← The 2004 CIA World Factbook, Volume 1
Chapter 14
Z (part 12)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party [leader NA]; Human Rights Protection
Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA, chairman]; Samoa All
People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua MAIMOANA]; Samoan National
Development Party or SNDP [LE MAMEA Ropati, chairman] (opposition);
Samoa National Party [FETU Tiatia, party secretary]; Samoan
Progressive Conservative Party [LEOTA Ituau Ale]; Samoan United
Independents Party or SUIP [Dr. Saleimoa VAAI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA FAX: (212) 599-0797 telephone: (212) 599-6196, 6197 chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the Ambassador to New Zealand, Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS, is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia telephone: 21631/22696 FAX: 22030
Flag description:
red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing
five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation
Economy Samoa
Economy - overview:
The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on
development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agriculture
and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms.
Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90%
of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The
manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The
decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism
is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000
tourists visited the islands in 2001. The Samoan Government has
called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of
investment, and continued fiscal discipline, meantime protecting the
environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market
as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves
are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and
inflation is low.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 23%
services: 63% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
90,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA%; note - substantial underemployment
Budget:
revenues: $105 million
expenditures: $119 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2001-02)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa
Industries:
food processing, building materials, auto parts
Industrial production growth rate:
2.8% (2000)
Electricity - production:
105.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
97.74 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Exports:
$14 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts,
garments, beer
Exports - partners:
Australia 63.6%, Indonesia 15.2%, US 5.1% (2003)
Imports:
$113 million f.o.b. (2002)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
New Zealand 19.8%, Fiji 17.8%, Australia 15.4%, Japan 11.9%, US
4.7%, Singapore 4.3% (2003)
Debt - external:
$197 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$42.9 million (1995)
Currency:
tala (SAT)
Currency code:
SAT (former WST code is still in wide use)
Exchange rates:
tala per US dollar - 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001),
3.2864 (2000), 3.0132 (1999)
Fiscal year:
June 1 - May 31
Communications Samoa
Telephones - main lines in use:
11,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,700 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
174,849 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2002)
Televisions:
8,634 (1999)
Internet country code:
.ws
Internet hosts:
8,225 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
4,000 (2002)
Transportation Samoa
Highways: total: 790 km paved: 332 km unpaved: 458 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 1
foreign-owned: Germany 1
Airports:
4 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Samoa
Military branches:
no regular armed services; Samoa Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Military - note:
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
Transnational Issues Samoa
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@San Marino
Introduction San Marino
Background:
The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco)
also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to
tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino in
301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy.
Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with
those of its larger neighbor.
Geography San Marino
Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy
Geographic coordinates:
43 46 N, 12 25 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 61.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 61.2 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 39 km border countries: Italy 39 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers
Terrain:
rugged mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m highest point: Monte Titano 755 m
Natural resources: building stone
Land use: arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution
Geography - note:
landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See
and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines
People San Marino
Population:
28,503 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.5% (male 2,425; female 2,277)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 9,200; female 9,834)
65 years and over: 16.7% (male 2,059; female 2,708) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 40 years
male: 39.6 years
female: 40.3 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.33% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
10.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
7.96 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
10.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 6.28 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.53 years
male: 78.02 years
female: 85.34 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sammarinese
Ethnic groups:
Sammarinese, Italian
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian
Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 97%
female: 95% (1976 est.)
Government San Marino
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of San Marino
conventional short form: San Marino
local short form: San Marino
local long form: Repubblica di San Marino
Government type:
independent republic
Capital:
San Marino
Administrative divisions:
9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo
Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino,
Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle
Independence:
3 September 301
National holiday:
Founding of the Republic, 3 September (301)
Constitution:
8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions
of a constitution
Legal system:
based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: cochiefs of state Captain Regent Giuseppe ARZILLI
and Captain Regent Roberto RASCHI (for the period 1 October 2004-31
March 2005)
elections: cochiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great
and General Council for a six-month term; election last held NA
September 2004 (next to be held March 2005); secretary of state for
foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General
Council for a five-year term; election last held 13 December 2003
(next to be held June 2006 when general elections are scheduled)
note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council)
selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (cochiefs
of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the
Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which
has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council;
assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the
secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some of the
prerogatives of a prime minister
election results: Giuseppe ARZILLI and Roberto RASCHI elected
captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA%; Fabio BERARDI
elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs;
percent of legislative vote - NA%
cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council
for a five-year term
head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political
Affairs Fabio BERARDI (15 December 2003)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale
(60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 41.4%, PSS 24.2%,
PD 20.8%, APDS 8.2%, RC 3.4%, AN 1.9%; seats by party - PDCS 25, PSS
15, PD 12, APDS 5, RC 2, AN 1
Judicial branch:
Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII
Political parties and leaders:
Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM
[Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN [leader NA]; Party of
Democrats or PD [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic
Party or PDCS [Giovanni LONFERNINI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of
Democrats or APDS [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or
PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC,
IOM (observer), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
San Marino does not have an embassy in the US
honorary consulate(s) general: Washington, DC and New York
honorary consulate(s): Detroit and Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the US Consul
General in Florence (Italy) is accredited to San Marino
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the
national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms
has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a
wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS
(Liberty)
Economy San Marino
Economy - overview:
The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2000 more than 3
million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking,
wearing apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural
products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and
standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous
regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $940 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $34,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2001)
Labor force:
18,500 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1%, industry 42%, services 57% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.6% (2001)
Budget:
revenues: $400 million
expenditures: $400 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides
Industries:
tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (1997 est.)
Exports:
trade data are included with the statistics for Italy
Exports - commodities: building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics
Imports:
trade data are included with the statistics for Italy
Imports - commodities:
wide variety of consumer manufactures, food
Debt - external:
NA
Economic aid - recipient:
NA
Currency:
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications San Marino
Telephones - main lines in use:
20,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16,800 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into
Italian system
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian
international network
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997)
Televisions:
9,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sm
Internet hosts:
1,763 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
14,300 (2002)
Transportation San Marino
Highways: total: 220 km paved: 220 km unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Ports and harbors:
none
Airports:
none (2003 est.)
Military San Marino
Military branches:
Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar); note - the
Voluntary Military Force performs ceremonial duties and limited
police assistance
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$700,000 (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues San Marino
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Sao Tome and Principe
Introduction Sao Tome and Principe
Background:
Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the
islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the
19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of
which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was
achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the
late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the
political environment has been one of continued instability with
frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003.
The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have
a significant impact on the country's economy.
Geography Sao Tome and Principe
Location:
Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the
Equator, west of Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 7 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,001 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1,001 sq km
Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
209 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Natural resources: fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6.25% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 44.79% (2001)
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a
chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous
People Sao Tome and Principe
Population:
181,565 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.7% (male 43,810; female 42,708)
15-64 years: 48.4% (male 42,469; female 45,456)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 3,275; female 3,847) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.1 years
male: 15.5 years
female: 16.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.18% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
41.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
6.89 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 44.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 46.57 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.63 years
male: 65.11 years
female: 68.21 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.8 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria
overall degree of risk: high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean
Ethnic groups:
mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros
(descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from
Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais
born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)
Religions:
Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Seventh-Day
Adventist)
Languages:
Portuguese (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.3%
male: 85%
female: 62% (1991 est.)
Government Sao Tome and Principe
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe
local short form: Sao Tome e Principe
local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Sao Tome
Administrative divisions: 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995
Independence:
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Constitution:
approved March 1990; effective 10 September 1990
Legal system:
based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September
2001)
election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in Sao
Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held NA July 2006);
prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the
president
head of government: Prime Minister Damiao Vaz DE ALMEIDA (since 17
September 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
proposal of the prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for
Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats
by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23,
Ue-Kedadji coalition 8
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change
Democratic Movement [leader NA]; Independent Democratic Action or
ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and
Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da
COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA];
Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the US, but does
have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary
Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor,
New York, NY 10022, telephone (212) 317-0580
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the
Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a
nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and
green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the
center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the
hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy Sao Tome and Principe
Economy - overview:
This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on
cocoa since independence 29 years ago. Cocoa production has
substantially declined in recent years because of drought and
mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings
in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods,
consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it
has been unable to service its external debt and has had to depend
on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from
$200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. Sao Tome's success in
implementing structural reforms has been rewarded by international
donors, who pledged increased assistance in 2001. Considerable
potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the
government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The
government also has attempted to reduce price controls and
subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum
resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea;
production could begin as early as 2004.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $214 million (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19.6% industry: 17.8% services: 62.6% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
51.6% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
54% NA (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
NA
Labor force - by occupation:
population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing
note: shortages of skilled workers
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues: $38.59 million
expenditures: $42.04 million, including capital expenditures of $54
million (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish
Industries:
light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
17 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
15.81 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-8 million (2003)
Exports:
$6.479 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil
Exports - partners:
Netherlands 41.7%, Canada 16.7%, Belgium 8.3%, Germany 8.3%,
Philippines 8.3% (2003)
Imports:
$30.03 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum
products
Imports - partners:
Portugal 51.6%, Germany 11.3%, Italy 6.5%, Belgium 4.8%,
Netherlands 4.8% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$18 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$318 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient:
$200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program
Currency:
dobra (STD)
Currency code:
STD
Exchange rates:
dobras per US dollar - 9,347.58 (2003), 9,088.32 (2002), 8,842.11
(2001), 7,978.17 (2000), 7,118.96 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Sao Tome and Principe
Telephones - main lines in use:
7,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4,800 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system
international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)
Radios:
38,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2002)
Televisions:
23,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.st
Internet hosts:
1,069 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
15,000 (2003)
Transportation Sao Tome and Principe
Highways: total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Santo Antonio, Sao Tome
Merchant marine:
total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 79,490 GRT/97,077 DWT
by type: bulk 2, cargo 14, chemical tanker 2, livestock carrier 1,
petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: British Virgin Islands 1, Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon
1, Portugal 1, Ukraine 2 (2004 est.)
Airports:
2 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Sao Tome and Principe
Military branches:
Army, Coast Guard, Presidential Guard, National Guard
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 38,347 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 20,188 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$500,000 (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.8% (2003)
Transnational Issues Sao Tome and Principe
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Saudi Arabia
Introduction Saudi Arabia
Background:
In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and
set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. Today,
the monarchy is ruled by a son of ABD AL-AZIZ, and the country's
Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of
the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. Following
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti
royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab
troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the
following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi
soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension
between the royal family and the public until the US military's
near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first
major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which
occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed efforts on the
part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and
extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media
freedom and announcement of government plans to phase in partial
political representation. A burgeoning population, aquifer
depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and
prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.
Geography Saudi Arabia
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of
Yemen
Geographic coordinates:
25 00 N, 45 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 1,960,582 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 4,431 km
border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman
676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Coastline:
2,640 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified
Climate:
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
Terrain:
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use: arable land: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2001)
Irrigated land:
16,200 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues: desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great
leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and
Suez Canal
People Saudi Arabia
Population: 25,795,938 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.3% (male 5,039,578; female 4,845,937)
15-64 years: 59.3% (male 8,810,705; female 6,494,770)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 327,047; female 277,901) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.2 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 19.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.44% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
29.74 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
2.66 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.36 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female
total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 15.72 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.23 years
male: 73.26 years
female: 77.3 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions:
Muslim 100%
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.7%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.)
Government Saudi Arabia
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Government type:
monarchy
Capital:
Riyadh
Administrative divisions:
13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud
ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash
Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran,
Tabuk
Independence:
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)
National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Constitution:
governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that
articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was
introduced in 1993
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced;
commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
none adult male citizens age 21 or older
note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial
municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February
through April 2005
Executive branch:
chief of state: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud (since 13 June 1982, but largely incapacitated since late
1995); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd
al-Aziz Al Saud since 13 June 1982, also Saudi Arabian National
Guard Commander since 1963 and de facto ruler since early 1996; note
- the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: note - in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced
its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local
and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period
of four to five years; in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal
and Rural Affairs initiated voter registration for partial municipal
council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April
2005
head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud (since 13 June 1982, but largely incapacitated since late
1995); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd
al-Aziz Al Saud since 13 June 1982, also Saudi Arabian National
Guard Commander since 1963 and de facto ruler since early 1996; note
- the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and
includes many royal family members
Legislative branch:
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman
appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Council of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud
chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
telephone: (202) 342-3800
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James Curtis OBERWETTER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: (1) 488-3800 FAX: (1) 488-3989 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag description:
green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or
Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is
no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white
horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to
the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al
Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932
Economy Saudi Arabia
Economy - overview:
This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over
major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of
petroleum in the world (25% of the proved reserves), ranks as the
largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The
petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of
GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the
private sector. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play
an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and
service sectors. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin
privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing
privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is
encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence
on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi
population. Priorities for government spending in the short term
include additional funds for education and for the water and sewage
systems. Economic reforms proceed cautiously because of deep-rooted
political and social conservatism.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $287.8 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.7% industry: 58.8% services: 36.5% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
18% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
6.43 million
note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is
non-national (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
25% (2003)
Budget:
revenues: $78.77 billion
expenditures: $66.76 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
94.6% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens,
eggs, milk
Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals,
cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics
Industrial production growth rate:
7.7% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
122.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
113.8 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
8.711 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.452 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
7.92 million bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - proved reserves:
261.7 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
53.69 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
53.69 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.339 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$22.27 billion (2003)
Exports:
$86.53 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 90%
Exports - partners:
US 20.6%, Japan 15.4%, South Korea 9.8%, China 5.5%, Taiwan 4.5%,
Singapore 4.1% (2003)
Imports:
$30.38 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles,
textiles
Imports - partners:
US 9.4%, Japan 7.7%, Germany 7.3%, UK 6.2%, China 4.4%, France 4.1%
(2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$22.86 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$39.16 billion (2003)
Economic aid - donor:
pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon;
since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance
to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in
Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans
to Iraq
Currency:
Saudi riyal (SAR)
Currency code:
SAR
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002), 3.745
(2001), 3.745 (2000), 3.745 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Saudi Arabia
Telephones - main lines in use:
3,502,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,238,200 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and
fiber-optic cable systems
international: country code - 966; 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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
6.25 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
117 (1997)
Televisions:
5.1 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sa
Internet hosts:
15,931 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2003)
Internet users:
1.5 million (2003)
Transportation Saudi Arabia
Railways:
total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2003)
Highways:
total: 151,470 km
paved: 45,592 km
unpaved: 105,878 km (1999)
Pipelines:
condensate 212 km; gas 1,780 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,191 km; oil
5,068 km; refined products 1,162 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji,
Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,306,706 GRT/1,963,191 DWT
registered in other countries: 54 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 11, container 4, livestock carrier
2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 4, roll
on/roll off 10, short-sea/passenger 6
foreign-owned: Egypt 3, Greece 4, Norway 2, Sudan 1, United Kingdom 3
Airports:
204 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 32
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 129
under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.)
over 3047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 72
Heliports:
5 (2003 est.)
Military Saudi Arabia
Military branches:
Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National
Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,240,714 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,725,514 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 246,343 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (2002)
Transnational Issues Saudi Arabia
Disputes - international:
nomadic groups on border region with Yemen resist demarcation of
boundary; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as
a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities
in sections of the boundary; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue
discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; because the treaties
have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with
the UAE is still unknown and labeled approximate
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 240,000 (Palestinian Territories)
(2004)
Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin,
cocaine, and hashish; not a major money-laundering center, improving
anti-money-laundering legislation
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Senegal
Introduction Senegal
Background:
Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to
form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However, the
envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out,
and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern
separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces
since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in
international peacekeeping.
Geography Senegal
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 196,190 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau
338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
531 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong
southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot,
dry, harmattan wind
Terrain:
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use: arable land: 12.78% other: 87.01% (2001) permanent crops: 0.21%
Irrigated land:
710 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography - note:
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost
an enclave within Senegal
People Senegal
Population:
10,852,147 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.2% (male 2,368,011; female 2,325,298)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,803,192; female 3,025,304)
65 years and over: 3% (male 158,881; female 171,461) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 18 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 18.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.52% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
35.72 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
10.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 52.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 60.25 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.56 years
male: 54.94 years
female: 58.23 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.84 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
44,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese
Ethnic groups:
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%,
Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
Religions:
Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman
Catholic)
Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.2%
male: 50%
female: 30.7% (2003 est.)
Government Senegal
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal
local short form: Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal
Government type:
republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
Dakar
Administrative divisions:
11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies,
Ziguinchor
Independence:
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was
achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution:
a new constitution was adopted 7 January 2001
Legal system:
based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the
government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
under new constitution; election last held 27 February and 19 March
2000 (next to be held 27 February 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote
in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.49%, Abdou
DIOUF (PS) 41.51%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001,
had 140 seats
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or
Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals; note - the judicial system was
reformed in 1992
Political parties and leaders:
African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as
PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE, secretary general]; African Party of
Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP
[Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also
known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor
Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for
Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde
Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party
or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier
DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition (a
coalition led by the PDS) [Abdoulaye WADE]; Union for Democratic
Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC,
UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: (202) 332-6315
telephone: (202) 234-0540
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Alan ROTH
embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar
telephone: 823-4296
FAX: 822-2991
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy Senegal
Economy - overview:
In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic
reform program with the support of the international donor
community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's
currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the
French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been
steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in
1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
program, with real growth in GDP averaging 5% annually during
1995-2003. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single
digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
(WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with
a unified external tariff. Senegal also realized full Internet
connectivity in 1996, creating a miniboom in information
technology-based services. Private activity now accounts for 82% of
GDP. On the negative side, Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems
of chronic unemployment, trade union militancy, juvenile
delinquency, and drug addiction.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.09 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.8% industry: 27.2% services: 56% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
54% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 33.5% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.3 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
4.62 million NA (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%
Unemployment rate:
48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.304 billion
expenditures: $1.367 billion, including capital expenditures of $357
million (2003 est.)
Public debt:
54.2% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green
vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish
Industries:
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer
production, petroleum refining, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
2.9% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.518 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
1.412 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
31,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Natural gas - production:
50 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
50 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$-389 million (2003)
Exports:
$1.23 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Exports - partners:
India 13%, France 12.2%, Mali 9.5%, Italy 8.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.4%,
Spain 5% (2003)
Imports:
$1.753 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foods and beverages, capital goods, fuels
Imports - partners:
France 24.9%, Nigeria 12.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Spain 4.3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$780 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$3.009 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$362.6 million (2002 est.)
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699
(1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Senegal
Telephones - main lines in use:
228,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
575,900 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Televisions:
361,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sn
Internet hosts:
672 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
225,000 (2003)
Transportation Senegal
Railways: total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (2003)
Highways:
total: 14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km including 7 km of expressways
unpaved: 10,305 km (2000)
Waterways:
1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2003)
Pipelines:
gas 564 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor
Airports:
20 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Senegal
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police
(Surete Nationale)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,490,290 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,301,761 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 119,833 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$95.8 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)
Transnational Issues Senegal
Disputes - international:
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem refugees, cross border
raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist
movement in Senegal's Casamance region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in
Casamance region) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving
to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Serbia and Montenegro
Introduction Serbia and Montenegro
Background:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its
name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany
in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each
other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal TITO took
full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his
new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer
their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the
next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO
Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia,
Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent
states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro
declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992
and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military
intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics
into a "Greater Serbia." All of these efforts were ultimately
unsuccessful and led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992.
In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries
of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international
response, including the NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of
a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of
2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav
KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for
his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against
humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted,
and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by
the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June
1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244,
pending a determination by the international community of its future
status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of
Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship. These
talks became a reality in February 2003 when lawmakers restructured
the country into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia
and Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro
includes a provision that allows either republic to hold a
referendum after three years that would allow for their independence
from the state union.
Geography Serbia and Montenegro
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Albania
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
water: 214 sq km
land: 102,136 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky
Land boundaries:
total: 2,246 km
border countries: Albania 287 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 527 km,
Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia (north) 241 km, Croatia (south) 25 km,
Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km, Romania 476 km
Coastline:
199 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid
summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion,
continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic
climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively
cold winters with heavy snowfall inland
Terrain:
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Daravica 2,656 m
Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, antimony,
chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone,
marble, salt, hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 33.35%
permanent crops: 3.2%
other: 63.45% (2001)
Irrigated land:
570 sq km
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade
and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes
dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey
and the Near East; strategic location along the Adriatic coast
People Serbia and Montenegro
Population:
10,825,900 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.3% (male 1,027,479; female 956,681)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 3,602,959; female 3,627,616)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 693,929; female 917,236) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.6 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 38.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.03% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
12.13 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
10.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 15.04 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.4 years
male: 71.9 years
female: 77.12 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Serb(s); Montenegrin(s)
adjective: Serbian; Montenegrin
Ethnic groups:
Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%, other
12.6% (1991)
Religions:
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other
11%
Languages:
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 97.2%
female: 88.9% (1991)
Government Serbia and Montenegro
Country name:
conventional long form: Serbia and Montenegro
conventional short form: none
local short form: none
local long form: Srbija i Crna Gora
former: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
abbreviation: SCG
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Belgrade
Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republike, singular - republika); and 2 nominally
autonomous provinces* (autonomn pokrajine, singular - autonomna
pokrajina); Kosovo* (currently under UN administration pending
resolution of its future status), Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina*
Independence:
27 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or FRY - now Serbia
and Montenegro - formed as self-proclaimed successor to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)
National holiday:
National Day, 27 April
Constitution:
4 February 2003
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
election results: Svetozar MAROVIC elected president by the
Parliament; vote was Svetozar MAROVIC 65, other 47
elections: president elected by the Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 7 March 2003 (next to be held 2007)
cabinet: Federal Ministries act as Cabinet
head of government: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian, 35 Montenegrin -
filled by nominees of the two state parliaments for the first two
years, after which the Constitutional Charter calls for direct
elections
elections: last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Serbian parties: SRS 30, DSS 20, DS 13, G17 Plus 12, SPO-NS 8, SPS
8; Montenegrin parties: DPS 15, SNP 9, SDP 4, DSS 3, NS 2, LSCG 2
Judicial branch:
The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the
Serbia and Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms
note: since the promulgation of the 2003 Constitution, the Federal
Court has constitutional and administrative functions; it has an
equal number of judges from each republic
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; Democratic Party of Serbia or
DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party of Socialists of
Montenegro or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Democratic Serbian Party of
Montenegro or DSS [Bozidar BOJOVIC]; G17 Plus [Miroljub LABUS]; New
Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LSCG
[Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Dragan SOC];
Power of Serbia Movement or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]; Serbian Radical
Party or SRS [Tomislav NIKOLIC]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO
[Vuk DRASKOVIC]; Serbian Socialist Party or SPS (former Communist
Party and party of Slobodan MILOSEVIC) [Ivica DACIC, president of
Main Board]; Social Democratic Party of Montenegro or SDP [Ranko
KRIVOKAPIC]; Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Predrag
BULATOVIC]
note: the following political parties participate in elections and
institutions only in Kosovo, which has been governed by the UN under
UNSCR 1244 since 1999: Albanian Christian Democratic Party or PSHDK
[Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush
HARADINAJ]; Citizens' Initiative of Serbia or GIS [Slavisa
PETKOVIC]; Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit
RRAHMANI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Ibrahim RUGOVA];
Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Justice Party of
PD [Sylejman CERKEZI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP
[Mahir YAGCILAR]; Liberal Party of Kosovo or PLK [Gjergj DEDAJ]; Ora
[Veton SURROI]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Bislim
HOTI]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Popular
Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Prizren-Dragas
Initiative or PDI [Ismajl KARADOLAMI]; Serb List for Kosovo and
Metohija or SLKM [Oliver IVANOVIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or
PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi MERXHA]; Vakat [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Political Council for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac or PCPMB
[leader NA]; Group for Changes of Montenegro or GZP [Nebojsa
MEDOJEVIC]
International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC
consulate(s) general: Chicago
FAX: (202) 332-3933
chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 332-0333
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael C. POLT embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070 telephone: (11) 361-9344 FAX: (11) 361-8230 consulate(s): Podgorica note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38000 Pristina, Kosovo; telephone: (38)549-516; FAX: (38)549-890
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and red
Economy Serbia and Montenegro
Economy - overview:
MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of
economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure
and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 have left the
economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of
former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government
implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive
market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in
December 2000, Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the
international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World
Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June
2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. An agreement
rescheduling the country's $4.5 billion Paris Club government debts
was concluded in November 2001; it wrote off 66% of the debt. The
smaller republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal
control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to
maintain its own central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav
dinar as official currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages
its own budget. Kosovo, while technically still part of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) according to
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, is largely
autonomous under United Nations Interim Administration Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) and is greatly dependent on the international
community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance.
The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are official currencies, and UNMIK
collects taxes and manages the budget. The complexity of Serbia and
Montenegro political relationships, slow progress in privatization,
legal uncertainty over property rights, and scarcity of
foreign-investment are holding back Serbia and Montenegro's economy.
Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal
discipline, are an important element in policy formation. Severe
unemployment remains a key political economic problem.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $23.89 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15.2% industry: 28.2% services: 56.5% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
30% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.2% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
2.93 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:
34.5% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $8.668 billion
expenditures: $9.633 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
123.2% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and
weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy
(steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth,
cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore,
limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs,
appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and
pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
1.7% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
31.71 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
32.37 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
446 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
3.33 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
15,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
64,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
38.75 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
602 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
602 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
24.07 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-2.416 billion (2003)
Exports:
$2.667 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials
Exports - partners:
Italy 31.6%, Germany 17.5%, Austria 6.2%, France 6%, Greece 5.4%,
Slovenia 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)
Imports:
$7.144 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants,
manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials
Imports - partners:
Germany 18.8%, Italy 16.3%, Austria 8.1%, Slovenia 6.6%, Hungary
5.8%, France 4.8%, Bulgaria 4.6%, Greece 4.4% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$3.7 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$14.01 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2 billion pledged in 2001 (disbursements to follow for several
years)
Currency:
in Serbia the Serbian dinar (CSD) is legal tender, but the euro
(EUR) is the de facto currency; in Montenegro and Kosovo the euro is
legal tender. (2004)
Currency code:
CSD, EUR
Exchange rates:
new Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - official rate: 65 (2002)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Serbia and Montenegro
Telephones - main lines in use:
2,611,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,634,600 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 381; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 771 (including 86 strong stations and 685 low-power stations, plus 20 repeaters in the principal networks; also numerous local or private stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)
Televisions:
2.75 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.yu
Internet hosts:
20,207 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)
Internet users:
847,000 (2003)
Transportation Serbia and Montenegro
Railways: total: 4,380 km standard gauge: 4,380 km 1.435-m gauge (1,445 km electrified) (2003)
Highways:
total: 49,805 km
paved: 31,029 km (including 560 km of expressways)
unpaved: 18,776 km (2000)
Waterways:
587 km
note: Danube River traffic delayed by pontoon bridge at Novi Sad;
plan to replace by summer of 2005 (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Tivat, Zelenika
Airports:
45 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 19 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)
Heliports: 4 (2003 est.)
Military Serbia and Montenegro
Military branches:
Army (VJ) (including ground forces with border troops, naval
forces, air and air defense forces)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
19 years of age (nine months compulsory service) (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,718,234 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,184,937 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 81,245 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$654 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues Serbia and Montenegro
Disputes - international:
the future status of Kosovo remains an unresolved issue in South
Central Europe with Kosovo Albanians overwhelmingly supporting and
Serbian officials opposing Kosovo independence; the international
community has agreed to begin a process to determine final status
only after significant progress has been made in solidifying
multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo as outlined in the policy of
"standards before status"; the Contact group (including the US, UK,
France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) will review progress on the
UNMIK standard around mid-2005; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo resist
demarcation of the F.Y.R.O.M. boundary in accordance with the 2000
delimitation treaty, which transfers on net a small amount of land
to F.Y.R.O.M.; Serbia and Montenegro have delimited about half of
the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the
Drina River remain in dispute
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 99,170 (Bosnia), 188,656 (Croatia)
IDPs: 225,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999)
(2004)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western
Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Seychelles
Introduction Seychelles
Background:
A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands
ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came
in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new
constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent
presidential elections were held 31 August-2 September 2001.
President RENE, who has served since 1977, was re-elected. On 14
April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was
sworn in as president.
Geography Seychelles
Location:
Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of
Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 455 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
491 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon
(late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon
(March to May)
Terrain:
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others
are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources:
fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use:
arable land: 2.22%
permanent crops: 13.33%
other: 84.45% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short
droughts possible
Environment - current issues:
water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
People Seychelles
Population:
80,832 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 10,987; female 10,717)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 26,380; female 27,731)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,638; female 3,379) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.3 years
male: 26.2 years
female: 28.4 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.45% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
16.55 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 20.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.53 years
male: 66.1 years
female: 77.14 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychellois
Ethnic groups:
mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab
Religions:
Roman Catholic 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian 2.5%, other
4.1%
Languages:
English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 56%
female: 60% (1971 est.)
Government Seychelles
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Victoria
Administrative divisions:
23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse
Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau
Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe),
Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont
Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint
Louis, Takamaka
Independence:
29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)
Constitution:
18 June 1993
Legal system:
based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA
2006)
election results: France Albert RENE re-elected president; percent
of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO)
44.95%, Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that
presidential elections have been held separately from legislative
elections; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice
President James MICHEL was sworn in as president
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25
elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to
parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next held by 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%,
DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the
percentage that each party won of the total vote
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement
Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National
Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel
RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France
Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Roman Catholic Church; trade unions
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 FAX: (212) 972-1786 telephone: (212) 972-1785
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to
Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles
Flag description:
five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and
green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
Economy Seychelles
Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean
archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old
near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector,
which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than
70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years
the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade
hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has
moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the
development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. A
sharp drop illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in
1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war, and once again following the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Other issues facing the
government are the curbing of the budget deficit, including the
containment of social welfare costs, and further privatization of
public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, due to sluggish
tourist and tuna sectors. Also, tight controls on exchange rates and
the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic
prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles rupee is half
the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency
the tourist sector should remain sluggish as vacationers seek
cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $626 million (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 28.7% services: 68.9% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
39.1% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
30,900 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues: $338.7 million
expenditures: $323.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
129.3% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish
Industries:
fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut
fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
160 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
148.8 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-73 million (2003)
Exports:
$250 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(reexports)
Exports - partners:
UK 38.8%, France 31.8%, Italy 14.5%, Germany 7.5% (2003)
Imports:
$383.7 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 15.7%, South Africa 10.9%, Spain 10.4%, France 9.7%,
Italy 9.2%, Singapore 7%, UK 6.8% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$66 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$213 million (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$16.4 million (1995)
Currency:
Seychelles rupee (SCR)
Currency code:
SCR
Exchange rates:
Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002),
5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000), 5.3426 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Seychelles
Telephones - main lines in use:
21,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
54,500 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
42,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
11,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sc
Internet hosts:
264 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
11,700 (2002)
Transportation Seychelles
Highways: total: 373 km paved: 315 km unpaved: 58 km (1997 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Victoria
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT
foreign-owned: Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 2 (2004
est.)
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1
Airports:
15 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Military Seychelles
Military branches:
Army, Coast Guard (including Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard,
Presidential Protection Unit (includes Presidential Guard),
Seychelles National Police (includes Police Mobile Unit)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 23,661 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 11,712 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.6 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2003)
Transnational Issues Seychelles
Disputes - international: together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Sierra Leone
Introduction Sierra Leone
Background:
The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of
deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over
one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in
neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force
and contributions from the World Bank and international community,
demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces
(CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in
May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its
authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in
Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005,
deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the
tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present
challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability.
Geography Sierra Leone
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea
and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter
dry season (December to April)
Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use: arable land: 6.98% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.13% (2001)
Irrigated land:
290 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to
February); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues:
rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting
of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn
agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion;
civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year,
making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
People Sierra Leone
Population:
5,883,889 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.27% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
43.34 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
20.62 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly
returning (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 145.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 127.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 162.64 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.69 years
male: 40.23 years
female: 45.21 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
170,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, Lassa fever, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups:
20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%),
Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were
settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees
from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Religions:
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages:
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende
(principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in
the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of
freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a
lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but
understood by 95%)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
Government Sierra Leone
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
Freetown
Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution:
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996,
reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March
1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note -
president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms
election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of
vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12
filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC
22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party
or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone
People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Trade Unions and Student Unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
FAX: (202) 483-1793
telephone: (202) 939-9261 through 9263
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: (22) 225471
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light
blue
Economy Sierra Leone
Economy - overview:
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous
inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral,
agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and
social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social
disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a
11-year civil war. About two-thirds of the working-age population
engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of
the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the
domestic market. Plans continue to reopen bauxite and rutile mines
shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency
consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends
upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of
substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe
trade imbalance and to supplement government revenues.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.057 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $500 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 49% industry: 31% services: 21% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
62.9 (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)
Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry,
cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries:
mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles,
cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
250.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
232.6 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Exports:
$49 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999)
Exports - partners:
Belgium 61.2%, Germany 14.2%, UK 4.5%, US 4.5% (2003)
Imports:
$264 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants,
chemicals (1995)
Imports - partners:
Germany 23.7%, UK 9.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.4%, France 7.4%, US 5.3%,
Netherlands 5.1%, Ukraine 4.6% (2003)
Debt - external:
$1.5 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$103 million (2001 est.)
Currency:
leone (SLL)
Currency code:
SLL
Exchange rates:
leones per US dollar - 2,347.94 (2003), 2,099.03 (2002), 1,986.15
(2001), 2,092.12 (2000), 1,804.19 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Sierra Leone
Telephones - main lines in use:
24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
67,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects
Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios:
1.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1999)
Televisions:
53,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sl
Internet hosts:
277 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2001)
Internet users:
8,000 (2002)
Transportation Sierra Leone
Highways: total: 11,330 km paved: 895 km unpaved: 10,435 km (1999)
Waterways:
800 km (2003)
Ports and harbors:
Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT
by type: cargo 2 (2004 est.)
Airports:
10 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 7
Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)
Military Sierra Leone
Military branches:
Army (RSLAF)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,265,140 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 614,338 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.7 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)
Transnational Issues Sierra Leone
Disputes - international:
domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth
gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created
insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic
conflicts, and refugees in border areas; in 2003, Guinea and Sierra
Leone established a boundary commission to resolve a dispute over
the town of Yenga
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 67,000 (Liberia) (2004)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Singapore
Introduction Singapore
Background:
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It
joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years
later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the
world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading
links (its port is the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled)
and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of
Western Europe.
Geography Singapore
Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 692.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as
defined in treaties and practice
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons -
Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon
from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early
evening thunderstorms
Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment
area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98.36% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources;
limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal
smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
People Singapore
Population:
4,353,893 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.5% (male 370,660; female 345,713)
15-64 years: 75.8% (male 1,611,502; female 1,687,048)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 149,452; female 189,518) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.2 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 36.6 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.71% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
9.63 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
4.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
11.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 2.49 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.53 years
male: 78.96 years
female: 84.29 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore
Ethnic groups:
Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%
Religions:
Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh,
Taoist, Confucianist
Languages:
Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil
(official), English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2002)
Government Singapore
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
Singapore
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution:
3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of
Singapore Constitution)
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1
September 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August
2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004);
Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime
Ministers Shunmugan JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and Tony TAN
Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to
Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 28 August 1999 (next to be held by August 2005);
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or
the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the
president
election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN elected president
unopposed
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine
nominated members; the losing opposition candidate who came closest
to winning a seat may be appointed as a "nonconstituency" member
elections: last held 3 November 2001 (next to be held not later than
25 June 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 75.3% (in contested
constituencies), other 24.7%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SPP 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the
advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the
president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders:
governing party: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong];
opposition parties: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LING How
Dong]; National Solidarity Party or NSP [vacant] (SDA group);
Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong] (includes SPP,
PKMS, NSP, SJP); Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan];
Singapore Justice Party or SJP [Desmond LIM] (SDA group); Singapore
National Malay Organization or PKMS [Malik ISMAIL] (SDA group);
Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong] (SDA group);
Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia Lim Swee LIAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee consulate(s): New York consulate(s) general: San Francisco FAX: (202) 537-0876 telephone: (202) 537-3100 chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin L. LAVIN embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: 6476-9100 FAX: 6476-9340
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist
side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed
portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white
five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
Economy Singapore
Economy - overview:
Singapore, a highly developed and successful free market economy,
enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable
prices, and a high per capita GDP. The economy depends heavily on
exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard
hit in 2001-03 by the global recession and the slump in the
technology sector. The government hopes to establish a new growth
path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle but
is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast
Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest
rates, and global economic recovery should lead to much improved
growth in 2004.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $109.4 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $23,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: negligible industry: 32.2% services: 67.8% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.9% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
2.2 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 49%, other 16% (2003)
Unemployment rate:
4.8% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $14.15 billion
expenditures: $15.61 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.6
billion (2003 est.)
Public debt:
106.4% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables, poultry, eggs, fish,
ornamental fish
Industries:
electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment,
petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed
food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction,
life sciences, entrepot trade
Industrial production growth rate:
2.8% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
30.48 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
28.35 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
700,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
2.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
2.5 billion cu m
: Note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$26.15 billion (2003)
Exports:
$142.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods,
chemicals, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:
Malaysia 15.8%, US 14.3%, Hong Kong 10%, China 7%, Japan 6.7%,
Taiwan 4.7%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.2% (2003)
Imports:
$121.6 billion (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Malaysia 16.8%, US 14.1%, Japan 12%, China 8.7%, Taiwan 5.1%,
Thailand 4.3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$95.75 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$15.06 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
NA
Currency:
Singapore dollar (SGD)
Currency code:
SGD
Exchange rates:
Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002),
1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000), 1.695 (1999)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Singapore
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,896,100 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,521,800 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: country code - 65; 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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)
Radios:
2.6 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (2003)
Televisions:
1.33 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sg
Internet hosts:
484,825 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)
Internet users:
2.31 million (2002)
Transportation Singapore
Highways:
total: 3,066 km
paved: 3,066 km (including 150 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Pipelines:
gas 139 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Singapore
Merchant marine:
total: 900 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 23,065,290 GRT/36,393,317 DWT
registered in other countries: 383 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Australia 6, China 15, Denmark 32, Germany 18, Greece
12, Hong Kong 31, India 3, Indonesia 33, Japan 58, South Korea 13,
Malaysia 31, Monaco 19, Norway 53, Papua New Guinea 1, Philippines
9, Russia 2, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 44,
Tanzania 1, Thailand 16, United Kingdom 15, United States 1
by type: bulk 136, cargo 84, chemical tanker 96, combination bulk 4,
combination ore/oil 8, container 186, liquefied gas 41, livestock
carrier 3, multi-functional large load carrier 2, petroleum tanker
290, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea/passenger
1, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 32
Airports:
9 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Singapore
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation to be reduced to 24 months from 30 months beginning December 2004 (June 2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,292,471 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 934,317 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.47 billion (FY01 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Singapore
Disputes - international:
disputes with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,
Singapore's land reclamation works, bridge construction, maritime
boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih persist -
parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years
Illicit drugs:
as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is
vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, to be used as a
transit point for Golden Triangle heroin and as a venue for money
laundering
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Slovakia
Introduction Slovakia
Background:
In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form
Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia
became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet
influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became
free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1
January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of
2004.
Geography Slovakia
Location:
Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
48 40 N, 19 30 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 48,845 sq km
water: 45 sq km
land: 48,800 sq km
Area - comparative:
about twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries:
total: 1,524 km
border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677
km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain:
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in
the south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m
highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m
Natural resources:
brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and
manganese ore; salt; arable land
Land use: arable land: 30.16% permanent crops: 2.62% other: 67.22% (2001)
Irrigated land:
1,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health
risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the
Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes
and valleys
People Slovakia
Population:
5,423,567 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.5% (male 485,523; female 463,173)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 1,908,425; female 1,929,861)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 239,081; female 397,504) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.1 years
male: 33.5 years
female: 36.9 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.14% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
10.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.62 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.19 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 78.37 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Slovak(s)
adjective: Slovak
Ethnic groups:
Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Roma 1.6% (the 1992 census figures
underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000),
Czech, Moravian, Silesian 1.1%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6%, German
0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.2% (1996)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%,
other 17.5%
Languages:
Slovak (official), Hungarian
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Government Slovakia
Country name:
conventional long form: Slovak Republic
conventional short form: Slovakia
local short form: Slovensko
local long form: Slovenska Republika
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Bratislava
Administrative divisions:
8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky,
Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)
Constitution:
ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993; changed
in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended
February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the
obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30
October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October
1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998);
Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held
April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the president
note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO
election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff;
percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%;
Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada
Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU
15.1%, SMER 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by
party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12),
opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union
5, and independents 10)
elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA
September 2006)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council);
Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of
nominees approved by the National Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction
(Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for
Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens
Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or
SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak
Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian
Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS
[Peter SULOVSKY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and
Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal
Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: (202) 237-6438 telephone: (202) 237-1054
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N.
THAYER
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava
telephone: (2) 5443-3338
FAX: (2) 5443-0096
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist
side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue
Economy Slovakia
Economy - overview:
Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a
centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA
government made excellent progress during 2001-03 in macroeconomic
stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly
complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands,
and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded
expectations in 2001-03, despite the general European slowdown.
Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003, remains the economy's
Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004,
especially cutting the budget deficit, containing inflation, and
strengthening the health care system.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $72.29 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.9% industry: 47.9% services: 46.2% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.8% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
26.3 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.6% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
2.58 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 8.9%, industry 29.3%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)
Unemployment rate:
15.2% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $12.03 billion
expenditures: $13.69 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)
Public debt:
37.6% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry;
forest products
Industries:
metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas,
coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery;
paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles;
textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
Industrial production growth rate:
7.2% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
30.29 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
24.41 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
5.141 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
1.381 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
82,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
292 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
7.932 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
7.205 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
7.504 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-277.4 million (2003)
Exports:
$21.25 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured
goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8%
(1999)
Exports - partners:
Germany 37.2%, Czech Republic 12%, Austria 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Poland
4.7%, US 4.7%, Hungary 4.2% (2003)
Imports:
$21.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, intermediate manufactured
goods 18%, fuels 13%, chemicals 11%, miscellaneous manufactured
goods 9.5% (1999)
Imports - partners:
Germany 27.5%, Czech Republic 18.3%, Russia 10.8%, Austria 6.4%,
Italy 5.6%, Poland 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$11.74 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$18.31 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $113 million (2000),; $92 million EU structural adjustment
funds (2000 est.)
Currency:
Slovak koruna (SKK)
Currency code:
SKK
Exchange rates:
koruny per US dollar - 36.7729 (2003), 45.3267 (2002), 48.3548
(2001), 46.0352 (2000), 41.3628 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Slovakia
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,294,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,678,800 (2003)
Telephone system:
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: country code - 421; 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
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)
Televisions:
2.62 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sk
Internet hosts:
89,592 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)
Internet users:
1,375,800 (2003)
Transportation Slovakia
Railways:
total: 3,661 km
broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 49 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2003)
Highways:
total: 42,717 km
paved: 37,036 km (including 296 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,681 km (2000)
Waterways:
172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Bratislava, Komarno
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT
by type: bulk 4, cargo 4
foreign-owned: Bulgaria 3, Estonia 1, Greece 1, India 1, Liberia 1,
Panama 1 (2004 est.)
Airports:
34 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2003 est.)
Military Slovakia
Military branches:
Ground Forces (including Home Guard [Domobrana]), Air and Air
Defense Forces (January 2003)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age (conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces will be volunteers by December 2004; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscripts serve 9 months of basic military service; service obligation reduced to 6 months effective 2004 (October 2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,477,017 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,129,935 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 43,029 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.89% (2002)
Transnational Issues Slovakia
Disputes - international:
Hungary amended its status law extending special social and
cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, many of whom had
protested the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on
ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros
hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the
ICJ for final resolution
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western
Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Slovenia
Introduction Slovenia
Background:
The Slovene lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria
until 1918 when the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming
a new multinational state, renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. After World
War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which
though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied
with the exercise of power of the majority Serbs, the Slovenes
succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short
10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and
a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a
modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring
of 2004.
Geography Slovenia
Location:
Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between
Austria and Croatia
Geographic coordinates:
46 07 N, 14 49 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 20,273 sq km
water: 122 sq km
land: 20,151 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,334 km
border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Italy 232 km,
Hungary 102 km
Coastline:
46.6 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild
to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the
east
Terrain:
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Triglav 2,864 m
Natural resources:
lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower,
forests
Land use: arable land: 8.6% permanent crops: 1.49% other: 89.91% (2001)
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
flooding and earthquakes
Environment - current issues: Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some
of Europe's major transit routes
People Slovenia
Population:
2,011,473 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 147,506; female 139,435)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 716,057; female 704,734)
65 years and over: 15.1% (male 115,391; female 188,350) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.8 years
male: 38.3 years
female: 41.3 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.01% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
8.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.93 years
male: 72.18 years
female: 79.92 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.23 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
280 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Slovene(s)
adjective: Slovenian
Ethnic groups:
Slovene 92%, Croat 1%, Serb 0.5%, Hungarian 0.4%, Bosniak 0.3%,
other 5.8% (1991)
Religions:
Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%, atheist
4.3%, other 22.9%
Languages:
Slovenian 92%, Serbo-Croatian 6.2%, other 1.8%
Literacy: definition: NA total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.)
Government Slovenia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia
conventional short form: Slovenia
local short form: Slovenija
former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia
local long form: Republika Slovenija
Government type:
parliamentary democratic republic
Capital:
Ljubljana
Administrative divisions:
182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban
municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina )
Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke,
Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica,
Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno,
Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca,
Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec,
Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale,
Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja
Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina,
Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina,
Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice,
Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje,
Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*,
Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart,
Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska
Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk,
Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na
Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce,
Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje,
Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica,
Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka,
Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci,
Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na
Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska
Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic,
Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju,
Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*,
Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob
Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse,
Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij,
Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic,
Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej,
Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica,
Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica,
Zuzemberk, Zrece
note: there may be 45 more municipalities
Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Constitution:
adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Janez DRNOVSEK (since 22 December 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Janez JANSA (since 9 November
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
elected by the National Assembly
election results: Janez DRNOVSEK elected president; percent of vote
- Janez DRNOVSEK 56.5%, Barbara BREZIGAR 43.5%; Janez JANSA elected
prime minister; National Assembly vote - 57 to 27
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 10 November and 1 December 2002 (next to be held
in the fall of 2007); following National Assembly elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition
is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held 9 November 2004
(next National Assembly elections to be held October 2008)
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of a National Assembly or Drzavni
Zbor (90 seats; 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected on a
proportional basis; note - the numbers of directly elected and
proportionally elected seats varies with each election; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National
Council or Drzavni Svet (this is primarily an advisory body
organized on corporatist principles with limited legislative powers;
it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decisions,
and call national referenda; members are indirectly elected to
five-year terms by an electoral college)
election results: percent of vote by party - SDS 29.1%, LDS 22.8%,
ZLSD 10.2%, NSi 9%, SLS 6.8%, SNS 6.3%, DeSUS 4.1%, other 11.7%;
seats by party - SDS 29, LDS 23, ZLSD 10, NSi 9, SLS 7, SNS 6, DeSUS
4, Hungarian and Italian minorities 1 each
elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be
held October 2008)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court
(judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and
nominated by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Retired (Persons) of Slovenia or DeSUS [Anton
ROUS]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Anton ROP]; New Slovenia or
NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovene Democratic Party or SDS [Janez Jansa];
Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC]; Slovene People's
Party or SLS [Janez PODOBNIK]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS [Darko
KRANJC]; United List of Social Democrats or ZLSD [Borut PAHOR]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member),
FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NSG,
OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIK, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: New York and Cleveland FAX: (202) 667-4563 telephone: (202) 667-5363
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas B. ROBERTSON embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 telephone: (1) 200-5500 FAX: (1) 200-5555
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with
the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's
highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center;
beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and
above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted
triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of
Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early
15th centuries); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the
flag centered in the white and blue bands
Economy Slovenia
Economy - overview:
Slovenia, with its historical ties to Western Europe, enjoys a GDP
per capita substantially higher than that of the other transitioning
economies of Central Europe. In March 2004, Slovenia became the
first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor
partner at the World Bank. Privatization of the economy proceeded at
an accelerated pace in 2002-03, and the budget deficit dropped from
3.0% of GDP in 2002 to 1.6% in 2003. Despite the economic slowdown
in Europe in 2001-03, Slovenia maintained 3% growth. Structural
reforms to improve the business environment allow for greater
foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and help to lower
unemployment. Further measures to curb inflation are also needed.
Corruption and the high degree of coordination between government,
business, and central bank policy are issues of concern in the
run-up to Slovenia's scheduled 1 May 2004 accession to the European
Union.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $36.82 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 39.7% services: 57.3% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 23% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.6% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
875,000 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:
11.2% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $11.46 billion
expenditures: $11.85 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
31.9% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep,
poultry
Industries:
ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting,
electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power
equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
Industrial production growth rate:
1.4% (2003)
Electricity - production:
13.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
13.83 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
4.1 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
20 bbl/day NA bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
53,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.04 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.04 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$15.1 million (2003)
Exports:
$11.98 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals,
food
Exports - partners:
Germany 23.2%, Italy 13.2%, Croatia 9%, Austria 7.3%, France 5.7%,
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.2% (2003)
Imports:
$12.63 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals,
fuels and lubricants, food
Imports - partners:
Germany 19.3%, Italy 18.3%, France 10%, Austria 8.6% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$8.598 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$11.33 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $62 million (2000 est.)
Currency:
tolar (SIT)
Currency code:
SIT
Exchange rates:
tolars per US dollar - 207.099 (2003), 240.248 (2002), 242.749
(2001), 222.656 (2000), 181.769 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Slovenia
Telephones - main lines in use:
812,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,739,100 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: 100% digital (2000)
international: country code - 386
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 17, FM 160, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
805,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
48 (2001)
Televisions:
710,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.si
Internet hosts:
45,491 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2000)
Internet users:
750,000 (2002)
Transportation Slovenia
Railways: total: 1,201 km standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (499 km electrified) (2003)
Highways:
total: 20,177 km
paved: 20,157 km (including 427 km of expressways)
unpaved: 20 km (2000)
Pipelines:
gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Izola, Koper, Piran
Airports:
14 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Military Slovenia
Military branches:
Slovenian Army (includes Air and Naval Forces)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2004 (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 525,983 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 417,875 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 13,315 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$370 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (FY00)
Transnational Issues Slovenia
Disputes - international:
the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which
would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia
and several villages to Croatia, remains controversial, has not been
ratified, and has been complicated by Croatia's declaration of an
ecological-fisheries zone in the Adriatic Sea
Illicit drugs:
minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound
for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Solomon Islands
Introduction Solomon Islands
Background:
The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the
1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on
these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence
two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and
endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June
2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of
Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an
Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and
disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the
Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and
order and rebuilding government institutions.
Geography Solomon Islands
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua
New Guinea
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 159 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 28,450 sq km
water: 910 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
5,313 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Land use: arable land: 0.64% permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with
frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs
are dead or dying
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean,
the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
People Solomon Islands
Population:
523,617 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)
15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.4 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 18.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.76% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.38 years
male: 69.9 years
female: 74.98 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander
Ethnic groups:
Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%,
Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions:
Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian)
12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%,
indigenous beliefs 4%
Languages:
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English
is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population
note: 120 indigenous languages
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Government Solomon Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands
former: British Solomon Islands
Government type:
parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy
Capital:
Honiara
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul,
Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona,
Temotu, Western
Independence:
7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
7 July 1978
Legal system:
English common law, which is widely disregarded
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five
years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime
minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members
of Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17
December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December
2001)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from
single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP
20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents
18
elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than
December 2005)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party
or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh
Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or
SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP
[Joses TUHANUKU]
note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid
coalitions
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK
telephone: (212) 599-6192, 6193
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017
FAX: (212) 661-8925
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed
July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W.
FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands
Flag description:
divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower
hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five
white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower
triangle is green
Government - note:
June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention
of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the
request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New
Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003
Economy Solomon Islands
Economy - overview:
The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and
forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured
goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich
in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and
gold. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business
enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious
economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of
crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation)
have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and
attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the
nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance
staff many of whom have left the country. The disintegration of law
and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July
2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands
to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-10% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 42%
industry: 11%
services: 47% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
26,840 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues: $38 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables,
fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Industries:
fish (tuna), mining, timber
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
32 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Exports:
$90 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners:
China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%,
Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003)
Imports:
$100 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003)
Debt - external:
$162.5 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 est.)
Currency:
Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Currency code:
SBD
Exchange rates:
Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002),
5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Solomon Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
6,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
57,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (1997)
Televisions:
3,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sb
Internet hosts:
398 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
2,200 (2002)
Transportation Solomon Islands
Highways: total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Merchant marine:
none
Airports:
33 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Military Solomon Islands
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance
and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues Solomon Islands
Disputes - international:
Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of
the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the
islands and reinforce regional security
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Somalia
Introduction Somalia
Background:
The SIAD BARRE regime was ousted in January 1991; turmoil,
factional fighting, and anarchy have followed in the years since. In
May of 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of
Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal,
Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized
by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence,
aided by the overwhelming dominance of a ruling clan and economic
infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American
military assistance programs. The regions of Bari and Nugaal and
northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state
of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998, but does not
aim at independence; it has also made strides towards reconstructing
a legitimate, representative government, but has suffered some civil
strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also
claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a
two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to
alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995,
having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been
restored. The mandate of the Transitional National Government (TNG),
created in August 2000 in Arta, Djibouti, expired in August 2003.
New Somali President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed has formed a new
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) consisting of a 275-member
parliament. It was established in October 2004 to replace the TNG
but has not yet moved to Mogadishu. Discussions regarding the
establishment of a new government in Mogadishu are ongoing in Kenya.
Numerous warlords and factions are still fighting for control of the
capital city as well as for other southern regions. Suspicion of
Somali links with global terrorism further complicates the picture.
Geography Somalia
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean,
east of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates:
10 00 N, 49 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 637,657 sq km
water: 10,320 sq km
land: 627,337 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km
Coastline:
3,025 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate:
principally desert; December to February - northeast monsoon,
moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to October
- southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the south,
irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between
monsoons
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m
Natural resources:
uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum,
bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves
Land use: arable land: 1.67% other: 98.29% (2001) permanent crops: 0.04%
Irrigated land:
2,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in
summer; floods during rainy season
Environment - current issues:
famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health
problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note:
strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to
Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
People Somalia
Population:
8,304,601
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in
1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is
complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements
in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 1,860,451; female 1,849,484)
15-64 years: 52.7% (male 2,197,572; female 2,176,762)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 94,905; female 125,427) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.5 years
female: 17.6 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.41% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
46.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
17.3 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
5.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 118.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 108.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 127.95 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.71 years
male: 46.02 years
female: 49.46 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
43,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, rabies, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Somali(s)
adjective: Somali
Ethnic groups:
Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim
Languages:
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 37.8%
male: 49.7%
female: 25.8% (2001 est.)
Government Somalia
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Somalia former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic
Government type:
no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary
national government
Capital:
Mogadishu
Administrative divisions:
18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool,
Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,
Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha
Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence:
1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became
independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland,
which became independent from the Italian-administered UN
trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
National holiday:
Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June
(1960) in Somaliland
Constitution:
25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
note: the Transitional National Government formed in August 2000 had
a three-year mandate to create a new constitution and hold
elections, this goal was not achieved but the process is ongoing
Legal system:
no national system; Shari'a and secular courts are in some
localities
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note
- a new Transitional Federal Government consisting of a 275-member
parliament was established in October 2004 replacing the
Transitional National Government created in 2000
election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the leader of the Puntland
region of Somalia, was elected president by the Transitional Federal
Government
head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad GHEDI (since 3
November 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly
note: fledgling parliament; a 275-member Transitional Federal
Government replaced the Transitional National Government created in
2000; the new parliament consists of 61 seats assigned to each of
four large clan groups (Darod, Digil-Mirifle, Dir, and Hawiye) with
the remaining 31 seats divided between minority clans
Judicial branch:
following the breakdown of national government, most regions have
reverted to either Islamic (Shari'a) law with a provision for appeal
of all sentences, or traditional clan-based arbitration
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
numerous clan and subclan factions are currently vying for power
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8
May 1991); note - the TNG and other factions have representatives in
Washington and at the United Nations
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at Mombasa Road; mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: (2) 537800; FAX (2) 537810
Flag description:
light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue
field influenced by the flag of the UN
Government - note:
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
Economy Somalia
Economy - overview:
Somalia's economic fortunes are being driven by its deep political
divisions. The northern area has declared its independence as
"Somaliland"; the central area, Puntland, is a self-declared
autonomous state; and the remaining southern portion is riddled with
the struggles of rival factions. Economic life continues, in part
because much activity is local and relatively easily protected.
Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally
accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings,
but Saudi Arabia's recent ban on Somali livestock, because of Rift
Valley Fever concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads and
semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood,
make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish,
charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar,
sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports.
Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of
agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap
metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's service sector has
managed to survive and grow. Telecommunication firms provide
wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest
international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a
formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted
throughout the country, handling between $200 million and $500
million in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a
variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels
continue to operate, and militias provide security. The ongoing
civil disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with
any broad-based economic development and international aid
arrangements. In 2002 Somalia's overdue financial obligations to the
IMF continued to grow. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per
capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.361 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $500 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 65%
industry: 10%
services: 25% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot
be sensibly determined (2003 est.)
Labor force:
3.7 million (very few are skilled laborers)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture (mostly pastoral nomadism) 71%, industry and services
29%
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Agriculture - products:
cattle, sheep, goats; bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice,
sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; fish
Industries:
a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles,
petroleum refining (mostly shut down), wireless communication
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
245.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
227.9 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Exports:
$79 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal
Exports - partners:
UAE 37.2%, Yemen 22.3%, Oman 10.1%, China 6%, Kuwait 4.4%, Nigeria
4% (2003)
Imports:
$344 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction
materials, qat
Imports - partners:
Djibouti 33.9%, Kenya 15.5%, Brazil 6.6%, UAE 5.1%, Thailand 4.2%
(2003)
Debt - external:
$2.6 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$60 million (1999 est.)
Currency:
Somali shilling (SOS)
Currency code:
SOS
Exchange rates:
Somali shillings per US dollar - 11,000 (November 2000), 2,620
(January 1999), 7,500 (November 1997 est.), 7,000 (January 1996
est.), 5,000 (1 January 1995)
note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent
country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own
currency, the Somaliland shilling
Fiscal year:
NA
Communications Somalia
Telephones - main lines in use:
100,000 est (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
35,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
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: country code - 252; international connections are
available from Mogadishu by satellite
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 11, shortwave 1 in Mogadishu; 1 FM in Puntland, 1 FM in
Somaliland (2001)
Radios:
470,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4
note: two in Mogadishu; two in Hargeisa (2001)
Televisions:
135,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.so
Internet hosts:
4 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (one each in Boosaaso, Hargeisa, and Mogadishu) (2000)
Internet users:
89,000 (2002)
Transportation Somalia
Highways: total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Boosaaso, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Merca, Mogadishu
Merchant marine:
none
Airports:
60 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2438 to 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 54 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Somalia
Military branches:
A Somali National Army was attempted under the interim government;
numerous factions and clans maintain independent militias, and the
Somaliland and Puntland regional governments maintain their own
security and police forces
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,010,152 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,109,405 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18.9 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2003)
Transnational Issues Somalia
Disputes - international:
"Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities to land-locked
Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regional states;
"Puntland" secessionists clash with "Somaliland" secessionists to
establish territorial limits and clan loyalties, each seeking
support from neighboring states; Ethiopia maintains only an
administrative line with the Oromo region of southern Somalia and
maintains alliances with local Somali clans opposed to the
unrecognized Transitional National Government in Mogadishu
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 375,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for
resources) (2004)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@South Africa
Introduction South Africa
Background:
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many
of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own
republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred
wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native
inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were
defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South
Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate
development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid
politically and ushered in black majority rule.
Geography South Africa
Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Geographic coordinates:
29 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,219,912 sq km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island)
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491
km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline:
2,798 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool
nights
Terrain:
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal
plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Natural resources:
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium,
salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 12.08%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.13% (2001)
Irrigated land:
13,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
prolonged droughts
Environment - current issues:
lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water
conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing
supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban
discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion;
desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely
surrounds Swaziland
People South Africa
Population:
42,718,530
note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a
population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8%
underenumeration based on a postenumeration survey); estimates for
this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy,
higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.5% (male 6,337,468; female 6,254,925)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 13,898,269; female 14,017,559)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 886,801; female 1,323,508) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.7 years
male: 24.2 years
female: 25.3 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.25% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
18.38 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
20.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 65.87 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 44.19 years
male: 44.39 years
female: 43.98 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
21.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5.3 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: South African(s) adjective: South African
Ethnic groups:
black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions:
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%
Languages:
11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi,
Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
Government South Africa
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and
Bloemfontein the judicial center
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape
Independence:
31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in
1961 following an October 1960 referendum
National holiday:
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution:
10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the
Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then
President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3
February 1997; it is being implemented in phases
Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next to be held 24
April 2004)
head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National
Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)
note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400
seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the
National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each
of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special
powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of
cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note -
following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February
1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National
Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and
party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities
have been changed somewhat by the new constitution
elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces -
last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC
69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%;
seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other
21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts;
Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders:
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE,
president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI,
president]; Democratic Alliance or DA (formed from the merger of the
Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA) [Anthony
LEON]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI,
president]; New National Party or NNP [Marthinus VAN SCHALKWYK];
Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United
Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI,
general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade
NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics
Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note
- COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW,
PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE,
UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: (202) 265-1607
telephone: (202) 232-4400
chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron H. HUME
embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria
mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: (12) 342-1048
FAX: (12) 342-2244
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag description:
two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by
a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of
which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black
isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow
yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green
band and its arms by narrow white stripes
Economy South Africa
Economy - overview:
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant
supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal,
communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that
ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure
supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers
throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to
lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic
problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack
of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. High crime
and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. South African
economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on
targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job
growth and household income.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $456.7 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $10,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 31% services: 65.2% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
16% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 45.9% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.3 (1993-94)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.9% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
16.35 million economically active (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
31% (includes workers no longer looking for employment) (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $37.48 billion
expenditures: $41.46 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
billion (2003)
Public debt:
38.2% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton,
wool, dairy products
Industries:
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium),
automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and
steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
195.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
181.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
6.91 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
6.2 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
196,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-1.234 billion (2003)
Exports:
$36.77 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and
equipment (1998 est.)
Exports - partners:
UK 12.6%, US 12.4%, Japan 9.2%, Germany 8.1%, China 4.7%, Italy
4.4% (2003)
Imports:
$33.89 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific
instruments, foodstuffs (2000 est.)
Imports - partners:
Germany 16.6%, UK 8.5%, US 8.2%, Japan 5.9%, China 5.9%, Saudi
Arabia 5.2%, France 5% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$7.972 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$25.9 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$487.5 million (2000)
Currency:
rand (ZAR)
Currency code:
ZAR
Exchange rates:
rand per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001),
6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications South Africa
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.844 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.86 million (2003)
Telephone system:
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: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
17 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
6 million (2000)
Internet country code:
.za
Internet hosts:
288,633 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
150 (2001)
Internet users:
3.1 million (2002)
Transportation South Africa
Railways:
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 (2003)
Highways:
total: 362,099 km
paved: 73,506 km (including 2,032 km of expressways)
unpaved: 288,593 km (2000)
Pipelines:
condensate 100 km; gas 1,052 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354
km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth,
Richards Bay, Saldanha
Merchant marine:
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,505 GRT/37,091 DWT
by type: container 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 2
registered in other countries: 7 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Denmark 1, Netherlands 1
Airports:
728 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 144 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 584 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 300 under 914 m: 250 (2004 est.)
Military South Africa
Military branches:
South African National Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Force, and
Medical Services
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (October 2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 11,924,500 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 7,247,696 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 471,221 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2,653.4 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2003)
Military - note:
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
Transnational Issues South Africa
Disputes - international: managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River
Illicit drugs:
transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine;
cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit
methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various
east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive
venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized
criminal and narcotics activity in the region
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Southern Ocean
Introduction Southern Ocean
Background:
A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the
spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean -
from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and
Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of
Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with
the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth
largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean,
Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).
Geography Southern Ocean
Location:
body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Geographic coordinates:
65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique
distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally
encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies
between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and
encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 20.327 million sq km
note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake
Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and
other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of the US
Coastline:
17,968 km
Climate:
sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees
Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and
frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between
ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to
the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere
on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south
latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the
Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees
Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds
from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Terrain:
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich
Trench
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources:
probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the
continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits,
sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals -
none exploited; krill, fishes
Natural hazards:
huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller
bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter
thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large
annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by
glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and
large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October;
most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Environment - current issues:
increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic
ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity
(phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish;
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years,
especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more
Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to
affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental
mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong
comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
Environment - international agreements:
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements
regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these
agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling
Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south
[south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees
west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits
sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (regulates fishing)
note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource
exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front
(Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic
Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very
cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the
north
Geography - note:
the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and
Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best
natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it
is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar
Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the
south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current
extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees
south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South
Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
Economy Southern Ocean
Economy - overview:
Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric
tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish.
International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01
season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and
antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248
tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and
Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year.
Transportation Southern Ocean
Ports and harbors:
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)
Transportation - note:
Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Transnational Issues Southern Ocean
Disputes - international:
Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but
Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert
claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the
Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in
extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea
ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or
maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves
(the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal
claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150
degrees west
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Introduction South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Background:
The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands
and have been under British administration since 1908, except for a
brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on
South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station.
Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to
his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some
20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a
successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the
Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and
is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from
the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal
populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the
marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the
exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.
Geography South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Location:
Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east
of the tip of South America
Geographic coordinates:
54 30 S, 37 00 W
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 3,903 sq km
note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia
Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist
of some nine islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 3,903 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
NA km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year
interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as
snow
Terrain:
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
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2001)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that
generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also
subject to active volcanism
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which
provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th
century, live on South Georgia
People South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March
2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the
British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on
Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2004
est.)
Government South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina;
administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is
concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen
ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South
Georgia, is a scientific base
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:
adopted 3 October 1985
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate
from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms
centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a
shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur
seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears
above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM
PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)
Economy South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Economy - overview:
Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. Fees from fishing
licenses and related activities traditionally account for around 90%
of South Georgia's revenue (about $5.6 million in 2004). There is a
potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The
islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale
of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist
vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing
rapidly. Annual tourist volume hovers around 3,000 arrivals.
Communications South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations:
0 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (2003)
Internet country code:
.gs
Transportation South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Ports and harbors:
Grytviken
Airports:
none (2003 est.)
Military South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Disputes - international:
briefly occupied by military force in 1982 - claimed by Argentina
in constitution but declares it will no longer seek settlement by
force
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Spain
Introduction Spain
Background:
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries
ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent
failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused
the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic
and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II,
but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). In the
second half of the 20th century, Spain has played a catch-up role in
the western international community; it joined the EU in 1986.
Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
terrorism and further reductions in unemployment.
Geography Spain
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean
Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of
France
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 504,782 sq km
water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 19 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands
and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the
coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon
de Velez de la Gomera
land: 499,542 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 1,917.8 km
border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline:
4,964 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
Climate:
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy
along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and
cool along coast
Terrain:
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Natural resources:
coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten,
mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin,
potash, hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 26.07%
permanent crops: 9.87%
other: 64.06% (2001)
Irrigated land:
36,400 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents
from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and
quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
People Spain
Population:
40,280,780 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 2,989,053; female 2,811,350)
15-64 years: 68% (male 13,748,998; female 13,652,852)
65 years and over: 17.6% (male 2,958,387; female 4,120,140) (2004
est.)
Median age: total: 39.1 years male: 37.8 years female: 40.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.16% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
10.11 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 4.88 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.37 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 82.94 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
130,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups:
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions:
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages:
Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
note: Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other
languages are official regionally
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.7%
female: 97.2% (2003 est.)
Government Spain
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local short form: Espana
Government type:
parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
Madrid
Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular -
comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas,
singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares
(Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana,
Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra,
Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
note: three small Spanish possessions of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de
Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by
the Spanish central government, are all located off the coast of
Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty
(Plazas de Soberania)
Independence:
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent
kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in the early 8th
century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian
redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately,
culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed
the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered
the forging of present-day Spain
National holiday:
National Day, 12 October
Constitution:
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system:
civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir
Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968
head of government: President of the Government Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ
ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President (and Minister
of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA(since 18 April
2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and
Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are
non-binding
election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected
president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%
elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004
(next to be held NA March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the
monarch on the proposal of the president
Legislative branch:
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members
directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the
regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of
Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE
38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC
1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress
12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%,
CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU
2, CC 3, other 8
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March
2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:
Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition
or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute];
Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of
the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro]
and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y
LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping
four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA) [leader NA]; Galician
Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of
Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular
Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC
[Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE
[Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of
parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar
LLAMAZARES]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor
unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of
Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or
USO; university students; Workers Confederation or CC.OO; Nunca Mas
(Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker
Prestige oil spill)
International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP
chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX: (202) 833-5670
telephone: (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Robert
MANZANARES
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: (91) 587-2200
FAX: (91) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy Spain
Economy - overview:
Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per
capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European
economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR
successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of
countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1
January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate
liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and
introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily
under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 11.7%. Growth of
2.4% in 2003 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering
European economy. Incoming President RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, whose party
won the election three days after the Madrid train bombings in
March, plans to reduce government intervention in business, combat
tax fraud, and support innovation, research and development, but
also intends to reintroduce labor market regulations that had been
scrapped by the AZNAR government. Adjusting to the monetary and
other economic policies of an integrated Europe - and reducing
unemployment - will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $885.5 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 28.6% services: 67.8% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.6% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.5 (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
18.82 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 7%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 29%, services 64% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
11.3% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $330.7 billion
expenditures: $335.3 billion, including capital expenditures of
$12.8 billion (2003 est.)
Public debt:
62.7% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef,
pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Industries:
textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages,
metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles,
machine tools, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
1.6% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
222.5 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
210.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
4.138 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
7.588 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
7,099 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.497 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
135,100 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
1.582 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
10.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
516 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
17.96 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
17.26 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-23.77 billion (2003)
Exports:
$159.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, other consumer goods
Exports - partners:
France 19.2%, Germany 11.9%, Italy 9.7%, UK 9.4%, Portugal 9.3%, US
4.2% (2003)
Imports:
$197.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods;
foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
France 16.8%, Germany 16.6%, Italy 8.8%, UK 6.5%, Netherlands 4.9%
(2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$26.81 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$718.4 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)
Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions
of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions with the member countries
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Spain
Telephones - main lines in use:
17,567,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
37,506,700 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;
teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
13.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters) note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995)
Televisions:
16.2 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.es
Internet hosts:
1,056,950 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
56 (2000)
Internet users:
9.789 million (2003)
Transportation Spain
Railways:
total: 14,268 km (7,718 km electrified)
broad gauge: 11,804 km 1.668-m gauge (6,409 km electrified)
standard gauge: 526 km 1.435-m gauge (526 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,910 km 1.000-m gauge (755 km electrified); 28 km
0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2003)
Highways:
total: 663,795 km
paved: 657,157 km (including 10,317 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,638 km (1999)
Waterways:
1,045 km (2003)
Pipelines:
gas 7,306 km; oil 730 km; refined products 3,512 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana,
Ceuta, Huelva, A Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga,
Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands),
Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo
Merchant marine:
total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,740,974 GRT/2,157,551 DWT
by type: bulk 9, cargo 29, chemical tanker 13, container 17,
liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker
21, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 32, short-sea/passenger
7, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 7
registered in other countries: 115 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Chile 1, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 9, Italy 2,
Netherlands 1, Norway 6, Sweden 1, Uruguay 1
Airports:
156 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 95 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 28 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 61 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 44 (2004 est.)
Heliports: 8 (2003 est.)
Military Spain
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force (Ejercito del Aire, EdA), Marines
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 10,482,753 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 8,336,273 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 245,007 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9,906.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (2003)
Transnational Issues Spain
Disputes - international:
since Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum in
2003 against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement, talks between
the UK and Spain over the fate of the 300-year old UK colony have
stalled; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater
autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves
of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera,
Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters;
Morocco serves as the primary launching area of illegal migration
into Spain from North Africa; Morocco rejected Spain's unilateral
designation of a median line from the Canary Islands in 2002 to set
limits to undersea resource exploration and refugee interdiction,
but agreed in 2003 to discuss a comprehensive maritime delimitation;
some Portuguese groups assert dormant claims to territories ceded to
Spain around the town of Olivenza
Illicit drugs:
key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American
cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market;
destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin; money laundering site for European earnings of Colombian
narcotics trafficking organizations
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Spratly Islands
Introduction Spratly Islands
Background:
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or
reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially
by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively
small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing
zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal
claim.
Geography Spratly Islands
Location:
Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China
Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the
southern Philippines
Geographic coordinates:
8 38 N, 111 55 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: less than 5 sq km
note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts
scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South
China Sea
water: 0 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km
Area - comparative:
NA
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
926 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and
shoals
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the
central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls,
shoals, and coral reefs
People Spratly Islands
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several
claimant states (July 2004 est.)
Government Spratly Islands
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Economy Spratly Islands
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity
to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the
potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely
unexplored; there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves;
commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation Spratly Islands
Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Spratly Islands
Military - note:
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
Transnational Issues Spratly Islands
Disputes - international:
all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and
Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines;
in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that
encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not
publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,"
which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code
of conduct"
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Sri Lanka
Introduction Sri Lanka
Background:
The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C.,
probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in
about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed
at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa
A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th
century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and
established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th
century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded
to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was
united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent
in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between
the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in
1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that
continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government
and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in
February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.
Geography Sri Lanka
Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates:
7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 65,610 sq km
water: 870 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,340 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
Climate:
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest
monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central
interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources:
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 13.86% permanent crops: 15.7% other: 70.44% (2001)
Irrigated land:
6,510 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by
poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining
activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being
polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air
pollution in Colombo
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
People Sri Lanka
Population:
19,905,165
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and
armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand
Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of yearend 2000,
approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south
India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than
200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 2,526,143; female 2,414,876)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 6,589,438; female 6,976,487)
65 years and over: 7% (male 655,636; female 742,585) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.1 years
male: 28 years
female: 30.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.81% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
15.88 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.78 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 16.01 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.89 years
male: 70.34 years
female: 75.57 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,800 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Religions:
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
Languages:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken
competently by about 10% of the population
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.3%
male: 94.8%
female: 90% (2003 est.)
Government Sri Lanka
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Serendib, Ceylon
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital
Administrative divisions:
8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,
Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern province
may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern
Independence:
4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system:
a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch,
Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since
12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April 2004)i s
the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
(since 12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April
2004) is the prime minister; the president is considered both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December
2005)
election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected
president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA 51%,
Ranil WICKREMASINGHE 42%, other 7%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote
on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by
district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%,
UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party or electoral
alliance - SLFP and JVP 105, UNP 82, TNA 22, JHU 9, SLMC 5, UPF 1,
EPDP 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers
Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D.
GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF
[Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP
[Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP
[Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF];
National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; People's
Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [leader NA]; Sihala
Urumaya or SU [leader NA]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP
[Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or
SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson
PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM];
Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United
Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party
or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P.
CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties,
represented in either Parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or
LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a
separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the
National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups
International organization participation:
AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB,
OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Devinda R. SUBASINGHE consulate(s): New York consulate(s) general: Los Angeles FAX: (202) 232-7181 telephone: (202) 483-4025 (through 4028) chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey J. LUNSTEAD
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: (11) 244-8007
FAX: (11) 243-7345
Flag description:
yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is
a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and
there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears
as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
Economy Sri Lanka
Economy - overview:
In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import
substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and
export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food
processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages,
telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation
crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while
textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average
annual rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s until a drought and a
deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The
economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001
saw the first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due to a
combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the
global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to
4.0% in 2002 and 5.2% in 2003. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work
abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a
year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a
largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the
economy.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $73.7 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19.9% industry: 26.3% services: 53.8% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.7% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
22% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 28% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.4 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
7.17 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 38%, industry 17%, services 45% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2003)
Budget:
revenues: $3.229 billion
expenditures: $4.526 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
105.1% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber,
coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef
Industries:
rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural
commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate:
5.8% (2003)
Electricity - production:
6.36 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
5.915 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
75,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-278 million (2003)
Exports:
$5.269 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum
products
Exports - partners:
US 34.6%, UK 12.5%, India 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2003)
Imports:
$6.626 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textiles, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and
equipment
Imports - partners:
India 16.1%, Hong Kong 8.4%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China
4.9%, South Korea 4.2%, Taiwan 4.2%, UK 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.273 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$10.52 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient:
$577 million (1998)
Currency:
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Currency code:
LKR
Exchange rates:
Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 96.521 (2003), 95.6621 (2002),
89.383 (2001), 77.0051 (2000), 70.6354 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Sri Lanka
Telephones - main lines in use:
881,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
931,600 (2002)
Telephone system:
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: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and
Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
3.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
21 (1997)
Televisions:
1.53 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.lk
Internet hosts:
1,882 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)
Internet users:
200,000 (2002)
Transportation Sri Lanka
Railways: total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2003)
Highways: total: 96,695 km paved: 91,860 km unpaved: 4,835 km (1999)
Waterways:
160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee
Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 120,924 GRT/173,604 DWT
by type: cargo 14, container 2, petroleum tanker 2
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Germany 8, Singapore 1
Airports:
14 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Sri Lanka
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,418,496 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,195,736 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 179,869 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$518 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.2% (2003)
Transnational Issues Sri Lanka
Disputes - international: none
Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 362,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to Tamil conflict) (2004)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
@Sudan
Introduction Sudan
Background:
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have
dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956.
Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of this
period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in northern economic,
political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern
Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects
have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people
displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an
Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern
opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels
and entered the war as a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace
talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several
accords, including a cease-fire agreement.
Geography Sudan
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,505,810 sq km
water: 129,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 7,687 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km,
Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605
km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km
Coastline:
853 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by
region (April to November)
Terrain:
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,
northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Natural resources:
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc,
tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6.83% permanent crops: 0.18% other: 92.99% (2001)
Irrigated land:
19,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations
threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification;
periodic drought
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
People Sudan
Population:
39,148,162 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,730,609; female 8,358,569)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 10,588,634; female 10,571,199)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 490,869; female 408,282) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.9 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.64% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
35.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 64.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 64.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.13 years
male: 56.96 years
female: 59.36 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.6% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
450,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
23,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, dengue fever, trypanosomiasis,
schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese
Ethnic groups:
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5%
(mostly in south and Khartoum)
Languages:
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic,
Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.1%
male: 71.8%
female: 50.5% (2003 est.)
Government Sudan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan
local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
local short form: As-Sudan
Government type:
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
Capital:
Khartoum
Administrative divisions:
26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al
Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah,
An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal,
Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb
Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an
Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al
Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab
Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim
constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June
1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially
suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR
Legal system:
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991,
the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in
the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the
northern states regardless of their religion; some separate
religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman
Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses
MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA)
head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman
Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses
MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the
National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front
or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet
election results: Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR
reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR
86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates
received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged;
all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack
of guarantees for a free and fair election
note: BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it
through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s
before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90
elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National
Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA
December 2004)
election results: NCP 355, others 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts
Political parties and leaders:
the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law
revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept
the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence
against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress
Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC
[Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National
Congress Party [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR]; National Democratic Alliance
[Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation
Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad
Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
FAX: (202) 667-2406
telephone: (202) 338-8565
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M.
GALLUCCI
embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum
mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829
telephone: (11) 774611 or 774700
FAX: (11) 774137
note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum
(see http://usembassy.egnet.net/sudan.htm)
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a
green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Economy Sudan
Economy - overview:
Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic
policies and infrastructure investments, yet it still faces
formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per
capita output and extending to its devastating civil stife. From
1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms.
In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of
1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary
policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production,
revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped
sustain GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003 and 7% in 2004. Agriculture
production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of
the work force and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms remain
rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including
the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the
Christian/pagan south, the ethnic purges in Darfur, adverse weather,
and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the
population will remain at or below the poverty line for years.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $70.95 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38.7% industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.8% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.8% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
11 million (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
18.7% (2002 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.402 billion
expenditures: $2.546 billion, including capital expenditures of $304
million (2003 est.)
Public debt:
87% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic,
sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet
potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock
Industries:
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap
distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments,
automobile/light truck assembly
Industrial production growth rate:
8.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production:
2.389 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
2.222 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
209,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
50,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
631.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
99.11 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-718 million (2003)
Exports:
$2.45 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts,
gum arabic, sugar
Exports - partners:
China 40.9%, Saudi Arabia 17.2%, UAE 5.4% (2003)
Imports:
$2.383 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment,
medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 16.3%, China 14.2%, UK 5%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.8%,
France 4.1% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$847.2 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$16.09 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$172 million (2001)
Currency:
Sudanese dinar (SDD)
Currency code:
SDD
Exchange rates:
Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 260.983 (2003), 263.306 (2002),
258.702 (2001), 257.122 (2000), 252.55 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Sudan
Telephones - main lines in use:
900,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
650,000 (2003)