← The 2006 CIA World Factbook, Volume 2
Gwp (part 2)
Economy - overview:
Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed
a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and
other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw
materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December
1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the
large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural
sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated
technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace,
but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration.
Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (copper, gold,
bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the
ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup
of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union
contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By
1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious
IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in
positive growth rates in 1995-2005. Armenia joined the WTO in
January 2003. Armenia also has managed to slash inflation, stabilize
its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized
enterprises. Armenia's unemployment rate, however, remains high,
despite strong economic growth. The chronic energy shortages Armenia
suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy
supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia is
now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient
generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under
international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system
was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been
offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians
working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Economic ties with
Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The government
made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005,
but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement.
Investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to
continue in 2006 and will help to ensure annual average real GDP
growth of about 13.9%.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.45 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.868 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
13.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.9% industry: 34.3% services: 41.8% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 1.2 million (2005)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 45% industry: 25% services: 30% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
31.6% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
43% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.3 (2004)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.6% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $786.1 million
expenditures: $930.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Industries:
diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing
machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk
fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry
manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Industrial production growth rate:
7.5% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
6.317 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 27% nuclear: 30.7% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 4.374 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: 650 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2003)
Electricity - imports:
463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption:
40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Current account balance:
$-118 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$800 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy
Exports - partners:
Germany 15.6%, Netherlands 13.7%, Belgium 12.8%, Russia 12.2%,
Israel 11.5%, US 11.2%, Georgia 4.8% (2005)
Imports:
$1.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds
Imports - partners:
Russia 13.5%, Belgium 8%, Germany 7.9%, Ukraine 7%, Turkmenistan
6.3%, US 6.2%, Israel 5.8%, Iran 5%, Romania 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$754.9 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.819 billion (20 September 2005)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $254 million (2004)
Currency (code):
dram (AMD)
Currency code:
AMD
Exchange rates:
drams per US dollar - 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003),
573.35 (2002), 555.08 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Armenia
Telephones - main lines in use:
582,500 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
320,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and
undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment
are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the
Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional
international service is available by microwave radio relay and
landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and
by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3
(2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
850,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters) (1998)
Televisions:
825,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.am
Internet hosts:
8,163 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2001)
Internet users:
150,000 (2005)
Transportation Armenia
Airports: 13 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 2,002 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 845 km
broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified)
note: some lines are out of service (2005)
Roadways: total: 7,633 km paved: 7,633 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2003)
Military Armenia
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force
(NKSDF), Air Force, Air Defense Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18 to 27 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 722,836
females age 18-49: 795,084 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 551,938
females age 18-49: 656,493 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 31,774
females age 18-49: 31,182 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$135 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
6.5% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Armenia
Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh
and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic
Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about
230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan
into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to
connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region
of Georgia seek greater autonomy; tens of thousands of Armenians
emigrate, primarily to Russia, to seek employment
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 235,101 (Azerbaijan)
IDPs: 50,000 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Armenia is a major source and, to a lesser
extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls
trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the UAE and Turkey;
traffickers, many of them women, route victims directly into Dubai
or through Moscow; profits derived from the trafficking of Armenian
victims reportedly increased dramatically from 2005
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia has failed to show evidence
of increasing efforts, particularly in the areas of enforcement,
trafficking-related corruption, and victim protection; the
government increased implementation of its anti-trafficking law, but
failed to impose significant penalties for convicted traffickers and
failed to vigorously investigate and prosecute ongoing and
widespread allegations of public officials' complicity in
trafficking; victim protection efforts remain in early, formative
stages and a lack of sensitivity for victims remains a problem,
particularly in the judiciary
Illicit drugs:
illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic
consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium
and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser
extent the rest of Europe
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Aruba
Introduction Aruba
Background:
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the
Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main
industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity
brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last
decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry.
Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a
separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in
1990.
Geography Aruba
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
68.5 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources:
NEGL; white sandy beaches
Land use: arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0.01 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its
tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the
Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27
degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
People Aruba
Population:
71,891 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.5% (male 7,175/female 6,849)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,894/female 25,140)
65 years and over: 12.3% (male 3,616/female 5,217) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.5 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 40.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.44% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.28 years
male: 75.95 years
female: 82.78 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality: noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Ethnic groups:
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Languages:
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English
dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy: definition: NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA%
Government Aruba
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba
Dependency status:
member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in
internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the
Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and
foreign affairs
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Oranjestad
geographic coordinates: 12 33 N, 70 06 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Independence:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday:
Flag Day, 18 March
Constitution:
1 January 1986
Legal system:
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law
influence
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April
1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May
2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30
October 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for
a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime
minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last
held 2005 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent
of legislative vote - NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA
7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8,
MPA 1, RED 1
Judicial branch:
Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the
monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban
Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic
Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA
[Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's
Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy
or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform
or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO
(associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to
Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba
Flag description:
blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower
portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper
hoist-side corner
Economy Aruba
Economy - overview:
Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with
offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The
rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted
in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million
tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US.
Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the
1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery
in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings,
has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly
following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island
experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004
averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean.
The newly re-elected government has made cutting the budget and
trade deficits a high priority.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.258 billion
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$21,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.4% NA% industry: 33.3% NA% services: 66.3% NA%
Labor force: 41,500 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
Unemployment rate:
6.9% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.4% (2005)
Budget:
revenues: $507.9 million
expenditures: $577.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000)
Public debt:
46.3% of GDP
Agriculture - products:
aloes; livestock; fish
Industries:
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
770 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
716.1 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
2,363 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
6,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$80 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery
and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Netherlands 33.5%, Panama 16.7%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.3%,
Venezuela 10.1%, Netherlands Antilles 9% (2005)
Imports:
$875 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and
reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
US 55.9%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.8% (2005)
Debt - external:
$478.6 million (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$-11.3 million (2004)
Currency (code):
Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Currency code:
AWG
Exchange rates:
Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004),
1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Aruba
Telephones - main lines in use:
37,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
98,400 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system
domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless
service providers are now licensed
international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten
(Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay
links
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
50,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Televisions:
20,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.aw
Internet hosts:
11,548 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
24,000 (2002)
Transportation Aruba
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 800 km paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km
Ports and terminals:
Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Military Aruba
Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Netherlands Navy and
Marines, Coast Guard
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 16,278 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 13,219 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 520 (2005 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues Aruba
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some
accompanying money-laundering activity
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Introduction Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Background:
These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931;
formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a
rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a
National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is
now a marine reserve.
Geography Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between
northwestern Australia and Timor island
Geographic coordinates:
12 14 S, 123 05 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and
Cartier Island
Area - comparative:
about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
74.1 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
low with sand and coral
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
People Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and
fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2006 est.)
People - note:
the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has
become an ongoing problem
Government Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department
of Transport and Regional Services
Legal system:
the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the
Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used
Economy Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Transportation Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only
Military Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the
Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
Transnational Issues Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Disputes - international:
Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef;
Australia has closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian
traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while
continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Atlantic Ocean
Introduction Atlantic Ocean
Background:
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans
(after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund
(Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar
(Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are
important strategic access waterways. The decision by the
International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to
delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion
of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.
Geography Atlantic Ocean
Location:
body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the
Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates:
0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references:
Political Map of the World
Area:
total: 76.762 million sq km
note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,
Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador
Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the
Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative:
slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Coastline:
111,866 km
Climate:
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near
Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can
occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to
November
Terrain:
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June;
clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in
the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the
southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand
and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,
precious stones
Natural hazards:
icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the
northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been
spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships
subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from
October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to
September; hurricanes (May to December)
Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions,
turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of
fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal
sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern
Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and
municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and
Mediterranean Sea
Geography - note:
major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar,
access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the
Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound
(Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic
Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
Economy Atlantic Ocean
Economy - overview:
The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily
trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of
natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The
Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Transportation Atlantic Ocean
Ports and terminals:
Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona
(Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon
(Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands,
Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille
(France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Transportation - note:
Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways;
significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal
Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico
coast of US
Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Australia
Introduction Australia
Background:
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia
about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in
the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770,
when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain.
Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they
federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new
country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop
agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major
contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent
decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally
competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's
fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in
large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term
concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone
layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially
the Great Barrier Reef.
Geography Australia
Location:
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific
Ocean
Geographic coordinates:
27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
25,760 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical
in north
Terrain:
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium,
nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of
cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.81% (2005)
Irrigated land:
25,450 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development,
urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due
to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for
agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique
animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast
coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by
increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited
natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population
concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the
invigorating tropical sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor"
affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most
consistent winds in the world
People Australia
Population:
20,264,082 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,031,313/female 1,936,802)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,881,863/female 6,764,709)
65 years and over: 13.1% (male 1,170,589/female 1,478,806) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 36.9 years male: 36 years female: 37.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.85% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
12.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.51 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.5 years
male: 77.64 years
female: 83.52 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian
Ethnic groups:
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Religions:
Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist
1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001
Census)
Languages:
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified
5.8% (2001 Census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government Australia
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Government type:
federal parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Canberra
geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 08 E
time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last
Sunday in March (ended first Sunday in April 2006)
note: Australia is divided into three time zones
Administrative divisions:
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New
South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia,
Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling)
Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island
Independence:
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
National holiday:
Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution:
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system:
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael
JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11
March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament,
candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to
serve as government ministers
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 leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as
prime minister by the governor general
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12
from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland
territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years
by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members
are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150
seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms
of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no
later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9
October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor
Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor
Party 60, independents 3
Judicial branch:
High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed
by the governor general)
Political parties and leaders:
Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN];
Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen
CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John
Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE]
International organization participation:
ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,
BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris
Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS,
UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: (202) 797-3000
FAX: (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New
York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: (02) 6214-5600
FAX: (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as
the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of
the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for
each of the six original states and one representing all of
Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a
representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one
small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars
Economy Australia
Economy - overview:
Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a
per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business
and consumer confidence, and rising exports of raw materials and
agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis
on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key
factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak
foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up
from $8 billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in
2004, and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked
in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would be
raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal policies
have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to 2005.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$635.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$612.8 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$31,600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 26.2% services: 70% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 10.42 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 21.2% services: 75.2% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.2 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $249.8 billion
expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
16.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry
Industries:
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate:
1.1% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
237 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.9% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
221 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
530,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
875,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
523,400 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
530,800 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
35.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
25.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
9.744 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:
$-42.09 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$103 billion (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India
5% (2005)
Imports:
$119.6 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products
Imports - partners:
US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6%
(2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$43.26 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$323.4 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)
Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code:
AUD
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004),
1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Australia
Telephones - main lines in use:
11.46 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
18.42 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10
Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian
and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
25.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
104 (1997)
Televisions:
10.15 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.au
Internet hosts:
7,772,888 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
571 (2002)
Internet users:
14,663,622 (2006)
Transportation Australia
Airports: 455 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 311 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 133 914 to 1,523 m: 143 under 914 m: 13 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 144 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 111 under 914 m: 15 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km;
oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 47,738 km
broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified)
dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 810,641 km
paved: 336,962 km
unpaved: 473,679 km (2004)
Waterways:
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling
river systems) (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3)
registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2,
Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2,
Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK
3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,
Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney
Military Australia
Military branches:
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian
Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in
Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,943,676
females age 18-49: 4,821,264
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,092,717
females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 142,158
females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$17.84 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Australia
Disputes - international:
East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed
portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon
revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered
by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of
a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and
Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over
Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime
identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to
Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims
to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to
extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic
claims
Illicit drugs:
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate
products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium
poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Austria
Introduction Austria
Background:
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent
occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status
remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended
the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade
unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year
declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for
Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in
1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some
Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous,
democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union
in 1999.
Geography Austria
Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 83,870 sq km
land: 82,444 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366
km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330
km, Switzerland 164 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and
some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with
occasional showers
Terrain:
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern
and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Natural resources:
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony,
magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Environment - current issues: some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river
is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
People Austria
Population:
8,192,880 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.9 years
male: 39.8 years
female: 42 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.09% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
8.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.76 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.07 years
male: 76.17 years
female: 82.11 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.36 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian
Ethnic groups:
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes,
Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified
2.4% (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%,
unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
Languages:
German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia),
Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA
Government Austria
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Vienna
geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,
Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg,
Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
Independence:
17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804
(Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State
Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and
the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4
February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held
25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally
chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National
Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of
the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the
states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least 3 representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and
the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by
direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be
held in the fall of 2010)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe
35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by
party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative
Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or
Verfassungsgerichtshof
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian
People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of
Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party
of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN
DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but
primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other
non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human
rights
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU
(observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: (202) 895-6700
FAX: (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (1) 31339-0
FAX: (1) 3100682
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red
Economy Austria
Economy - overview:
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard
of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially
Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong
commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance
sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy
features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a
small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the
EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's
access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU
economies. The current government has successfully pursued a
comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining
government, creating a more competitive business environment,
further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment
location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing effective
pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe
have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003,
2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from
both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU
members, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing
knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater
labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging
population.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$265.8 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$293.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$32,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 30.4% services: 67.8% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 3.49 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
5.9% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $148.6 billion
expenditures: $154.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
65.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle,
pigs, poultry; lumber
Industries:
construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals,
chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,
communications equipment, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
63.69 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.3% hydro: 67.2% nuclear: 0% other: 3.5% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
64.78 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
13.53 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
16.63 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
17,810 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
249,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
30,140 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
152,600 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
84.3 million bbl (2004)
Natural gas - production:
1.96 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - consumption:
9.01 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004)
Natural gas - imports:
7.05 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
23.2 billion cu m (2004)
Current account balance:
$1.467 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and
paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2%
(2005)
Imports:
$118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods,
oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.83 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$510.6 billion (30 June 2005 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $681 million (2004)
Currency (code):
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 - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003),
1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Austria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.705 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.16 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber
optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet
services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in
addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals)
(2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
6.08 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
4.25 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.at
Internet hosts:
2,062,035 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
37 (2000)
Internet users:
4.65 million (2005)
Transportation Austria
Airports: 55 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 6,011 km
standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km
electrified) (2005)
Roadways: total: 133,718 km paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways:
358 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT
by type: cargo 6, container 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
Military Austria
Military branches:
Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from eight months to six (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,914,800
females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,550,441
females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 48,967
females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.497 billion (FY01/02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2004)
Transnational Issues Austria
Disputes - international:
Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the
Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear
power plant in the Czech Republic
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American
cocaine destined for Western Europe
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Azerbaijan
Introduction Azerbaijan
Background:
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population
- was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its
independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite
a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with
Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely
Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and
must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result
of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of
widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.
Geography Azerbaijan
Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800
km est.)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe
Terrain:
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below
sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag
Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi
(Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina
Land use: arable land: 20.62% permanent crops: 2.61% other: 76.77% (2005)
Irrigated land:
14,550 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
droughts
Environment - current issues:
local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron
Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be
the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe
air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil
spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic
defoliants used in the production of cotton
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are
landlocked
People Azerbaijan
Population:
7,961,619 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 26.3 years
female: 29.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.66% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.85 years
male: 59.78 years
female: 68.13 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,400 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri
Ethnic groups:
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other
3.9% (1999 census)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region
Religions:
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other
1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Languages:
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995
est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.5%
female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
Government Azerbaijan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: Azarbaycan
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Baku (Baki, Baky)
geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar
- singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)
rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,
Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda
Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,
Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,
Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,
Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,
Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,
Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax
Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,
Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi
Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,
Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar
Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab
Rayonu
cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran
Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit
Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari
autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi
Independence:
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)
Constitution:
adopted 12 November 1995
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003
(next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy
prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the
National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote -
Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other
parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform"
faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic
Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party
[Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz
AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for
Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas
ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA];
Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan
Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar
MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP
[Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani
Forces (UPAF)
International organization participation:
AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC,
OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV
chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 337-3500
FAX: (202) 337-5911
Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007 mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 telephone: (12) 4980-335 through 337 FAX: (12) 4656-671
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a
crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band
Economy Azerbaijan
Economy - overview:
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production
declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year
since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with
foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to
long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to
spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first
of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company,
began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies is
scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large
offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built
from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists
estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the
country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems
of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a
command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources
brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun
making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and
structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede
Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign
investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive
corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics
is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and
the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil
prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and
Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$42.99 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
26.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,400 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.1% industry: 45.7% services: 40.2% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 5.45 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 41% industry: 7% services: 52% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
1.1% official rate (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
49% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.5 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.6% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
54.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.18 billion
expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
11.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco;
cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
40% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
20 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.7% hydro: 10.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
20.25 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
700 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
2.35 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
123,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
589 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
5.13 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
9.2 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$167.3 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$6.117 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan
6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005)
Imports:
$4.656 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%,
Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.192 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.873 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $140 million (2000 est.)
Currency (code):
Azerbaijani manat (AZM)
Currency code:
AZM
Exchange rates:
Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004),
4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001)
note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000
old manats equal to 1 new manat
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Azerbaijan
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,091,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.242 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and
modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low
(2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable
and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2
(2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
175,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Televisions:
170,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.az
Internet hosts:
880 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
678,800 (2005)
Transportation Azerbaijan
Airports: 36 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 2,957 km
broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:
total: 27,016 km
paved: 12,698 km (including 128 km of expressways)
unpaved: 14,318 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT
by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker
43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3
registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Baku (Baki)
Military Azerbaijan
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces
Military service age and obligation: men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,961,973
females age 18-49: 2,033,186 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,314,955
females age 18-49: 1,676,408 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 82,358
females age 18-49: 78,067 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$121 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Azerbaijan
Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh
and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan;
over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the
occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were
driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks
transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave;
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues
to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify
Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while
Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and
challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters;
bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed
and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and
Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at
certain crossing areas
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 8,367 (Russia)
IDPs: 528,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point
for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent
the rest of Europe
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bahamas, The
Introduction Bahamas, The
Background:
Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus
first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British
settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony
in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The
Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and
investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments
to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.
Geography Bahamas, The
Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
3,542 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 0.58% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 99.13% (2005)
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind
damage
Environment - current issues:
coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
of which 30 are inhabited
People Bahamas, The
Population:
303,770
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.8 years
male: 27.1 years
female: 28.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.64% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.6 years
male: 62.24 years
female: 69.03 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian
Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Religions:
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal
8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%,
none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 94.7%
female: 96.5% (2003 est.)
Government Bahamas, The
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Nassau
geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island,
Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay,
Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh
Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands,
Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Independence:
10 July 1973 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Constitution:
10 July 1973
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February
2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002)
and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the
prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body
appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime
minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the
House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote
to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the
Parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%,
independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
Judicial branch:
Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court;
magistrates courts
Political parties and leaders:
Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive
Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM,
IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: vacant chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 319-2660 FAX: (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197,
Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC
20521-3370
telephone: (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)
FAX: (242) 356-0222
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and
aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side
Economy Bahamas, The
Economy - overview:
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily
dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with
tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for
approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of
the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and
a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had
led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US
economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in
these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a
period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private
sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the
second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for
about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government
enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international
businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture
together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little
growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.
Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US,
the source of more than 80% of the visitors.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$6.105 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.783 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$20,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 176,300 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
9.3% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: 27%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.2% ( 2004)
Budget:
revenues: $1.03 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130
million (FY04/05)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables; poultry
Industries:
tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite,
pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
1.81 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
1.683 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
23,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$469.3 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit
and vegetables
Exports - partners:
US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1%
(2005)
Imports:
$1.82 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral
fuels; food and live animals
Imports - partners:
US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%,
Germany 5.4% (2005)
Debt - external:
$342.6 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$5 million (2004)
Currency (code):
Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Currency code:
BSD
Exchange rates:
Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1
(2002), 1 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Bahamas, The
Telephones - main lines in use:
139,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
186,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and
submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 2 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)
Radios:
215,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2006)
Televisions:
67,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bs
Internet hosts:
591 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
93,000 (2005)
Transportation Bahamas, The
Airports: 64 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Heliports: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical
tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2,
passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175,
refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5,
vehicle carrier 30
foreign-owned: 1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18,
China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France
37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1,
Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya
1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24,
Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia
6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6,
Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US
121, Venezuela 1)
registered in other countries: 4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2)
(2006)
Ports and terminals:
Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point
Military Bahamas, The
Military branches:
Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 73,121 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 44,309 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 2,804 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues Bahamas, The
Disputes - international:
disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary;
continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic
privation and political instability
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and
Europe; offshore financial center
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bahrain
Introduction Bahrain
Background:
In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians.
In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of
treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a
British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in
1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf
countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign
affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves,
Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has
transformed itself into an international banking center. Sheikh
HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, who came to power in 1999, has pushed
economic and political reforms and has worked to improve relations
with the Shia community. In February 2001, Bahraini voters approved
a referendum on the National Action Charter - the centerpiece of
Sheikh HAMAD's political liberalization program. In February 2002,
Sheikh HAMAD pronounced Bahrain a constitutional monarchy and
changed his status from amir to king. In October 2002, Bahrainis
elected members of the lower house of Bahrain's reconstituted
bicameral legislature, the National Assembly.
Geography Bahrain
Location:
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 665 sq km
land: 665 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
161 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Climate:
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain:
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use: arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; dust storms
Environment - current issues:
desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable
land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation
(damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting
from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil
refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources,
groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic
location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's
petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
People Bahrain
Population: 698,585 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.4% (male 96,567/female 94,650)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 280,272/female 202,451)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 12,753/female 11,892) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.4 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 25.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.45% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
17.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.38 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.26 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.45 years
male: 71.97 years
female: 77 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups:
Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001
census)
Languages:
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.1%
male: 91.9%
female: 85% (2003 est.)
Government Bahrain
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
Government type:
constitutional hereditary monarchy
Capital:
name: Manama
geographic coordinates: 26 13 N, 50 35 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor
Independence:
15 August 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date
of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of
independence from British protection
Constitution:
new constitution 14 February 2002
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch,
born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa
(since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman
al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members
appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly
elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next
election to be held in September 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Sunni Islamists 12, Shia grouping 7, other
groupings and independents 21
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National
Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created
bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14
February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25
December 2002
Judicial branch:
High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law
Political pressure groups and leaders: Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 342-1111 FAX: (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: 1724-2700 FAX: 1727-0547
Flag description:
red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a
white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five
points represent the five pillars of Islam
Economy Bahrain
Economy - overview:
Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of
Bahrain's export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of
GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport
facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with
business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum
products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on
several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among
the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources
are major long-term economic problems. In 2005 Bahrain and the US
ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US
and a Gulf state.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.9 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.01 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$23,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.5%
industry: 38.7%
services: 60.8% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
380,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 79%
services: 20% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.662 billion
expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700
million (2005 est.)
Public debt:
33.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron
pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.345 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
6.83 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
124 million bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
92.03 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$1.531 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$11.17 billion (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 3.3%, US 2.6%, UAE 2.3% (2005)
Imports:
$7.83 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 36.4%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, US 5.4%, UK 5%, UAE
4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.432 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.814 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE
and Kuwait (2002)
Currency (code):
Bahraini dinar (BHD)
Currency code:
BHD
Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376
(2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Bahrain
Telephones - main lines in use:
196,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
748,700 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network
with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 973; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and
UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to
Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (1997)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
338,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (1997)
Televisions:
275,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bh
Internet hosts:
2,165 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
152,700 (2005)
Transportation Bahrain
Airports: 3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006)
Roadways:
total: 3,498 km
paved: 2,768 km
unpaved: 730 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 235,449 GRT/339,728 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Military Bahrain
Military branches:
Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense),
Navy, Air Force, National Guard
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 202,126
females age 18-49: 151,734 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 161,372
females age 18-49: 125,488 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 6,013
females age 18-49: 5,852 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$627.7 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.9% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Bahrain
Disputes - international:
none
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and
women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly to work as
laborers or domestic servants, but may be subjected to conditions of
involuntary servitude when faced with exorbitant recruitment and
transportation fees, withholding of their passports, restrictions on
their movement, non-payment of wages, and physical or sexual abuse;
Eastern European women are also believed to be trafficked to Bahrain
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain's efforts to address
trafficking in persons are based largely on pledges of future
efforts; the government did not enact a comprehensive
anti-trafficking law extending labor protection to domestic workers
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bangladesh
Introduction Bangladesh
Background:
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh
in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the
region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan
and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India
(largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East
Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of
a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km
left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan
seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed
Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods
annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic
development.
Geography Bangladesh
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March
to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use: arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)
Irrigated land:
47,250 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during
the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues:
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate
flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water;
water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use
of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally
occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling
water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil
degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing
from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel
of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty
into the Bay of Bengal
People Bangladesh
Population:
147,365,352 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.2 years
male: 22.2 years
female: 22.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.09% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.46 years
male: 62.47 years
female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
650 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups:
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Religions:
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages:
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
Government Bangladesh
Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form: Banladesh
former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 25 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence:
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the
date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known
as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state
of Bangladesh
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date
of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day
and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Constitution:
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following
coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002);
note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the
13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government
Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when
Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at
presidential direction - to supervise the elections
head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October
2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16
September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only
presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next
election to be held by 2007); following legislative elections, the
leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed
prime minister by the president
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission
elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote
- NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected
by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the
constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above
the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve
five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than
January 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 41%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP
(Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the
election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned
with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by
the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or
BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP
[Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya
Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party
(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or
LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 244-0183
FAX: (202) 244-5366
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: (2) 885-5500
FAX: (2) 882-3744
Flag description:
green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist
side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the
sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the
lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Economy Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve
economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor,
overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although half of
GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as
the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth
include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned
enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor
force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting
energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and
slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many
instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of
government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the
bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the
parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the
party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One
encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several
years.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$305.9 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$63.56 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.9%
industry: 19.8%
services: 60.3% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
66.6 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman,
Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion
in 1998-99 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (includes underemployment) (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.993 billion
expenditures: $8.598 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
44.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses,
oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries:
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint,
cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate:
6.7% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
17.42 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
16.2 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
6,825 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
84,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
300.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$37 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$9.372 billion (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
(2001)
Exports - partners:
US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005)
Imports:
$12.97 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)
Imports - partners:
India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%,
Hong Kong 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.825 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$20.63 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency (code):
taka (BDT)
Currency code:
BDT
Exchange rates:
taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003),
57.888 (2002), 55.807 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.07 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6;
international radiotelephone communications and landline service to
neighboring countries (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Radios:
6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
Televisions:
770,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bd
Internet hosts:
469 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2000)
Internet users:
300,000 (2005)
Transportation Bangladesh
Airports: 16 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 2,604 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km
broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 239,226 km
paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
8,372 km
note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200
km in dry season (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 3
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1,
Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Military Bangladesh
Military branches:
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy,
Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.01 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Bangladesh
Disputes - international:
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of
river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries,
allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade,
migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous
border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off
high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint
Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are
missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha
Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation;
Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 20,402 (Burma)
IDPs: 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Barbados
Introduction Barbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in
1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island
until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily
dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the
20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political
reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the
UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the
sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography Barbados
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of
Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: easternmost Caribbean island
People Barbados
Population:
279,912 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 28,160/female 28,039)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 97,755/female 101,223)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,508/female 15,227) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 34.6 years
male: 33.4 years
female: 35.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.37% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
12.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.79 years
male: 70.79 years
female: 74.82 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,500 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Religions:
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Government Barbados
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint
James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint
Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may
be given parish status
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS
(since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7
September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May
2003)
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; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the
prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body
appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be
held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party
or DLP [David THOMPSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union
[David COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 939-9200
FAX: (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street,
Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: (246) 436-4950
FAX: (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue
with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the
trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the
colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
Economy Barbados
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane
cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years
has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance
and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The
government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to
encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining
state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly
due to a decline in tourism. Growth was positive in 2005, as
economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.815 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.964 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$17,300 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.5% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
819 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
761.7 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
1,000 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 million cu m (1 January 2002)
Exports:
$209 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components
Exports - partners:
US 18.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 12.1%, Saint Lucia 8.4%,
Jamaica 7.9%, Grenada 4.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.6%
(2005)
Imports:
$1.476 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials,
chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners:
NZ 45.9%, US 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12% (2005)
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003)
Economic aid - recipient:
$9.1 million (1995)
Currency (code):
Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency code:
BBD
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2
(2002), 2 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
206,200 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 1
(Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and
Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus two cable channels) (2004)
Televisions:
76,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
282 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
160,000 (2005)
Transportation Barbados
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,600 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 433,390 GRT/664,998 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 32, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 57 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 8, Greece 11, Lebanon 1,
Monaco 1, Norway 29, UAE 1, UK 5)
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
Military Barbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Coast Guard (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at
earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 71,524
females age 18-49: 72,302 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 54,510
females age 18-49: 54,889 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop
Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land
element is to defend the island against external aggression; the
Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small
regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it
increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to
prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)
Transnational Issues Barbados
Disputes - international:
in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory
international arbitration that will result in a binding award
challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and
Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the
southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other
Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island
sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for
Europe and the US; offshore financial center
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Belarus
Introduction Belarus
Background:
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus
attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political
and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet
republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union
on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic
integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the
accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his
election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexander
LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian
means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press,
peaceful assembly, and religion continue.
Geography Belarus
Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 207,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,900 km
border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km,
Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between
continental and maritime
Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas,
granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use: arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,310 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of
Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
People Belarus
Population:
10,293,011 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 825,823/female 791,741)
15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,490,442/female 3,682,950)
65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,976/female 1,003,079) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 37.2 years
male: 34.5 years
female: 39.9 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.06% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
11.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.08 years
male: 63.47 years
female: 74.98 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
15,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups:
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other
1.1% (1999 census)
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages:
Belarusian, Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Government Belarus
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: Byelarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Capital:
name: Minsk
geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality*
(horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk,
Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers
Independence:
25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date
Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date
of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996
giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective
27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing
presidential term limits
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKIY (since 19
December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since
December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the
1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999,
however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a
November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001;
an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing
president to run in a third election held on 19 March 2006; prime
minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent
of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%,
Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of
the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56
members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the
president, all for four-year terms) and the Chamber of
Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected
by universal adult suffrage to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 and 31 October 2004; international observers
widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on
massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won
every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified for
technical reasons
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);
Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president
and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Political parties and leaders:
pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY];
Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement
(Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolai ULAKHOVICH, chairman];
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of
Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir
ALEXANDROVICH]
opposition parties: 10 Plus Coalition [Alyaksandr MILINKEVICH],
includes: Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Syarhey KALYAKIN];
Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV,
Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk
VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav
SHUSHKEVICH]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and
Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or
UCP [Anatol LYABEDKA]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina
MATUSEVICH, chairperson]
other opposition includes: Belarusian Social-Democratic Party
Nardonaya Hromada or BSDP NH [Alyaksandr KOZULIN, chairman];
Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of
Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergei YERMAKK];
Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian
Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Alyaksandr YAROSHUK];
Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian
Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey
SANNIKOV]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the
Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of
Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership
NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol
SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic
Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dzmitryy
DASHKEVICH, Syarhey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]
International organization participation:
BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA,
NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: (202) 986-1604
FAX: (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Karen B. STEWART
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348
FAX: (17) 234-7853
Flag description:
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the
width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side
bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red
Economy Belarus
Economy - overview:
Belarus's economy in 2005 posted 8% growth. The government has
succeeded in lowering inflation over the past several years. Trade
with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in
2005, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax
(VAT) on trade was collected. Trade with European countries
increased. Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995,
when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of
"market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO
reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange
rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management
of private enterprises. During 2005, the government re-nationalized
a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been
subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g.,
arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections,
retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of
"disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of
redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the
ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world.
Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had
trouble attracting foreign investment, which remains low. Growth has
been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough,
centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of
inflation. Belarus continues to receive heavily discounted oil and
natural gas from Russia. Much of Belarus' growth can be attributed
to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$73.09 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.69 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
9.2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.3% industry: 31.6% services: 59.1% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 4.3 million (31 December 2005)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of
underemployed workers (2005)
Population below poverty line:
27.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 20% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.4 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.903 billion
expenditures: $6.343 billion; including capital expenditures of $180
million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Industries:
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers,
motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles,
radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate:
15.6% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
30 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
34.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
800 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
7 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
252,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - imports:
360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production:
250 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Current account balance:
$852 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$16.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals,
textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Russia 38.5%, Ukraine 7.8%, Poland 7.1%, Latvia 4.2%, UK 4.1%,
China 4.1% (2005)
Imports:
$16.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs,
metals
Imports - partners:
Russia 57.9%, Germany 9.7%, Ukraine 6.4%, Poland 5.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.215 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$4.662 billion (30 June 2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$194.3 million (1995)
Currency (code):
Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)
Currency code:
BYB/BYR
Exchange rates:
Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004),
2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Belarus
Telephones - main lines in use:
3,284,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.098 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading
telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom, is the
sole provider of fixed line local and long distance service;
modernization of the network to digital switching progressing slowly
domestic: fixed line penetration is improving although rural areas
continue to be underserved; four GSM wireless networks are
experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on
telecommunications technologies
international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the
Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line,
and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic
segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and
Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this
infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)
Radios:
3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
2.52 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.by
Internet hosts:
33,641 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
23 (2002)
Internet users:
3,394,400 (2005)
Transportation Belarus
Airports: 86 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 41
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 12 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 35 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 5,223 km; oil 2,321 km; refined products 1,686 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 5,512 km
broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2005)
Roadways:
total: 93,055 km
paved: 93,055 km (2003)
Waterways:
2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by
shallowness) (2003)
Ports and terminals:
Mazyr
Military Belarus
Military branches:
Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 18 months (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,520,644
females age 18-49: 2,564,696 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,657,984
females age 18-49: 2,102,793 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 85,202
females age 18-49: 82,037 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$420.5 million (2006)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)
Transnational Issues Belarus
Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over
unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing
border security; the whole boundary with Latvia and more than half
the boundary with Lithuania remains undemarcated; discussions toward
economic and political union with Russia proceed slowly
Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the
domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via
Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly
regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation
does not meet international standards; few investigations or
prosecutions of money-laundering activities
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Belgium
Introduction Belgium
Background:
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was
occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.
Geography Belgium
Location:
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the
Netherlands
Geographic coordinates:
50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km
Area - comparative:
about the size of Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km
Coastline:
66.5 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
continental shelf: median line with neighbors
Climate:
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain:
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources:
construction materials, silica sand, carbonates
Land use: arable land: 27.42% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 71.89% note: includes Luxembourg (2005)
Irrigated land:
400 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Environment - current issues:
the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human
activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry,
extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water
pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;
uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now
resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges
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, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and
NATO
People Belgium
Population:
10,379,067 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 883,254/female 846,099)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,450,879/female 3,389,565)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,569/female 1,062,701) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.9 years
male: 39.6 years
female: 42.1 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.13% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
10.38 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
10.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.77 years
male: 75.59 years
female: 82.09 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups:
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages:
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less
than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government Belgium
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Government type:
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Brussels
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch:
provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions;
Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles),
Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities
Independence:
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from
the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne)
National holiday:
21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I
Constitution:
7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create
a federal state
Legal system:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or
the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat
in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular
vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and
a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch,
Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003
(next to be held no later than May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit
15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH
5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5,
VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected
senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD
15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR
11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit
23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8, Ecolo 4, other 2
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de
Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the
government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice
Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo
VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN!
(formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance
or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A
[Johan Vande LANOTTE]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now
associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank
VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,
Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of
CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reform
Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI
RUPO]; other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of
Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and
medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax
Christi and groups representing immigrants
International organization participation:
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 333-6900 FAX: (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York consulate(s): Atlanta
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: (2) 508-2111 FAX: (2) 511-2725
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the design was based on the flag of France
Economy Belgium
Economy - overview:
This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its
central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and
diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated
mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural
resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw
materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its
economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly
three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt
is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has
succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is
relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in
January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of
the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$322.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$350.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$31,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 24% services: 74.9% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 4.77 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1.3% industry: 24.5% services: 74.2% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
4% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 23% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
25 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $180.4 billion
expenditures: $180.5 billion; including capital expenditures of
$1.56 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
94.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal,
pork, milk
Industries:
engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate:
-0.2% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
78.77 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 38.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 59.3% other: 1.8% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
79.66 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
8.3 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
14.7 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
13,060 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
450,000 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
1.042 million bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
15.48 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$6.305 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal
products, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%,
Italy 5.3% (2005)
Imports:
$264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals,
foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products
Imports - partners:
Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland
6.5%, US 5.4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$12 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.072 billion (2002)
Currency (code):
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 - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003),
1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Belgium
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.801 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.46 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 32; submarine cables - 5; satellite
earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
8.075 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
4.72 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.be
Internet hosts:
2,870,770 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
61 (2000)
Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)
Transportation Belgium
Airports: 43 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 1,561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:
total: 149,757 km
paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,647 km (2003)
Waterways:
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,952,159 GRT/6,521,645 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 4, chemical tanker 2, container 10,
liquefied gas 15, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 4, Greece 4, UK 2)
registered in other countries: 113 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas
13, Bermuda 4, Cyprus 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 6,
Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Greece 12, Hong Kong 3, Luxembourg 9, Malta
10, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 4, Panama 11,
Portugal 8, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore
12, Sweden 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Military Belgium
Military branches:
Belgian Armed Forces: Land, Naval, and Air Operations Commands
(2005)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise
approx. 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,436,736
females age 16-49: 2,369,463 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,998,003
females age 16-49: 1,940,918 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 64,263
females age 16-49: 61,402 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.999 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (2003)
Transnational Issues Belgium
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound
ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and
marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of
legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering
related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Belize
Introduction Belize
Background:
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their
decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and
Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it
formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial
disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of
Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation
until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current
concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South
American drug trade, and increasing urban crime.
Geography Belize
Location:
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
Mexico
Geographic coordinates:
17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline:
386 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from
the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's
territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,
1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for
negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with
Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry
season (February to May)
Terrain:
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal
flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents,
agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North
Pacific Ocean
People Belize
Population:
287,730 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)
15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.6 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.31% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.3 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean
Ethnic groups:
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican
5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%,
Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)
Languages:
English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.1% (2003 est.)
Government Belize
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence:
21 September 1981 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution:
21 September 1981
Legal system:
English law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17
November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28
August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September
1998)
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; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime
minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members
appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime
minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1
each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical
Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union
Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are
appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next
to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUP 21, UDP 8
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders:
People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party
or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele
CATZIM]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 332-9636
FAX: (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone: 227-7161 through 7163
FAX: 223-0802
Flag description:
blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges;
centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of
arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany
tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the
Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
Economy Belize
Economy - overview:
In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism
industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by
marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The
government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in
September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in
1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit
and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction
of poverty with the help of international donors.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.778 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$908 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.2%
industry: 15.2%
services: 61.2% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel
(2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 27%
industry: 18%
services: 55% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
12.9% (2003)
Population below poverty line:
33% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
17.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $262 million
expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70
million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Industries:
garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (1999)
Electricity - production:
120 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 59.9% hydro: 40.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
111.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:
$-180 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners:
US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005)
Imports:
$622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners:
US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China
4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$87 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Currency (code):
Belizean dollar (BZD)
Currency code:
BZD
Exchange rates:
Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2
(2002), 2 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Belize
Telephones - main lines in use:
33,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
93,100 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8
(Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
133,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Televisions:
41,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bz
Internet hosts:
3,905 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
35,000 (2005)
Transportation Belize
Airports: 43 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2006)
Roadways: total: 2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1999)
Waterways:
825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll
on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3,
Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4,
Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1,
Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6,
Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Belize City
Military Belize
Military branches:
Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and
Volunteer Guard
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 61,201
females age 18-49: 60,048 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 44,238
females age 18-49: 43,633 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 3,213
females age 18-49: 3,100 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$19 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Belize
Disputes - international:
Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited
rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002
failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment
to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint
ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK
financial package
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Belize is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked mainly
from Central America, and exploited in prostitution; children are
trafficked to Belize for labor exploitation; Belize's largely
unmonitored borders with Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico facilitate
the movement of illegal migrants who are vulnerable to traffickers;
girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation,
sometimes with the consent and complicity of their close relatives;
there are unconfirmed reports that Indian and Chinese migrants are
trafficked for involuntary servitude in homes and shops
tier rating: Tier 3 - Belize has failed to show evidence of
significant law enforcement or victim protection efforts
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of
cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity
related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Benin
Introduction Benin
Background:
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African
kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French
Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the
Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in
1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment
of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to
representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free
elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as
president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa
from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by
elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were
alleged.
Geography Benin
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and
Togo
Geographic coordinates:
9 30 N, 2 15 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km,
Togo 644 km
Coastline:
121 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Land use: arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005)
Irrigated land:
120 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to
March
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife
populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural
harbors, river mouths, or islands
People Benin
Population:
7,862,944
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)
15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.73% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.04 years
male: 51.9 years
female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
68,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,800 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese
Ethnic groups:
African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja,
Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Languages:
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in
south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.6%
male: 46.4%
female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
Government Benin
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Porto-Novo (official capital)
geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Cotonou (seat of government)
Administrative divisions:
12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines,
Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Independence:
1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
National Day, 1 August (1960)
Constitution:
December 1990
Legal system:
based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006
(next to be held March 2011)
election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote -
YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD,
AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small
parties) 31
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy
and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or
PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD;
Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS;
Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of
People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or
NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du
Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile)
[Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]
note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 232-6656 FAX: (202) 265-1996
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: 30-06-50 FAX: 30-06-70
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a
vertical green band on the hoist side
Economy Benin
Economy - overview:
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on
subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years,
but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to
raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign
investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the
development of new food processing systems and agricultural
products, and encourage new information and communication
technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's
application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for
which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy
continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture
in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral
creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin
benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while
pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be
hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing
list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in
increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.419 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.34 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31.6% industry: 13.8% services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
3.211 million
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
33% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $766.8 million
expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock
Industries:
textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
8.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
69 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 14.2% hydro: 85.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
538.2 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
474 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
400 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.218 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-400 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners:
China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%,
Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)
Imports:
$1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%,
Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$676 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$342.6 million (2000)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47
(2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Benin
Telephones - main lines in use:
76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
386,700 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7
(Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios:
660,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Televisions:
66,000 (2000)
Internet country code:
.bj
Internet hosts:
867 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)
Internet users:
425,000 (2005)
Transportation Benin
Airports: 5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Railways: total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 16,000 km paved: 1,400 km unpaved: 14,600 km (2005)
Waterways:
150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
Ports and terminals:
Cotonou
Military Benin
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 21-49: 1,295,230
females age 21-49: 1,301,936 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 21-49: 749,774
females age 21-49: 751,329 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 76,661
females: 75,068 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$100.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.3% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Benin
Disputes - international:
Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of
riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of
Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains
undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a
consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land
boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border
persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the
boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary
stones
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian
trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western
Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly
regulated financial infrastructure
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bermuda
Introduction Bermuda
Background:
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists
headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American
winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be
important to the island's economy, although international business
has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a
highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum
on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the
present government has reopened debate on the issue.
Geography Bermuda
Location:
North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east
of South Carolina (US)
Geographic coordinates:
32 20 N, 64 45 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
103 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter
Terrain:
low hills separated by fertile depressions
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Town Hill 76 m
Natural resources: limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (June to November)
Environment - current issues:
sustainable development
Geography - note:
consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall,
but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US
Government from 1941 to 1995
People Bermuda
Population:
65,773 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,146/female 6,098)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,562/female 22,954)
65 years and over: 12.2% (male 3,479/female 4,534) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.2 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.61% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
11.4 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.85 years
female: 80.1 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.297% (2005)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
163 (2005)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
392 (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian
Ethnic groups:
black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified
0.4% (2000 census)
Religions:
Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%,
other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%,
none 14% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Portuguese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (2005 est.)
Government Bermuda
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
parliamentary; self-governing territory
Capital:
name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 46 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*,
Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's,
Southampton, Warwick
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Bermuda Day, 24 May
Constitution:
8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003
Legal system:
English law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002)
head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006);
Deputy Premier Paula COX
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed premier by the governor
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body
appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the
House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held
not later than July 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%;
seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party
or UBP [Wayne FURBERT]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union
or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed
BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: (441) 295-1342 FAX: (441) 295-1592, (441) 296-9233
Flag description:
red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion
holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea
Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag
Economy Bermuda
Economy - overview:
Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more
than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based
on providing financial services for international business and
luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies
relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after
Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already
robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry -
which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to
struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital
equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is
small, although construction continues to be important; the average
cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is
limited with only 20% of the land being arable.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.5 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
NA
GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$69,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 38,360 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.1% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
19% (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (November 2005)
Budget:
revenues: $738 million
expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey
Industries:
international business, tourism, light manufacturing
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
682.5 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
616.7 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
4,658 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$1.469 billion (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
reexports of pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners:
France 65.6%, Spain 11.7%, US 4.5% (2005)
Imports:
$982 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction
materials, chemicals, food and live animals
Imports - partners:
Kazakhstan 51%, France 19%, South Korea 10.2%, US 7.6% (2005)
Debt - external:
$160 million (FY99/00)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Currency (code):
Bermudian dollar (BMD)
Currency code:
BMD
Exchange rates:
Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the
US dollar)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use:
56,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
49,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good
domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic
trunk lines
international: country code - 1-441; submarine cables - 3 (fiber
optic); satellite earth stations - 3 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)
Radios:
82,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (2005)
Televisions:
66,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bm
Internet hosts:
8,114 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (2000)
Internet users:
39,000 (2005)
Transportation Bermuda
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 447 km paved: 447 km note: public roads - 225 km; private roads - 222 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,873,728 GRT/8,688,692 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 1, container 24, liquefied gas 23,
passenger 19, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated
cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 116 (Australia 3, Belgium 4, France 1, Germany 21,
Greece 2, Hong Kong 10, Indonesia 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Monaco 2,
Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, Switzerland 2, UK 9, US 27)
registered in other countries: 6 (Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 4,
Panama 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Hamilton, Saint George
Military Bermuda
Military branches:
no regular military forces
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,151 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 12,165 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 408 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.03 million (2001)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.11% (FY00/01)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Bermuda
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bhutan
Introduction Bhutan
Background:
In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under
which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding
some border land to British India. Under British influence, a
monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed
whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal
affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.
This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years
later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan
annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country
received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and
foreign relations. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in
Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the
government's draft constitution - which would introduce major
democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for
its approval. A referendum date has yet to be named.
Geography Bhutan
Location:
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
27 30 N, 90 30 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 47,000 sq km
land: 47,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,075 km border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers
in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
Terrain:
mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate
Land use: arable land: 2.3% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 97.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
400 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's
name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent
landslides during the rainy season
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion; limited access to potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls
several key Himalayan mountain passes
People Bhutan
Population: 2,279,723 note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 458,801/female 426,947)
15-64 years: 57.1% (male 671,057/female 631,078)
65 years and over: 4% (male 46,217/female 45,623) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.4 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 20.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.1% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
33.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
12.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 98.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 96.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 100.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.78 years
male: 55.02 years
female: 54.53 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Bhutanese
Ethnic groups:
Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of
several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Religions:
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
Languages:
Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects,
Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47%
male: 60%
female: 34% (2003 est.)
Government Bhutan
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form: Bhutan
local long form: Druk Gyalkhap
local short form: Druk Yul
Government type:
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital:
name: Thimphu
geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 39 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha,
Chirang, Dagana, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel,
Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu,
Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse
Independence:
8 August 1949 (from India)
National holiday:
National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17
December (1907)
Constitution:
no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001, the king
commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in March 2005
publicly unveiled it; is awaiting national referendum
Legal system:
based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late
2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law
Executive branch:
chief of state: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay
NGEDUP (since 5 September 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the
monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed,
five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council
(Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms
in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the
monarch with two-thirds vote
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected
from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35
are designated by the monarch to represent government and other
secular interests; members serve three-year terms)
elections: local elections last held August 2005 (next to be held in
2008)
election results: NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed
by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
no legal parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant
antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for
Democracy (exiled)
International organization participation:
AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW,
SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 826-1919; FAX (212) 826-2998; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India)
Flag description:
divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper
triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along
the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from
the hoist side
Economy Bhutan
Economy - overview:
The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is
based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood
for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of
subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate
the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure
difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's
through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's
financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically
backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most
development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian
migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for
tourists are key resources. Model education, social, and environment
programs are underway with support from multilateral development
organizations. Each economic program takes into account the
government's desire to protect the country's environment and
cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious
expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale,
environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and
uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor,
and finance continue to hamper foreign investment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.9 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$840.5 million
GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25.8% industry: 37.9% services: 36.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force: NA note: major shortage of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 93% industry: 2% services: 5%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $346.6 million
expenditures: including capital expenditures of $NA
note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of
Bhutan's budget expenditures (FY95/96 est.)
Public debt:
81.4% of GDP
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs
Industries:
cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages,
calcium carbide
Industrial production growth rate:
9.3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.882 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
250.3 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
1.51 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
10 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption:
1,100 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts,
cement, fruit, precious stones, spices
Exports - partners:
Japan 33.2%, Germany 13.6%, France 13.5%, South Korea 7.8%, US
7.7%, Thailand 5.8%, Italy 5.1% (2005)
Imports:
$196 million c.i.f. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics,
rice
Imports - partners:
Hong Kong 68.4%, Mexico 20.8%, France 3.9% (2005)
Debt - external:
$593 million (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
$78 million substantial aid from India and other nations
Currency (code):
ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code:
BTN; INR
Exchange rates:
ngultrum per US dollar - 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583
(2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Bhutan
Telephones - main lines in use:
32,700 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
37,800 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications facilities are poor
domestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poor
especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003
international: country code - 975; international telephone and
telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;
satellite earth station - 1 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2006)
Radios:
37,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2006)
Televisions:
11,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bt
Internet hosts:
7,567 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
25,000 (2005)
Transportation Bhutan
Airports: 2 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 8,050 km paved: 4,991 km unpaved: 3,059 km (2003)
Military Bhutan
Military branches:
Royal Bhutan Army: Royal Bodyguard, Royal Bhutan Police (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 483,860
females age 18-49: 453,683 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 314,975
females age 18-49: 296,833 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 23,939
females age 18-49: 21,979 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$8.29 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Bhutan
Disputes - international:
approximately 105,000 Bhutanese have lived decades as refugees in
Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Refugees camps; Bhutan cooperates with India to
expel Indian separatists
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bolivia
Introduction Bolivia
Background:
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away
from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has
consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups.
Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have
faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and
illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected
Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the
widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule
in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's
traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority.
However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have
exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian
populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of
the eastern lowlands.
Geography Bolivia
Location:
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km,
Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Terrain:
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills,
lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources:
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver,
iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,320 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Environment - current issues:
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the
international demand for tropical timber are contributing to
deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation
methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification;
loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used
for drinking and irrigation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest
navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People Bolivia
Population:
8,989,046 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 1,603,982/female 1,542,319)
15-64 years: 60.4% (male 2,660,806/female 2,771,807)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 182,412/female 227,720) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.2 years
female: 22.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.45% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 55.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 48.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.84 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 68.61 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,900 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups:
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%,
Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.2%
male: 93.1%
female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
Government Bolivia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: La Paz (adminstrative capital)
geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni,
Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz,
Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Legal system:
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of
age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January
2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22
January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January
2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18
December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent
of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA
Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI
Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of
Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are
elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve
five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130
seats; 69 are directly elected from their districts and 61 are
elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MAS 73,
PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms
by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department);
provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Political parties and leaders:
Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity
Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz
BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy
ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ
Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma];
Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National
Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New
Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous
Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE Huanca]; Poder Democratico Nacional
or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Socialist Party or PS
[Jeres JUSTINIANO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole
Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman
LOAYZA]
International organization participation:
CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 483-4410
FAX: (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San
Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: (2) 216-8000 FAX: (2) 216-8111
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with
the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of
Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the
yellow band
Economy Bolivia
Economy - overview:
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American
countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous
economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP
growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell.
Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of
a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil,
civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt
investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the
pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE
LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to
export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large
northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a
controversial natural gas law that imposes on the oil and gas firms
significantly higher taxes as well as new contracts that give the
state control of their operations. Bolivian officials are in the
process of implementing the law; meanwhile, foreign investors have
stopped investing and have taken the first legal steps to secure
their investments. Real GDP growth in 2003-05 - helped by increased
demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but
still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal
position has improved in recent years, but the country remains
dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign
governments to meet budget shortfalls. In 2005, the G8 announced a
$2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades that
should help reduce some fiscal pressures on the government in the
near term.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$25.82 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$9.657 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.8% industry: 35.2% services: 52% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 4.22 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
60.6 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
12.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.848 billion
expenditures: $3.189 billion; including capital expenditures of $741
million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes;
timber
Industries:
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco,
handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
4.25 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 1.5% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
3.963 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
10 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
48,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
6.72 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.74 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
679.6 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$462 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$2.371 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore,
tin
Exports - partners:
Brazil 41.2%, US 14.1%, Colombia 8.8%, Argentina 7.6%, Peru 5.5%
(2005)
Imports:
$1.845 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts,
prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
Imports - partners:
Brazil 21.9%, Argentina 16.7%, US 13.8%, Chile 6.9%, Peru 6.5%,
Japan 6.1%, China 5.8% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.798 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.309 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$221 million (2005 est.)
Currency (code):
boliviano (BOB)
Currency code:
BOB
Exchange rates:
bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592
(2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Bolivia
Telephones - main lines in use:
646,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.421 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties;
most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile
cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs
digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic
cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Radios:
5.25 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
48 (1997)
Televisions:
900,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bo
Internet hosts:
20,085 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)
Internet users:
480,000 (2005)
Transportation Bolivia
Airports: 1,084 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,068 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 207 under 914 m: 797 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined
products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 3,519 km
narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 60,762 km
paved: 4,314 km (including 11 km of expressways)
unpaved: 56,448 km (2003)
Waterways:
10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 127,297 GRT/198,525 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo
3, petroleum tanker 10
foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 2, Iran 1, Singapore
3, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the
Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in
maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Military Bolivia
Military branches:
Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian
Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force
(Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,923,234
females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,311,414
females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 101,101
females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$130 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Bolivia
Disputes - international:
Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama
corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but
not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas
and other commodities
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Bolivia is a source and transit country for men,
women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual
exploitation to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as to Spain;
children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, forced
mining, and agricultural labor; illegal migrants from Asia
transiting Bolivia are vulnerable as trafficking victims
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bolivia has failed to show evidence
of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in the areas of
prosecutions and victim protection
Illicit drugs:
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru)
with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005,
an 8% increase from 2004; intermediate coca products and cocaine
exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to
European drug markets; cultivation steadily increasing despite
eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity
related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil
and Paraguay
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Bosnia and Herzegovina
Introduction Bosnia and Herzegovina
Background:
Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991
was followed by a declaration of independence from the former
Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic
Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and
Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning
the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form
a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the
number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement
creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed
a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic
civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December
1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's
international boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and
democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic,
and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government
comprised of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led
Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were
charged with overseeing most government functions. The Office of the
High Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the
implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In 1995-96,
a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops
served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of
the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led
Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed
hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced
SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and
stability throughout the country.
Geography Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 18 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 51,129 sq km
land: 51,129 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,459 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302 km
Coastline:
20 km
Maritime claims:
no data available
Climate:
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short,
cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along
coast
Terrain:
mountains and valleys
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt,
manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of
urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of
infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is
divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the
territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about
49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous
to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally
has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an
ethnic Serb majority in the east
People Bosnia and Herzegovina
Population:
4,498,976 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 359,739/female 336,978)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,590,923/female 1,564,665)
65 years and over: 14.4% (male 265,637/female 381,034) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.4 years
male: 37.2 years
female: 39.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.35% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
8.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
13.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78 years
male: 74.39 years
female: 81.88 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.22 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
900 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic groups:
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid
confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam
Religions:
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%
Languages:
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.6%
male: 98.4%
female: 91.1% (2000 est.)
Government Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form: none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina
former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Government type:
emerging federal democratic republic
Capital:
name: Sarajevo
geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally
supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the
Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna
i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note -
Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is an administrative
unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the district
remains under international supervision
Independence:
1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence was
completed 1 March 1992; independence was declared 3 March 1992)
National holiday:
National Day, 25 November (1943)
Constitution:
the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new
constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its
own constitution
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC
(chairman since 6 November 2006; presidency member since 1 October
2006 - Serb); other members of the three-member presidency rotating
(every eight months): Zeljko KOMSIC (since 1 October 2006 - Croat)
and Haris SILAJDZIC (since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adnan
TERZIC (since 20 December 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman;
approved by the National House of Representatives
elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one
Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years);
the member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she
was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the
chairmanship rotates every eight months; election last held 1
October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council
of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the
National House of Representatives
election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of
the Serb vote; Zeljko KOMSIC received 39.6% of the Croat vote; Haris
SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the Bosniak vote
note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Niko
LOZANCIC (since 27 January 2003); Vice Presidents Sahbaz DZIHANOVIC
(since in 2003) and Desnica RADIVOJEVIC (since in 2003); President
of the Republika Srpska: Milan JELIC (since 9 November 2006)
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the
national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats -
elected by proportional representation, 28 seats allocated from the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats from the Republika
Srpska; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms);
and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5
Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's
House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National
Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election law
specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
administrative division entity legislatures
elections: national House of Representatives - elections last held 1
October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); House of Peoples - last
constituted in January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007)
election results: national House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 9,
SBiH 8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3, HDZ-BH 3, other 7; House of Peoples -
percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition -
NA
note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1
October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 28, SBiH 24, SDP 17,
HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100 7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (60 seats - 30
Bosniak, 30 Croat); last constituted December 2002; the Republika
Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006
(next to be held in the fall of 2010); percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 41, SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBH 4,
SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of the 2002 constitutional
reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples
(COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly
including eight Croats, eight Bosniaks, eight Serbs, and four
members of the smaller communities
Judicial branch:
BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are
selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives,
two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three
non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human
Rights); BH State Court (consists of nine judges and three divisions
- Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over
cases related to state-level law and appellate jurisdiction over
cases initiated in the entities); note - a War Crimes Chamber opened
in March 2005
note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a
number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the
Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska
has five municipal courts
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK];
Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or
GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and
Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin TOPIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP
[Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants Party or HSS [Marko TADIC];
Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BH
[Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 100 or HDZ100; Croatian
Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ
[Rifet DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC];
Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croat Initiative
or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBiH
[Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman
TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb
Democratic Party or SDS [Dragan CAVIC]; Serb Radical Party of the
Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical
Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC]; Social
Democratic Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social
Democratic Union or SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist Party of
Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
BIS, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC
chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: (202) 337-1500
FAX: (202) 337-1502
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas L. McELHANEY embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use street address telephone: (33) 445-700 FAX: (33) 659-722 branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar
Flag description:
a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow
isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the
remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed
white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse
of the triangle
Economy Bosnia and Herzegovina