universal
Cayman Islands
18 years of age; universal
Central African Republic
21 years of age; universal
Chad
18 years of age; universal
Chile
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
China
18 years of age; universal
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA
Colombia
18 years of age; universal
Comoros
18 years of age; universal
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Congo, Republic of the
18 years of age; universal
Cook Islands
NA years of age; universal adult
Costa Rica
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Cote d'Ivoire
18 years of age; universal
Croatia
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Cuba
16 years of age; universal
Cyprus
18 years of age; universal
Czech Republic
18 years of age; universal
Denmark
18 years of age; universal
Djibouti
18 years of age; universal adult
Dominica
18 years of age; universal
Dominican Republic 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
East Timor
17 years of age; universal
Ecuador
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons
ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Egypt
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
El Salvador
18 years of age; universal
Equatorial Guinea
18 years of age; universal adult
Eritrea
18 years of age; universal
Estonia
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Ethiopia
18 years of age; universal
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
18 years of age; universal
Faroe Islands
18 years of age; universal
Fiji
21 years of age; universal
Finland
18 years of age; universal
France
18 years of age; universal
French Guiana
18 years of age; universal
French Polynesia
18 years of age; universal
Gabon
21 years of age; universal
Gambia, The
18 years of age; universal
Georgia
18 years of age; universal
Germany
18 years of age; universal
Ghana
18 years of age; universal
Gibraltar
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who
have been residents six months or more
Greece
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Greenland
18 years of age; universal
Grenada
18 years of age; universal
Guadeloupe
18 years of age; universal
Guam
18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US
presidential elections
Guatemala
18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the
armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on
election day)
Guernsey
18 years of age; universal
Guinea
18 years of age; universal
Guinea-Bissau
18 years of age; universal
Guyana
18 years of age; universal
Haiti
18 years of age; universal
Holy See (Vatican City)
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Honduras
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Hong Kong
direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent
residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven
years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of
functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn
from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central
government bodies
Hungary
18 years of age; universal
Iceland
18 years of age; universal
India
18 years of age; universal
Indonesia
17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless
of age
Iran
15 years of age; universal
Iraq
formerly 18 years of age; universal; note - in transition
following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led
coalition
Ireland
18 years of age; universal
Israel
18 years of age; universal
Italy
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections,
where minimum age is 25)
Jamaica
18 years of age; universal
Japan
20 years of age; universal
Jersey
NA years of age; universal adult
Jordan
18 years of age; universal
Kazakhstan
18 years of age; universal
Kenya
18 years of age; universal
Kiribati
18 years of age; universal
Korea, North
17 years of age; universal
Korea, South
20 years of age; universal
Kuwait
adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or
have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants
at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996,
naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but
have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the
first time
Kyrgyzstan
18 years of age; universal
Laos
18 years of age; universal
Latvia
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Lebanon
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for
women at age 21 with elementary education
Lesotho
18 years of age; universal
Liberia
18 years of age; universal
Libya
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Liechtenstein
18 years of age; universal
Lithuania
18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau
direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent
residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect
election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters"
(257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee
drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and
central government bodies
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
18 years of age; universal
Madagascar
18 years of age; universal
Malawi
18 years of age; universal
Malaysia
21 years of age; universal
Maldives
21 years of age; universal
Mali
18 years of age; universal
Malta
18 years of age; universal
Man, Isle of
18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands
18 years of age; universal
Martinique
18 years of age; universal
Mauritania
18 years of age; universal
Mauritius
18 years of age; universal
Mayotte
18 years of age; universal
Mexico
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Micronesia, Federated States of
18 years of age; universal
Moldova
18 years of age; universal
Monaco
21 years of age; universal
Mongolia
18 years of age; universal
Montserrat
18 years of age; universal
Morocco
18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)
Mozambique
18 years of age; universal
Namibia
18 years of age; universal
Nauru
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Nepal
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands Antilles
18 years of age; universal
New Caledonia
18 years of age; universal
New Zealand
18 years of age; universal
Nicaragua
16 years of age; universal
Niger
18 years of age; universal
Nigeria
18 years of age; universal
Niue
18 years of age; universal
Norfolk Island
18 years of age; universal
Northern Mariana Islands 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway
18 years of age; universal
Oman
in Oman's most recent elections in 2000, limited to
approximately 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote in
elections for the Majlis al-Shura
Pakistan
18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved
parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
Palau
18 years of age; universal
Panama
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Papua New Guinea
18 years of age; universal
Paraguay
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Peru
18 years of age; universal
Philippines
18 years of age; universal
Pitcairn Islands 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Poland
18 years of age; universal
Portugal
18 years of age; universal
Puerto Rico
18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are
US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar
18 years of age; universal
Reunion
18 years of age; universal
Romania
18 years of age; universal
Russia
18 years of age; universal
Rwanda
18 years of age; universal adult
Saint Helena
NA years of age
Saint Kitts and Nevis
18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia
18 years of age; universal
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
18 years of age; universal
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
18 years of age; universal
Samoa
21 years of age; universal
San Marino
18 years of age; universal
Sao Tome and Principe
18 years of age; universal
Saudi Arabia
none
Senegal
18 years of age; universal
Serbia and Montenegro 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Seychelles
17 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone
18 years of age; universal
Singapore
21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Slovakia
18 years of age; universal
Slovenia
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Solomon Islands
21 years of age; universal
Somalia
18 years of age; universal
South Africa
18 years of age; universal
Spain
18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka
18 years of age; universal
Sudan
17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Suriname
18 years of age; universal
Swaziland
18 years of age
Sweden
18 years of age; universal
Switzerland
18 years of age; universal
Syria
18 years of age; universal
Taiwan
20 years of age; universal
Tajikistan
18 years of age; universal
Tanzania
18 years of age; universal
Thailand
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Togo
NA years of age; universal adult
Tokelau
21 years of age; universal
Tonga
21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago
18 years of age; universal
Tunisia
20 years of age; universal
Turkey
18 years of age; universal
Turkmenistan
18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands
18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu
18 years of age; universal
Uganda
18 years of age; universal
Ukraine
18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emirates
none
United Kingdom
18 years of age; universal
United States
18 years of age; universal
Uruguay
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan
18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu
18 years of age; universal
Venezuela
18 years of age; universal
Vietnam
18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands
18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous
inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential
elections
Wallis and Futuna
18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara
none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign
not yet completed
Yemen
18 years of age; universal
Zambia
18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe
18 years of age; universal
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2124 Telephone system
Afghanistan
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph
service
domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were established between
Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through
satellite and microwave systems
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Albania
general assessment: Albania has the poorest telephone
service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100
inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for
every village; in 1992, following the fall of the Communist
government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used
it to build fences
international: inadequate; international traffic carried by
microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
Algeria
general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very
low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of
fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more
than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers;
much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic
earth stations are planned)
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy,
France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and
Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and
1 Arabsat (1998)
American Samoa
general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone
services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Andorra
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections
between exchanges
international: landline circuits to France and Spain
Angola
general assessment: telephone service limited mostly to
government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for
military links
domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and
tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Anguilla
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system
international: microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin
(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles)
Antarctica
general assessment: local systems at some research
stations
domestic: NA
international: via satellite from some research stations
Antigua and Barbuda
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba
(Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Argentina
general assessment: by opening the telecommunications
market to competition and foreign investment with the
"Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina
encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology;
fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major
cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability
of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density
is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally
available will take time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic
satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;
more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone
use is rapidly expanding
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international
gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)
Armenia
general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately
owned and undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment
are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe
fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is
available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the
other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and
through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest
of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (2000)
Aruba
general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands
Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Australia
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,
and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian
Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean
regions) (1998)
Austria
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber
optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet
services are available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are
about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)
Azerbaijan
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable
expansion and modernization; teledensity of 10 main lines per 100
persons is low (2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still
serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey enables Baku to reach
about 200 additional countries, some of which are directly connected
to Baku by satellite providers other than Turkey (1997)
Bahamas, The
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Bahrain
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network
with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave
radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and
Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
Bangladesh
general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern
country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
international radiotelephone communications and landline service to
neighboring countries (2000)
Barbados
general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Belarus
general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunications
controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock
company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a
cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long;
local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity -
Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently
serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form
synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries'
systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL),
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the
Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide
connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide
service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure;
additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and
Intersputnik earth stations
Belgium
general assessment: highly developed, technologically
advanced, and completely automated domestic and international
telephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Belize
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Benin
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); submarine cable
Bermuda
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bhutan
general assessment: NA
domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few
telephones in use
international: international telephone and telegraph service is by
landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)
Bolivia
general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic
difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other
cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs
digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic
cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
general assessment: telephone and telegraph
network needs modernization and expansion; many urban areas are
below average as contrasted with services in other former Yugoslav
republics
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations
Botswana
general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth
of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile
cellular service is growing fast
international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio
relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Brazil
general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region
east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3
satellite earth station
British Indian Ocean Territory general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
British Virgin Islands
general assessment: worldwide telephone
service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Brunei
general assessment: service throughout the country is
excellent; international service is good to East Asia, Europe, and
the US
domestic: every service available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, the
Philippines, and Singapore (2001)
Bulgaria
general assessment: extensive but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential;
telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern
digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of
the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio
relay
international: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth
stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat
(Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Burkina Faso
general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Burma
general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and
intercity service for business and government; international service
is good
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Burundi
general assessment: primitive system
domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications,
and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Cambodia
general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular
service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; rural areas have
little telephone service
domestic: NA
international: adequate but expensive landline and cellular service
available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial
cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean
region)
Cameroon
general assessment: available only to business and
government
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Canada
general assessment: excellent service provided by modern
technology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Cape Verde
general assessment: effective system, being improved
domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog
and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine
fiber-optic cable system which is scheduled for completion in 2003
international: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to
Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Cayman Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Central African Republic
general assessment: fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and
low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chad
general assessment: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chile
general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave
radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite
system with 3 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
China
general assessment: domestic and international services are
increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and
many towns
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and
1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international
fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and
Germany (2000)
Christmas Island
general assessment: service provided by the
Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available
international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station
provides telephone and telex service (2000)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
general assessment: connected within
Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA
international: telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with
Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of
NA type (2002)
Colombia
general assessment: modern system in many respects
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic
satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking
50 cities
international: satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3
fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
Comoros
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay
and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and
Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
general assessment: poor
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in
and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Congo, Republic of the
general assessment: services barely adequate
for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire,
and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cook Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of
satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF
radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small
exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and
fiber-optic cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Costa Rica
general assessment: very good domestic telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two
submarine cables (1999)
Cote d'Ivoire
general assessment: well developed by African
standards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 coaxial submarine cables (June 1999)
Croatia
general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog
circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be
included in the plan for the main trunk
international: digital international service is provided through the
main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe
(TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of two fiber-optic trunk
connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka
to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a
joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece (2000)
Cuba
general assessment: NA
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial
cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la
Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old,
US-built; the other newer, built during the period of Soviet
support); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region)
Cyprus
general assessment: excellent in both the Greek Cypriot and
Turkish Cypriot areas
domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic
submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat
Czech Republic
general assessment: privatization and modernization
of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is
advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones
is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber
systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;
trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic
and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1
Globalstar
Denmark
general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph
services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form
trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with
Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe
Islands, Iceland, and Canada; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat,
10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note -
the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for
worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)
Djibouti
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of
Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections
to outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles,
Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio
relay telephone network
Dominica
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to
Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint
Lucia
Dominican Republic
general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave
radio relay network
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
East Timor
NA
Ecuador
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Egypt
general assessment: large system; underwent extensive
upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and
cellular service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean
and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine
cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to
Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a signatory to Project
Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system)
El Salvador
general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Equatorial Guinea
general assessment: poor system with adequate
government services
domestic: NA
international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to
African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)
Eritrea
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government
is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: NA; note - international connections exist
Estonia
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint
business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial
fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in
the digital mode; internet services are available throughout most of
the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by
September 2000
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and internet
services is available throughout the country
international: fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and
Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international
switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Ethiopia
general assessment: open-wire and microwave radio relay
system; adequate for government use
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in
the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites provide
the national trunk service
international: open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio
relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Faroe Islands
general assessment: good international communications;
good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog)
and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic
submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands
with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to
Canada-Europe cable
Fiji
general assessment: modern local, interisland, and
international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose
telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio
communications center
domestic: NA
international: access to important cable links between US and Canada
as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Finland
general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular
net provide domestic needs
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - access
to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth
station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -
Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic
countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
France
general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive
introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of
5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone
communications with more than 20 countries
French Guiana
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
French Polynesia
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Gabon
general assessment: adequate service by African standards and
improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable to be in service in 2002
Gambia, The
general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data
network is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and
Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Gaza Strip
general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire
system
international: NA
Georgia
general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line
between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is
available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow
switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available
Germany
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to
World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries
international: Germany's international service is excellent
worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable
facilities as well as earth stations in the INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
EUTELSAT, and INTERSPUTNIK satellite systems (2001)
Ghana
general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible;
many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is
underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has
been installed
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana
to its neighbors
Gibraltar
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system
and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Greece
general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all
areas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1
Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Greenland
general assessment: adequate domestic and international
service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;
totally digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2
Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)
Grenada
general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago
and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Guadeloupe
general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and
Martinique
Guam
general assessment: modern system, integrated with US
facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service
and local access to the Internet
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific
Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific
communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the
US and Asia)
Guatemala
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the
city of Guatemala
domestic: NA
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guernsey
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Guinea
general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines,
small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio
relay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissau
general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: NA
Guyana
general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haiti
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;
international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Holy See (Vatican City)
general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: uses Italian system
Honduras
general assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Hong Kong
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent
domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access
to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN
member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western
Europe
Hungary
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized
and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication
service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all
neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian
Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT)
system of ground terminals
Iceland
general assessment: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic
cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -
Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic
countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
India
general assessment: mediocre service; local and long distance
service provided throughout all regions of the country, with
services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; major objective
is to continue to expand and modernize long-distance network to keep
pace with rapidly growing number of local subscriber lines; steady
improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and
private-public investors, but, with telephone density at about two
for each 100 persons and a waiting list of over 2 million, demand
for main line telephone service will not be satisfied for a very
long time
domestic: local service is provided by microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable, with open wire and obsolete electromechanical and
manual switchboard systems still in use in rural areas; starting in
the 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch gear has been
introduced for local and long-distance service; long-distance
traffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and low-capacity
microwave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity has
been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellite
system with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is provided
in four metropolitan cities
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges
operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta),
Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad, and
Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) to
Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah,
UAE; India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin and
Mumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with
landing site at Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)
Indonesia
general assessment: domestic service fair, international
service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Iran
general assessment: inadequate but currently being modernized
and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and
increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing
telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently
connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system
since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave
radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been
brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems
has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular
subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the
system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital
switches
international: HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with
access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and
4 Inmarsat
Iraq
general assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication
facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio
relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region),
and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably
nonoperational
Ireland
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Israel
general assessment: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Italy
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully
automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total
of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine
cables
Jamaica
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone
network
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Japan
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of
every kind
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and
1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to
China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Jersey
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables
Johnston Atoll
general assessment: 33 commercial lines, 15 incoming
and 18 outgoing; adequate telecommunications
domestic: 60-channel submarine cable (broken in January 2002), 24
DSN circuits by satellite, Automated Digital Network (AUTODIN) with
standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch, Military
Affiliated Radio System (MARS) station (scheduled for
decommissioning March 2003), UHF/VHF air-ground radio, a link to the
Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satellite
international: NA (2002)
Jordan
general assessment: service has improved recently with the
increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to
the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access
to pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of
mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and
29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi
Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria;
connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links
total about 4,000
Kazakhstan
general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: international traffic with other former Soviet
republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay
and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
Kenya
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize
except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Kiribati
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative
Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Korea, North
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections
through Moscow and Beijing
Korea, South
general assessment: excellent domestic and
international services
domestic: NA
international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; the
Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat
(Pacific Ocean region)
Kuwait
general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones
international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG)
cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2
Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
Kyrgyzstan
general assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000
unsatisfied applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider,
probably limited to Bishkek region
international: connections with other CIS countries by landline or
microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections
with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connected
internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Laos
general assessment: service to general public is poor but
improving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an
additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a
radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean region)
Latvia
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to
provide an international capability independent of the Moscow
international switch; more facilities are being installed for
individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,
rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied
subscriber applications
international: international connections are now available via cable
and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections
for most calls (1998)
Lebanon
general assessment: telecommunications system severely
damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria;
microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to
Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Lesotho
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay
system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular
mobile telephone system is growing
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Liberia
general assessment: telephone and telegraph service via
microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Libya
general assessment: telecommunications system is being
modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in
1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat,
and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave
radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece;
participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Liechtenstein
general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio
relay
Lithuania
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to
provide an improved international capability and better residential
access
domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is
nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded;
mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet
is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber
applications
international: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major
international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by
submarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Luxembourg
general assessment: highly developed, completely
automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable
(Europe to North America)
Macau
general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities
maintained for domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to
international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and
China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Madagascar
general assessment: system is above average for the region
domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay,
and tropospheric scatter links connect regions
international: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
region)
Malawi
general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Malaysia
general assessment: modern system; international service
excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations
international: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific
Ocean) (2001)
Maldives
general assessment: minimal domestic and international
facilities
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all
inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service
international: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Mali
general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;
provides only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and
radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio
relay in progress
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Malta
general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal
requirements
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Man, Isle of
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Marshall Islands
general assessment: digital switching equipment;
modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international
calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific
Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein
(2001)
Martinique
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and
Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Mauritania
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire
lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone
communications stations (improvements being made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed
domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with
regional capitals
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Mauritius
general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several
countries
Mayotte
general assessment: small system administered by French
Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone
communications to Comoros (2001)
Mexico
general assessment: low telephone density with about 12 main
lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to
competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,
but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with
120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;
considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile
cellular service
international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad
(giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America,
and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications),
numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American
Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2
fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands,
Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Micronesia, Federated States of general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)
Moldova
general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service
outside Chisinau; some effort to modernize is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile
cellular telephone service being introduced
international: service through Romania and Russia via landline;
satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik
Monaco
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into
the French communications system
Mongolia
general assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephones
for each thousand persons
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean Region)
Montserrat
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Morocco
general assessment: modern system with all important
capabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main lines
available for each 100 persons
domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and
microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;
principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national
network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural
service employs microwave radio relay
international: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable
link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)
Mozambique
general assessment: fair system but not available
generally (telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000
persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk
connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)
Namibia
general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each
100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio
relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are
by open wire; 100% digital
international: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio
relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries;
connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine
cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
(2002)
Nauru
general assessment: adequate local and international
radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nepal
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair
radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone
network
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to
India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Netherlands
general assessment: highly developed and well maintained
domestic: the existing system of multi-conductor cables is gradually
being replaced by fiber-optic cables; the density of cellular
telephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of
the system is expected in 2001, with the introduction of the third
generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (1996)
Netherlands Antilles
general assessment: generally adequate
facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
New Caledonia
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
New Zealand
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
systems
domestic: NA
international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nicaragua
general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by
foreign investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being
expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Niger
general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone
communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the
southwestern area of Niger
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Nigeria
general assessment: an inadequate system, further limited by
poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been
made
domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave
radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19
earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular
facilities and the Internet are available
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); coaxial submarine cable SAFE (South
African Far East)
Niue
domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on
island
international: NA
Norfolk Island
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone service with Sydney (Australia)
Northern Mariana Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Norway
general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most
advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the
prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile
systems instead of fixed-wire systems
international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
Oman
general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire,
microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited
coaxial cable
domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a
domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Arabsat
Pakistan
general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but
improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in
part because major businesses have established their own private
systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the
national telecommunications system on a priority basis,
significantly increasing network capacity; despite major
improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services
are still not readily available to the majority of the rural
population
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
cellular, and satellite networks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway
exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay
to neighboring countries (1999)
Palau
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Panama
general assessment: domestic and international facilities
well developed
domestic: NA
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations -
2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American
Microwave System
Papua New Guinea
general assessment: services are adequate and being
improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal
radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication
services
domestic: mostly radiotelephone
international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio
communication service
Paraguay
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal
switching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Peru
general assessment: adequate for most requirements
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); Pan American submarine cable
Philippines
general assessment: good international radiotelephone
and submarine cable services; domestic and inter-island service
adequate
domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations
international: 9 international gateways; satellite earth stations -
3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to
Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan
Pitcairn Islands
general assessment: only party line telephone
service is available for this small, closely related community
domestic: party line service only
international: radiotelephone
Poland
general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in the
process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the
state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list
for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile
cellular telephone use
domestic: cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular
networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region)
Portugal
general assessment: undergoing rapid development in recent
years, Portugal's telephone system, by the end of 1998, achieved a
state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and
a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave
radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international: 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Puerto Rico
general assessment: modern system, integrated with that
of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with
high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable
to US
Qatar
general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: NA
international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio
relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Reunion
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is
Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network
international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France,
Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Romania
general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is
mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about
one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages
have no service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital,
international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note -
Romania is an active participant in several international
telecommunication network projects (1999)
Russia
general assessment: the telephone system has undergone
significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000
companies licensed to offer communication services; access to
digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet
and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward
building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a
market economy; however, a large demand for main line service
remains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint
Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the
telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital
infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are
available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are
still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea
fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more
than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations
provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and
Orbita systems
Rwanda
general assessment: telephone system primarily serves
business and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the
prefectures by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular
telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF
radiotelephone
international: international connections employ microwave radio
relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more
distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian
Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Saint Helena
general assessment: can communicate worldwide
domestic: automatic network
international: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascensionm,
which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South
Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
general assessment: good interisland and
international connections
domestic: inter island links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin
(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF
radiotelephone
international: international calls are carried by radiotelephone to
Antigua and Barbuda and switched there to submarine cable or to
Intelsat; or carried to Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands
Antilles) by radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat
Saint Lucia
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched
international: direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados;
international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat
from Martinique
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in
the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the
Grenadines
international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to
Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia;
access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
Samoa
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
San Marino
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into
Italian system
international: connected to Italian international network
Sao Tome and Principe
general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saudi Arabia
general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and
fiber-optic cable systems
international: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait,
Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan;
submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth
stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1
Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Senegal
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Serbia and Montenegro
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Seychelles
general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent
island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Sierra Leone
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph
service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects
Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Singapore
general assessment: major consideration given to serving
business interests; excellent international service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular
Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat
(Pacific Ocean region)
Slovakia
general assessment: a modernization and privatization
program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing
the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving
service quality
domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving
digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable,
especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been
added
international: three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and
two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in
several international telecommunications projects that will increase
the availability of external services
Slovenia
general assessment: NA
domestic: 100% digital (2000)
international: NA
Solomon Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Somalia
general assessment: the public telecommunications system was
almost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions;
private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and
charge the lowest international rates on the continent
domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in
Mogadishu and in several other population centers
international: international connections are available from
Mogadishu by satellite
South Africa
general assessment: the system is the best developed
and most modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial
cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable,
radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key
centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port
Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Spain
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;
teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Sri Lanka
general assessment: very inadequate domestic service,
particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization
of national telephone company and encouragement to private
investment; good international service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital
microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area
and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition
is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low
at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Sudan
general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional
standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in
1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone
communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite
system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
Suriname
general assessment: international facilities are good
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Svalbard
general assessment: probably adequate
domestic: local telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for
communication with Norwegian mainland only)
Swaziland
general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced
system
domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and
low-capacity, microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Sweden
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
facilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice
traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some
additional telephone channels
international: 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic
and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth
station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
and Norway)
Switzerland
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean
and Indian Ocean)
Syria
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing
significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic
technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,
and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Taiwan
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for
every business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa),
Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia,
Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Tajikistan
general assessment: poorly developed and not well
maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other
CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international
gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway
switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2
Intelsat
Tanzania
general assessment: fair system operating below capacity
and being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture
terminal) system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being
made digital
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Thailand
general assessment: service to general public adequate, but
investment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of
service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and
microwave radio relay network
domestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domestic
satellite system being developed
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Togo
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Tokelau
general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated
telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations,
established in 1997
Tonga
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
(1996)
Trinidad and Tobago
general assessment: excellent international
service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Tunisia
general assessment: above the African average and continuing
to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;
Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial
cable, and microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two
international gateway digital switches
Turkey
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and
expansion, especially with cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid
increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating
communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a
domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile
cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: international service is provided by three submarine
fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking
Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia;
also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite
terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Turkmenistan
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other
CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from
Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat
switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat;
satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Turks and Caicos Islands
general assessment: fair cable and
radiotelephone services
domestic: NA
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalu
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: NA
Uganda
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular
systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of
main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Ukraine
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development
plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk
lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic
trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system
is expanding at a high rate
international: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the
fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links
have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL)
project which connects 18 countries; additional international
service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR)
fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat,
Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
United Arab Emirates
general assessment: modern system of microwave
radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar,
Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic
and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large
international switching centers
United States
general assessment: a very large, technologically
advanced, multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country
international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth
stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and
Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguay
general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new
nationwide microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) (2002)
Uzbekistan
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious
need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and
technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and
Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in
industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks
had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System
for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile
Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS
member states and to other countries by leased connection via the
Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the
Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable,
Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for
international communications; Inmarsat also provides an
international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth
stations - NA (1998)
Vanuatu
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuela
general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent
substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;
substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;
installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of
digital multimedia services
international: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an
international fiber-optic network
Vietnam
general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort
into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,
but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern
neighbors
domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to
Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or
microwave radio relay networks; since 1991, main lines in use have
been substantially increased and the use of mobile telephones is
growing rapidly
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean region)
Virgin Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: submarine cable and satellite communications;
satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Island
general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN
circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA
Wallis and Futuna
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
West Bank
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are
responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Sahara
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
World
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Yemen
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have
been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone
systems
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2
Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Zambia
general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the
best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger
towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;
Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwe
general assessment: system was once one of the best in
Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000
outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number
of installed but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet
connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
and for some of the smaller ones
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two
international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2125 Terrain
Afghanistan
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Albania
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Algeria
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
American Samoa
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Andorra
rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Angola
narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Anguilla
flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Antarctica
about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,
with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain
ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include
parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic
Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers
form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice
shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Antigua and Barbuda
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,
with some higher volcanic areas
Arctic Ocean
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure
ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the
Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the
New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland
and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the
summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends
to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Argentina
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to
rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western
border
Armenia
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast
flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Aruba
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
low with sand and coral
Atlantic Ocean
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,
Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October
to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of
currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre
in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire
Atlantic basin
Australia
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Austria
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the
eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Azerbaijan
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much
of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,
Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron
Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Bahamas, The
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Bahrain
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment
Baker Island
low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef
Bangladesh
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Barbados
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Bassas da India
volcanic rock
Belarus
generally flat and contains much marshland
Belgium
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Belize
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Benin
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Bermuda
low hills separated by fertile depressions
Bhutan
mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Bolivia
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Bosnia and Herzegovina
mountains and valleys
Botswana
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
Desert in southwest
Bouvet Island
volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible
Brazil
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
mountains, and narrow coastal belt
British Indian Ocean Territory
flat and low (most areas do not
exceed four meters in elevation)
British Virgin Islands
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic
islands steep, hilly
Brunei
flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland
in west
Bulgaria
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Burkina Faso
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in
west and southeast
Burma
central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Burundi
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some
plains
Cambodia
mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Cameroon
diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau
in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Canada
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Cape Verde
steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Cayman Islands
low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Central African Republic
vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;
scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Chad
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in
northwest, lowlands in south
Chile
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in
east
China
mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
deltas, and hills in east
Christmas Island
steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central
plateau
Clipperton Island
coral atoll
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
flat, low-lying coral atolls
Colombia
flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Comoros
volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low
hills
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
vast central basin is a low-lying
plateau; mountains in east
Congo, Republic of the
coastal plain, southern basin, central
plateau, northern basin
Cook Islands
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in
south
Coral Sea Islands
sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Costa Rica
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including
over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Cote d'Ivoire
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in
northwest
Croatia
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,
low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Cuba
mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains
in the southeast
Cyprus
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered
but significant plains along southern coast
Czech Republic
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains,
hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east
consists of very hilly country
Denmark
low and flat to gently rolling plains
Djibouti
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Dominica
rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Dominican Republic rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
East Timor
mountainous
Ecuador
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands
(sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Egypt
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
El Salvador
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central
plateau
Equatorial Guinea
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are
volcanic
Eritrea
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending
highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the
northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling
plains
Estonia
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Ethiopia
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley
Europa Island
low and flat
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
rocky, hilly, mountainous with
some boggy, undulating plains
Faroe Islands
rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of
coast
Fiji
mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Finland
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills
France
mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small
mountains
French Polynesia
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with
reefs
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
volcanic
Gabon
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Gambia, The
flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Gaza Strip
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Georgia
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the
north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi
(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River
Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,
foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Germany
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Ghana
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Gibraltar
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
low and flat
Greece
mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as
peninsulas or chains of islands
Greenland
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Grenada
volcanic in origin with central mountains
Guadeloupe
Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior
mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the
seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Guam
volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat
coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep
coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in
center, mountains in south
Guatemala
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling
limestone plateau (Peten)
Guernsey
mostly level with low hills in southwest
Guinea
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Guinea-Bissau
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Guyana
mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Haiti
mostly rough and mountainous
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Holy See (Vatican City)
low hill
Honduras
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Hong Kong
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Howland Island
low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island
surrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area
Hungary
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on
the Slovakian border
Iceland
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
India
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain
along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Indian Ocean
surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad,
circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique
reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low
atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer
air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast
winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from
cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and
northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated
by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian
Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Indonesia
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior
mountains
Iran
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Iraq
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in
south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran
and Turkey
Ireland
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged
hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Israel
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Italy
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Jamaica
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Jan Mayen
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Japan
mostly rugged and mountainous
Jarvis Island
sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing
reef
Jersey
gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Johnston Atoll
mostly flat
Jordan
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Juan de Nova Island
low and flat
Kazakhstan
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from
the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Kenya
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west
Kingman Reef
low and nearly level
Kiribati
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Korea, North
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Korea, South
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
and south
Kuwait
flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Kyrgyzstan
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation
Laos
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Latvia
low plain
Lebanon
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Lesotho
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Liberia
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast
Libya
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Liechtenstein
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western
third
Lithuania
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Luxembourg
mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow
valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope
down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Macau
generally flat
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River
Madagascar
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Malawi
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,
some mountains
Malaysia
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Maldives
flat, with white sandy beaches
Mali
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna
in south, rugged hills in northeast
Malta
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs
Man, Isle of
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Marshall Islands
low coral limestone and sand islands
Martinique
mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Mauritania
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
hills
Mauritius
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Mayotte
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic
peaks
Mexico
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert
Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk
Midway Islands
low, nearly level
Moldova
rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Monaco
hilly, rugged, rocky
Mongolia
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains
in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Montserrat
volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal
lowland
Morocco
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas
of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambique
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus
in northwest, mountains in west
Namibia
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Nauru
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center
Navassa Island
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to
undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Nepal
Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Netherlands
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast
Netherlands Antilles
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
New Caledonia
coastal plains with interior mountains
New Zealand
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Nicaragua
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central
interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by
volcanoes
Niger
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling
plains in south; hills in north
Nigeria
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;
mountains in southeast, plains in north
Niue
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Norfolk Island
volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Northern Mariana Islands
southern islands are limestone with level
terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Norway
glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken
by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply
indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Oman
central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Pacific Ocean
surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated
by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)
and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;
in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana
Trench, which is the world's deepest
Pakistan
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west
Palau
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of
Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier
reefs
Palmyra Atoll
very low
Panama
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland
plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Papua New Guinea
mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling
foothills
Paracel Islands
mostly low and flat
Paraguay
grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran
Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the
river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peru
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Philippines
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands
Pitcairn Islands
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with
cliffs
Poland
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Portugal
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in
south
Puerto Rico
mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in north;
mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most
coastal areas
Qatar
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel
Reunion
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Romania
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of
Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from
the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Russia
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions
Rwanda
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with
altitude declining from west to east
Saint Helena
Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered
plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Saint Kitts and Nevis
volcanic with mountainous interiors
Saint Lucia
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
mostly barren rock
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
volcanic, mountainous
Samoa
narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in
interior
San Marino
rugged mountains
Sao Tome and Principe
volcanic, mountainous
Saudi Arabia
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Senegal
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in
southeast
Serbia and Montenegro
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile
plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast,
ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely high
shoreline with no islands off the coast
Seychelles
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,
hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Sierra Leone
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east
Singapore
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve
Slovakia
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and
lowlands in the south
Slovenia
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain
region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys
with numerous rivers to the east
Solomon Islands
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Somalia
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
South Africa
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow
coastal plain
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
most of the islands,
rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South
Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;
the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active
volcanoes
Southern Ocean
the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters
over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water;
the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually
deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean
is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum
of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million
square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in
area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves
perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current,
transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100
times the flow of all the world's rivers
Spain
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north
Spratly Islands
flat
Sri Lanka
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior
Sudan
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,
northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Suriname
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Svalbard
wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west
coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and
north coasts
Swaziland
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Sweden
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Switzerland
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with
a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Syria
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;
mountains in west
Taiwan
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently
rolling plains in west
Tajikistan
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western
Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Tanzania
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north,
south
Thailand
central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains
elsewhere
Togo
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern
plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Tokelau
low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Tonga
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Trinidad and Tobago
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Tromelin Island
low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic
Tunisia
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south
merges into the Sahara
Turkey
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain;
several mountain ranges
Turkmenistan
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to
mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran;
borders Caspian Sea in west
Turks and Caicos Islands low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Tuvalu
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Uganda
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Ukraine
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and
plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),
and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
United Arab Emirates
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling
sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
United Kingdom
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to
rolling plains in east and southeast
United States
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low
mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in
Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Uruguay
mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Uzbekistan
mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad,
flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya,
Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east
surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral
Sea in west
Vanuatu
mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Venezuela
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Vietnam
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Virgin Islands
mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little
level land
Wake Island
atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater
volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Wallis and Futuna
volcanic origin; low hills
West Bank
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
but barren in east
Western Sahara
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
World
the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in
the Pacific Ocean
Yemen
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the
desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Zambia
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Zimbabwe
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high
veld); mountains in east
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)
Afghanistan
5.64 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Albania
2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Algeria
2.55 children born/woman (2003 est.)
American Samoa
3.3 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Andorra
1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Angola
6.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Anguilla
1.76 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda
2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Argentina
2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Armenia
1.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Aruba
1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Australia
1.76 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Austria
1.41 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Azerbaijan
2.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bahamas, The
2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bahrain
2.71 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bangladesh
3.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Barbados
1.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Belarus
1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Belgium
1.62 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Belize
3.86 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Benin
6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bermuda
1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bhutan
4.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bolivia
3.23 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1.71 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Botswana
3.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Brazil
2.01 children born/woman (2003 est.)
British Virgin Islands
1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Brunei
2.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Bulgaria
1.13 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Burkina Faso
6.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Burma
2.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Burundi
5.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cambodia
3.58 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cameroon
4.63 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Canada
1.61 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cape Verde
3.77 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cayman Islands
1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Central African Republic
4.68 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Chad
6.44 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Chile
2.09 children born/woman (2003 est.)
China
1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Christmas Island
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Colombia
2.61 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Comoros
5.21 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.69 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Congo, Republic of the
3.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cook Islands
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Costa Rica
2.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire
5.51 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Croatia
1.93 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cuba
1.61 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Cyprus
1.88 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Czech Republic
1.18 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Denmark
1.73 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Djibouti
5.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Dominica
1.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Dominican Republic
2.92 children born/woman (2003 est.)
East Timor
3.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Ecuador
2.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Egypt
3.02 children born/woman (2003 est.)
El Salvador
3.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Equatorial Guinea
4.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Eritrea
5.74 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Estonia
1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Ethiopia
5.55 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
NA children born/woman
Faroe Islands
2.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Fiji
2.81 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Finland
1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)
France
1.85 children born/woman (2003 est.)
French Guiana
3.09 children born/woman (2003 est.)
French Polynesia
2.14 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Gabon
4.83 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Gambia, The
5.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Gaza Strip
6.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Georgia
1.51 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Germany
1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Ghana
3.32 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Gibraltar
1.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Greece
1.35 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Greenland
2.43 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Grenada
2.45 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guadeloupe
1.92 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guam
3.62 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guatemala
4.67 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guernsey
1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guinea
5.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guinea-Bissau
5.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Guyana
2.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Haiti
4.86 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Honduras
4.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Hong Kong
1.32 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Hungary
1.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Iceland
1.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
India
2.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Indonesia
2.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Iran
1.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Iraq
4.52 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Ireland
1.89 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Israel
2.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Italy
1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Jamaica
2.01 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Japan
1.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Jersey
1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Jordan
3 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Kazakhstan
2.16 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Kenya
3.47 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Kiribati
4.28 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Korea, North
2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Korea, South
1.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Kuwait
3.08 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Kyrgyzstan
3.12 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Laos
4.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Latvia
1.2 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Lebanon
1.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Lesotho
3.52 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Liberia
6.23 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Libya
3.49 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Liechtenstein
1.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Lithuania
1.43 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Luxembourg
1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Macau
1.32 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of 1.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Madagascar
5.73 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Malawi
6.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Malaysia
3.13 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Maldives
5.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mali
6.66 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Malta
1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Man, Isle of
1.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Marshall Islands
4.12 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Martinique
1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mauritania
6.08 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mauritius
1.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mayotte
6.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mexico
2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of
3.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Moldova
1.74 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Monaco
1.76 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mongolia
2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Montserrat
1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Morocco
2.89 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Mozambique
4.87 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Namibia
4.71 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Nauru
3.4 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Nepal
4.39 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Netherlands
1.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Netherlands Antilles
2.04 children born/woman (2003 est.)
New Caledonia
2.39 children born/woman (2003 est.)
New Zealand
1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Nicaragua
3 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Niger
6.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Nigeria
5.4 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Niue
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Norfolk Island
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Northern Mariana Islands
1.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Norway
1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Oman
5.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Pakistan
4.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Palau
2.47 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Panama
2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Papua New Guinea
4.13 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Paraguay
4.02 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Peru
2.81 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Philippines
3.29 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Pitcairn Islands
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Poland
1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Portugal
1.49 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Puerto Rico
2.02 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Qatar
3.02 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Reunion
2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Romania
1.36 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Russia
1.33 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Rwanda
5.6 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saint Helena
1.54 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
2.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saint Lucia
2.29 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
2.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1.95 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Samoa
3.21 children born/woman (2003 est.)
San Marino
1.31 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe
5.88 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Saudi Arabia
6.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Senegal
4.93 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Serbia and Montenegro
1.77 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Seychelles
1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Sierra Leone
5.86 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Singapore
1.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Slovakia
1.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Slovenia
1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Solomon Islands
4.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Somalia
6.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
South Africa
2.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Spain
1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Sri Lanka
1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Sudan
5.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Suriname
2.4 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Svalbard
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Swaziland
3.92 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Sweden
1.54 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Switzerland
1.48 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Syria
3.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Taiwan
1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tajikistan
4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tanzania
5.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Thailand
1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Togo
4.97 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tokelau
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tonga
3 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago
1.78 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tunisia
1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Turkey
2.03 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Turkmenistan
3.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands
3.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Tuvalu
3.05 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Uganda
6.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Ukraine
1.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
United Arab Emirates
3.09 children born/woman (2003 est.)
United Kingdom
1.66 children born/woman (2003 est.)
United States
2.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Uruguay
2.35 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Uzbekistan
3 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Vanuatu
2.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Venezuela
2.36 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Vietnam
2.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Virgin Islands
2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Wallis and Futuna
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
West Bank
4.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Western Sahara
NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
World
2.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Yemen
6.82 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Zambia
5.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Zimbabwe
3.66 children born/woman (2003 est.)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2128 Government type
Afghanistan
transitional
Albania
emerging democracy
Algeria
republic
American Samoa
NA
Andorra
parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as
its heads of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the
president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are
represented locally by coprinces' representatives
Angola
republic, nominally a multiparty democracy with a strong
presidential system
Anguilla
NA
Antarctica Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica. The 24th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Russia in July 2001. At the end of 2001, there were 45 treaty member nations: 27 consultative and 18 non-consultative. Consultative (voting) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 20 nonclaimant nations. The US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims. The US does not recognize the claims of others. Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (within their areas) in accordance with their own national laws. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983), Bulgaria (1998) China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), and the US. Non-consultative (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), Ukraine (1992), and Venezuela (1999). Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations. Other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes: 1) marine pollution, 2) fauna and flora, 3) environmental impact assessments, 4) waste management, and 5) protected area management; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research.
Antigua and Barbuda
constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
Argentina
republic
Armenia
republic
Aruba
parliamentary democracy
Australia
democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British
monarch as sovereign
Austria
federal republic
Azerbaijan
republic
Bahamas, The
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Bahrain
constitutional hereditary monarchy
Bangladesh
parliamentary democracy
Barbados
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within
the Commonwealth
Belarus
republic
Belgium
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional
monarch
Belize
parliamentary democracy
Benin
republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped
Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February
1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
Bermuda
parliamentary British overseas territory with internal
self-government
Bhutan
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Bolivia
republic
Bosnia and Herzegovina
emerging federal democratic republic
Botswana
parliamentary republic
Brazil
federative republic
British Virgin Islands
NA
Brunei
constitutional sultanate
Bulgaria
parliamentary democracy
Burkina Faso
parliamentary republic
Burma
military regime
Burundi
republic
Cambodia
multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
established in September 1993
Cameroon
unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized in 1990)
note: preponderance of power remains with the president
Canada
confederation with parliamentary democracy
Cape Verde
republic
Cayman Islands
British crown colony
Central African Republic
republic
Chad
republic
Chile
republic
China
Communist state
Christmas Island
NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA
Colombia
republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Comoros
independent republic
Congo, Democratic Republic of the dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government
Congo, Republic of the
republic
Cook Islands
self-governing parliamentary democracy
Costa Rica
democratic republic
Cote d'Ivoire
republic; multiparty presidential regime established
1960
Croatia
presidential/parliamentary democracy
Cuba
Communist state
Cyprus
republic
note: a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the
island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this
separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in
July 1974 after a Greek junta-based coup attempt gave the Turkish
Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the
only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983
Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and
the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC),
recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly support a settlement
based on a federation (Greek Cypriot position) or confederation
(Turkish Cypriot position)
Czech Republic
parliamentary democracy
Denmark
constitutional monarchy
Djibouti
republic
Dominica
parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth
Dominican Republic
representative democracy
East Timor
republic
Ecuador
republic
Egypt
republic
El Salvador
republic
Equatorial Guinea
republic
Eritrea
transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled to take place
in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the
sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice
(PFDJ)
Estonia
parliamentary republic
Ethiopia
federal republic
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
NA
Faroe Islands
NA
Fiji
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally
declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Finland
republic
France
republic
French Guiana
NA
French Polynesia
NA
Gabon
republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties
legalized in 1990)
Gambia, The
republic under multiparty democratic rule
Georgia
republic
Germany
federal republic
Ghana
constitutional democracy
Gibraltar
NA
Greece
parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8
December 1974
Greenland
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Grenada
constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament
Guadeloupe
NA
Guam
NA
Guatemala
constitutional democratic republic
Guernsey
NA
Guinea
republic
Guinea-Bissau
republic, multiparty since mid-1991
Guyana
republic within the Commonwealth
Haiti
elected government
Holy See (Vatican City)
ecclesiastical
Honduras
democratic constitutional republic
Hong Kong
limited democracy
Hungary
parliamentary democracy
Iceland
constitutional republic
India
federal republic
Indonesia
republic
Iran
theocratic republic
Iraq
in transition following April 2003 defeat of SADDAM Husayn
regime by US-led coalition
Ireland
republic
Israel
parliamentary democracy
Italy
republic
Jamaica
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Japan
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Jersey
NA
Jordan
constitutional monarchy
Kazakhstan
republic
Kenya
republic
Kiribati
republic
Korea, North
authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship
Korea, South
republic
Kuwait
nominal constitutional monarchy
Kyrgyzstan
republic
Laos
Communist state
Latvia
parliamentary democracy
Lebanon
republic
Lesotho
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Liberia
republic
Libya
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the
populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Liechtenstein
hereditary constitutional monarchy on a democratic and
parliamentary basis
Lithuania
parliamentary democracy
Luxembourg
constitutional monarchy
Macau
limited democracy
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
parliamentary democracy
Madagascar
republic
Malawi
multiparty democracy
Malaysia
constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August
1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore)
formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965);
nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka,
George Town (Penang), Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are
appointed by the Malaysian Government; powers of state governments
are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of the
federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional
prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration
controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with
foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers
delegated to federal government; Sarawak - holds 28 seats in House
of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal
security, and other powers delegated to federal government
Maldives
republic
Mali
republic
Malta
republic
Man, Isle of
parliamentary democracy
Marshall Islands
constitutional government in free association with
the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21
October 1986
Martinique
NA
Mauritania
republic
Mauritius
parliamentary democracy
Mayotte
NA
Mexico
federal republic
Micronesia, Federated States of constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986; economic provisions of the Compact are being renegotiated
Moldova
republic
Monaco
constitutional monarchy
Mongolia
parliamentary
Montserrat
NA
Morocco
constitutional monarchy
Mozambique
republic
Namibia
republic
Nauru
republic
Nepal
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Netherlands
constitutional monarchy
Netherlands Antilles
parliamentary
New Caledonia
NA
New Zealand
parliamentary democracy
Nicaragua
republic
Niger
republic
Nigeria
republic transitioning from military to civilian rule
Niue
self-governing parliamentary democracy
Norfolk Island
NA
Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature
Norway
constitutional monarchy
Oman
monarchy
Pakistan
federal republic
Palau
constitutional government in free association with the US; the
Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Panama
constitutional democracy
Papua New Guinea
constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy
Paraguay
constitutional republic
Peru
constitutional republic
Philippines
republic
Pitcairn Islands
NA
Poland
republic
Portugal
parliamentary democracy
Puerto Rico
commonwealth
Qatar
traditional monarchy
Reunion
NA
Romania
republic
Russia
federation
Rwanda
republic; presidential, multiparty system
Saint Helena
NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis
constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style
parliament
Saint Lucia
Westminster-style parliamentary democracy
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
NA
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
Samoa
constitutional monarchy under native chief
San Marino
independent republic
Sao Tome and Principe
republic
Saudi Arabia
monarchy
Senegal
republic under multiparty democratic rule
Serbia and Montenegro
republic
Seychelles
republic
Sierra Leone
constitutional democracy
Singapore
parliamentary republic
Slovakia
parliamentary democracy
Slovenia
parliamentary democratic republic
Solomon Islands
parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy
Somalia
no permanent national government; transitional,
parliamentary national government
South Africa
republic
Spain
parliamentary monarchy
Sri Lanka
republic
Sudan
authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in
1989; government is run by an alliance of the military and the
National Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front
(NIF), which espouses an Islamist platform
Suriname
constitutional democracy
Svalbard
NA
Swaziland
monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
Sweden
constitutional monarchy
Switzerland
federal republic
Syria
republic under military regime since March 1963
Taiwan
multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected
president and unicameral legislature
Tajikistan
republic
Tanzania
republic
Thailand
constitutional monarchy
Togo
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Tokelau
NA
Tonga
hereditary constitutional monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago
parliamentary democracy
Tunisia
republic
Turkey
republican parliamentary democracy
Turkmenistan
republic
Turks and Caicos Islands
NA
Tuvalu
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began
debating republic status in 1992
Uganda
republic
Ukraine
republic
United Arab Emirates
federation with specified powers delegated to
the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member
emirates
United Kingdom
constitutional monarchy
United States
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic
tradition
Uruguay
constitutional republic
Uzbekistan
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little
power outside the executive branch
Vanuatu
parliamentary republic
Venezuela
federal republic
Vietnam
Communist state
Virgin Islands
NA
Wallis and Futuna
NA
Western Sahara
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty
unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front
(Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de
Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a
government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
(SADR),led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned
between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring
northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario
guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979;
Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since
asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile
was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued
sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6
September 1991
Yemen
republic
Zambia
republic
Zimbabwe
parliamentary democracy
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2129 Unemployment rate (%)
Afghanistan
NA%
Albania
17% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.)
Algeria
31% (2002 est.)
American Samoa
6% (2000)
Andorra
0%
Angola
extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more
than half the population (2001 est.)
Anguilla
6.7% (2001)
Antigua and Barbuda
11% (2001 est.)
Argentina
21.5% (37377)
Armenia
20% (2001 est.)
Aruba
0.6%
Australia
6.3% (2002)
Austria
4.8% (2002 est.)
Azerbaijan
16% (official rate is 1.2%) (2003 est.)
Bahamas, The
6.9% (2001 est.)
Bahrain
15% (1998 est.)
Bangladesh
40% (includes underemployment) (2002 est.)
Barbados
10% (2001 est.)
Belarus
2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large
number of underemployed workers
Belgium
7.2% (2002 est.)
Belize
9.1% (2002)
Benin
NA%
Bermuda
4.5% (1993)
Bhutan
NA%
Bolivia 7.6% note: widespread underemployment (2000)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
40% (2002 est.)
Botswana
40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.)
Brazil
6.4% (2001 est.)
British Virgin Islands
3% (1995)
Brunei
10% (2001 est.)
Bulgaria
18% (2002 est.)
Burkina Faso
NA%
Burma
5.1% (2001 est.)
Burundi
NA%
Cambodia
2.8% (1999 est.)
Cameroon
30% (2001 est.)
Canada
7.6% (2002 est.)
Cape Verde
21% (2000 est.)
Cayman Islands
4.1% (1997)
Central African Republic
8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)
Chad
NA%
Chile
9.2% (2002)
China
urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and
underemployment in rural areas (2002 est.)
Christmas Island
NA%
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
60% (2000 est.)
Colombia
17.4% (2002 est.)
Comoros
20% (1996 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
NA%
Congo, Republic of the
NA%
Cook Islands
13% (1996)
Costa Rica
6.3% (2002 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire
13% in urban areas (1998)
Croatia
21.7% (2002 est.)
Cuba
4.1% (2001 est.)
Cyprus
Greek Cypriot area: 3.3%; Turkish Cypriot area: 5.6% (2002
est.)
Czech Republic
9.8% (2002)
Denmark
5.1% (2002)
Djibouti
50% (2000 est.)
Dominica
23% (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic
14.5% (2002 est.)
East Timor
50% (including underemployment)
Ecuador
7.7%; note - widespread underemployment (2001 est.)
Egypt
12% (2001 est.)
El Salvador
10% - but the economy has much underemployment. (2001
est.)
Equatorial Guinea
30% (1998 est.)
Eritrea
NA%
Estonia
12.4% (2001)
Ethiopia
NA%
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
full employment; labor shortage
Faroe Islands
1% (October 2000)
Fiji
7.6% (1999)
Finland
8.5% (2002 est.)
France
9.1% (2002 est.)
French Guiana
22% (2001)
French Polynesia
11.8% (1994)
Gabon
21% (1997 est.)
Gambia, The
NA%
Gaza Strip
50% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.)
Georgia
17% (2001 est.)
Germany
9.8% (2002 est.)
Ghana
20% (1997 est.)
Gibraltar
2% (2001 est.)
Greece
10.3% (2002 est.)
Greenland
10% (2000 est.)
Grenada
12.5% (2000)
Guadeloupe
27.8% (1998)
Guam
15% (2000 est.)
Guatemala
7.5% (1999 est.)
Guernsey
0.5% (1999 est.)
Guinea
NA%
Guinea-Bissau
NA%
Guyana
9.1% (understated) (2000)
Haiti
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than
two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)
Honduras
28% (2002 est.)
Hong Kong
7.5% (2002 est.)
Hungary
5.8% (2002 est.)
Iceland
2.8% (2002 est.)
India
8.8% (2002)
Indonesia
10.6% (2002 est.)
Iran
16.3% (2003 est.)
Iraq
NA%
Ireland
4.3% (2002 est.)
Israel
10.4% (2002 est.)
Italy
9.1% (2002 est.)
Jamaica
15.4% (2002 est.)
Japan
5.4% (2002)
Jersey
0.7% (1998 est.)
Jordan
16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.)
Kazakhstan
8.8% (2002 est.)
Kenya
40% (2001 est.)
Kiribati
2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Korea, North
NA%
Korea, South
3.1% (2002 est.)
Kuwait
7% (2002 est.)
Kyrgyzstan
7.2% (1999 est.)
Laos
5.7% (1997 est.)
Latvia
7.6% (2001 est.)
Lebanon
18% (1997 est.)
Lesotho
45% (2002)
Liberia
NA
Libya
30% (2001)
Liechtenstein
1.3% (37500)
Lithuania
12.5% (2001 est.)
Luxembourg
4.1% (2002 est.)
Macau
6.3% (2002)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
37% (2002 est.)
Madagascar
5.9% (1998)
Malawi
NA%
Malaysia
3.8% (2002 est.)
Maldives
NEGL%
Mali
14.6% urban areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.)
Malta
7% (2002 est.)
Man, Isle of
0.7% (March 2003)
Marshall Islands
30.9% (1999 est.)
Martinique
27.2% (1998)
Mauritania
21% (1999 est.)
Mauritius
8.8% (2002 est.)
Mayotte
38% (1999)
Mexico
urban - 3% plus considerable underemployment (2002)
Micronesia, Federated States of
16% (1999 est.)
Moldova
8% (roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed
abroad) (2002 est.)
Monaco
3.1% (1998)
Mongolia
20% (2000)
Montserrat
6% (1998 est.)
Morocco
19% (2002 est.)
Mozambique
21% (1997 est.)
Namibia
35% (1998)
Nauru
0%
Nepal
47% (2001 est.)
Netherlands
3% (2002 est.)
Netherlands Antilles
15% (1998 est.)
New Caledonia
19% (1996)
New Zealand
5.3% (2002 est.)
Nicaragua
24% plus considerable underemployment (2002 est.)
Niger
NA%
Nigeria
28% (1992 est.)
Niue
NA%
Norfolk Island
NA%
Northern Mariana Islands
NA%
Norway
3.9% (2002 est.)
Oman
NA%
Pakistan
7.8% plus substantial underemployment (2002 est.)
Palau
2.3% (2000 est.)
Panama
16% (2002 est.)
Papua New Guinea
NA%
Paraguay
18.2% (2002 est.)
Peru
9.4%; widespread underemployment (2002 est.)
Philippines
10.2% (2002)
Pitcairn Islands
NA%
Poland
18.1% (2002)
Portugal
4.7% (2002 est.)
Puerto Rico
12% (2002)
Qatar
2.7% (2001)
Reunion
36% (1999 est.)
Romania
8.3% (2002)
Russia
7.9% plus considerable underemployment (2002)
Rwanda
NA%
Saint Helena
14% (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
4.5% (1997)
Saint Lucia
16.5% (1997 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
9.8% (1997)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
22% (1997 est.)
Samoa
NA%; note - substantial underemployment
San Marino
2.6% (2001)
Sao Tome and Principe
NA%
Saudi Arabia
25% (2002)
Senegal
48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)
Serbia and Montenegro
32% (2002 est.)
Seychelles
NA%
Sierra Leone
NA%
Singapore
4.6% (2002 est.)
Slovakia
17.2% (2002 est.)
Slovenia
11% (2002 est.)
Solomon Islands
NA%
Somalia
NA%
South Africa
37% (includes workers no longer looking for employment)
(2001 est.)
Spain
11.3% (2002 est.)
Sri Lanka
8% (2002)
Sudan
18.7% (2002 est.)
Suriname
17% (2000)
Swaziland
34% (2000 est.)
Sweden
4% (2002 est.)
Switzerland
1.9% (2002 est.)
Syria
20% (2002 est.)
Taiwan
5.2% (2002 est.)
Tajikistan
40% (2002 est.)
Tanzania
NA%
Thailand
2.9% (2002 est.)
Togo
NA%
Tokelau
NA%
Tonga
13.3% (1996 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago
10.8% (2002)
Tunisia
15.4% (2002 est.)
Turkey
10.8% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2002 est.)
Turkmenistan
NA%
Turks and Caicos Islands
10% (1997 est.)
Tuvalu
NA%
Uganda
NA%
Ukraine
3.8% officially registered; large number of unregistered or
underemployed workers (2002)
United Arab Emirates
NA%
United Kingdom
5.2% (2002 est.)
United States
5.8% (2002)
Uruguay
19.4% (2002)
Uzbekistan
10% plus another 20% underemployed (1999 est.)
Vanuatu
NA%
Venezuela
17% (2002 est.)
Vietnam
25% (1995 est.)
Virgin Islands
4.9% (March 1999)
Wallis and Futuna
NA%
West Bank
50% (includes Gaza Strip) (2002 est.)
Western Sahara
NA%
World
30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many
non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12%
unemployment
Yemen
30% (1995 est.)
Zambia
50% (2000 est.)
Zimbabwe
70% (2002 est.)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2137 Military - note
American Samoa
defense is the responsibility of the US
Andorra
defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Anguilla
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Antarctica
the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military
nature, such as the establishment of military bases and
fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the
testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military
personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other
peaceful purposes
Aruba
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
defense is the responsibility of
Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal
Australian Air Force
Baker Island
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Bassas da India
defense is the responsibility of France
Bermuda
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Bouvet Island
defense is the responsibility of Norway
British Indian Ocean Territory
defense is the responsibility of the
UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
British Virgin Islands
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Cayman Islands
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Christmas Island
defense is the responsibility of Australia
Clipperton Island
defense is the responsibility of France
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
defense is the responsibility of Australia;
the territory does have a five-person police force
Cook Islands
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in
consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Coral Sea Islands
defense is the responsibility of Australia;
visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has
control over the activities of visitors
Cuba
Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of
Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
Europa Island
defense is the responsibility of France
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) defense is the responsibility of the UK
Faroe Islands
defense is the responsibility of Denmark
French Guiana
defense is the responsibility of France
French Polynesia
defense is the responsibility of France
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
defense is the responsibility of
France
Georgia
a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in
the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer
group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia
Gibraltar
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Glorioso Islands
defense is the responsibility of France
Greenland
defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Guadeloupe
defense is the responsibility of France
Guam
defense is the responsibility of the US
Guernsey
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
defense is the responsibility of
Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Holy See (Vatican City) defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope
Hong Kong
defense is the responsibility of China
Howland Island
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Iceland
defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force
(IDF) headquartered at Keflavik
Jan Mayen
defense is the responsibility of Norway
Jarvis Island
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard
Jersey
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Johnston Atoll
defense is the responsibility of the US
Juan de Nova Island
defense is the responsibility of France
Kingman Reef
defense is the responsibility of the US
Kiribati
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance
is provided by Australia and NZ
Lesotho
the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the
future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially
considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening
in political affairs
Liechtenstein
defense is the responsibility of Switzerland
Man, Isle of
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Marshall Islands
defense is the responsibility of the US
Martinique
defense is the responsibility of France
Mayotte
defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of
French forces stationed on the island
Micronesia, Federated States of
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the
US; FSM is totally dependent on the US for its defense
Midway Islands
defense is the responsibility of the US
Monaco
defense is the responsibility of France
Montserrat
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Nauru
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal
agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Navassa Island
defense is the responsibility of the US
Netherlands Antilles defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
New Caledonia
defense is the responsibility of France
Niue
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Norfolk Island
defense is the responsibility of Australia
Northern Mariana Islands
defense is the responsibility of the US
Palau
defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of
Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is
granted access to the islands for 50 years
Palmyra Atoll
defense is the responsibility of the US
Panama
on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA
abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by
creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's
Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting
the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the
temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of
"external aggression"
Paracel Islands
occupied by China
Pitcairn Islands
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Puerto Rico
defense is the responsibility of the US
Reunion
defense is the responsibility of France
Saint Helena
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
defense is the responsibility of France
Samoa
Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces;
informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider
any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship
South Africa
with the end of Apartheid and the establishment of
majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and
ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National
Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was
considered complete
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
defense is the
responsibility of the UK
Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small
islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by
China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Svalbard
demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)
Tokelau
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Tromelin Island
defense is the responsibility of France
Turks and Caicos Islands
defense is the responsibility of the UK
United States
note: 2002 estimates for military manpower are based
on projections that do not take into consideration the results of
the 2000 census
Virgin Islands
defense is the responsibility of the US
Wake Island
defense is the responsibility of the US
Wallis and Futuna
defense is the responsibility of France
Yemen
establishment of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has
been delayed
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2138 Communications - note
Bouvet Island automatic meteorological station
Coral Sea Islands there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland
Europa Island
1 meteorological station
Glorioso Islands
1 meteorological station
Juan de Nova Island
1 meteorological station
Saint Helena
Gough Island has a meteorological station
Tromelin Island
important meteorological station
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2140 Government - note
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Dayton Agreement, signed in Paris on 14
December 1995, retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's exterior border and
created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This
national government - based on proportional representation similar
to that which existed in the former socialist regime - is charged
with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscal policy. The Dayton
Agreement also recognized a second tier of government, comprised of
two entities - a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska (RS) - each
presiding over roughly one-half the territory. The Federation and RS
governments are charged with overseeing internal functions. The
Bosniak/Croat Federation is further divided into 10 cantons. The
Dayton Agreement established the Office of the High Representative
(OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the
agreement.
Malawi
the executive exerts considerable influence over the
legislature
Somalia
although an interim government was created in 2000 other
governing bodies continue to exist and control various cities and
regions of the country, including Somaliland, Puntland, and
traditional clan and faction strongholds
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
@2142 Country name
Afghanistan
conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of
Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
Albania
conventional long form: Republic of Albania
conventional short form: Albania
local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
local short form: Shqiperia
former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Algeria
conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of
Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash
Sha'biyah
local short form: Al Jaza'ir
American Samoa
conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS
Andorra
conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
conventional short form: Andorra
local long form: Principat d'Andorra
local short form: Andorra
Angola
conventional long form: Republic of Angola
conventional short form: Angola
local long form: Republica de Angola
local short form: Angola
former: People's Republic of Angola
Anguilla
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla
Antarctica
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Armenia
conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia
local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic
Aruba
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional long form: Territory of
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Australia
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Austria
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
Azerbaijan
conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: none
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Bahamas, The
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas
Bahrain
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
Baker Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island
Bangladesh
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan
Barbados
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Bassas da India
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bassas da India
Belarus
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: none
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Belgium
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Belize
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras
Benin
conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey
Bermuda
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda
former: Somers Islands
Bhutan
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form: Bhutan
Bolivia
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
Botswana
conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana
former: Bechuanaland
Bouvet Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Brazil
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional long form: British
Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT
British Virgin Islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
Brunei
conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei
Bulgaria
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso
former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta
Burma
conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the
US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of
Myanmar)
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the
name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision
was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US
Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the
Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw
Burundi
conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local long form: Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi
former: Urundi
Cambodia
conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia
conventional short form: Cambodia
local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea
local short form: Kampuchea
former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic
Cameroon
conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form: Cameroon
former: French Cameroon
Canada
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Canada
Cape Verde
conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde
conventional short form: Cape Verde
local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde
local short form: Cabo Verde
Cayman Islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
conventional long form: Central African
Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
local short form: none
former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR
Chad
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad
local short form: Tchad
Chile
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile
China
conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
abbreviation: PRC
Christmas Island
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas
Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island
Clipperton Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion
Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
conventional long form: Republic of Colombia
conventional short form: Colombia
local long form: Republica de Colombia
local short form: Colombia
Comoros
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros
local long form: Union des Comores
local short form: Comores
Congo, Democratic Republic of the conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DROC
Congo, Republic of the conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Cook Islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cook Islands
former: Harvey Islands
Coral Sea Islands
conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica
local long form: Republica de Costa Rica
local short form: Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire
local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire
local short form: Cote d'Ivoire
former: Ivory Coast
Croatia
conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska
Cuba
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
Cyprus
conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form: Cyprus
note: the Turkish Cypriot area refers to itself as the "Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)
Czech Republic
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Ceska Republika
Denmark
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark
local short form: Danmark
Djibouti
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland
Dominica
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica
Dominican Republic conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: none
East Timor
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form: East Timor
local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum];
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
former: Portuguese Timor
Ecuador
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Egypt
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
El Salvador
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial
Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
former: Spanish Guinea
Eritrea
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
local short form: Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Estonia
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Ethiopia
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE
Europa Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Europa Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Europa
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Faroe Islands
local long form: none
local short form: Foroyar
Fiji
conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji
Finland
conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland
local long form: Suomen Tasavalta
local short form: Suomi
France
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique Francaise
local short form: France
French Guiana
conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana
local long form: none
local short form: Guyane
French Polynesia
conventional long form: Territory of French
Polynesia
conventional short form: French Polynesia
local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise
local short form: Polynesie Francaise
former: French Colony of Oceania
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
conventional long form:
Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands
local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques
Francaises
local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
Gabon
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique Gabonaise
local short form: Gabon
Gambia, The
conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia
Gaza Strip
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah
Georgia
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local long form: none
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Germany
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Ghana
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
Gibraltar
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Glorioso Islands local long form: none local short form: Iles Glorieuses
Greece
conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia
local short form: Ellas or Ellada
former: Kingdom of Greece
Greenland
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Grenada
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada
Guadeloupe
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
Guam
conventional long form: Territory of Guam
conventional short form: Guam
local long form: Guahan
Guatemala
conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala
local short form: Guatemala
Guernsey
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Guinea
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea
conventional short form: Guinea
local long form: Republique de Guinee
local short form: Guinee
former: French Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
local short form: Guine-Bissau
former: Portuguese Guinea
Guyana
conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana
Haiti
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Holy See (Vatican City) conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Honduras
conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras
Hong Kong
conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
local short form: Xianggang
abbreviation: HK
Howland Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Howland Island
Hungary
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag
Iceland
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lydhveldidh Island
local short form: Island
India
conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
Indonesia
conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
conventional short form: Indonesia
local long form: Republik Indonesia
local short form: Indonesia
former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
Iran
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
Iraq
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
local short form: Al Iraq
Ireland
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
Israel
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el
Italy
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Jamaica
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Jan Mayen
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Japan
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
Jarvis Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Jersey
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey
Johnston Atoll
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Johnston Atoll
Jordan
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan
Juan de Nova Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Juan de Nova
Kazakhstan
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Kenya
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Kingman Reef
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Kiribati
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Korea, North
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of
Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: none
note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: DPRK
Korea, South
conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
local short form: none
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: ROK
Kuwait
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
Kyrgyzstan
conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Laos
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none
Latvia
conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
conventional short form: Latvia
local long form: Latvijas Republika
local short form: Latvija
former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Lebanon
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
Lesotho
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Liberia
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia
Libya
conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah
al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
local short form: none
Liechtenstein
conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein
local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
local short form: Liechtenstein
Lithuania
conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Luxembourg
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg
Macau
conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Macau
local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao
Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: none local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija abbreviation: F.Y.R.O.M.
Madagascar
conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
conventional short form: Madagascar
local long form: Republique de Madagascar
local short form: Madagascar
former: Malagasy Republic
Malawi
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi
former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland
Protectorate, Nyasaland
Malaysia
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Malaysia
former: Federation of Malaysia
Maldives
conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives
local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Mali
conventional long form: Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local long form: Republique de Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
Malta
conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta
local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta
local short form: Malta
Man, Isle of
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man
Marshall Islands
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall
Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands
former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands)
Martinique
conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique
Mauritania
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional short form: Mauritania
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
local short form: Muritaniyah
Mauritius
conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius
Mayotte
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte
Mexico
conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States of conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia conventional short form: none former: Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) abbreviation: FSM
Midway Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Midway Islands
Moldova
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: none
former: Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia
Monaco
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco
local long form: Principaute de Monaco
local short form: Monaco
Mongolia
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia
local long form: none
local short form: Mongol Uls
former: Outer Mongolia
Montserrat
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat
Morocco
conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco
conventional short form: Morocco
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah
local short form: Al Maghrib
Mozambique
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local long form: Republica de Mocambique
local short form: Mocambique
former: Portuguese East Africa
Namibia
conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia
former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa
Nauru
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
Navassa Island
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Nepal
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
Netherlands
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland
Netherlands Antilles
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
former: Curacao and Dependencies
New Caledonia
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and
Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia
local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie
New Zealand
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ
Nicaragua
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua
Niger
conventional long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger
local short form: Niger
Nigeria
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria
Niue
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Niue
former: Savage Island
Norfolk Island
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
conventional long form: Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands
conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands
former: Mariana Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands)
Norway
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge
local short form: Norge
Oman
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form: Oman
local long form: Saltanat Uman
local short form: Uman
former: Muscat and Oman
Pakistan
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan
Palau
conventional long form: Republic of Palau
conventional short form: Palau
local long form: Beluu er a Belau
local short form: Belau
former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Palmyra Atoll
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll
Panama
conventional long form: Republic of Panama
conventional short form: Panama
local long form: Republica de Panama
local short form: Panama
Papua New Guinea
conventional long form: Independent State of Papua
New Guinea
conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea
abbreviation: PNG
Paracel Islands
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands
Paraguay
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay
Peru
conventional long form: Republic of Peru
conventional short form: Peru
local long form: Republica del Peru
local short form: Peru
Philippines
conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines
conventional short form: Philippines
local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas
local short form: Pilipinas
Pitcairn Islands
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie,
and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Poland
conventional long form: Republic of Poland
conventional short form: Poland
local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form: Polska
Portugal
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal
Puerto Rico
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Qatar
conventional long form: State of Qatar
conventional short form: Qatar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls
between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar
Reunion
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion
local long form: none
local short form: Ile de la Reunion
former: Bourbon Island
Romania
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Romania
local long form: none
local short form: Romania
Russia
conventional long form: Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
local short form: Rossiya
former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Rwanda
conventional long form: Rwandese Republic
conventional short form: Rwanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form: Rwanda
former: Ruanda
Saint Helena conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Lucia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia