Z (part 7)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese
Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade
Unions (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan,
general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation
of Trade Unions (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor];
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement
in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union
Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong
Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; The
Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]

International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative region of China)

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: 2523-9011 FAX: 2524-0860

Flag description: red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center

Economy Hong Kong

Economy - overview:
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on
international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw
materials must be imported. Imports and exports, including
reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong
reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive
trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further
integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness
to the world economy has increased competitive pressure on Hong
Kong's service industries, and Hong Kong's re-export business from
China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP compares with the
level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth
averaged a strong 5% in 1989-1997, but Hong Kong suffered two
recessions in the past 6 years because of the Asian financial crisis
in 1998 and the global downturn of 2001-2002. The Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak also battered Hong Kong's
economy, but a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's
easing of travel restrictions, a return of consumer confidence, and
a solid rise in exports resulted in the resumption of strong growth
in late 2003.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $213 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 12.1% services: 87.9% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.3% 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):
-2.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
3.5 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
manufacturing 8.2%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants, and hotels 43.5%, financing, insurance, and real estate
19.5%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social
services 17.8% (Note: above data exclude public sector) (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $26.17 billion
expenditures: $32.64 billion, including capital expenditures of $5
billion (2003)

Agriculture - products:
fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork

Industries:
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics,
plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Industrial production growth rate:
-9.2% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
30.48 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
37.12 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.581 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
10.36 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
257,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)

Current account balance:
$17.42 billion (2003)

Exports:
$225.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear,
watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones

Exports - partners:
China 42.6%, US 18.7%, Japan 5.4% (2003)

Imports:
$230.3 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, foodstuffs,
transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum,
plastics; a large share is reexported

Imports - partners:
China 43.5%, Japan 11.9%, Taiwan 6.9%, US 5.5%, Singapore 5%, South
Korea 4.8% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$118.4 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$59.21 billion (2003 est.)

Currency:
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)

Currency code:
HKD

Exchange rates:
Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002),
7.7988 (2001), 7.7912 (2000), 7.7575 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Hong Kong

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,801,300 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,241,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic
and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network
international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to
Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables
providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan,
Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
4.45 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (2004)

Televisions:
1.84 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.hk

Internet hosts:
591,993 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)

Internet users:
3,212,800 (2003)

Transportation Hong Kong

Highways: total: 1,831 km paved: 1,831 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Hong Kong

Merchant marine:
total: 663 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,478,042 GRT/34,554,455 DWT
registered in other countries: 569 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Australia 2, Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 1,
China 178, Cyprus 1, Denmark 3, France 2, Germany 14, Greece 4,
India 9, Indonesia 2, Japan 22, South Korea 2, Malaysia 3, Monaco 9,
Norway 16, Panama 4, Philippines 17, Singapore 22, Taiwan 3,
Thailand 1, United Kingdom 22, United States 1
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 364, cargo 78, chemical tanker 23,
combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 3, container 97, liquefied
gas 20, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 60,
refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 1,
specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 4

Airports:
4 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
914 to 1523 m: 1

Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)

Military Hong Kong

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) including elements of the PLA
Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under
the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing
and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military
Region

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,878,574 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,404,705 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 41,821 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA (FY02)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues Hong Kong

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
Makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces difficult
challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to
regional and world markets; modern banking system provides a conduit
for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs,
especially among young people

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Howland Island

Introduction Howland Island

Background:
Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the island was
officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies
mined for guano until about 1890. Earhart Light is a day beacon near
the middle of the west coast that was partially destroyed during
World War II, but has since been rebuilt; it is named in memory of
the famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART. The island is administered by the
US Department of the Interior as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Geography Howland Island

Location:
Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and Australia

Geographic coordinates:
0 48 N, 176 38 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 1.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1.6 sq km

Area - comparative:
about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
6.4 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Terrain:
low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef; depressed central area

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m

Natural resources:
guano (deposits worked until late 1800s), terrestrial and aquatic
wildlife

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime
hazard

Environment - current issues:
no natural fresh water resources

Geography - note:
almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines, and
low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; primarily a
nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds,
and marine wildlife

People Howland Island

Population:
uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and
naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during
World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by
special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually
by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2004 est.)

Government Howland Island

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Howland Island

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the
Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Howland Island

Economy - overview: no economic activity

Transportation Howland Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat
landing area along the middle of the west coast

Airports:
airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the
round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN - they left
Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never seen again; the
airstrip is no longer serviceable (2003 est.)

Transportation - note:
Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since been
rebuilt; named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART

Military Howland Island

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US
Coast Guard

Transnational Issues Howland Island

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Hungary

Introduction Hungary

Background:
Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which
collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule
following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal
from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention
by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary
began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "goulash
Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and
initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU
in 2004.

Geography Hungary

Location:
Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Geographic coordinates:
47 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 93,030 sq km
water: 690 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km,
Ukraine 103 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the
Slovakian border

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Land use: arable land: 50.09% other: 47.85% (2001) permanent crops: 2.06%

Irrigated land: 2,100 sq km (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues: the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession will require large investments

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, 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, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between
Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and
Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza
Rivers divide the country into three large regions

People Hungary

Population:
10,032,375 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 826,032; female 782,687)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,407,931; female 3,517,450)
65 years and over: 15% (male 545,488; female 952,787) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 38.4 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 41.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.25% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
9.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
13.16 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.25 years
male: 68.07 years
female: 76.69 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian

Ethnic groups:
Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%,
Romanian 0.7%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other
7.5%

Languages:
Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.5%
female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

Government Hungary

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Budapest

Administrative divisions:
19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties (singular
- megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)
: counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen,
Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves,
Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy,
Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala
: urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor,
Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa,
Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok,
Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg
: capital city: Budapest

Independence:
1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

National holiday:
Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Constitution:
18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18
October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and
constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and
also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997
amendment streamlined the judicial system

Legal system:
rule of law based on Western model

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on
the recommendation of the president
election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round
of voting); Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; percent of
legislative vote - 197 to 12
note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of
legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the
third round
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by
June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004
head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29
September 2004)

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members
are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and
direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote
required for parliamentary representation in the first round) -
Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by
party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly
for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian Civic
Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian
Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic
People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian
Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman]; Hungarian
Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA
(cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member
affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI FAX: (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York telephone: (202) 362-6730 chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador George Herbert WALKER embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: (1) 475-4400 FAX: (1) 475-4764

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Economy Hungary

Economy - overview:
Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a
market economy, with a per capita income one-half that of the Big
Four European nations. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong
economic growth and joined the European Union in May 2004. The
private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of
and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative
foreign direct investment totaling more than $23 billion since 1989.
Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest
rating among all the Central European transition economies.
Inflation has declined substantially, from 14% in 1998 to 4.7% in
2003; unemployment has persisted around the 6% level. Germany is by
far Hungary's largest economic partner. Short-term issues include
the reduction of the public sector deficit and further increasing
the flexibility of the labor markets.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $139.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $13,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 32.5% services: 64.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
8.6% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 20.5% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
24.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
4.164 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8%, industry 27%, services 65% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
5.9% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $35 billion
expenditures: $39.88 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
57% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle,
poultry, dairy products

Industries:
mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods,
textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles

Industrial production growth rate:
6.4% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
34.39 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
35.15 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
7.261 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
10.43 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
41,190 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
140,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
47,180 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
136,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
110.7 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
3.231 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
13.37 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
4 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
9.587 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
50.45 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-7.347 billion (2003)

Exports:
$42.03 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 57.6%, other manufactures 31.0%, food
products 7.5%, raw materials 1.9%, fuels and electricity 1.9% (2001)

Exports - partners:
Germany 34.1%, Austria 8%, Italy 5.8%, France 5.7%, UK 4.5%,
Netherlands 4.1% (2003)

Imports:
$46.19 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.3%, fuels and
electricity 8.2%, food products 2.9%, raw materials 2.0% (2001)

Imports - partners:
Germany 24.5%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.9%, Austria 6.3%, Russia 6.2%,
France 4.8%, Japan 4.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$12.78 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$42.38 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $250 million (2000)

Currency:
forint (HUF)

Currency code:
HUF

Exchange rates:
forints per US dollar - 224.307 (2003), 257.887 (2002), 286.49
(2001), 282.179 (2000), 237.146 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Hungary

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,666,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,862,800 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is
capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable
connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch
is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
7.01 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
4.42 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.hu

Internet hosts:
383,071 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
1.6 million (2002)

Transportation Hungary

Railways:
total: 7,937 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 188,203 km
paved: 81,680 km (including 438 km of expressways)
unpaved: 106,523 km (1999)

Waterways:
1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003)

Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,568 GRT/10,025 DWT by type: cargo 2 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)

Airports: 43 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 26
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 11

Heliports:
5 (2003 est.)

Military Hungary

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Air Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (June 2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,519,052 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,011,750 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 64,426 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.08 billion (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.75% (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues Hungary

Disputes - international:
Hungary amended the status law extending special social and
cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in neighboring states, who
had objected to 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 and cannabis and for
South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer
of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and
methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money
laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Iceland

Introduction Iceland

Background:
Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants
during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the
world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing,
established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was
subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja
volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused
widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the
island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited
home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence
attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion
are first-rate by world standards.

Geography Iceland

Location:
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK

Geographic coordinates:
65 00 N, 18 00 W

Map references:
Arctic Region

Area:
total: 103,000 sq km
water: 2,750 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
4,988 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy
winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain:
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast
deeply indented by bays and fiords

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)

Natural resources:
fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use:
arable land: 0.07%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.93% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater
treatment

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost
European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in
the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental
Europe

People Iceland

Population:
293,966 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.5% (male 33,522; female 32,489)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 98,091; female 95,450)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,552; female 18,862) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.8 years
male: 33.3 years
female: 34.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.97% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
13.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.57 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 3.44 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.18 years
male: 78.18 years
female: 82.27 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
220 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic groups:
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%,
population of foreign origin 6%

Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 87.1%, other Protestant 4.1%, Roman Catholic
1.7%, other 7.1% (2002)

Languages:
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.9% (1997 est.)
male: NA
female: NA

Government Iceland

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local short form: Island
local long form: Lydhveldidh Island

Government type:
constitutional republic

Capital:
Reykjavik

Administrative divisions:
8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra,
Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland

Independence:
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown);
17 June 1944 (from Denmark)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 June (1944)

Constitution:
16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944

Legal system:
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August
1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Halldor ASGRIMSSON (since 15
September 2004); note - Former Prime Minister David ODDSSON switched
positions with former Foreign Minister Halldor ASGRIMMSON
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by
Parliament
elections: president, which is largely a ceremonial post, elected by
popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 June 2004
(next to be held June 2008); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON wins with 85.6% of the
vote, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party
33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31.0%, Progressive Party 17.7%,
Left-Green Alliance 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party -
Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive
Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by
the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are
appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)

Political parties and leaders:
Independence Party or IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance or
LGP [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon
KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; Social
Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social
Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ossur SKARPHEDINSSON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Helgi AGUSTSSON
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: (202) 265-6656
telephone: (202) 265-6653
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James I. GADSDEN
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik
mailing address: US Embassy, PSC 1003, Box 40, FPO AE 09728-0340
telephone: 562-9100
FAX: 562-9118

Flag description:
blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of
the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy Iceland

Economy - overview:
Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet
with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing
subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of
income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for
abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the
fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs
12% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining
fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main
exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon.
Government policies include reducing the budget and current account
deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising
agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and
privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed
to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about
losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has
been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the
last decade, and new developments in software production,
biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism
sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and
whale watching. Growth had been remarkably steady in 1996-2001 at
3%-5%, but could not be sustained in 2002 in an environment of
global recession. Growth resumed in 2003, and inflation dropped back
from 5% to 2%.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $8.678 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.6% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $30,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.2% (includes fishing 12%) industry: 26.7% services: 64.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21.6% 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):
2.1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
160,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5.1%, fishing and fish processing 11.8%, manufacturing 12.9%, construction 10.7%, services 59.5% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
3.4% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.205 billion
expenditures: $4.405 billion, including capital expenditures of $467
million (2003)

Public debt:
41.5% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, green vegetables, mutton, dairy products, fish

Industries:
fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production,
geothermal power; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
8.1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.894 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
7.341 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
16,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
15,470 bbl/day (2001)

Current account balance:
$-574 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.379 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish and fish products 70%, animal products, aluminum, diatomite,
ferrosilicon

Exports - partners:
Germany 17.4%, UK 17.4%, Netherlands 11.2%, US 9.8%, Spain 6.3%,
Denmark 5%, Norway 4.5%, France 4% (2003)

Imports:
$2.59 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, petroleum products; foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:
Germany 11.8%, Denmark 8%, US 7.5%, UK 7.5%, Norway 7%, Sweden
6.5%, Netherlands 6.2%, Italy 4.7% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$818.7 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$2.6 billion (1999)

Economic aid - donor:
NA

Currency:
Icelandic krona (ISK)

Currency code:
ISK

Exchange rates:
Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 76.709 (2003), 91.6617 (2002),
97.4246 (2001), 78.6159 (2000), 72.3353 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Iceland

Telephones - main lines in use:
190,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
279,100 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic
cables and microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
260,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
98,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.is

Internet hosts:
122,175 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (2001)

Internet users:
195,000 (2003)

Transportation Iceland

Highways:
total: 12,955 km
paved/oiled gravel: 3,863 km
unpaved: 9,092 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Akureyri, Hornafjordhur, Isafjordhur, Keflavik, Raufarhofn,
Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Straumsvik, Vesttmannaeyjar

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,341 GRT/6,019 DWT
registered in other countries: 26 (2004 est.)
by type: petroleum tanker 1

Airports:
100 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 93
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 61 (2004 est.)

Military Iceland

Military branches:
no regular armed forces; Police, Coast Guard

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 75,568 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 66,503 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
0

Military - note:
defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF)
headquartered at Keflavik

Transnational Issues Iceland

Disputes - international:
Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and
the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the
Rockall area) remains dormant; dispute with Denmark over the Faroe
Islands' fisheries median line boundary within 200 nm; disputes with
Denmark, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental
shelf boundary outside 200 nm

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@India

Introduction India

Background:
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world,
dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest
invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants
created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in
the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by European
traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century,
Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands.
Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both
World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under
Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947.
The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the
smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two
countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate
nation of Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the
ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation,
environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and
religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic
investment and output.

Geography India

Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates:
20 00 N, 77 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 14,103 km
border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463
km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Coastline:
7,000 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Terrain:
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along
the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Natural resources:
coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese,
mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 54.4%
permanent crops: 2.74%
other: 42.86% (2001)

Irrigated land:
590,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive
flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air
pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water
pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap
water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing
population is overstraining natural resources

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean
trade routes

People India

Population:
1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.7% (male 173,869,856; female 164,003,915)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 349,785,804; female 326,289,402)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 25,885,725; female 25,235,905) (2004
est.)

Median age: total: 24.4 years male: 24.4 years female: 24.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.44% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
22.8 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 57.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 57.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 58.52 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.99 years
male: 63.25 years
female: 64.77 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3.97 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian

Ethnic groups:
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

Religions:
Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups
including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)

Languages:
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language
for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the
national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are
14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu,
Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri,
Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu
spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official
language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 59.5%
male: 70.2%
female: 48.3% (2003 est.)

Government India

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
New Delhi

Administrative divisions:
28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*,
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal

Independence:
15 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Constitution:
26 January 1950

Legal system:
based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice
President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002)
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of
the states for a five-year term; election last held NA July 2002
(next to be held 18 July 2007); vice president elected by both
houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12
August 2002 (next to be held NA August 2007); prime minister chosen
by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative
elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held NA
2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since NA May 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice
president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or
Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to
12 of which are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen
by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies;
members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha
(545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the
president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May
2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP 36, RJD 21, BSP 19,
DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU 8, SAD 8, PMK 6, TDP 5,
TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents 5, other 30

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president and remain in
office until they reach the age of 65)

Political parties and leaders:
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha
JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc or AIFB, [D. BISWAS, general
secretary]; Asom Gana Parishad [Brindaban GOSWAMI]; Bahujan Samaj
Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Venkaiah
NAIDU]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of
India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of
India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Dipankar BHATTACHARYA]; Congress
(I) Party [Sonia GANDHI]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a
regional party in Tamil Nadu) [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National
Congress or INC [leader NA]; Indian National League [Suliaman
SAITH]; Janata Dal (Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United)
or JDU [Sharad YADAV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [leader NA];
Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI]; Lok Jan Shakti Party or
LSP [leader NA]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK
[VAIKO]; Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party
or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [leader NA];
Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary
Socialist Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam
Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [G. S. TOHRA]; Shiv Sena or
SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telangana
Rashtra Samithi or TRS [leader NA]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP
[Chandrababu NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations,
including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater
communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties
Hurriyat Conference

International organization participation:
AfDB, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, CERN (observer),
CP, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW,
PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE,
UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra SEN
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: (202) 265-4351
telephone: (202) 939-7000
chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note -
Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD
embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (11) 2419-8000
FAX: (11) 2419-0017
consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai
(Bombay)

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top),
white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in
the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small
orange disk centered in the white band

Economy India

Economy - overview:
India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern
agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a
multitude of support services. Government controls have been reduced
on foreign trade and investment, and privatization of domestic
output has proceeded slowly. The economy has posted an excellent
average growth rate of 6% since 1990, reducing poverty by about 10
percentage points. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of
well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a
major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite
strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the continuing
public-sector budget deficit, running at approximately 60% of GDP.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.033 trillion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
8.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.6% industry: 28.4% services: 48% (2002 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.1% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
25% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 33.5% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.8 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
472 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 60%, industry 17%, services 23% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
9.5% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $86.69 billion
expenditures: $114.6 billion, including capital expenditures of
$13.5 billion (2003)

Public debt:
59.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes;
cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Industries:
textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation
equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software

Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
533.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
497.2 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
321 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
1.54 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
732,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2.13 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
4.33 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
22.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
22.75 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:
542.4 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$3.41 billion (2003)

Exports:
$57.24 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals,
leather manufactures

Exports - partners:
US 20.6%, China 6.4%, UK 5.3%, Hong Kong 4.8%, Germany 4.4% (2003)

Imports:
$74.15 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 6.4%, Belgium 5.6%, UK 4.8%, China 4.3%, Singapore 4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$102.3 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$101.7 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.9 billion (FY98/99)

Currency:
Indian rupee (INR)

Currency code:
INR

Exchange rates:
Indian rupees per US dollar - 46.5806 (2003), 48.6103 (2002),
47.1864 (2001), 44.9416 (2000), 43.0554 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications India

Telephones - main lines in use:
48.917 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
26,154,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of
telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid change;
local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of
the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban
areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission
of private and private-public investors, but telephone density
remains low at about seven for each 100 persons nationwide but only
one per 100 persons in rural areas and a national waiting list of
over 1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest
growth in fixed lines
domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still weak in
rural areas, resulted from increased competition and dramatic
reductions in price led in large part by wireless service; mobile
cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced in 1994 and
organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities and 19 telecom
circles each with about three private service providers and one
state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk
capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the
world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National
Satellite system (INSAT), with 5 satellites supporting 33,000 very
small aperture terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; satellite earth stations - 8
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine
gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar,
Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 5 submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3
with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South
Africa - Far East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking
to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai
(Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras),
provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both
voice and data traffic (2004)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)

Radios:
116 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power) (1997)

Televisions:
63 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.in

Internet hosts:
86,871 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
43 (2000)

Internet users:
18.481 million (2003)

Transportation India

Railways:
total: 63,140 km (15,994 km electrified)
broad gauge: 45,099 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 14,776 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,265 km 0.762-m gauge and
0.610-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 3,319,644 km
paved: 1,517,077 km
unpaved: 1,802,567 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
14,500 km
note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for
mechanized vessels (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 6,171 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,195 km; oil 5,613 km; refined
products 5,567 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam

Merchant marine:
total: 306 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,555,507 GRT/11,069,791 DWT
by type: bulk 90, cargo 77, chemical tanker 14, combination bulk 1,
combination ore/oil 2, container 10, liquefied gas 10,
passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 93, roll on/roll off 1,
short-sea/passenger 2, specialized tanker 1
registered in other countries: 63 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: China 2, Portugal 1

Airports:
333 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 234 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 47 914 to 1,523 m: 74 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 78

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 99
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
under 914 m: 45 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 42

Heliports:
20 (2003 est.)

Military India

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard,
various security or paramilitary forces (including Border Security
Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border
Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force,
Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and
Defense Security Corps)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 293,677,117 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 172,153,371 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 11,174,415 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$14,018.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2003)

Transnational Issues India

Disputes - international:
Kashmir remains the world's most highly militarized territorial
dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China
(Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir
and Northern Areas), but recent discussions and confidence-building
measures among parties are beginning to defuse tensions; India does
not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in the 1965 boundary
agreement; disputes with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and
the terminus of the Sir Creek Estuary at the mouth of the Rann of
Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation; Pakistani maps
continue to show Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; most of the
rugged, militarized boundary with China is in dispute, but sides
have committed to begin resolution with discussions on the least
disputed Middle Sector; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues
to work on resolution of minor disputed boundary sections;
discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small
section of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in
both countries, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal
cross-border trade, migration, and violence; Bangladesh protests
India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the porous
boundary; dispute with Bangladesh over volcanic New Moore/South
Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime
boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma
to keep out Indian Nagaland insurgents; joint border commission
continues to work on small disputed sections of boundary with Nepal;
India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of
Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities from Nepal

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 92,394 (China), 60,922 (Sri Lanka)
IDPs: 650,000 (Jammu and Kashmir conflicts; most IDPs are Kashmiri
Hindus) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical
trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit
international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics
produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of methaqualone;
vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Indian Ocean

Introduction Indian Ocean

Background:
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans
(after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the
Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access
waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb
(Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of
Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International
Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth
ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean
south of 60 degrees south.

Geography Indian Ocean

Location:
body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and
Australia

Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 80 00 E

Map references:
Political Map of the World

Area:
total: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea,
Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea,
Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of
Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:
about 5.5 times the size of the US

Coastline:
66,526 km

Climate:
northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to
October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and
October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February
in the southern Indian Ocean

Terrain:
surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system
of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of
surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric
pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in
the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents,
while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter
air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest
winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean
Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest
Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates,
placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

Natural hazards:
occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches

Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and
whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea

Geography - note:
major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait
of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait

Economy Indian Ocean

Economy - overview:
The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle
East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries
a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products
from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are
of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for
domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for
shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in
the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western
Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production
comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and
offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering
countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand.

Transportation Indian Ocean

Ports and harbors:
Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South
Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne
(Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa)

Transnational Issues Indian Ocean

Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Indonesia

Introduction Indonesia

Background:
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century;
the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia
declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required
four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and
UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony.
Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state. Current issues
include: alleviating widespread poverty, preventing terrorism,
continuing the transition to popularly-elected governments after
four decades of authoritarianism, implementing reforms of the
banking sector, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption,
holding the military and police accountable for human rights
violations, and resolving armed separatist movements in Aceh and
Papua.

Geography Indonesia

Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the
Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:
5 00 S, 120 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 1,919,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 2,830 km
border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New
Guinea 820 km

Coastline:
54,716 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper,
fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

Land use: arable land: 11.32% permanent crops: 7.23% other: 81.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
48,150 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes,
volcanoes, forest fires

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air
pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life
Conservation

Geography - note:
archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator;
strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian
Ocean to Pacific Ocean

People Indonesia

Population:
238,452,952 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.4% (male 35,635,790; female 34,416,854)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 78,097,767; female 78,147,909)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 5,308,986; female 6,845,646) (2004
est.)

Median age: total: 26.1 years male: 25.7 years female: 26.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.49% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
21.11 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.26 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 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 36.82 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 31.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 42.09 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.26 years
male: 66.84 years
female: 71.8 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,400 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian

Ethnic groups:
Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%,
other 26%

Religions:
Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist
1%, other 1% (1998)

Languages:
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English,
Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.9%
male: 92.5%
female: 83.4% (2002)

Government Indonesia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
conventional short form: Indonesia
local short form: Indonesia
former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies
local long form: Republik Indonesia

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Jakarta

Administrative divisions:
30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special
regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1
special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*,
Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Irian Jaya Barat, Jakarta Raya**,
Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat,
Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan
Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa
Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Barat,
Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi
Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara,
Yogyakarta*; note - with the implementation of decentralization on 1
January 2001, the 357 districts or regencies became the key
administrative units responsible for providing most government
services

Independence:
17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed); 27 December 1949
(Netherlands recognizes Indonesian independence)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

Constitution:
August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and
Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959

Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous
concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20
October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20
October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
elections: president and vice president were elected by direct vote
of the citizenry
head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20
October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20
October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president
receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat
(DPR) (550 seats; members serve five-year terms); House of Regional
Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally
mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues
affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis
Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and
impeaching President and in amending constitution; consists of
popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate
national policy
elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P
18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others
19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN
53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50
note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not
always follow the number of votes received by parties

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the
president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature); a
separate Constitutional Court or Makhama Konstitusi was invested by
the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court
assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower
court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights

Political parties and leaders:
Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA,
chairman]; Democratic Party or PD [Subur BUDHISANTOSO, chairman];
Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA, chairman]; Indonesia
Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri,
chairperson]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Alwi SHIHAB,
chairman]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Amien RAIS, chairman];
Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [MAHFUD, acting chairman]; United
Development Party or PPP [Hamzah HAZ, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador SOEMADI Brotodiningrat
chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
FAX: (202) 775-5365
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
telephone: (202) 775-5200

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE
embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 3-5, Jakarta 10110
mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520
telephone: (21) 3435-9000
FAX: (21) 385-7189
consulate(s) general: Surabaya

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the
flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of
Poland, which is white (top) and red

Economy Indonesia

Economy - overview:
Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, faces economic development
problems stemming from recent acts of terrorism, unequal resource
distribution among regions, endemic corruption, the lack of reliable
legal recourse in contract disputes, weaknesses in the banking
system, and a generally poor climate for foreign investment.
Indonesia withdrew from its IMF program at the end of 2003, but
issued a "White Paper" that commits the government to maintaining
fundamentally sound macroeconomic policies previously established
under IMF guidelines. Investors, however, continued to face a host
of on-the-ground microeconomic problems and an inadequate judicial
system. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up
the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong
global economic growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $758.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.6% industry: 43.6% services: 39.9% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
27% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 26.7% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
105.7 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 45%, industry 16%, services 39% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $40.91 billion
expenditures: $44.95 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
72.9% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil,
copra, poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining,
cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
3.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
95.78 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
89.08 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
1.451 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.045 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
7.083 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
69 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
36.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
32.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.549 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$7.336 billion (2003)

Exports:
$63.89 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber

Exports - partners:
Japan 22.3%, US 12.1%, Singapore 8.9%, South Korea 7.1%, China 6.2%
(2003)

Imports:
$40.22 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Japan 13%, Singapore 12.8%, China 9.1%, US 8.3%, Thailand 5.2%,
Australia 5.1%, South Korea 4.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.6% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$36.25 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$135.7 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$43 billion Indonesia finished its IMF program in December 2003 but
still receives bilateral aid through the Consultative Group on
Indonesia (CGI), which pledged $2.8 billion in grants and loans for
2004. (2003 est.)

Currency:
Indonesian rupiah (IDR)

Currency code:
IDR

Exchange rates:
Indonesian rupiahs per US dollar - 8,577.13 (2003), 9,311.19
(2002), 10,260.8 (2001), 8,421.77 (2000), 7,855.15 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31 March, but
starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year

Communications Indonesia

Telephones - main lines in use:
7.75 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.7 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic service fair, international service
good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system
international: country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)

Radios:
31.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
41 (1999)

Televisions:
13.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.id

Internet hosts:
62,036 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
24 (2000)

Internet users:
8 million (2002)

Transportation Indonesia

Railways:
total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km
0.750-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 342,700 km
paved: 158,670 km
unpaved: 184,030 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
21,579 km
note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460
km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate 850 km; condensate/gas 128 km; gas 8,506 km; oil 7,472
km; oil/gas/water 66 km; refined products 1,329 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Makassar, Palembang, Semarang,
Surabaya

Merchant marine:
total: 718 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,192,847 GRT/4,319,739 DWT
by type: bulk 47, cargo 398, chemical tanker 13, container 57,
liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 10, passenger/cargo
13, petroleum tanker 128, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 15,
short-sea/passenger 9, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 7
registered in other countries: 109 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: France 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong
2, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, Monaco 2, Panama 1, Philippines 2, Singapore
12, Switzerland 1, United Kingdom 2, United States 1

Airports:
661 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 154 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 44 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 44

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 513 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 480 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 27

Heliports: 22 (2003 est.)

Military Indonesia

Military branches:
Indonesia Armed Forces (TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL,
including Marines, Naval Air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 2 years (2002)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 66,458,805 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 38,728,029 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 2,196,424 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (FY98)

Transnational Issues Indonesia

Disputes - international:
East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey
and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary
remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty
of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which
hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; numbers of East
Timor refugees in Indonesia refuse repatriation; a 1997 treaty
between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime
boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and
Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 prompted Indonesia to assert
claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands;
Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create
repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 535,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most
IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi
Provinces) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; possible
growing role as transshipment point for Golden Triangle heroin

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Iran

Introduction Iran

Background:
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979
after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced
into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic
system of government with ultimate political authority nominally
vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have
been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US
Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January
1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq
that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes
between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran
has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities
in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US
economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued
involvement. Following the elections of a reformist President and
Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in
response to popular dissatisfaction have floundered as conservative
politicians have prevented reform measures from being enacted,
increased repressive measures, and consolidated their control over
the government.

Geography Iran

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the
Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 53 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 1.648 million sq km
land: 1.636 million sq km
water: 12,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:
total: 5,440 km
border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km,
Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq
1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km

Coastline:
2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the
Persian Gulf

Climate:
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Terrain:
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead,
manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land use: arable land: 8.72% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 89.89% (2001)

Irrigated land:
75,620 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions,
refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation;
overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf;
wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination);
inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw
sewage and industrial waste; urbanization

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

Geography - note:
strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which
are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport

People Iran

Population:
69,018,924 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 9,935,527; female 9,411,647)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 23,608,621; female 22,744,128)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 1,645,246; female 1,673,755) (2004
est.)

Median age: total: 23.5 years male: 23.3 years female: 23.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.07% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
17.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 42.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 43.01 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.66 years
male: 68.31 years
female: 71.07 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
20,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
290 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iranian(s)
adjective: Iranian

Ethnic groups:
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab
3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Religions:
Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian,
and Baha'i 2%

Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,
Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 85.6%
female: 73% (2003 est.)

Government Iran

Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

Government type:
theocratic republic

Capital:
Tehran

Administrative divisions:
28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e
Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari,
Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,
Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad,
Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan,
Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Independence:
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include
Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21
March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925)

Constitution:
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency
and eliminate the prime ministership

Legal system:
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Suffrage:
15 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI
(since 4 June 1989)
elections: leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by
the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 8 June 2001 (next to be held June
2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected
president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with
legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over
appointments to the more sensitive ministries
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since
3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-Yazdi
(since 26 August 2001)

Legislative branch:
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004
(next to be held February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party -
conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43,
religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary
court, and a special administrative court

Political parties and leaders:
formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in the
Islamic Republic and most conservatives still prefer to work through
political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform
coalition called the 2nd Khordad front, which includes political
parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations,
achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in
early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran
Participation Front (IIPF); Executives of Construction Party
(Kargozaran); Solidarity Party; Islamic Labor Party; Mardom Salari;
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO); and
Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition is expected to
participate in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; a new
apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a
leading position in the new Majles afte winning a majority of the
seats in February 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders: political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Organization for Strengthening Unity; opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala

International organization participation:
CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani
Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209
Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: (202)
965-4990; FAX (202) 965-1073

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the
national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the
shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the
white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is
repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11
times along the top edge of the red band

Economy Iran

Economy - overview:
Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector,
over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create
major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled
by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale -
workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to
follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with
limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have
enabled Iran to amass some $22 billion in foreign exchange reserves,
but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and
inflation. In December 2003 a major earthquake devastated the city
of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $478.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.5% industry: 41.2% services: 46.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
28.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
16.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force: 22.32 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15.7% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $40.38 billion
expenditures: $40.29 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6
billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
28.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy
products, wool; caviar

Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction
materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and
vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:
3% excluding oil (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
124.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
115.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
3.804 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.277 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
2.2 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
94.39 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
61.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
65.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
110 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
4.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
24.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$3.935 billion (2003)

Exports:
$29.88 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and
nuts, carpets

Exports - partners:
Japan 21.8%, China 9.7%, Italy 6.3%, Taiwan 5.5%, Turkey 5.4%,
South Korea 5.4% (2003)

Imports:
$25.26 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods,
foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military
supplies

Imports - partners:
Germany 11%, France 8.6%, China 8.4%, Italy 8.1%, UAE 7.9%, South
Korea 6.5%, Russia 4.8%, Japan 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$25.13 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$10.96 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$408 million (2002 est.)

Currency:
Iranian rial (IRR)

Currency code:
IRR

Exchange rates:
rials per US dollar - 8,193.89 (2003), 6,906.96 (2002), 1,753.56
(2001), 1,764.43 (2000), 1,752.93 (1999)
note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime
since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002.

Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March

Communications Iran

Telephones - main lines in use:
14,571,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,376,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate but currently being modernized and
expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and
increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing
telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently
connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system
since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave
radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been
brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems
has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular
subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the
system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital
switches
international: country code - 98; HF radio and microwave radio relay
to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,
Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to
UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and
4 Inmarsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios:
17 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
4.61 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ir

Internet hosts:
5,269 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
100 (2002)

Internet users:
4.3 million (2003)

Transportation Iran

Railways:
total: 7,203 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 167,157 km
paved: 94,109 km (including 890 km of expressways)
unpaved: 73,048 km (1998)

Waterways:
850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate/gas 212 km; gas 16,998 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km;
oil 8,256 km; refined products 7,808 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz,
Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni,
Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar
(Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye
Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now
Shahr

Merchant marine:
total: 134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,715,242 GRT/8,240,069 DWT
by type: bulk 40, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, container 7,
liquefied gas 1, multi-functional large load carrier 5, petroleum
tanker 33, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1
registered in other countries: 10 (2004 est.)

Airports:
303 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 127 over 3,047 m: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 32 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 178 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 129

Heliports: 13 (2003 est.)

Military Iran

Military branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces,
Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Command), Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC) (includes Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Qods
Force [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]),
Law Enforcement Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq war; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 20,937,348 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,434,810 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 912,569 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues Iran

Disputes - international:
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed waters on
Helmand River tributaries in periods of drought; thousands of Afghan
refugees still reside in Iran; creation of a maritime boundary with
Iraq remains in hiatus until full sovereignty is restored in Iraq;
Iran and UAE engage in direct talks and solicit Arab League support
to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu
Musa Island; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting
upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,223,823 (Afghanistan), 124,014
(Iraq) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic
narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to
official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users
in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Iraq

Introduction Iraq

Background:
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain
during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League
of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next
dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A
"republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of
military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn.
Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly
eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but
was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of
January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN
Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass
destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification
inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions
over a period of 12 years resulted in the US-led invasion of Iraq in
March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition
forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure
and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government,
while simultaneously dealing with a robust insurgency. The Coalition
Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim
Government (IG) in June 2004 and the election of its president,
Ghazi al-Ujayl al-YAWR, was held in January 2005.

Geography Iraq

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Geographic coordinates:
33 00 N, 44 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 437,072 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

Land boundaries:
total: 3,650 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi
Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

Coastline:
58 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: not specified

Climate:
mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless
summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish
borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that
melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in
central and southern Iraq

Terrain:
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south
with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and
Turkey

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unamed peak 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah
Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Land use: arable land: 13.15% permanent crops: 0.78% other: 86.07% (2001)

Irrigated land:
35,250 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms, floods

Environment - current issues:
government water control projects have drained most of the
inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting
the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh
Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been
displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses
serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate
supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian
Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and
erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the
Persian Gulf

People Iraq

Population:
25,374,691 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.3% (male 5,198,966; female 5,039,173)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 7,280,167; female 7,094,688)
65 years and over: 3% (male 357,651; female 404,046) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.2 years
male: 19.1 years
female: 19.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.74% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
33.09 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
5.66 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: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 52.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 46.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 58.58 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.26 years
male: 67.09 years
female: 69.48 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.4 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 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups:
Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

Religions:
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Languages:
Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.4%
male: 55.9%
female: 24.4% (2003 est.)

Government Iraq

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
conventional short form: Iraq
local short form: Al Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah

Government type:
none; note - the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) was appointed on 1
June 2004

Capital:
Baghdad

Administrative divisions:
18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al
Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah,
At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan,
Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit

Independence:
3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional
Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government

National holiday:
Revolution Day, 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was celebrated
under the SADDAM Husayn regime but the Iraqi Interim Government has
yet to declare a new national holiday

Constitution:
interim constitution signed 8 March 2004; note - the Transitional
Administrative Law (TAL) was enacted 8 March 2004 to govern the
country until an elected Iraqi Transitional Government can draft and
ratify a new constitution in 2005

Legal system:
based on civil and Islamic law under the Iraqi Interim Government
(IG) and Transitional Administrative Law (TAL)

Suffrage:
formerly 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Interim Iraqi Government (IG) President Ghazi al-Ujayl al-YAWR (since 1 June 2004); Deputy Presidents Ibrahim al-JAFARI and Rowsch SHAWAYS (since 1 June 2004); note - the President and Deputy Presidents comprise the Presidency Council head of government: Interim Iraqi Government (IG) Prime Minister Ayad ALLAWI (since 28 June 2004) cabinet: 31 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus a Deputy Prime Minister, Barham SALIH elections: scheduled to be held January 2005

Legislative branch:
Iraqi Interim National Council formed in July 2004

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the
Presidency Council

Political parties and leaders:
note - the Iraqi political parties included below reflect only the
major groups; new political parties continue to emerge, indicative
of a rapidly changing political landscape; Al-Sadr Movement [Muqtada
Al-SADR]; Da'wa Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; Iraqi Hizballah [Karim
Mahud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI];
Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Jama'at al Fadilah
or JAF [Ayatollah Muhammad ' Ali al-YAQUBI]; The Supreme Council for
the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI [Abd al-Aziz al-HAKIM];
Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN];
Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi
Independent Democrats or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi
Islamic Party or IIP [Muhsin Abd al-HAMID, Hajim al-HASSANI]; Iraqi
National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad al-KUBAYSI, chariman]; Muslim
Ulama Council or MUC [Harith Sulayman al-DARI, secretary general];
Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: an insurgency against the Iraqi Interim Government and Coalition forces is primarily concentrated in Baghdad and in areas west and north of the capital; the diverse, multigroup insurgency is led principally by Sunni Arabs whose only common denominator is a shared desire to oust the Coalition and end US influence in Iraq

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS,
NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 1801 P Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
FAX: (202) 462-5066
telephone: (202) 483-7500

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE
embassy: Baghdad
mailing address: APO AE 09316
telephone: 00-1-240-553-0584 ext. 4354; note - Consular Section
FAX: NA

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with
three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the
white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic
script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the
left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the
Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two
stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that
of Egypt which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white
band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors

Economy Iraq

Economy - overview: Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity measures, borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses from that war of at least $100 billion. After hostilities ended in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program beginning in December 1996 helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999, the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. The drop in GDP in 2001-02 was largely the result of the global economic slowdown and lower oil prices. Per capita food imports increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per capita output and living standards were still well below the pre-1991 level, but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure, but with the loss of a comparatively small amount of capital plant. The rebuilding of oil, electricity, and other production is proceeding steadily at the start of 2004 with foreign support and despite the continuation of severe internal strife. A joint UN and World Bank report released in the fall of 2003 estimated that Iraq's key reconstruction needs through 2007 would cost $55 billion. In October 2003, international donors pledged assistance worth more than $33 billion toward this rebuilding effort.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $37.92 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-21.8% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 13%
services: 81% (1993 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
29.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
7.8 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $12.8 billion NA
expenditures: $13.4 billion NA, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 budget)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep

Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food
processing

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
36.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
33.49 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
2.2 million bbl/day; note - prewar production was 2.8 million
bbl/day (January 2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.7 million bbl/day (January 2004)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
113.8 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
2.76 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:
3.149 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$1.136 billion (2003)

Exports:
$7.542 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil

Exports - partners:
US 48.8%, Jordan 8.4%, Canada 8%, Italy 7.9%, Morocco 5.3% (2003)

Imports:
$6.521 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, medicine, manufactures

Imports - partners:
Turkey 18.1%, Jordan 13.4%, Vietnam 10.7%, US 6.9%, Germany 5%, UK
4.7% (2003)

Debt - external:
$93.95 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
more than $33 billion in foreign aid pledged for 2004-07 (2004)

Currency:
New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004

Currency code:
NID, IQD prior to 22 January 2004

Exchange rates:
New Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 1,890 (second half, 2003)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Iraq

Telephones - main lines in use: 675,000; note - an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April 2003 war (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
20,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the 2003 war severely disrupted
telecommunications throughout Iraq including international
connections; USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability
and the construction of mobile and satellite communications
facilities
domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed in the recent
fighting continue but sabotage remains a problem; cellular service
is expected to be in place within two years
international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable
and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey;
Kuwait line is probably nonoperational

Radio broadcast stations: after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are approximately 80 radio stations on the air inside Iraq (2004)

Radios:
4.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
21 (2004)

Televisions:
1.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.iq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
25,000 (2002)

Transportation Iraq

Railways: total: 1,963 km standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,399 km
unpaved: 7,151 km (2000 est.)

Waterways:
5,275 km (not all navigable)
note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,895 km), and Third
River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 1,739 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1,343 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality

Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,221 GRT/125,255 DWT
by type: cargo 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, roll
on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports:
111; note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003
war (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 79
over 3,047 m: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32
under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

Heliports:
6 (2003 est.)

Military Iraq

Military branches:
note: in the summer of 2003 the Coalition Provisional Authority
(CPA) began recruiting and training a New Iraqi Army (NIA) that
would have a purely defensive mission and capability; in March 2004,
the Iraqi Interim Government established a Ministry of Defense to
create an Iraqi Armed Force; at that time the NIA was renamed the
Iraqi Armed Force - Army (IAF-A); plans also were put into effect to
reconstitute an Iraqi Army Air Corps (IAAC) and Coastal Defense
Force (navy), but there are no plans to reconstitute an Iraqi Air
Force; the Army's primary new focus will be domestic
counterinsurgency, which is a change of direction from the CPA's
intent to create an army not involved in domestic politics; in
mid-2004 the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) was designated the
Iraqi National Guard (ING) and subordinated to the Defense Ministry
and the Iraqi Armed Forces Pre-war Iraqi military equipment was
largely destroyed by Coalition forces during combat operations in
early 2003 or subsequently looted or scrapped (September 2004)

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age; the Iraqi Interim Government is creating a new professional Iraqi military force of men aged 18 to 40 to defend Iraqi territory from external threats (September 2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,547,762 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,654,947 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 304,527 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.3 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Iraq

Disputes - international:
coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security, but
resolution of disputes and creation of maritime boundaries with
neighboring states will remain in hiatus until full sovereignty is
restored in Iraq; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of
Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 150,000 (Palestinian Territories) IDPs: 1,340,280 (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Ireland

Introduction Ireland

Background:
Celtic tribes settled on the island from 600-150 B.C. Invasions by
Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when
King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began
in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of
Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh
repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off
several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in
independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern
(Ulster) counties remained part of the United Kingdom. In 1948
Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the
European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the
peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain
against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland,
known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being
implemented with some difficulties.

Geography Ireland

Location:
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in
the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Geographic coordinates:
53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 70,280 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline: 1,448 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild
winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the
time

Terrain:
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills
and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum,
limestone, dolomite

Land use:
arable land: 15.2%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 84.77% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
strategic location on major air and sea routes between North
America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides
within 97 km of Dublin

People Ireland

Population:
3,969,558 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 430,905; female 404,218)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,342,233; female 1,337,580)
65 years and over: 11.5% (male 199,379; female 255,243) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.4 years
male: 32.6 years
female: 34.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.16% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
14.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
7.91 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
4.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.36 years
male: 74.74 years
female: 80.15 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish

Ethnic groups:
Celtic, English

Religions:
Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)

Languages:
English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge)
spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA
female: NA

Government Ireland

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dublin

Administrative divisions:
26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway,
Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth,
Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary,
Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province

Independence:
6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

National holiday:
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution:
29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

Legal system:
based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous
concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination
by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote -
Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive
Democrats
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for 22 October
2004); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other
candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime
minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by
the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad
Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from
candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated
by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House
of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected
by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
five-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive
Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor
Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party
3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31,
Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5,
others 14
elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held
by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002
(next to be held by May 2007)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of
the prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:
Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party
[Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats
[Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe
HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,
PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIK,
UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: (202) 232-5993
telephone: (202) 462-3939

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James C. KENNY
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (1) 668-8777
FAX: (1) 668-9946

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and
has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green;
also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors
of green (hoist side), white, and red

Economy Ireland

Economy - overview:
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth
averaging a robust 8% in 1995-2002. The global slowdown, especially
in the information technology sector, pressed growth down to 2.1% in
2003. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by
industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP and about
80% of exports and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports
remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also
benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and
business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four
big European economies and the second highest in the sEU, behind
Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has
implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb
price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor
force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in
launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10
other EU nations.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $116.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.4% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,600 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
10% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 27.3% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.9 (1987)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.871 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8%, industry 29%, services 64% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $53.22 billion
expenditures: $53.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.5
billion (2003)

Public debt:
31.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

Industries:
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and
crystal; software

Industrial production growth rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
23.53 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
21.63 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
285 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
38 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
174,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
27,450 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
178,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
815 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
4.199 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-2.994 billion (2003)

Exports:
$98.31 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
live animals, animal products (1999)

Exports - partners:
US 20.5%, UK 18.1%, Belgium 12.6%, Germany 8.3%, France 6.1%,
Netherlands 5.1%, Italy 4.6% (2003)

Imports:
$57.54 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment,
chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Imports - partners:
UK 34.9%, US 15.8%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$4.152 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$11 billion (1998)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $283 million (2001)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within 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 Ireland

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.955 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.4 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave
radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.55 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
1.82 million (2001)

Internet country code:
.ie

Internet hosts:
162,228 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
1.26 million (2003)

Transportation Ireland

Railways:
total: 3,312 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat
Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)
(2003)

Highways:
total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,457 km (2000 est.)

Waterways:
753 km (pleasure craft only) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 1,795 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross,
Waterford

Merchant marine:
total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 288,401 GRT/383,628 DWT
registered in other countries: 18 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Germany 3, Italy 7, Norway 2
by type: bulk 7, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 3, roll
on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1

Airports:
36 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)

Military Ireland

Military branches:
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps)

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,029,525 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 827,811 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 30,083 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$700 million (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (FY00/01)

Transnational Issues Ireland

Disputes - international: disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 nm

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa
to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs;
minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for
Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money
laundering using bureaux de change, trusts, shell companies
involving the offshore financial community remains a concern

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Israel

Introduction Israel

Background:
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of
Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish
states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the
Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the
deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by
Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country
profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew
from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a
Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo accords") guiding
an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial
and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994
Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel
withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied
since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid
Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted
between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve
a permanent settlement. On 24 June 2002, US President BUSH laid out
a "road map" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which
envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward a permanent
status agreement has been undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence
ongoing since September 2000. The conflict may have reached a
turning point with the election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as
the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of
Yasir ARAFAT.

Geography Israel

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Lebanon

Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
water: 440 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline:
273 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains;
Jordan Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Natural resources:
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium
bromide, clays, sand

Land use: arable land: 16.39% permanent crops: 4.17% other: 79.44% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,990 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic
earthquakes

Environment - current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life
Conservation

Geography - note:
there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in
the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the
Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of
Galilee is an important freshwater source

People Israel

Population:
6,199,008
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000
in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 847,591; female 808,399)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,976,539; female 1,954,782)
65 years and over: 9.9% (male 262,781; female 348,916) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 29.2 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 30 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.29% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
18.45 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.68 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.96 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.17 years
male: 77.08 years
female: 81.37 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups:
Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%,
Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab)
(1996 est.)

Religions:
Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%,
other 3.2% (1996 est.)

Languages:
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.4%
male: 97.3%
female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

Government Israel

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local short form: Yisra'el
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in
1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its
Embassy in Tel Aviv

Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared
independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and
the holiday may occur in April or May

Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are
filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of
the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in
personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in
December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no
longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July 2000)
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by
the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000
(next to be held mid-2007); following legislative elections, the
president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the
largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election
last held 28 January 2003 (next schedulde to be held fall of 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON
continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January
2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition
government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the
National Union

Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall
of 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%,
Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz
5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%,
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%,
National Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%,
United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other
1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11,
National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah
Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3,
National Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA];
Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi
SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party
[Shimon PERES]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with
YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi
BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim "Efie" EITAM]; National
Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet
and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu
YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef "Tommy" LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd
al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; YAHAD
[Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA (merged with Likud) [Natan
SHARANSKY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank
and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler
interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors
human rights abuses

International organization participation:
BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco FAX: (202) 364-5560 telephone: (202) 364-5578 chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: (3) 519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575 FAX: (3) 516-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government

Flag description:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the
Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal
blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag

Economy Israel

Economy - overview:
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with
substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude
oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited
natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural
and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports
substantial quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in
other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology
equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the
leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account
deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad
and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt
is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and
military aid. The bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties
in the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors; and
fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small
declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The economy grew at 1% in 2003,
with improvements in tourism and foreign direct investment. In 2004,
rising business and consumer confidence - as well as higher demand
for Israeli exports - boosted GDP by 2.7%.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $120.9 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 37.7% services: 59.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.2% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
18% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 28.3% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.5 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
2.61 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing 20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business 13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public services 31.2% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $44.98 billion
expenditures: $51.07 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
108.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Industries:
high-technology projects (including aviation, communications,
computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood
and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and
tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.6% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
42.24 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
37.82 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.457 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
80 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
260,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.92 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
10 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
10 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:
20.81 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-174 million (2003)

Exports:
$29.32 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural
products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Exports - partners:
US 38.4%, Belgium 7.4%, Hong Kong 4.8% (2003)

Imports:
$32.27 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough
diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
US 15.6%, Belgium 9.3%, Germany 8%, UK 6.7%, Switzerland 6.1%,
Italy 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$26.32 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$70.97 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$662 million from US (2003 est.)

Currency:
new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation;
ILS is the International Organization for Standarization (ISO) code
for the NIS

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002),
4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Israel

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.006 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.334 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East
although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital
international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.69 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.il

Internet hosts:
437,516 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)

Internet users:
2 million (2002)

Transportation Israel

Railways: total: 640 km standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 16,281 km
paved: 16,281 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: NA (2000)

Pipelines:
gas 140 km; oil 1,509 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT
by type: container 18
registered in other countries: 40 (2004 est.)

Airports:
51 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 3 (2003 est.)

Military Israel

Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Corps (including Pioneer
Fighting Youth (Nahal)), Navy, Air Force(including Air Defense
Forces); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli
military services

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are
eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36
months for men, 21 months for women (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,581,883
females age 15-49: 1,532,234 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,294,742
females age 15-49: 1,250,969 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 51,054
females: 53,515 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9.11 billion (FY03)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
8.7% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Israel

Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status
subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights
is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights)

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern
Israel) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive
in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan;
money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Italy

Introduction Italy

Background:
Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the
peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King
Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a
close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist
dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to
Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the
monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter
member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has
been at the forefront of European economic and political
unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent
problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption,
high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and
technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous
north.

Geography Italy

Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:
42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 301,230 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
water: 7,210 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:
total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline:
7,600 km

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

Climate:
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a
secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Natural resources:
coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,
fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 27.79%
permanent crops: 9.53%
other: 62.68% (2001)

Irrigated land:
26,980 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 dominating central Mediterranean as well as
southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

People Italy

Population:
58,057,477 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 4,181,946; female 3,935,565)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 19,590,497; female 19,256,747)
65 years and over: 19.1% (male 4,608,479; female 6,484,243) (2004
est.)

Median age: total: 41.4 years male: 39.8 years female: 43 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.09% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
9.05 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.07 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: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.54 years
male: 76.61 years
female: 82.66 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups:
Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and
Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south)

Religions:
predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish
communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

Languages:
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are
predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking
minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking
minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99%
female: 98.3% (2003 est.)

Government Italy

Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
former: Kingdom of Italy
local short form: Italia

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Rome

Administrative divisions:
16 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 4 autonomous regions*
(regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo,
Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia
Giulia*, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte,
Puglia, Sardegna*, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige*, Umbria,
Valle d'Aosta*, Veneto

Independence:
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally
unified until 1870)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution:
passed 11 December 1947; effective 1 January 1948; amended many
times

Legal system:
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial
review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where
minimum age is 25)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (since 13 May 1999)
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term; election last held 13 May 1999 (next to be held NA
May 2006); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed
by Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of Ministers) Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 10
June 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
election results: Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - 70%
note: a four-party government coalition includes Forza Italia,
National Alliance, Northern League, and Union of Christian Democrats
and Democrats of the Center

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato
della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which 232 are
directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional
representation; in addition, there are a small number of
senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic;
members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera
dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional
proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held 2006);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held May
2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - House of Liberties 172 (Forza Italia 77, National Alliance
47, UDC 31, Lega Padana 17), Olive Tree 108 (Democrats of the Left
63, Daisy Alliance 35, Greens 10), Per le Autonomie 10, other 25;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- House of Liberties 337 (Forza Italia 176, National Alliance 97,
UDC 36, Northern League 28), Olive Tree 214 (Democrats of the Left
135, Daisy Alliance 79), Rifondazione Communista 11, other 68

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15
judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by
Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative
Supreme Courts)

Political parties and leaders:
Center-Left Olive Tree Coalition [Francesco RUTELLI] - Democrats of
the Left, Daisy Alliance (including Italian Popular Party, Italian
Renewal, Union of Democrats for Europe, The Democrats), Sunflower
Alliance (including Green Federation, Italian Democratic
Socialists), Italian Communist Party; Center-Right Freedom House
Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI] (formerly House of Liberties and
Freedom Alliance) - Forza Italia, National Alliance, The Whiteflower
Alliance (includes Christian Democratic Center, United Christian
Democrats), Northern League; Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero
FASSINO]; Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; Green Federation
[Alfonso Pecoraro SCANIO]; Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Armando
COSSUTTA]; Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; merged with PPI
and I Democratici to form La Margherita (or The Daisy Alliance);
Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Lega Padana
[Roberto BERNARDELLI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI];
Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Socialist Movement-Tricolor
Flame or MS-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; South Tyrol People's Party or
SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Sunflower Alliance
(includes Green Federation, Italian Social Democrats); The Daisy
Alliance (includes Italian Popular Party, Italian Renewal, Union of
Democrats for Europe, The Democrats) [Francesco RUTELLI]; The
Democrats [Arturo PARISI]; The Radicals (formerly Pannella Reformers
and Autonomous List) [Marco PANNELLA]; Union of Democrats for Europe
or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Union of Christian and Center
Democrats or UDC [Marco FOLLINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union
confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL
[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei
Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman
Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi
ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CDB, CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sergio VENTO consulate(s): Detroit consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco FAX: (202) 518-2151 telephone: (202) 612-4400 chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: (06) 46741 FAX: (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist
side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote
d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),
white, and green
note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in
1797

Economy Italy

Economy - overview:
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same
total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic
economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated
by private companies, and a less developed, welfare-dependent
agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed
by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported.
Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in
order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions
and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The
current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at
improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved
slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as
lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor
market and over-generous pension system, because of the current
economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.55 trillion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
0.4% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $26,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry: 28.9% services: 68.9% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.1% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
24.15 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 32%, services 63% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
8.6% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $668 billion
expenditures: $703.1 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
106.4% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,
olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Industries:
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.5% (2003)

Electricity - production:
258.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
289.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
556 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
48.93 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
79,460 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.866 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
456,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
2.158 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
15.49 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
71.18 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
61 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
54.78 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
209.7 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-22.28 billion (2003)

Exports:
$278.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery,
motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and
tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners:
Germany 13.8%, France 12.3%, US 8.5%, Spain 7%, UK 6.9% (2003)

Imports:
$271.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy
products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing;
food, beverages and tobacco

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.9%, France 11.2%, Netherlands 5.8%, Spain 4.8%, UK 4.7%,
Belgium 4.3%, US 4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$63.26 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$868.5 billion NA (2003)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within 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 Italy

Telephones - main lines in use:
26.596 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
55.918 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: country code - 39; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2
for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA
Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
50.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
30.3 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.it

Internet hosts:
1,437,511 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users:
18.5 million (2003)

Transportation Italy

Railways:
total: 19,507 km (11,651 km electrified)
standard gauge: 18,070 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,314 km
0.950-m gauge (188 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 479,688 km
paved: 479,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Waterways:
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared
to road and rail (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 17,335 km; oil 1,136 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela (Sicily), Genoa, La
Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo (Sicily), Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres
(Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine:
total: 475 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 8,970,017 GRT/10,354,685 DWT
foreign-owned: Denmark 4, France 3, Greece 5, Japan 1, Isle of Man
1, Monaco 22, Netherlands 4, Panama 2, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 10,
United Kingdom 5, United States 13
registered in other countries: 144 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 39, cargo 40, chemical tanker 106, combination ore/oil
2, container 23, liquefied gas 43, livestock carrier 2,
multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 13, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 62,
short-sea/passenger 31, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 23

Airports:
134 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 96 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 4 (2003 est.)

Military Italy

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI),
Carabinieri

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 14,408,392 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,279,516 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 285,601 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$28,182.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.9% (2003)

Transnational Issues Italy

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money
laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Jamaica

Introduction Jamaica

Background:
Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in
1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to
recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw
the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence
marred elections during the 1990s.

Geography Jamaica

Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 77 30 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,022 km

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain:
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 10.16%
other: 73.77% (2001)

Irrigated land:
250 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes (especially July to November)

Environment - current issues: heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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:
strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the
main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

People Jamaica

Population:
2,713,130 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.2% (male 390,966; female 372,961)
15-64 years: 65% (male 883,053; female 880,296)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 82,788; female 103,066) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.8 years
male: 26.2 years
female: 27.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.66% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
16.94 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.92 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: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 13.82 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.07 years
male: 74.04 years
female: 78.21 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
22,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic groups:
black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed
7.3%, other 0.1%

Religions:
Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United
Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%),
Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%

Languages:
English, patois English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9%
male: 84.1%
female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

Government Jamaica

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Kingston

Administrative divisions:
14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland,
Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint
James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were
amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as
the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Independence:
6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, first Monday in August (1962)

Constitution:
6 August 1962

Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1
August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since
30 March 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House
of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor
general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime
minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body
appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the
prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is
allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and
the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October
2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%;
seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward SEAGA]; National Democratic
Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP
[Percival James PATTERSON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
FAX: (202) 452-0081
telephone: (202) 452-0660
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor,
Kingston 5
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (876) 929-4850 through 4859
FAX: (876) 935-6001

Flag description:
diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green
(top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)

Economy Jamaica

Economy - overview:
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now
account for 70% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its
foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. The
global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks
in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy
rebounded moderately in 2003, with one of the best tourist seasons
on record. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high
interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured,
sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade
deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the
result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The
ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation, previously a
bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Depressed
economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including
gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government
faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline
in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a
serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $10.61 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.7% industry: 37.2% services: 56.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
31.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
19.7% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.9 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.13 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 21%, industry 19%, services 60% (1998)

Unemployment rate:
15.9% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.596 billion
expenditures: $3.111 billion, including capital expenditures of $236
million (2003 est.)

Public debt:
145.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry,
goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks

Industries:
tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing
apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical
products, telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate:
-2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.272 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.833 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
66,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-842 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.355 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages,
chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels

Exports - partners:
US 29.6%, UK 11%, Canada 10.8%, France 7.9%, Norway 6.8%, Germany
6.2%, China 6%, Netherlands 4.4% (2003)

Imports:
$3.265 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and
accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials

Imports - partners:
US 39.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 9.7%, Germany 5.6%, Venezuela 4.5%,
France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.195 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$4.962 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$16 million (2003)

Currency:
Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Currency code:
JMD

Exchange rates:
Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 57.7409 (2003), 48.4159 (2002),
45.9962 (2001), 42.7011 (2000), 39.0435 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Jamaica

Telephones - main lines in use:
444,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.4 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
1.215 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
7 (1997)

Televisions:
460,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.jm

Internet hosts:
1,480 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)

Internet users:
600,000 (2002)

Transportation Jamaica

Railways:
total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation
had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer
operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and
used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)

Highways:
total: 18,700 km
paved: 13,109 km
unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios,
Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
foreign-owned: Greece 2, Iceland 1, Latvia 1, United States 2 (2004
est.)
by type: bulk 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2,
short-sea/passenger 1

Airports:
35 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)

Military Jamaica

Military branches:
Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 764,266 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 533,768 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 27,126 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$31 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2003)

Transnational Issues Jamaica

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North
America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has
an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major
concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics
traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Jan Mayen

Introduction Jan Mayen

Background:
This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling
captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are
inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and
trappers over the following centuries, the island came under
Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII
Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the
northernmost active volcano on earth.

Geography Jan Mayen

Location:
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian
Sea, northeast of Iceland

Geographic coordinates:
71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:
Arctic Region

Area:
total: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 373 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
124.1 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain:
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m

Natural resources: none

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic
activity resumed in 1970

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

People Jan Mayen

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and
the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2004 est.)

Government Jan Mayen

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Dependency status:
territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo
through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however,
authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian
Defense Communication Service

Legal system:
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of Norway is used

Economy Jan Mayen

Economy - overview:
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural
resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for
employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the
island.

Communications Jan Mayen

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000)

Transportation Jan Mayen

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Jan Mayen

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway

Transnational Issues Jan Mayen

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Japan

Introduction Japan

Background:
In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a
long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure
its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy
stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the
Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States in 1854, Japan opened its
ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional
power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia.
It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island.
In 1933 Japan occupied Manchuria and in 1937 it launched a
full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 -
triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied
much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II,
Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of
the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national
unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians,
bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a
major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of
unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic
power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year
term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Geography Japan

Location:
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the
Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Geographic coordinates:
36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 377,835 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
water: 3,091 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
29,751 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international
straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and
Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use: arable land: 12.19% permanent crops: 0.96% other: 86.85% (2001)

Irrigated land:
26,790 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic
occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain;
acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and
threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of
fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these
resources in Asia and elsewhere

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note:
strategic location in northeast Asia

People Japan

Population:
127,333,002 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 9,337,867; female 8,876,996)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 42,697,264; female 42,196,835)
65 years and over: 19% (male 10,169,190; female 14,054,850) (2004
est.)

Median age: total: 42.3 years male: 40.5 years female: 44.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.08% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
9.56 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
8.75 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: 1.05 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: 3.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 3.54 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.04 years
male: 77.74 years
female: 84.51 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese

Ethnic groups:
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian
182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914)
note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan
in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil
(2004)

Religions:
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including
Christian 0.7%)

Languages:
Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2002)

Government Japan

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan

Government type:
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Capital:
Tokyo

Administrative divisions:
47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka,
Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki,
Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto,
Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita,
Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka,
Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata,
Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence:
660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

National holiday:
Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Constitution:
3 May 1947

Legal system:
modeled after European civil law system with English-American
influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires
that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following
legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of
majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime
minister; monarch is hereditary
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April
2001)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or
Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half
reelected every three years; 144 members in multi-seat
constituencies and 98 by proportional representation); House of
Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for
four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by
proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5,
others 7; distribution of seats as of October 2004 - LDP 114, DPJ
84, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 6
: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 49.38%,
DPJ 36.88%, Komeito 7.09%, JCP 1.88%, SDP 1.25%, NCP .84%; seats by
party - LDP 237, DPJ 177, Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, NCP 4, others
13; distribution of seats as of December 2004: LDP 249, DPJ 177,
Komeito 34, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 3, vacant 2
note: Liberal Party merged with Democratic Party of Japan in
September 2003; Conservative New Party merged with Liberal
Democratic Party following election in November 2003 (2004)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be
held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 9 November
2003 (next election by November 2007)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after
designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the
cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Katsuya OKADA, leader; Tatsuo
KAWABATA, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo
SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito
[Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general];
Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president;
Tsutomu TAKEBE, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP
[Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,
BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA,
NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner),
Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO
FAX: (202) 328-2187
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,
Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 238-6700

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr. embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: (03) 3224-5000 FAX: (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description:
white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in
the center

Economy Japan

Economy - overview:
Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of
high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of
GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of
second most technologically-powerful economy in the world after the
US and third-largest economy after the US and China. One notable
characteristic of the economy is the working together of
manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups
called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of
lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor
force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important
sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw
materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly
subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the
world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50%
of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains
one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly
15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic
growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5%
average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed
markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the
after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and
contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative
excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts
to revive economic growth have met with little success and were
further hampered in 2000-2003 by the slowing of the US, European,
and Asian economies. Japan's huge government debt, which totals more
than 150% of GDP, and the ageing of the population are two major
long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic
strength with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000
"working robots." Internal conflict over the proper way to reform
the ailing banking system continues.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.582 trillion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.3% industry: 25.4% services: 73.3% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
24.9 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
66.66 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 25%, services 70% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.3% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $1.327 trillion
expenditures: $1.646 trillion, including capital expenditures
(public works only) of about $71 billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
154.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy
products, eggs, fish

Industries:
among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of
motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and
nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate:
3.3% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.037 trillion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
964.2 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
17,330 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
5.29 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
93,360 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
5.449 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
2.519 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
80.42 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
77.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
20.02 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$135.9 billion (2003)

Exports:
$447.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals

Exports - partners:
US 24.8%, China 12.1%, South Korea 7.3%, Taiwan 6.6%, Hong Kong
6.3% (2003)

Imports:
$346.6 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles,
raw materials (2001)

Imports - partners:
China 19.7%, US 15.6%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$664.6 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
NA (2002 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $7 billion (FY03/04)

Currency:
yen (JPY)

Currency code:
JPY

Exchange rates:
yen per US dollar - 115.933 (2003), 125.388 (2002), 121.529 (2001),
107.765 (2000), 113.907 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Japan

Telephones - main lines in use:
71.149 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
86,658,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of
every kind
international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US
(via Guam) (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21
(2001)

Radios:
120.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 211 plus 7,341 repeaters note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Televisions:
86.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.jp

Internet hosts:
12,962,065 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
73 (2000)

Internet users:
57.2 million (2002)

Transportation Japan

Railways:
total: 23,705 km (16,519 km electrified)
standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,393 km
1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km
electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 1,161,894 km
paved: 534,471 km (including 6,455 km of expressways)
unpaved: 627,423 km (1999)

Waterways:
1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima,
Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima,
Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai

Merchant marine:
total: 568 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,149,196 GRT/12,680,544 DWT
by type: bulk 113, cargo 39, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk
31, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, liquefied gas 53, passenger
8, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 170, refrigerated cargo 6,
roll on/roll off 58, short-sea/passenger 7, vehicle carrier 49
registered in other countries: 1,989 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: China 1, Panama 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 1

Airports:
174 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 143 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31 over 3047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 15 (2003 est.)

Military Japan

Military branches:
Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force
(Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Coast Guard

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 29,179,095 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 25,189,438 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 700,931 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$42,488.1 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2003)

Transnational Issues Japan

Disputes - international:
The sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and
Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern
Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands", occupied
by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed
by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace
treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; intensified media
coverage and protests highlight dispute over the fishing-rich
Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) also claimed by South Korea;
China and Taiwan have intensified their claims to the Senkaku
Islands (Diaoyu Tai) administered by Japan

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Jarvis Island

Introduction Jarvis Island

Background:
First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was
annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano
had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never
carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and
reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World War II, the
island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge administered by the
US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the
middle of the west coast.

Geography Jarvis Island

Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and the Cook Islands

Geographic coordinates:
0 22 S, 160 03 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 4.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 4.5 sq km

Area - comparative:
about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
8 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Terrain:
sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m

Natural resources:
guano (deposits worked until late 1800s), terrestrial and aquatic
wildlife

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime
hazard

Environment - current issues:
no natural fresh water resources

Geography - note:
sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs;
primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
shorebirds, and marine wildlife

People Jarvis Island

Population:
uninhabited
note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally
used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was
abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical
Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use
permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally
restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish
and Wildlife Service (July 2004 est.)

Government Jarvis Island

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jarvis Island

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the
Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Jarvis Island

Economy - overview: no economic activity

Transportation Jarvis Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat
landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the
southwest corner of the island

Transportation - note:
there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

Military Jarvis Island

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US
Coast Guard

Transnational Issues Jarvis Island

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Jersey

Introduction Jersey

Background:
The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the
last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in
both France and England. These islands were the only British soil
occupied by German troops in World War II.

Geography Jersey

Location:
Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:
49 15 N, 2 10 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 116 sq km

Area - comparative:
about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
70 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:
temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain:
gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m

Natural resources: arable land

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of
population concentrated in Saint Helier

People Jersey

Population:
90,502 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.7% (male 8,268; female 7,716)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,237; female 30,490)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 6,016; female 7,775) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.3 years
male: 39.6 years
female: 41.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.36% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
10.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.76 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: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.33 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.09 years
male: 76.63 years
female: 81.74 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.57 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: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups:
UK and Norman-French descent

Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church,
Methodist, Presbyterian

Languages:
English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken
in country districts

Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Government Jersey

Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey

Dependency status:
British crown dependency

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Saint Helier

Administrative divisions:
none (British crown dependency)

Independence:
none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:
Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:
English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal
Court

Suffrage:
NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and
bailiff appointed by the monarch
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air
Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff
Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995)
cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators
(elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes
(elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms);
the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the
Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all
appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 52

Judicial branch:
Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)

Political parties and leaders:
none; all independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:
white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the
flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red
shield with the three lions of England in yellow

Economy Jersey

Economy - overview:
The economy is based largely on international financial services,
agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and
especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the
UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and
represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to
the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted
for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of
the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the
government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with
the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the
traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy
requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food
needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax
haven.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2%
services: 93% (1996)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.7% (1998)

Labor force:
57,050 (1996)

Unemployment rate:
0.7% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98
million (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products

Industries:
tourism, banking and finance, dairy

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Exports:
NA

Exports - commodities:
light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners:
UK

Imports:
NA

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs,
mineral fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:
UK

Debt - external:
none

Economic aid - recipient:
none

Currency:
British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound

Currency code:
GBP

Exchange rates:
Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596
(2000), 0.6180 (1999); the Jersey pound is at par with the British
pound

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Jersey

Telephones - main lines in use:
73,900 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
61,400 (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.je

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Jersey

Highways: total: 577 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors:
Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Jersey

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Jersey

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Johnston Atoll

Introduction Johnston Atoll

Background:
Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in
1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late
1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in
1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the
US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for
high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late
in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for
chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and
closure of the facility is progressing, with completion anticipated
in 2004.

Geography Johnston Atoll

Location:
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1328 km)
southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from
Hawaii to the Marshall Islands

Geographic coordinates:
16 45 N, 169 31 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 2.8 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 2.8 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
34 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with
little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
mostly flat

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Summit Peak 5 m

Natural resources:
guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890, terrestrial and
aquatic wildlife

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
no natural fresh water resources

Geography - note:
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and
Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral
dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade
islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in
circumference; closed to the public; a former US nuclear weapons
test site; site of now-closed Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal
System (JACADS); most facilities dismantled and cleanup complete in
2004; some low-growing vegetation

People Johnston Atoll

Population:
396 no indigenous inhabitants
note: in previous years, there was an average of 1,100 US military
and civilian contractor personnel present; as of September 2001,
population had decreased significantly when US Army Chemical
Activity Pacific (USACAP) departed; as of January 2004 the island
population was just above 200 personnel, including US Air Force, US
Fish and Wildlife Service, and civilian contractor personnel (July
2004 est.)

Government Johnston Atoll

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Johnston Atoll

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Honolulu, HI,
by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Johnston Atoll

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military
personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.

Communications Johnston Atoll

Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: 512 KB satellite link to Hawaii teleport; 20 (POTS) voice and data lines international: NA (2002)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 256 KB circuit to US Department of Defense-run Nonsecure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) (2002)

Transportation Johnston Atoll

Ports and harbors:
Johnston Island

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Johnston Atoll

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Johnston Atoll

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Jordan

Introduction Jordan

Background:
For most of its history since independence from British
administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-99).
A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures
from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states,
Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several
wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary
elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a
formal peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son
of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his
father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his
power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan
acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to
participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a
two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in
the summer of 2003. The Prime Minister and government appointed in
October 2004 declared their commitment to accelerated economic and
political reforms and the new cabinet includes an unprecedented four
women as ministers.

Geography Jordan

Location:
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 92,300 sq km
water: 329 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 1,635 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km,
Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline:
26 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain:
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift
Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 2.67% permanent crops: 1.83% other: 95.5% (2001)

Irrigated land:
750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

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, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab
country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied
West Bank

People Jordan

Population:
5,611,202 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.2% (male 1,009,604; female 967,645)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 1,829,984; female 1,598,141)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 100,896; female 104,932) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 22.2 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 21.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.67% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
22.73 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
6.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 21.63 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.06 years
male: 75.59 years
female: 80.69 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups:
Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some
Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Languages:
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle
classes

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 95.9%
female: 86.3% (2003 est.)

Government Jordan

Country name:
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local short form: Al Urdun
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
former: Transjordan

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
'Amman

Administrative divisions:
12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al
'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az
Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

Independence:
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Constitution:
8 January 1952

Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince
HUSSEIN (born 1994), son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to
inherit the throne
head of government: Prime Minister Faisal al-FAYEZ (since 25 October
2003)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the
Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55
seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories
of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis
al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special
electoral panel if no women are elected)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next
to be held NA 2007)
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties
were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic Action Front 10.4%;
seats by party - independents and others 92, Islamic Action Front
18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female IAF
candidate

Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Political parties and leaders:
Al-Ahed Party [Khaldoun al-NASSER, secretary general]; Al-Ajyal
[Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive
Party [Mahmood MA'AYTEH, secretary general]; Al-Umma (Nation) Party
[Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr.
Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Communist Party [Munir
HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Constitutional Front [Mahdi al-TALL,
secretary general]; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement [Yusuf ABU
BAKR, president]; Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH, secretary
general]; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary]
general; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali
MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party [Fawwaz
al-ZUBI, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic (Hashd)
Party [Salim al-NAHHAS, secretary general]; Islamic Action Front
[Hazma MANSOUR, secretary general]; Muslim Centrist Party [NA
leader]; National Action (Haqq) Party [Muhammad al-ZUBI, secretary
general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI,
secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI,
secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud
al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice
chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI, president];
Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim
Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB,
OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: (202) 966-3110
telephone: (202) 966-2664

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David M.
HALE
embassy: Abdoun, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box
5, APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: (6) 592-0101
FAX: (6) 592-4102

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the
Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and
green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle
on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and
bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven
verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven
points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national
spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is
based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Economy Jordan

Economy - overview:
Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water
and other natural resources such as oil. Debt, poverty, and
unemployment are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH, since
assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic
reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. 'Amman in
the past three years has worked closely with the IMF, practiced
careful monetary policy, and made substantial headway with
privatization. The government also has liberalized the trade regime
sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTrO (2000), a
free trade accord with the US (2000), and an association agreement
with the EU (2001). These measures have helped improve productivity
and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. The US-led war in
Iraq in 2003 dealt an economic blow to Jordan, which was dependent
on Iraq for discounted oil (worth $300-$600 million a year). Several
Gulf nations have provided temporary aid to compensate for the loss
of this oil; when this foreign aid expires, the Jordanian government
has pledged to raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales
tax base. Other ongoing challenges include fiscal adjustment to
reduce the budget deficit, broader investment incentives to promote
job-creating ventures, and the encouragement of tourism.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $23.64 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 29% services: 67.4% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
30% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.4 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.36 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 12.5%, services 82.5% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.397 billion
expenditures: $3.587 billion, including capital expenditures of $582
million (2003 est.)

Public debt:
92.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats,
poultry

Industries:
phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement,
potash, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
3.5% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.091 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.86 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
2 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
267 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
40 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
103,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
445,000 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
290 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
290 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:
3.256 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$903 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.908 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables,
manufactures, pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners:
US 21.5%, Iraq 17.6%, Switzerland 6.5%, India 6.5%, Saudi Arabia
5.3% (2003)

Imports:
$4.946 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment,
manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 11.3%, China 7.9%, Germany 7.9%, US 6.8%, Iraq 6.5%
(2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$5.364 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$7.683 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $553 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code:
JOD

Exchange rates:
Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709
(2001), 0.709 (2000), 0.709 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Jordan

Telephones - main lines in use:
622,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,325,300 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service has improved recently with increased
use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the
telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to
pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of
mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals;
fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link
with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable
FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL;
international links total about 4,000

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios:
1.66 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
500,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.jo

Internet hosts:
3,160 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)

Internet users:
457,000 (2003)

Transportation Jordan

Railways: total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2003)

Highways: total: 7,245 km paved: 7,245 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)

Pipelines:
gas 10 km; oil 743 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Al 'Aqabah

Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 78,814 GRT/92,695 DWT
registered in other countries: 11 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Greece 6
by type: cargo 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 5,
short-sea/passenger 1

Airports:
17 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Jordan

Military branches:
Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) (Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal
Naval Force, Royal Jordanian Air Force, and Special Operations
Command or SOCOM); note - Public Security Directorate normally falls
under Ministry of Interior but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis
situations

Military manpower - military age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,636,537 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,153,385 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 59,471 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2,043.2 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
20.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Jordan

Disputes - international:
border dispute settled with Syria in 2004

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,740,170 (Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA))
IDPs: 800,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Juan de Nova Island

Introduction Juan de Nova Island

Background:
Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer,
the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been
exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military
garrison oversees a meteorological station.

Geography Juan de Nova Island

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third
of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
17 03 S, 42 45 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 4.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 4.4 sq km

Area - comparative:
about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
24.1 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
low and flat

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 10 m

Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (90% forest) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic cyclones

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
wildlife sanctuary

People Juan de Nova Island

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison along with a few
meteorologists; occasionally visited by scientists (July 2004 est.)

Government Juan de Nova Island

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island
local short form: Ile Juan de Nova
local long form: none

Dependency status:
possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the
Republic, resident in Reunion

Legal system:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (possession of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (possession of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Juan de Nova Island

Economy - overview:
Up to 12,000 tons of guano are mined per year.

Communications Juan de Nova Island

Communications - note: 1 meteorological station

Transportation Juan de Nova Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Juan de Nova Island

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Juan de Nova Island

Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

@Kazakhstan

Introduction Kazakhstan

Background:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who
migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as
a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th
century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the
1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens
were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures.
This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other
deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled
non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many
of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a
cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the
country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets;
achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and
mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states
and other foreign powers.

Geography Kazakhstan

Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural
River in eastern-most Europe

Geographic coordinates:
48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 2,717,300 sq km
water: 47,500 sq km
land: 2,669,800 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846
km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now
split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea
(1,894 km)

Climate:
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain:
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains
in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore,
manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead,
zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:
arable land: 7.98%
permanent crops: 0.05%
other: 91.97% (2001)

Irrigated land:
23,320 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense
industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose
health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe
in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the
Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and
leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural
salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown
into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil
pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from
poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and
Russia extended the lease to 2050

People Kazakhstan

Population:
15,143,704 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.4% (male 1,884,369; female 1,807,585)
15-64 years: 68% (male 5,028,455; female 5,268,726)
65 years and over: 7.6% (male 404,940; female 749,629) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.3 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 30 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.26% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
15.52 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
9.59 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 35.24 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.07 years
male: 60.72 years
female: 71.73 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,
German 2.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census)

Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in
everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (1999 est.)

Government Kazakhstan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
local short form: none

Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch

Capital:
Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in
December 1998

Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala,
singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy
(Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy
(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,
Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy
(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr
(Baykonur, formerly Leninsk)

Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution:
adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first
post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Akhmetzhan YESIMOV (since 14 May
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president;
percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 81.7%, Serikbolsyn
ABDILDIN 12.1%, Gani KASYMOV 4.7%, Engels GABBASSOV 1.5%
note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that
expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate
constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government,
dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint
administrative heads of regions and cities
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously
scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's
previous term was extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held
30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators
are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected,
two from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city
of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47
seats) and the Majilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Majilis members
are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly
elected to serve five-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11,
ASAR (All Together) 4, Ak Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1,
independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated
with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to
be held December 2005); Majilis - last held 19 September and 3
October 2004 (next to be held September 2009)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV]; AIST (Agrarian Party-Civic Party
Bloc); Ak Zhol Party "Bright Path" [Bulat ABILOV, Uraz ZHANDOSOV,
Lyudmila ZHULANOVA, Alikhan BAYMENOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV,
co-chairs]; ASAR "All Together" [Dariga NAZARBAYEVA, chairwoman];
AUL "Village" [Gani KALIYEV]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first
secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first
secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav
KOSAREV]; Democratic Choice Party of Kazakhstan [Galiymzhan
ZHAKIYANOV]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Maksut NARIKBAEV]; Otan
"Fatherland" [Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, chairman]; Patriots' Party [Gani
KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash JAGANOVA]
note: twelve parties in Kazakhstan were registered for the elections
in the fall of 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];
Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; Kazakhstan
International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive
director]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA,
chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos
KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM
(observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV
FAX: (202) 232-5845
consulate(s): New York
telephone: (202) 232-5488
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY
embassy: 99/97A Fumanova, Samal-2, Almaty, 480099
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (3272) 50-48-02
FAX: (3272) 50-48-84

Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun
with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on
the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold

Economy Kazakhstan

Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in
territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves
as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also
is a large agricultural - livestock and grain - producer.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a growing
machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for
Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a
short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan
enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - and a solid 9.5% in 2002 -
thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic
reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. The opening of the
Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's
Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export
capacity. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy
designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the
oil sector, by developing light industry. Additionally, the policy
aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign
personnel; the government has engaged in several disputes with
foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements, and
tensions continue.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $105.5 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.2% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.7% industry: 37.7% services: 54.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
26% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 27.3% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.4 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
7.634 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.8% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $6.729 billion
expenditures: $6.999 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
15.5% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock

Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper,
titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel;
tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors,
construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
8.8% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
52.43 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
48.36 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
3.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
3.2 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
798,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
195,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
2.709 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
10.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
14.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
4.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
8.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
920.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-68.8 million (2003)

Exports:
$12.72 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%,
machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)

Exports - partners:
Bermuda 17%, Russia 15.2%, Switzerland 13%, China 12.8%, Italy 7.8%
(2003)

Imports:
$8.621 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8%
(2001)

Imports - partners:
Russia 39%, Germany 8.7%, China 6.2%, US 5.6% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$4.962 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$24.45 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$610 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (2000)

Currency:
tenge (KZT)

Currency code:
KZT

Exchange rates:
tenge per US dollar - 149.576 (2003), 153.279 (2002), 146.736
(2001), 142.133 (2000), 119.523 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Kazakhstan

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,081,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.027 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other
former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave
radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
6.47 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
3.88 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.kz

Internet hosts:
21,984 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (with their own international channels) (2001)

Internet users:
250,000 (2002)

Transportation Kazakhstan