The 2007 CIA World Factbook
by United States. Central Intelligence Agency · English · Gutenberg #27348 · 8,906,605 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The 2007 CIA World Factbook
Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Release date: November 28, 2008 [eBook #27348]
Most recently updated: October 3, 2025
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27348
Credits: Produced by Al Haines
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2007 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK ***
THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2007
CONTENTS
Countries and Locations
Field Listings
Rank Orders
Appendixes
Notes and Definitions
History of the World Factbook
Contributors and Copyright Information
Purchasing Information
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
======================================================================
What's New
- Country information has been updated as of 8 February 2007.
- In the Government category, the "Capital" entry has been greatly
expanded and now contains up to four subfields, including significant
new information having to do with time. The subfields consist of the
name of the capital itself, its geographic coordinates, the time
difference at the capital from coordinated universal time (UTC), and,
if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where
appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those
countries that have multiple time zones.
- The Transnational issues category now has a "Trafficking in persons"
entry. Human trafficking connotes modern-day slavery and this important
new field will include information on the most egregious countries
(Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3) as listed in the US State Department's
annual report.
- A new Appendix G lists Weights and Measures. The appendix includes
information on mathematical notation and metric interrelationships, as
well as over 400 examples of standard conversion factors.
-Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001
edition, is continued in this edition. Several regional maps have also
been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes.
======================================================================
The World Factbook (2007) - Country Listing
[Transcriber's note: To search on a country in this file, prefix the
country's name with "@", e.g. "@Afghanistan". "Afghanistan" will find
all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]
World
A
Afghanistan
Akrotiri
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
B
Bahamas, The
Bahrain
Baker Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India description under Iles Eparses
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
D
Denmark
Dhekelia
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
E
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island description under Iles Eparses
European Union entry follows Taiwan
F
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
G
Gabon
Gambia, The
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands description under Iles Eparses
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
H
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Holy See (Vatican City)
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Hungary
I
Iceland
Iles Eparses
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
J
Jamaica
Jan Mayen
Japan
Jarvis Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Jersey
Johnston Atoll description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island description under Iles Eparses
K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Kiribati
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
L
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States of
Midway Islands description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
N
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
O
Oman
P
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Q
Qatar
R
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
S
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Southern Ocean
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
T
Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tromelin Island description under Iles Eparses
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
V
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
W
Wake Island
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
Y
Yemen
Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Taiwan
European Union
=====================================================================
Field Listings
[Transcriber's note: To search on a field code in this file, prefix
the code number with "@", e.g. "@2001". "2001" will find all
occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]
Code Field Description
2001 GDP (purchasing power parity)
2002 Population growth rate
2003 GDP - real growth rate
2004 GDP - per capita (PPP)
2006 Dependency status
2007 Diplomatic representation from the US
2008 Transportation - note
2010 Age structure
2011 Geographic coordinates
2012 GDP - composition by sector
2013 Radio broadcast stations
2015 Television broadcast stations
2018 Sex ratio
2019 Heliports
2020 Elevation extremes
2021 Natural hazards
2022 People - note
2023 Area - comparative
2024 Military service age and obligation
2025 Manpower fit for military service
2026 Manpower reaching military service age annually
2028 Background
2030 Airports - with paved runways
2031 Airports - with unpaved runways
2032 Environment - current issues
2033 Environment - international agreements
2034 Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2038 Electricity - production
2042 Electricity - consumption
2043 Electricity - imports
2044 Electricity - exports
2046 Population below poverty line
2047 Household income or consumption by percentage share
2048 Labor force - by occupation
2049 Exports - commodities
2050 Exports - partners
2051 Administrative divisions
2052 Agriculture - products
2053 Airports
2054 Birth rate
2055 Military branches
2056 Budget
2057 Capital
2058 Imports - commodities
2059 Climate
2060 Coastline
2061 Imports - partners
2062 Economic aid - donor
2063 Constitution
2064 Economic aid - recipient
2065 Currency (code)
2066 Death rate
2068 Dependent areas
2070 Disputes - international
2075 Ethnic groups
2076 Exchange rates
2077 Executive branch
2078 Exports
2079 Debt - external
2080 Fiscal year
2081 Flag description
2085 Roadways
2086 Illicit drugs
2087 Imports
2088 Independence
2089 Industrial production growth rate
2090 Industries
2091 Infant mortality rate
2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2093 Waterways
2094 Judicial branch
2095 Labor force
2096 Land boundaries
2097 Land use
2098 Languages
2100 Legal system
2101 Legislative branch
2102 Life expectancy at birth
2103 Literacy
2105 Manpower available for military service
2106 Maritime claims
2107 International organization participation
2108 Merchant marine
2109 National holiday
2110 Nationality
2111 Natural resources
2112 Net migration rate
2113 Geography - note
2115 Political pressure groups and leaders
2116 Economy - overview
2117 Pipelines
2118 Political parties and leaders
2119 Population
2120 Ports and terminals
2121 Railways
2122 Religions
2123 Suffrage
2124 Telephone system
2125 Terrain
2127 Total fertility rate
2128 Government type
2129 Unemployment rate
2137 Military - note
2138 Communications - note
2140 Government - note
2142 Country name
2144 Location
2145 Map references
2146 Irrigated land
2147 Area
2149 Diplomatic representation in the US
2150 Telephones - main lines in use
2151 Telephones - mobile cellular
2153 Internet users
2154 Internet country code
2155 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
2156 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
2157 HIV/AIDS - deaths
2172 Distribution of family income - Gini index
2173 Oil - production
2174 Oil - consumption
2175 Oil - imports
2176 Oil - exports
2177 Median age
2178 Oil - proved reserves
2179 Natural gas - proved reserves
2180 Natural gas - production
2181 Natural gas - consumption
2182 Natural gas - imports
2183 Natural gas - exports
2184 Internet hosts
2185 Investment (gross fixed)
2186 Public debt
2187 Current account balance
2188 Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
2193 Major infectious diseases
2194 Refugees and internally displaced persons
2195 GDP (official exchange rate)
2196 Trafficking in persons
=====================================================================
Rank Orders
[Transcriber's note: To search on a rank order in this file, prefix
the rank's name with "@", e.g. "@Population". "Population" will find
all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]
Rank Order pages are presorted lists of data from selected Factbook
data fields. Rank Order pages are generally given in descending order -
highest to lowest - such as Population and Area. The two exceptions are
Unemployment Rate and Inflation Rate, which are in ascending - lowest
to highest - order. Rank Order pages are available for the following 47
fields in six of the nine Factbook categories.
Geography
Area - total
People
Population
Birth rate
Death rate
Infant mortality rate
Life expectancy at birth - total
Total fertility rate
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS - deaths
Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity)
GDP - real growth rate
GDP - per capita
Labor force
Unemployment rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Investment (gross fixed)
Public debt
Industrial production growth rate
Electricity - production
Electricity - consumption
Oil - production
Oil - consumption
Oil - exports
Oil - imports
Oil - proved reserves
Natural Gas - production
Natural Gas - consumption
Natural Gas - exports
Natural Gas - imports
Natural Gas - proved reserves
Current account balance
Exports
Imports
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt - external
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use
Telephones - mobile cellular
Internet hosts
Internet users
Transportation
Airports
Railways - total
Roadways - total
Waterways
Merchant marine - total
Military
Military expenditures - dollar figure
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
Factbook fields with Rank Order pages are easily identified with a
small bar chart icon to the right of the data field title.
Not all Rank Order pages include the same number of entries because
information for a particular field is not available for all countries.
In addition, not all data fields are suitable for displaying as Rank
Order pages, such as those containing textual information. Textual
information is more readily viewed by clicking on the Field Listing
icon next to the Data field title. The other icon next to the data
field title provides the definition of the field.
All of the 'Rank Order' pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data
files and can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and
databases. To save a Rank Order page in a spreadsheet, first click on
the 'Download Datafile' choice above the Rank Order page you selected;
then, at the top of your browser window, click on 'File' and 'Save As'.
After saving the file, open the spreadsheet, find the saved file, and
'Open' it.
Additional Rank Order pages being considered for future updates of the
Factbook Web site include:
Median age
Literacy
Population below the poverty line
This page was last updated on 4 April, 2006
=====================================================================
Appendixes
Appendix A - Abbreviations
Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups
Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements
Appendix D - Cross-Reference list of Country Data Codes
Appendix E - Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
Appendix G - Weights and Measures
======================================================================
Notes and Definitions
Along with regular information updates, The World Factbook features
several new or revised fields. In the Government category, the
"Capital" entry has been greatly expanded and now contains up to four
subfields, including significant new information having to do with
time. The subfields consist of the name of the capital itself, its
geographic coordinates, the time difference at the capital from
coordinated universal time (UTC), and, if applicable, information on
daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note has been
added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. The
Transnational issues category now has a "Trafficking in persons" entry.
Human trafficking connotes modern-day slavery and this important new
field will include information on the most egregious countries (Tier 2
Watch List and Tier 3) as listed in the US State Department's annual
report.
Abbreviations: This information is included in Appendix A:
Abbreviations, which includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in
the Factbook, with their expansions.
Acronyms: An acronym is an abbreviation coined from the initial letter
of each successive word in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym
made up solely from the first letter of the major words in the expanded
form is rendered in all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic
Treaty Organization; an exception would be ASEAN for Association of
Southeast Asian Nations). In general, an acronym made up of more than
the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered
with only an initial capital letter (Comsat from Communications
Satellite Corporation; an exception would be NAM from Nonaligned
Movement). Hybrid forms are sometimes used to distinguish between
initially identical terms (WTO: for World Trade Organization and WToO
for World Tourism Organization.)
Administrative divisions: This entry generally gives the numbers,
designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions as approved
by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been
reported but not yet acted on by BGN are noted.
Age structure: This entry provides the distribution of the population
according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14
years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a
population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with
young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in
schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages
65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age
structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues.
For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to
find employment can lead to unrest.
Agriculture - products: This entry is an ordered listing of major
crops and products starting with the most important.
Airports: This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields
recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or
asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces)
but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or
airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities,
etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accomodations
for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports - with paved runways: This entry gives the total number of
airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt surfaces) by length.
For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is
included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2)
2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5)
under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in this
listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance,
or air traffic control.
Airports - with unpaved runways: This entry gives the total number of
airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces)
by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest
runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over
3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523
m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included
in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control.
Appendixes: This section includes Factbook-related material by topic.
Area: This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of
all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or
coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by
international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water
bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the
surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or
rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines.
Area - comparative: This entry provides an area comparison based on
total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US
or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised)
provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are
compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in
Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
Background: This entry usually highlights major historic events and
current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future
trends.
Birth rate: This entry gives the average annual number of births
during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also
known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant
factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both
the level of fertility and the age structure of the population.
Budget: This entry includes revenues, expenditures, and capital
expenditures. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis,
i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Capital: This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its
geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if
applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where
appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries
that have multiple time zones.
Climate: This entry includes a brief description of typical weather
regimes throughout the year.
Coastline: This entry gives the total length of the boundary between
the land area (including islands) and the sea.
Communications: This category deals with the means of exchanging
information and includes the telephone, radio, television, and Internet
host entries.
Communications - note: This entry includes miscellaneous
communications information of significance not included elsewhere.
Constitution: This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions,
and major amendments.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): UTC is the international atomic time
scale that serves as the basis of timekeeping for most of the world.
The hours, minutes, and seconds expressed by UTC represent the time of
day at the Prime Meridian (0 deg. longitude) located near Greenwich,
England as reckoned from midnight. UTC is calculated by the Bureau
International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France. The BIPM
averages data collected from more than 200 atomic time and frequency
standards located at about 50 laboratories worldwide. UTC is the basis
for all civil time with the Earth divided into time zones expressed as
positive or negative differences from UTC. UTC is also referred to as
"Zulu time." See the Standard Time Zones of the World map included with
the Reference Maps.
Country data codes: see Data codes
Country map: Most versions of the Factbook provide a country map in
color. The maps were produced from the best information available at
the time of preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed
subsequently.
Country name: This entry includes all forms of the country's name
approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an
example): conventional long form (Italian Republic), conventional short
form (Italy), local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form
(Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also
see the Terminology note.
Crude oil: See entry for oil.
Currency (code): This entry identifies the national medium of exchange
and, in parenthesis, gives the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for each country.
Current account balance: This entry records a country's net trade in
goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits,
and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and
worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period
specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis,
i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Data codes: This information is presented in Appendix D: Cross-
Reference List of Country Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference
List of Hydrographic Data Codes.
Date of information: In general, information available as of 1 January
2007, was used in the preparation of this edition.
Daylight Saving Time (DST): This entry is included for those entities
that have adopted a policy of adjusting the official local time
forward, usually one hour, from Standard Time during summer months.
Such policies are most common in mid-latitude regions.
Death rate: This entry gives the average annual number of deaths
during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude
death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the
mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current
mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly
affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a
rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in
mortality at all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging
population.
Debt - external: This entry gives the total public and private debt
owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services.
These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in
purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Dependency status: This entry describes the formal relationship
between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state.
Dependent areas: This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all
nonindependent entities associated in some way with a particular
independent state.
Diplomatic representation: The US Government has diplomatic relations
with 188 independent states, including 187 of the 192 UN members
(excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and the US
itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic relations with 1
independent state that is not in the UN, the Holy See, as well as with
the EU.
Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes the chief
of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX
number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and
consulate locations.
Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the chief of
mission, chancery, telephone, FAX, consulate general locations, and
consulate locations.
Disputes - international: This entry includes a wide variety of
situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to
unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information regarding
disputes over international terrestrial and maritime boundaries has
been reviewed by the US Department of State. References to other
situations involving borders or frontiers may also be included, such as
resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues;
however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute official acceptance
or recognition by the US Government.
Distribution of family income - Gini index: This index measures the
degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country.
The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative
family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from
the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area
between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b)
the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly
equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to
the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian
country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income
distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and
the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of
50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve
would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if
income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would
coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the
index would be 100.
Economic aid - donor: This entry refers to net official development
assistance (ODA) from Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) nations to developing countries and multilateral
organizations. ODA is defined as financial assistance that is
concessional in character, has the main objective to promote economic
development and welfare of the less developed countries (LDCs), and
contains a grant element of at least 25%. The entry does not cover
other official flows (OOF) or private flows. These figures are
calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power
parity (PPP) terms.
Economic aid - recipient: This entry, which is subject to major
problems of definition and statistical coverage, refers to the net
inflow of Official Development Finance (ODF) to recipient countries.
The figure includes assistance from the World Bank, the IMF, and other
international organizations and from individual nation donors. Formal
commitments of aid are included in the data. Omitted from the data are
grants by private organizations. Aid comes in various forms including
outright grants and loans. The entry thus is the difference between new
inflows and repayments. These figures are calculated on an exchange
rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Economy: This category includes the entries dealing with the size,
development, and management of productive resources, i.e., land, labor,
and capital.
Economy - overview: This entry briefly describes the type of economy,
including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic
development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas
of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and
policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement
about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.
Electricity - consumption: This entry consists of total electricity
generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in
kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity
generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is
accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.
Electricity - exports: This entry is the total exported electricity in
kilowatt-hours.
Electricity - imports: This entry is the total imported electricity in
kilowatt-hours.
Electricity - production: This entry is the annual electricity
generated expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the
amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed
and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and
distribution.
Elevation extremes: This entry includes both the highest point and the
lowest point.
Entities: Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of
special sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are
not independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US
Government. "Independent state" refers to a people politically
organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory.
"Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad
category of political entities that are associated in some way with an
independent state. "Country" names used in the table of contents or for
page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US
Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states,
dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic
entities. There are a total of 268 separate geographic entities in The
World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES
193 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,
Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the
Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor,
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany,
Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana,
Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,
Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated
States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,
Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan,
Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay,
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
OTHER
2 Taiwan, European Union
DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY
6 Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
Islands, Norfolk Island
2 China - Hong Kong, Macau
2 Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland
12 France - Bassas da India*, Clipperton Island, Europa Island*, French
Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands*, Juan
de Nova Island*, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon,
Tromelin Island*, Wallis and Futuna (* consolidated in Iles Eparses
entry)
2 Netherlands - Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
3 New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
3 Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
17 UK - Akrotiri, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dhekelia, Falkland Islands,
Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands,
Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and
Caicos Islands
14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island*, Guam, Howland Island*, Jarvis
Island*, Johnston Atoll*, Kingman Reef*, Midway Islands*, Navassa
Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll*, Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands, Wake Island (* consolidated in United States Pacific Island
Wildlife Refuges entry)
MISCELLANEOUS
6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West Bank,
Western Sahara
OTHER ENTITIES
5 oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean,
Southern Ocean
1 World
268 total
Environment - current issues: This entry lists the most pressing and
important environmental problems. The following terms and abbreviations
are used throughout the entry:
Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid
precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this
process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish
and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid
rain).
Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur
dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly
to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH
scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered
alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note
- a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in
New England.
Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke,
or fog.
Afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting
trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that
have been cut or destroyed by fire.
Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in
fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in
particulate form.
Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of
species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism,
community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an
ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption.
Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance,
and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.
Biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given area
or volume.
Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in
various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean,
terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits.
Catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and
runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited
freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless
insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was
banned in the US in 1972.
Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves
artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control,
and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health.
Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g.,
unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing,
and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without
planting new growth.
Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-
arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive
soils, or climate change.
Dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a
technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g.,
shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction
of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.
Drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally
anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in an
over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial marine
species (by-catch) by its effect of "sweeping the ocean clean".
Ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of
organisms and their specific environments.
Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste
which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting it.
Endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction
either by direct hunting or habitat destruction.
Freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources
include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
Greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the lower
atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide,
nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary
greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
Groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth often
in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source
for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by
Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply
into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest
infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly
and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it
forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders
economic resources.
Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 145,000 Inuits of
Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental
issues; a General Assembly convenes every three years to determine the
focus of the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of
pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change.
Metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science,
technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly
concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of
ground water and air when not properly disposed.
Noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.
Overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than it
can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a
common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land.
Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3)
that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and
absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living
organisms.
Poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with
respect to endangered or threatened species.
Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made
waste.
Potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.
Salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes
salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process;
also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by
evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can
eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.
Siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted
with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.
Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which
trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary
agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which
point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is
sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for
regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do
not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the
environment.
Soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because of
poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or
fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of
topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce
agricultural products.
Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind,
compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing,
and desertification.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy
emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by
the ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living organisms and
has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in humans.
Water-born diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are
transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an
untreated water supply.
Environment - international agreements: This entry separates country
participation in international environmental agreements into two levels
- party to and signed, but not ratified. Agreements are listed in
alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of the full name.
Environmental agreements: This information is presented in Appendix C:
Selected International Environmental Agreements, which includes the
name, abbreviation, date opened for signature, date entered into force,
objective, and parties by category.
Ethnic groups: This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups
starting with the largest and normally includes the percent of total
population.
Exchange rates: This entry provides the official value of a country's
monetary unit at a given date or over a given period of time, as
expressed in units of local currency per US dollar and as determined by
international market forces or official fiat.
Executive branch: This entry includes several subfields. Chief of
state includes the name and title of the titular leader of the country
who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may
not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government. Head
of government includes the name and title of the top administrative
leader who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the
government. For example, in the UK, the monarch is the chief of state,
and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the
president is both the chief of state and the head of government.
Cabinet includes the official name for this body of high-ranking
advisers and the method for selection of members. Elections includes
the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last
election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the
percent of vote for each candidate in the last election.
Exports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise
exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are
calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power
parity (PPP) terms.
Exports - commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of exported
products starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the
percent of total dollar value.
Exports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading
partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the
percent of total dollar value.
Fiscal year: This entry identifies the beginning and ending months for
a country's accounting period of 12 months, which often is the calendar
year but which may begin in any month. All yearly references are for
the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year
(FY).
Flag description: This entry provides a written flag description
produced from actual flags or the best information available at the
time the entry was written. The flags of independent states are used by
their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag.
Some disputed and other areas do not have flags.
Flag graphic: Most versions of the Factbook include a color flag at
the beginning of the country profile. The flag graphics were produced
from actual flags or the best information available at the time of
preparation. The flags of independent states are used by their
dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some
disputed and other areas do not have flags.
GDP (official exchange rate): This entry gives the gross domestic
product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within
a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at offical exchange rates
(OER) is the home-currency-denominated annual GDP figure divided by the
bilateral average US exchange rate with that country in that year. The
measure is simple to compute and gives a precise measure of the value
of output. Many economists prefer this measure when gauging the
economic power an economy maintains vis-a-vis its neighbors, judging
that an exchange rate captures the purchasing power a nation enjoys in
the international marketplace. Official exchange rates, however, can be
artifically fixed and/or subject to manipulation - resulting in claims
of the country having an under- or over-valued currency - and are not
necessarily the equivalent of a market-determined exchange rate.
Moreover, even if the official exchange rate is market-determined,
market exchange rates are frequently established by a relatively small
set of goods and services (the ones the country trades) and may not
capture the value of the larger set of goods the country produces.
Furthermore, OER-converted GDP is not well suited to comparing domestic
GDP over time, since appreciation/depreciation from one year to the
next will make the OER GDP value rise/fall regardless of whether home-
currency-denominated GDP changed.
GDP (purchasing power parity): This entry gives the gross domestic
product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within
a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity
(PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services
produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United
States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-
capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources
across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar
value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country
regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent
in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US
military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are
based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In
addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World
Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP
estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing
countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official
exchange rate (OER) measure. The difference between the OER- and PPP-
denominated GDP values for most of the weathly industrialized countries
are generally much smaller.
GDP - composition by sector: This entry gives the percentage
contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total GDP. The
distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are
incomplete.
GDP - per capita (PPP): This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power
parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year.
GDP - real growth rate: This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis
adjusted for inflation and expressed as a percent.
GDP methodology: In the Economy category, GDP dollar estimates for
countries are reported both on an official exchange rate (OER) and a
purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. Both measures contain information
that is useful to the reader. The PPP method involves the use of
standardized international dollar price weights, which are applied to
the quantities of final goods and services produced in a given economy.
The data derived from the PPP method probably provides the best
available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well-
being between countries. In contrast, the currency exchange rate method
involves a variety of international and domestic financial forces that
may not capture the value of domestic output. Furthermore, exchange
rates may suddenly go up or down by 10% or more because of market
forces or official fiat whereas real output has remained unchanged. On
12 January 1994, for example, the 14 countries of the African Financial
Community (whose currencies are tied to the French franc) devalued
their currencies by 50%. This move, of course, did not cut the real
output of these countries by half. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD
countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates for developing countries
are often rough approximations. In developing countries with weak
currencies, the exchange rate estimate of GDP in dollars is typically
one-fourth to one-half the PPP estimate. Most of the GDP estimates for
developing countries are based on extrapolation of PPP numbers
published by the UN International Comparison Program (UNICP) and by
Professors Robert Summers and Alan Heston of the University of
Pennsylvania and their colleagues. GDP derived using the OER method
should be used for the purpose of calculating the share of items such
as exports, imports, military expenditures, external debt, or the
current account balance, because the dollar values presented in the
Factbook for these items have been converted at official exchange
rates, not at PPP. One should use the OER GDP figure to calculate the
proportion of, say, Chinese defense expenditures in GDP, because that
share will be the same as one calculated in local currency units.
Comparison of OER GDP with PPP GDP may also indicate whether a currency
is over- or under-valued. If OER GDP is smaller than PPP GDP, the
official exchange rate may be undervalued, and vice versa. However,
there is no strong historical evidence that market exchange rates move
in the direction implied by the PPP rate, at least not in the short- or
medium-term. Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic data should
not be chained together from successive volumes of the Factbook because
of changes in the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by
statistical agencies, use of new or different sources of information,
and changes in national statistical methods and practices.
GNP: Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and
services produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned
by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic
production. The Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather
than GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize
that in certain countries net remittances from citizens working abroad
may be important to national well-being.
GWP: This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value
of all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year.
Geographic coordinates: This entry includes rounded latitude and
longitude figures for the purpose of finding the approximate geographic
center of an entity and is based on the Gazetteer of Conventional
Names, Third Edition, August 1988, US Board on Geographic Names and on
other sources.
Geographic names: This information is presented in Appendix F: Cross-
Reference List of Geographic Names. It includes a listing of various
alternate names, former names, local names, and regional names
referenced to one or more related Factbook entries. Spellings are
normally, but not always, those approved by the US Board on Geographic
Names (BGN). Alternate names and additional information are included in
parentheses.
Geography: This category includes the entries dealing with the natural
environment and the effects of human activity.
Geography - note: This entry includes miscellaneous geographic
information of significance not included elsewhere.
Gini index: See entry for Distribution of family income - Gini index
Government: This category includes the entries dealing with the system
for the adoption and administration of public policy.
Government - note: This entry includes miscellaneous government
information of significance not included elsewhere.
Government type: This entry gives the basic form of government.
Definitions of the major governmental terms are as follows:
Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought
about by the absence of governmental authority.
Commonwealth - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on
law and united by a compact of the people for the common good.
Communism - a system of government in which the state plans and
controls the economy and a single - often authoritarian - party holds
power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private
ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward
a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the
people (i.e., a classless society).
Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between
states, provinces, or territories, that creates a central government
with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority
over all matters except those delegated to the central government.
Constitutional - a government by or operating under an authoritative
document (constitution) that sets forth the system of fundamental laws
and principles that determines the nature, functions, and limits of
that government.
Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign
power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution.
Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is
guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and
responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.
Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained
by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a
system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.
Democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the
body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives
responsible to them.
Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique
wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws).
Ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church.
Emirate - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, but a government in which
the supreme power is in the hands of an emir (the ruler of a Muslim
state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with
constitutionally limited authority.
Federal (Federative) - a form of government in which sovereign power is
formally divided - usually by means of a constitution - between a
central authority and a number of constituent regions (states,
colonies, or provinces) so that each region retains some management of
its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central
government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as
upon the regional units.
Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central
government are restricted and in which the component parts (states,
colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate
sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental
representatives.
Islamic republic - a particular form of government adoped by some
Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory, a theocracy, it
remains a republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the
laws of Islam.
Maoism - the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China
by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), which states that a continuous revolution
is necessary if the leaders of a communist state are to keep in touch
with the people.
Marxism - the political, economic, and social principles espoused by
19th century economist Karl Marx; he viewed the struggle of workers as
a progression of historical forces that would proceed from a class
struggle of the proletariat (workers) exploited by capitalists
(business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat,"
to, finally, a classless society - Communism.
Marxism-Leninism - an expanded form of communism developed by Lenin
from doctrines of Karl Marx; Lenin saw imperialism as the final stage
of capitalism and shifted the focus of workers' struggle from developed
to underdeveloped countries.
Monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the
hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for
life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute
ruler or a sovereign - such as a king, queen, or prince - with
constitutionally limited authority.
Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group
of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power.
Parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the legislature
(parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or
chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party
strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government
acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the
parliament.
Parliamentary government (Cabinet-Parliamentary government) - a
government in which members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its
leader - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor) are nominated to
their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly
responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by
the parliament (legislature) by means of a no confidence vote or the
leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer
function.
Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not
actively involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the
exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity);
true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head -
a prime minister, premier, or chancellor - who are drawn from a
legislature (parliament).
Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected
deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on
legislation.
Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing, and
distributing goods is controlled by a central government that
theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property
and labor; in actuality, most socialist governments have ended up being
no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.
Sultanate - similar to a monarchy, but a government in which the
supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of a Muslim state);
the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with
constitutionally limited authority.
Theocracy - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the
supreme civil ruler, but the Deity's laws are interpreted by
ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government
subject to religious authority.
Totalitarian - a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to
the state by controlling not only all political and economic matters,
but also the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its population.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): The mean solar time at the Greenwich
Meridian, Greenwich, England, with the hours and days, since 1925,
reckoned from midnight. GMT is now a historical term having been
replaced by UTC on 1 January 1972. See Coordinated Universal Time.
Gross domestic product: see GDP
Gross national product: see GNP
Gross world product: see GWP
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: This entry gives an estimate of the
percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult
prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of
adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at
yearend.
HIV/AIDS - deaths: This entry gives an estimate of the number of
adults and children who died of AIDS during a given calendar year.
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: This entry gives an estimate
of all people (adults and children) alive at yearend with HIV
infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS.
Heliports: This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard-
surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine
sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities
including one or more of the following facilities: lighting, fuel,
passenger handling, or maintenance. It includes former airports used
exclusively for helicopter operations but excludes heliports limited to
day operations and natural clearings that could support helicopter
landings and takeoffs.
Household income or consumption by percentage share: Data on household
income or consumption come from household surveys, the results adjusted
for household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in
collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will
normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on
consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet caution
is still necessary in making inter-country comparisons.
Hydrographic data codes: see Data codes
Illicit drugs: This entry gives information on the five categories of
illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives),
hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories include many drugs
legally produced and prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally
produced and sold outside of medical channels.
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides
hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana
(pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC,
Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil).
Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain the
stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with cocoa,
which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa,
and cocoa butter.
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush.
Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety and
include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal,
phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone
(Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl,
Valmid).
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental,
emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance that
results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment in an
individual.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-
awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot),
mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants
(PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine
analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn).
Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa).
Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine.
Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.
Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa).
Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as mandrax in
Southwest Asia and Africa.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and refer to
opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics
include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol),
codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussan AC),
and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack),
and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or
Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and
others (Darvon, Lomotil).
Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod of the
opium poppy.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and
semisynthetic narcotics.
Poppy straw is the entire cut and dried opium poppy-plant material,
other than the seeds. Opium is extracted from poppy straw in commercial
operations that produce the drug for medical use.
Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha edulis
that is chewed or drunk as tea.
Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a
pharmaceutical depressant.
Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy and
activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines
(Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor,
Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others
(Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).
Imports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise
imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on
board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis,
i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Imports - commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of imported
products starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the
percent of total dollar value.
Imports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading
partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the
percent of total dollar value.
Independence: For most countries, this entry gives the date that
sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship.
For the other countries, the date given may not represent
"independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant
nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of
unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental
change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent areas
include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency
status. Also see the Terminology note.
Industrial production growth rate: This entry gives the annual
percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing,
mining, and construction).
Industries: This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting
with the largest by value of annual output.
Infant mortality rate: This entry gives the number of deaths of
infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the
same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male
and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of
health in a country.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): This entry furnishes the annual
percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous year's
consumer prices.
International disputes: see Disputes - international
International organization participation: This entry lists in
alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in
which the subject country is a member or participates in some other
way.
International organizations: This information is presented in Appendix
B: International Organizations and Groups which includes the name,
abbreviation, date established, aim, and members by category.
Internet country code: This entry includes the two-letter codes
maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).
Internet hosts: This entry lists the number of Internet hosts
available within a country. An Internet host is a computer connected
directly to the Internet; normally an Internet Service Provider's (ISP)
computer is a host. Internet users may use either a hard-wired
terminal, at an institution with a mainframe computer connected
directly to the Internet, or may connect remotely by way of a modem via
telephone line, cable, or satellite to the Internet Service Provider's
host computer. The number of hosts is one indicator of the extent of
Internet connectivity.
Internet users: This entry gives the number of users within a country
that access the Internet. Statistics vary from country to country and
may include users who access the Internet at least several times a week
to those who access it only once within a period of several months.
Introduction: This category includes one entry, Background.
Investment (gross fixed): This entry records total business spending
on fixed assets, such as factories, machinery, equipment, dwellings,
and inventories of raw materials, which provide the basis for future
production. It is measured gross of the depreciation of the assets,
i.e., it includes invesment that merely replaces worn-out or scrapped
capital.
Irrigated land: This entry gives the number of square kilometers of
land area that is artificially supplied with water.
Judicial branch: This entry contains the name(s) of the highest
court(s) and a brief description of the selection process for members.
Labor force: This entry contains the total labor force figure.
Labor force - by occupation: This entry lists the percentage
distribution of the labor force by occupation. The distribution will
total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete.
Land boundaries: This entry contains the total length of all land
boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border
countries. When available, official lengths published by national
statistical agencies are used. Because surveying methods may differ,
country border lengths reported by contiguous countries may differ.
Land use: This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area
for three different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated
for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each
harvest; permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus,
coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest; includes
land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but
excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber; other - any land
not arable or under permanent crops; includes permanent meadows and
pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land,
etc.
Languages: This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting
with the largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population
speaking that language.
Legal system: This entry contains a brief description of the legal
system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of
International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.
Legislative branch: This entry contains information on the structure
(unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and
term of office. Elections includes the nature of election process or
accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next
election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number
of seats held by each party in the last election.
Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of
years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if
mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry
includes total population as well as the male and female components.
Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life
in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be
thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human
capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial
measures.
Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census
Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There
are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless
otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition
- the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the
standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read
and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy,
while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the
most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low
levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic
development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-
driven world.
Location: This entry identifies the country's regional location,
neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
Major infectious diseases: This entry lists major infectious diseases
likely to be encountered in countries where the risk of such diseases
is assessed to be very high as compared to the United States. These
infectious diseases represent risks to US government personnel
traveling to the specified country for a period of less than three
years. The degree of risk is assessed by considering the foreign nature
of these infectious diseases, their severity, and the probability of
being affected by the diseases present. The diseases listed do not
necessarily represent the total disease burden experienced by the local
population.
The risk to an individual traveler varies considerably by the specific
location, visit duration, type of activities, type of accommodations,
time of year, and other factors. Consultation with a travel medicine
physician is needed to evaluate individual risk and recommend
appropriate preventive measures such as vaccines.
Diseases are organized into the following six exposure categories shown
in italics and listed in typical descending order of risk. Note - The
sequence of exposure categories listed in individual country entries
may vary according to local conditions.
food or waterborne diseases acquired through eating or drinking on the
local economy:
Hepatitis A - viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the
liver; spread through consumption of food or water contaminated with
fecal matter, principally in areas of poor sanitation; victims exhibit
fever, jaundice, and diarrhea; 15% of victims will experience prolonged
symptoms over 6-9 months; vaccine available.
Hepatitis E - water-borne viral disease that interferes with the
functioning of the liver; most commonly spread through fecal
contamination of drinking water; victims exhibit jaundice, fatigue,
abdominal pain, and dark colored urine.
Typhoid fever - bacterial disease spread through contact with food or
water contaminated by fecal matter or sewage; victims exhibit sustained
high fevers; left untreated, mortality rates can reach 20%.
vectorborne diseases acquired through the bite of an infected
arthropod:
Malaria - caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa Plasmodium;
transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito;
parasites multiply in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in
cycles of fever, chills, and sweats accompanied by anemia; death due to
damage to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain;
endemic in 100, mostly tropical, countries with 90% of cases and the
majority of 1.5-2.5 million estimated annual deaths occurring in sub-
Saharan Africa.
Dengue fever - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated
with urban environments; manifests as sudden onset of fever and severe
headache; occasionally produces shock and hemorrhage leading to death
in 5% of cases.
Yellow fever - mosquito-borne viral disease; severity ranges from
influenza-like symptoms to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever;
occurs only in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa, where
most cases are reported; fatality rate is less than 20%.
Japanese Encephalitis - mosquito-borne (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) viral
disease associated with rural areas in Asia; acute encephalitis can
progress to paralysis, coma, and death; fatality rates 30%.
African Trypanosomiasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma;
transmitted to humans via the bite of bloodsucking Tsetse flies;
infection leads to malaise and irregular fevers and, in advanced cases
when the parasites invade the central nervous system, coma and death;
endemic in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa; cattle and wild animals
act as reservoir hosts for the parasites.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa leishmania;
transmitted to humans via the bite of sandflies; results in skin
lesions that may become chronic; endemic in 88 countries; 90% of cases
occur in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Peru; wild
and domesticated animals as well as humans can act as reservoirs of
infection.
Plague - bacterial disease transmitted by fleas normally associated
with rats; person-to-person airborne transmission also possible; recent
plague epidemics occurred in areas of Asia, Africa, and South America
associated with rural areas or small towns and villages; manifests as
fever, headache, and painfully swollen lymph nodes; disease progresses
rapidly and without antibiotic treatment leads to pneumonic form with a
death rate in excess of 50%.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - tick-borne viral disease; infection
may also result from exposure to infected animal blood or tissue;
geographic distribution includes Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and
Eastern Europe; sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle aches
followed by hemorrhaging in the bowels, urine, nose, and gums;
mortality rate is approximately 30%.
Rift Valley fever - viral disease affecting domesticated animals and
humans; transmission is by mosquito and other biting insects; infection
may also occur through handling of infected meat or contact with blood;
geographic distribution includes eastern and southern Africa where
cattle and sheep are raised; symptoms are generally mild with fever and
some liver abnormalities, but the disease may progress to hemorrhagic
fever, encephalitis, or ocular disease; fatality rates are low at about
1% of cases.
Chikungunya - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated
with urban environments, similar to Dengue Fever; characterized by
sudden onset of fever, rash, and severe joint pain usually lasting 3-7
days, some cases result in persistent arthritis.
water contact diseases acquired through swimming or wading in
freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers:
Leptospirosis - bacterial disease that affects animals and humans;
infection occurs through contact with water, food, or soil contaminated
by animal urine; symptoms include high fever, severe headache,
vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea; untreated, the disease can result in
kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis, or respiratory distress;
fatality rates are low but left untreated recovery can take months.
Schistosomiasis - caused by parasitic trematode flatworm Schistosoma;
fresh water snails act as intermediate host and release larval form of
parasite that penetrates the skin of people exposed to contaminated
water; worms mature and reproduce in the blood vessels, liver, kidneys,
and intestines releasing eggs, which become trapped in tissues
triggering an immune response; may manifest as either urinary or
intestinal disease resulting in decreased work or learning capacity;
mortality, while generally low, may occur in advanced cases usually due
to bladder cancer; endemic in 74 developing countries with 80% of
infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa; humans act as the
reservoir for this parasite.
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease acquired through inhalation of
aerosols contaminated with rodent urine:
Lassa fever - viral disease carried by rats of the genus Mastomys;
endemic in portions of West Africa; infection occurs through direct
contact with or consumption of food contaminated by rodent urine or
fecal matter containing virus particles; fatality rate can reach 50% in
epidemic outbreaks.
respiratory disease acquired through close contact with an infectious
person:
Meningococcal meningitis - bacterial disease causing an inflammation of
the lining of the brain and spinal cord; one of the most important
bacterial pathogens is Neisseria meningitidis because of its potential
to cause epidemics; symptoms include stiff neck, high fever, headaches,
and vomiting; bacteria are transmitted from person to person by
respiratory droplets and facilitated by close and prolonged contact
resulting from crowded living conditions, often with a seasonal
distribution; death occurs in 5-15% of cases, typically within 24-48
hours of onset of symptoms; highest burden of meningococcal disease
occurs in the hyperendemic region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the
"Meningitis Belt" which stretches from Senegal east to Ethiopia.
animal contact disease acquired through direct contact with local
animals:
Rabies - viral disease of mammals usually transmitted through the bite
of an infected animal, most commonly dogs; virus affects the central
nervous system causing brain alteration and death; symptoms initially
are non-specific fever and headache progressing to neurological
symptoms; death occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
Manpower available for military service: This entry gives the number
of males and females falling in the military age range for the country
and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.
Manpower fit for military service: This entry gives the number of
males and females falling in the military age range for the country and
who are not otherwise disqualified for health reasons; accounts for the
health situation in the country and provides a more realistic estimate
of the actual number fit to serve.
Manpower reaching military service age annually: This entry gives the
number of draft-age males and females entering the military manpower
pool in any given year and is a measure of the availability of draft-
age young adults.
Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference
map on which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic
coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims, the
definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and
definitive descriptions:
territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its
land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea,
described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this
sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well
as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to
establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not
exceeding 12 nautical miles; the normal baseline for measuring the
breadth of the territorial sea is the low-water line along the coast as
marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal
state; the UNCLOS describes specific rules for archipelagic states.
contiguous zone - according to the UNCLOS (Article 33), this is a zone
contiguous to a coastal state's territorial sea, over which it may
exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs,
fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its
territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and
regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the
contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the
baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured
(e.g. the US has claimed a 12-nautical mile contiguous zone in addition
to its 12-nautical mile territorial sea).
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the UNCLOS (Part V) defines the EEZ as
a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal
state has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and
exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether
living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of
the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the
economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the
production of energy from the water, currents, and winds; jurisdiction
with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands,
installations, and structures; marine scientific research; the
protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer limit
of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from
the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is
measured.
continental shelf - the UNCLOS (Article 76) defines the continental
shelf of a coastal state as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the
submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the
natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the
continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the
baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured
where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to
that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged
prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state, and consists of the
seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; wherever the
continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline,
coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350
nautical miles from the baseline or 100 nautical miles from the 2500
meter isobath; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its
oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof.
exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the UNCLOS,
some states (e.g., the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ,
but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their
coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used;
the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200
nautical miles.
Median age: This entry is the age that divides a population into two
numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than
this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the
age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from
a low of about 15 in Uganda and Gaza Strip to 40 or more in several
European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the
importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by
implication, a low versus a higher median age.
Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged
in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all
nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil
rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total,
ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries.
Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for
those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage
is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship
can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross
register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered
volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it
to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable
relationship between GRT and DWT.
Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships,
cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination
ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock
carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers,
passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated
cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships,
specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers.
Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to
owners in another.
Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one
country but fly the flag of another.
Military: This category includes the entries dealing with a country's
military structure, manpower, and expenditures.
Military - note: This entry includes miscellaneous military
information of significance not included elsewhere.
Military branches: This entry lists the service branches subordinate
to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air,
and marine forces).
Military expenditures - dollar figure: This entry gives spending on
defense programs in US dollars for the most recent year available;
dollar figures for military expenditures should be treated with caution
because of different price patterns and accounting methods among
nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of different
currencies.
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: This entry gives spending on
defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of
gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate
basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).
Military service age and obligation: This entry gives the required
ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of
sevice obligation.
Money figures: All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US
dollars unless otherwise indicated.
National holiday: This entry gives the primary national day of
celebration - usually independence day.
Nationality: This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens -
noun and adjective.
Natural gas - consumption: This entry is the total natural gas
consumed in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of
natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or
exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating
factors.
Natural gas - exports: This entry is the total natural gas exported in
cubic meters (cu m).
Natural gas - imports: This entry is the total natural gas imported in
cubic meters (cu m).
Natural gas - production: This entry is the total natural gas produced
in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural
gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is
due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors.
Natural gas - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved
reserves of natural gas in cubic meters (cu m). Proved reserves are
those quantities of natural gas, which, by analysis of geological and
engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to
be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known
reservoirs and under current economic conditions.
Natural hazards: This entry lists potential natural disasters.
Natural resources: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum,
hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.
Net migration rate: This entry includes the figure for the difference
between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the
year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of
persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g.,
3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the
country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The
net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the
overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause
problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife
(if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in
certain key sectors (if people are leaving).
Oil - consumption: This entry is the total oil consumed in barrels per
day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced
and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the
omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating
factors.
Oil - exports: This entry is the total oil exported in barrels per day
(bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products.
Oil - imports: This entry is the total oil imported in barrels per day
(bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products.
Oil - production: This entry is the total oil produced in barrels per
day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced
and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the
omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating
factors.
Oil - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved reserves of
crude oil in barrels (bbl). Proved reserves are those quantities of
petroleum which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be
estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially
recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under
current economic conditions.
People: This category includes the entries dealing with the
characteristics of the people and their society.
People - note: This entry includes miscellaneous demographic
information of significance not included elsewhere.
Personal Names - Capitalization: The Factbook capitalizes the surname
or family name of individuals for the convenience of our users who are
faced with a world of different cultures and naming conventions. The
need for capitalization, bold type, underlining, italics, or some other
indicator of the individual's surname is apparent in the following
examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz, George W. BUSH, and TUNKU
SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah.
By knowing the surname, a short form without all capital letters can be
used with confidence as in President Castro, Chairman Mao, President
Bush, or Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The same system of capitalization is
extended to the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly
used such as Queen ELIZABETH II. For Vietnamese names, the given name
is capitalized because officials are referred to by their given name
rather than by their surname. For example, the president of Vietnam is
Tran Duc LUONG. His surname is Tran, but he is referred to by his given
name - President LUONG.
Personal Names - Spelling: The romanization of personal names in the
Factbook normally follows the same transliteration system used by the
US Board on Geographic Names for spelling place names. At times,
however, a foreign leader expressly indicates a preference for, or the
media or official documents regularly use, a romanized spelling that
differs from the transliteration derived from the US Government
standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling.
Personal Names - Titles: The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or
short form of it) immediately preceding a person's name. A title
standing alone is not capitalized. Examples: President PUTIN and
President BUSH are chiefs of state. In Russia, the president is chief
of state and the premier is the head of the government, while in the
US, the president is both chief of state and head of government.
Petroleum: See entries under Oil.
Petroleum products: See entries under Oil.
Pipelines: This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for
transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum
products.
Political parties and leaders: This entry includes a listing of
significant political organizations and their leaders.
Political pressure groups and leaders: This entry includes a listing
of organizations with leaders involved in politics, but not standing
for legislative election.
Population: This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the
Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics
registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past
and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents
one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world
and within its region. Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook,
demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have
explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin,
Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of
the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti,
Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda,
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe.
Population below poverty line: National estimates of the percentage of
the population falling below the poverty line are based on surveys of
sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each
group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For
example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of
poverty than poor nations.
Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the
population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths
and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate
may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining
how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs
of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing,
roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid
population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries.
Ports and terminals: This entry lists major ports and terminals
primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through
the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of
containers handled or ship visits were also considered.
Public debt: This entry records the cumulatiive total of all
government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a
country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with
external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both
the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign
exchange earnings.
Radio broadcast stations: This entry includes the total number of AM,
FM, and shortwave broadcast stations.
Railways: This entry states the total route length of the railway
network and of its component parts by gauge: broad, standard, narrow,
and dual. Other gauges are listed under note.
Reference maps: This section includes world and regional maps.
Refugees and internally displaced persons: This entry includes those
persons residing in a country as refugees or internally displaced
persons (IDPs). The definition of a refugee according to a United
Nations Convention is "a person who is outside his/her country of
nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of
persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership
in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or
unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country,
or to return there, for fear of persecution." The UN established the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1950 to
handle refugee matters worldwide. The UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a different,
operational definition for a Palestinian refugee: "a person whose
normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946
to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a
result of the 1948 conflict." However, UNHCR also assists some 400,000
Palestinian refugees not covered under the UNRWA definition. The term
"internally displaced person" is not specifically covered in the UN
Convention; it is used to describe people who have fled their homes for
reasons similar to refugees, but who remain within their own national
territory and are subject to the laws of that state.
Religions: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents
starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of
total population.
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: This entry gives the dollar
value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the
central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of
payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This
category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a
country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International
Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund.
Roadways: This entry gives the total length of the road network and
includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.
Sex ratio: This entry includes the number of males for each female in
five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and
over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently
emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some
countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian
countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide
due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage
patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually, it could cause unrest
among young adult males who are unable to find partners.
Suffrage: This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the
right to vote is universal or restricted.
Telephone numbers: All telephone numbers in The World Factbook consist
of the country code in brackets, the city or area code (where required)
in parentheses, and the local number. The one component that is not
presented is the international access code, which varies from country
to country. For example, an international direct dial telephone call
placed from the US to Madrid, Spain, would be as follows: 011 [34] (1)
577-xxxx, where 011 is the international access code for station-to-
station calls; 01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls,
[34] is the country code for Spain, (1) is the city code for Madrid,
577 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local telephone number. An
international direct dial telephone call placed from another country to
the US would be as follows: international access code + [1] (202) 939-
xxxx, where [ 1] is the country code for the US, (202) is the area code
for Washington, DC, 939 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local
telephone number.
Telephone system: This entry includes a brief general assessment of
the system with details on the domestic and international components.
The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia).
Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).
CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications.
Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio
transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio
frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in
its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone
exchange.
Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay
system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each
other.
Coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a
central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical
conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made
available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of
carrier frequencies.
Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).
DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or
Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense
Communications System (US Department of Defense).
Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris).
Fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread
of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal
(voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.
GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by
the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization
organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications
(CEPT) in 1982.
HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz
range.
Inmarsat - International Maritime Satellite Organization (London);
provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial,
distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.
Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Washington, DC).
Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications
(Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East
European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with
earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.
Landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on
poles or buried in the ground.
Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the
Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.
Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the
Inmarsat system.
Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern
telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking
Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in
Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was
known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications
Network.
Microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls
and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are
received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical
path.
NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that
was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of
the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).
Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet-
switched digital telephone network.
Radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception
of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone
handsets.
PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).
SAFE - South African Far East Cable
Satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of
two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long
distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system
usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if
the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.
Satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave
radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and
transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites.
Satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth
station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down
link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only
transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).
SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to
30,000-MHz range.
Shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above
the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long
distances.
Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of
international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.
Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite
telecommunications.
Submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.
TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity
submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.
Telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public
switched telephone network or the international Datel network.
Telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated
electric impulse transmission.
Telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by
wire through automatic exchanges.
Tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which
the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the
incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional
antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals;
reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up
to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of
this system for very long distances.
Trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by
multichannel trunk lines.
UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-
MHz range.
VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz
range.
Telephones - main lines in use: This entry gives the total number of
main telephone lines in use.
Telephones - mobile cellular: This entry gives the total number of
mobile cellular telephone subscribers.
Television broadcast stations: This entry gives the total number of
separate broadcast stations plus any repeater stations.
Terminology: Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook
database, some collective generic terms have to be used. For example,
the word Country in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of
dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and
other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent
states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for various civil
defense, security, and defense activities in many entries. The
Independence entry includes the usual colonial independence dates and
former ruling states as well as other significant nationhood dates such
as the traditional founding date or the date of unification,
federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession that are
not strictly independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of
their dependency status noted in this same entry.
Terrain: This entry contains a brief description of the topography.
Time Difference: This entry is expressed in The World Factbook in two
ways. First, it is stated as the difference in hours between the
capital of an entity and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during
Standard Time. Additionally, the difference in time between the capital
of an entity and that observed in Washington, D.C. is also provided.
Note that the time difference assumes both locations are simultaneously
observing Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time.
Time zones: Ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia,
Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United States)
and the island of Greenland observe more than one official time
depending on the number of designated time zones within their
boundaries. An illustration of time zones throughout the world and
within countries can be seen in the Standard Time Zones of the World
map included in the Reference Maps section of The World Factbook.
Total fertility rate: This entry gives a figure for the average number
of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end
of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given
fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more
direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate,
since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential
for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman
is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in
relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children
indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is declining.
Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for families, in some
situations, to feed and educate their children and for women to enter
the labor force. Rates below two children indicate populations
decreasing in size and growing older. Global fertility rates are in
general decline and this trend is most pronounced in industrialized
countries, especially Western Europe, where populations are projected
to decline dramatically over the next 50 years.
Trafficking in persons: Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery,
involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or
sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN
agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social
protection issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are
enslaved in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual
servitude, and involuntary servitude at any given time. Human
trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat, depriving people of their
human rights and freedoms, risking global health, promoting social
breakdown, inhibiting development by depriving countries of their human
capital, and helping fuel the growth of organized crime. In 2000, the
US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA),
reauthorized in 2003 and 2005, which provides tools for the US to
combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad. One of the
law's key components is the creation of the US Department of State's
annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses the government
response in some 150 countries with a significant number of victims
trafficked across their borders who are recruited, harbored,
transported, provided, or obtained for forced labor or sexual
exploitation. Countries in the annual report are rated in three tiers,
based on government efforts to combat trafficking. The countries
identified in this entry are those listed in the 2006 Trafficking in
Persons Report as Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3 based on the following
definitions:
Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making significant
efforts to do so, and meet one of the following criteria:
1. they display a high or significantly increasing number victims,
2. they have failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
trafficking in persons, or,
3. they have committed to take action over the next year.
Tier 3 countries neither satisfy the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking nor demonstrate a significant effort to do
so. Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian
and non-trade sanctions.
Transnational issues: This category includes four entries - Disputes -
international, Refugees and internally displaced persons, Trafficking
in persons, and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going
beyond national boundaries.
Transportation: This category includes the entries dealing with the
means for movement of people and goods.
Transportation - note: This entry includes miscellaneous
transportation information of significance not included elsewhere.
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time): See entry for Coordinated Universal
Time.
Unemployment rate: This entry contains the percent of the labor force
that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
Waterways: This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers,
canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Weights and Measures: This information is presented in Appendix G:
Weights and Measures and includes mathematical notations (mathematical
powers and names), metric interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length,
weight, or capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors.
Years: All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless
indicated as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting
period of 12 months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is
an accounting period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.
Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled from
material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence
Community estimates.
This page was last updated on 8 February 2007
=====================================================================
CIA - The World Factbook -- History
A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook
The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is
acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to
policymakers. Information is raw data from any source, data that may
be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or
wrong. Intelligence is information that has been collected,
integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished
intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to
be delivered to the policymaker.
The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and
estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual
reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence
reports on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable
outcomes. The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is
the foundation on which the other two are constructed; current
intelligence continually updates the inventory of knowledge; and
estimative intelligence revises overall interpretations of country
and issue prospects for guidance of basic and current intelligence.
The World Factbook, The President's Daily Brief, and the National
Intelligence Estimates are examples of the three types of finished
intelligence.
The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities
since the days of George Washington but only since World War II have
they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs
have highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence
since that time: (1 ) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies
(JANIS), (2 ) the National Intelligence Survey (NIS), and (3) The
World Factbook.
During World War II, intelligence consumers realized that the
production of basic intelligence by different components of the US
Government resulted in a great duplication of effort and conflicting
information. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought
home to leaders in Congress and the executive branch the need for
integrating departmental reports to national policymakers. Detailed
and coordinated information was needed not only on such major powers
as Germany and Japan, but also on places of little previous
interest. In the Pacific Theater, for example, the Navy and Marines
had to launch amphibious operations against many islands about which
information was unconfirmed or nonexistent. Intelligence authorities
resolved that the United States should never again be caught
unprepared.
In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of
Naval Intelligence - ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of
the Office of Strategic Services - OSS) decided that a joint effort
should be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April
1943 that recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study
Publishing Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the
Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first
interdepartmental basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of
the US Government for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of
strategic basic intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the
board published 34 JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war
effort, and numerous letters of commendation were received,
including a statement from Adm. Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff,
Pacific Ocean Areas, which said, "JANIS has become the indispensable
reference work for the shore-based planners."
The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar
world was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author
on national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret
Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world
leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than
in war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human
activities - not just the enemy and his war production."
The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and
officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October
1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational
responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security
Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which
authorized the National Intelligence Survey (NIS) program as a
peacetime replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate
NIS country sections could be produced, government agencies had to
develop more comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board
on Geographic Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the
Interior produced the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps.
The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the
structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in
1955 that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable
publication which provides the essential elements of basic
intelligence on all areas of the world. There will always be a
continuing requirement for keeping the Survey up-to-date." The
Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the
encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was
published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was
published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973
except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975
Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales
through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was
first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2007
marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Central
Intelligence Agency and the 64th year of continuous basic
intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and
its two predecessor programs.
The Evolution of The World Factbook
National Basic Intelligence Factbook produced semiannually until
1980. Country entries include sections on Land, Water, People,
Government, Economy, Communications, and Defense Forces.
1981 - Publication becomes an annual product and is renamed The
World Factbook. A total of 165 nations are covered on 225 pages.
1983 - Appendices (Conversion Factors, International Organizations)
first introduced.
1984 - Appendices expanded; now include: A. The United Nations, B.
Selected United Nations Organizations, C. Selected International
Organizations, D. Country Membership in Selected Organizations, E.
Conversion Factors.
1987 - A new Geography section replaces the former separate Land and
Water sections. UN Organizations and Selected International
Organizations appendices merged into a new International
Organizations appendix. First multi-color-cover Factbook.
1988 - More than 40 new geographic entities added to provide
complete world coverage without overlap or omission. Among the new
entities are Antarctica, oceans (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific),
and the World. The front-of-the-book explanatory introduction
expanded and retitled to Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations. Two
new Appendices added: Weights and Measures (in place of Conversion
Factors) and a Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook
size reaches 300 pages.
1989 - Economy section completely revised and now includes an
Overview briefly describing a country's economy. New entries added
under People, Government, and Communications.
1990 - The Government section revised and considerably expanded with
new entries.
1991 - A new International Organizations and Groups appendix added.
Factbook size reaches 405 pages.
1992 - Twenty new successor state entries replace those of the
Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. New countries are respectively:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; and Bosnia and Hercegovina,
Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia. Number of
nations in the Factbook rises to 188.
1993 - Czechoslovakia's split necessitates new Czech Republic and
Slovakia entries. New Eritrea entry added after it secedes from
Ethiopia. Substantial enhancements made to Geography section.
1994 - Two new appendices address Selected International
Environmental Agreements. The gross domestic product (GDP) of most
developing countries changed to a purchasing power parity (PPP)
basis rather than an exchange rate basis. Factbook size up to 512
pages.
1995 - The GDP of all countries now presented on a PPP basis. New
appendix lists estimates of GDP on an exchange rate basis.
Communications category split; Railroads, Highways, Inland
waterways, Pipelines, Merchant marine, and Airports entries now make
up a new Transportation category. The World Factbook is first
produced on CD-ROM.
1996 - Maps accompanying each entry now present more detail. Flags
also introduced for nearly all entities. Various new entries appear
under Geography and Communications. Factbook abbreviations
consolidated into a new Appendix A. Two new appendices present a
Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes and a Cross-Reference
List of Hydrogeographic Data Codes. Geographic coordinates added to
Appendix H, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook size
expands by 95 pages in one year to reach 652.
1997 - A special edition for the CIA's 50 th anniversary. A schema
or Guide to Country Profiles introduced. New color maps and flags
now accompany each country profile. Category headings distinguished
by shaded backgrounds. Number of categories expanded to nine - the
current number - with the addition of an Introduction (for only a
few countries) and Transnational Issues (which includes
Disputes-international and Illicit drugs). The World Factbook
introduced onto the Internet.
1998 - The Introduction category with two entries, Current issues
and Historical perspective, expanded to more countries. Last year
for the production of CD-ROM versions of the Factbook.
1999 - Historical perspective and Current issues entries in the
Introduction category combined into a new Background statement.
Several new Economy entries introduced. A new physical map of the
world added to the back-of-the-book reference maps.
2000 - A new "country profile" added on the Southern Ocean. The
Background statements dramatically expanded to over 200 countries
and possessions. A number of new Communications entries added.
2001 - Background entries completed for all 267 entities in the
Factbook. Several new HIV/AIDS entries introduced under the People
category. Revision begun on individual country maps to include
elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid. Weights and
Measures appendix deleted.
2002 - New entry on Distribution of Family income - Gini index
added. Revision of individual country maps continued (process still
ongoing as of 2007).
2003 - In the Economy category, petroleum entries added for oil
production, consumption, exports, imports, and proved reserves, as
well as natural gas proved reserves.
2004 - Additional petroleum entries included for natural gas
production, consumption, exports, and imports. In the Transportation
category, under Merchant marine, subfields added for foreign-owned
vessels and those registered in other countries. Descriptions of the
many forms of government mentioned in the Factbook incorporated into
the Notes and Definitions.
2005 - In the People category, a Major infectious diseases field
added for countries deemed to pose a higher risk for travelers. In
the Economy category, entries included for Current account balance,
Investment, Public debt, and Reserves of foreign exchange and gold.
The Transnational issues category expanded to include Refugees and
internally displaced persons. Category headings receive distinctive
colored backgrounds. These distinguishing colors are used in both
the printed and online versions of the Factbook. Size of the printed
Factbook reaches 702 pages.
2006 - In the Economy category, national GDP figures now presented
at Official Exchange Rates (OER) in addition to GDP at purchasing
power parity (PPP).
2007 - In the Government category, the Capital entry significantly
expanded with up to four subfields, including new information having
to do with time. The subfields consist of the name of the capital
itself, its geographic coordinates, the time difference at the
capital from coordinated universal time (UTC), and, if applicable,
information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a
special note is added to highlight those countries with multiple
time zones. A Trafficking in persons entry added to the
Transnational issues category. A new appendix, Weights and Measures,
(re)introduced to the online version of the Factbook.
=====================================================================
CIA - The World Factbook -- Contributors and Copyright Information
The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency
for the use of US Government officials, and the style, format,
coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific
requirements. Information is provided by Antarctic Information
Program (National Science Foundation), Armed Forces Medical
Intelligence Center (Department of Defense), Bureau of the Census
(Department of Commerce), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of
Labor), Central Intelligence Agency, Council of Managers of National
Antarctic Programs, Defense Intelligence Agency (Department of
Defense), Department of Energy, Department of State, Fish and
Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior), Maritime
Administration (Department of Transportation), National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense), Naval
Facilities Engineering Command (Department of Defense), Office of
Insular Affairs (Department of the Interior), Office of Naval
Intelligence (Department of Defense), US Board on Geographic Names
(Department of the Interior), US Transportation Command (Department
of Defense), Oil & Gas Journal, and other public and private sources.
The Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied
freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The official seal of the CIA, however, may NOT be copied without
permission as required by the CIA Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. section
403m). Misuse of the official seal of the CIA could result in civil
and criminal penalties.
Comments and queries are welcome and may be addressed to:
Central Intelligence Agency
Attn.: Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20505
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
Telephone: [1] (703) 482-0623
FAX: [1] (703) 482-1739
=====================================================================
CIA - The World Factbook -- Purchasing Information
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publishes The World Factbook
in printed and Internet versions. US Government officials may obtain
information about availability of the Factbook from their
organizations or through liaison channels to the CIA. Other users
may obtain sales information about printed copies from the following:
Superintendent of Documents
P. O. Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Telephone: [1] (202) 512-1800; toll free: [1] (866) 512-1800
FAX: [1] (202) 512-2104
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/
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Springfield, VA 22161
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Telephone: [1] (800) 553-6847 (only in the US);
[1] (703) 605-6000 (for outside US)
FAX: [1] (703) 605-6900
http://www.ntis.gov/
The World Factbook can be accessed on the Internet at:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
=====================================================================
CIA - The World Factbook -- FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
The World Factbook staff thanks you for your comments, suggestions,
updates, kudos, and corrections over the past years. The willingness
of readers from around the world to share their observations and
specialized knowledge is very helpful as we try to produce the best
possible publications. Please feel free to continue to write and
e-mail e-mail us. When submitting corrections or updates to the
Factbook, please include your source(s) of information. At least two
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=====================================================================
@Afghanistan
Introduction Afghanistan
Background:
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded
Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the
British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional
British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a
1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union
invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime,
touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989
under relentless pressure by internationally supported
anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. Subsequently, a series of civil
wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline
Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the
country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance
military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN.
The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for
political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new
constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National
Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became
the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The
National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005.
Geography Afghanistan
Location:
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates:
33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,529 km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km,
Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites,
sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:
arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 87.66% (2005)
Irrigated land:
27,200 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding;
droughts
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of
potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of
the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building
materials); desertification; air and water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Life Conservation
Geography - note:
landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to
southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the
country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan
Corridor)
People Afghanistan
Population:
31,056,997 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,095,117/female 6,763,759)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,436,716/female 8,008,463)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 366,642/female 386,300) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.67% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
46.6 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
20.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.42 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 160.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 164.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 155.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.34 years
male: 43.16 years
female: 43.53 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.69 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk countrywide below 2,000
meters from March through November
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified
among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a
negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens
who have close contact with birds (2007)
Nationality:
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups:
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%,
Baloch 2%, other 4%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
Languages:
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%,
Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 36%
male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.)
People - note:
of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million
have returned
Government Afghanistan
Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
Government type:
Islamic republic
Capital:
name: Kabul
geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 12 E
time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis,
Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr,
Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar,
Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan,
Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar,
Vardak, Zabol
Independence:
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution:
new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16
January 2004
Legal system:
according to the new constitution, no law should be "contrary to
Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive
society based on social justice, protection of human dignity,
protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure
national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes; the
state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties,
international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia
MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government; former
King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of the Country," and
presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any
governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary
head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia
MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004)
cabinet: 25 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers
are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly
elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by
direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no
candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of
voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a
second round; a president can only be elected for two terms;
election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote -
Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANUNI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ
11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda
JALAL 1.2%
Legislative branch:
the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or
House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for
five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102
seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year
terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year
terms
note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga
(Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and
territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the
constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members
of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and
district councils
elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the
Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial
councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008)
election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system
used in the election did not make use of political party slates;
most candidates ran as independents
Judicial branch:
the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme
Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the
president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High
Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice; a
separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by
the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses
and war crimes
Political parties and leaders:
note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of
Justice; De Afghan Watan Islami Gond [Mohammad Osman SALEKZADA]; De
Afghanistan De Mili Mubarizeeno Islami Gond [Amanat NINGARHAREE]; De
Afghanistan De Mili Wahdat Wolesi Tahreek [Abdul Hakim NOORZAI]; De
Afghanistan De Solay Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan
De Solay Mili Islami Gond [Shah Mohammood Popal ZAI]; Hezb-e
Esteqlal-e-Mili Afghanistan [Taj Mohammad WARDAK]; Hezb-e
Hambastagee Mili Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zarif NASERI]; Hezb-e
Harakat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Ali JAWID]; Hezb-e
Jamihat-e-Islami [Ustad RABBANI]; Hezb-e Paiwand Mihahani
Afghanistan [Sayed Kamal SADAT];
Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE];
Hezb-e-Aazaadi Khwahan Maihan [Abdul Hadi DABEER]; Hezb-e-Aazadee
Khwahan Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS];
Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN];
Hezb-e-Afghan Melat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Naween
[Mohammad Yunis QANUNI]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil
RAHIMEE]; Hezb-e-Azadee-e-Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK];
Hezb-e-Democracy Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];
Hezb-e-Domcrat-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR];
Hezb-e-Eatedal-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized YAAR];
Hezb-e-Eqtedar-e-Mili [Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI];
Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF];
Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil
KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq NEMAT];
Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hussain
ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir
AATASH]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqooq-e-Bashar Wa Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan
[Baryalai NASRATI]; Hezb-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Sayed Jawad
HUSSINEE]; Hezb-e-Isteqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq
NEJRABEE]; Hezb-e-Jamahat-ul-Dawat ilal Quran-wa-Sunat-e-Afghanistan
[Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahane-Afghanistan
[Sebghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Junbish Democracy Mardom-e-Afghanistan
[Sharif NAZARI]; Hezb-e-Junbish Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Sayed
NOORULLAH]; Hezb-e-Kangra-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM];
Hezb-e-Kar Wa Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiqar OMID];
Hezb-e-Lebral-e-Aazadee Khwa-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal SUHAIL];
Hezb-e-Majmeh Mili Faleen-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shamsul Haq Noor
SHAMS]; Hezb-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR];
Hezb-e-Mardom-e-Mosalman-e-Afghanistan [Besmellah JOYAN];
Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid ARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Heward
[GHULAM MOHAMMAD]; Hezb-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Rohullah
LOUDIN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad
Shah KHOGYANI]; Hezb-e-Mutahed Mili [Noorul Haq ULOOMI];
Hezb-e-Nahzat-e-Aazadee Wa Democracy-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib
Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Hezb-e-Nahzat-e-Hambastagee Mili-e-Afghanistan
[Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; Hezb-e-Nakhbagan-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan
[Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand Mili Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor
NADREEI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir
Qayed Omul BELADI]; Hezb-e-Refah-e-Afghanistan [Meer Asef ZAEEFI];
Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ];
Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mili Afghanistan [Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE];
Hezb-e-Resalat-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEENE];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman
SALEKZADA]; Hezb-e-Subat-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Same
KHAROTI]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan [Gulabuddin
Shir ZAEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul
Qaher SHARIATEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum Wa Democracy-e-Afghanistan [Ahamad
SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan [Sultan
Mohammad GHAZI]; Hezb-e-Tahreek Wahdat-ul-Musimeen Afghanistan
[Wazir Mohammad WAHDAT]; Hezb-e-Tanzim Jabha Mili
Nejat-e-Afghanistan [Seghatullah MOJADDEDI]; Hezb-e-Taraqee Democrat
Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Hezb-e-Taraqee Mili Afghanistan [Dr. Aref
BAKTASH]; Hezb-e-Umat-e-Islam-e-Afghanistan [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad
ZAI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad
MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim
KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Melat-e-Afghanistan [Qurban Ali
URFANI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid JALILI];
Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE];
Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; Mili
Dreez Gong [Habibullah JANBDAD];
Nahzat-e-Hakemyat-e-Mardom-e-Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE];
Nahzat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; Tanzim
Daawat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF]; (20 August 2005)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
International organization participation:
AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SACEP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD
chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] 202-483-6410
FAX: [1] 202-483-6488
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN
embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul
mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806
telephone: [00 93] (20) 230-0436
FAX: [00 93] (20) 230-1364
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a
gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a
temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right
and by a bold Islamic inscription above
Economy Afghanistan
Economy - overview:
Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The
economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban
regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international
assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service
sector growth. Real GDP growth probably exceeded 8% in 2006. Despite
the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor,
landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and
trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues
to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity,
medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan
Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the
country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably
take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and
attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from
its current status, among the lowest in the world. While the
international community remains committed to Afghanistan's
development, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferences
since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges.
Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate
roughly $3 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of
Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges
include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government
capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$21.5 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.095 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
8.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38%
industry: 24%
services: 38%
note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.)
Labor force:
15 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
53% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
16.3% (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7
million
note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the
Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order
Trust Fund (FY04-05 budget est.)
Agriculture - products:
opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Industries:
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
734.3 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 36.3%
hydro: 63.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
782.9 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
100 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
4,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
20 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
20 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
99.96 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Exports:
$471 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports
(2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:
US 25.8%, India 21.2%, Pakistan 20.3%, Finland 4.1% (2005)
Imports:
$3.87 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Pakistan 38.6%, US 9.5%, Germany 5.5%, India 5.2%, Turkey 4.1%,
Turkmenistan 4% (2005)
Debt - external:
$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has
$500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
international pledges made by more than 60 countries and
international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference
for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for
2004-09
Currency (code):
afghani (AFA)
Currency code:
AFA
Exchange rates:
afghanis per US dollar - 541 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003), 41
(2002), note, in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency
stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the
market rate varied widely from the official rate
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Communications Afghanistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
280,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.4 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service;
many Afghans utilize growing cellular phone coverage in major cities
domestic: telephone service is improving with the licensing of
several wireless telephone service providers in 2005 and 2006;
approximately 4 in 100 Afghans own a wireless telephone; telephone
main lines remain limited.
international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,
Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international
and domestic voice and data connectivity
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 5, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian
(Dari), Urdu, and English) (2006)
Radios:
167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
at least 7 (one government-run central television station in Kabul
and regional stations in nine of the 34 provinces; the regional
stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a
station in Mazar-e-Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan
provinces) (2006)
Televisions:
100,000 (1999)
Internet country code:
.af
Internet hosts:
22 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
30,000 (2005)
Communications - note:
in March 2003, 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name;
Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public
"telekiosks" in Kabul (2002)
Transportation Afghanistan
Airports:
46 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2006)
Heliports:
9 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 466 km (2006)
Roadways:
total: 34,782 km
paved: 8,229 km
unpaved: 26,553 km (2004)
Waterways:
1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
(2005)
Ports and terminals:
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Military Afghanistan
Military branches:
Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year
term (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 22-49: 4,952,812
females age 22-49: 4,663,963 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 22-49: 2,662,946
females age 22-49: 2,508,574 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 275,362
females age 22-49: 259,935 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$122.4 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Afghanistan
Disputes - international:
most Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been repatriated, but
thousands still remain in Iran, many at their own choosing;
Coalition and Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal
areas to control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other
illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between Pakistani
and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary
encroachments; regional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements
with Amu Darya and Helmand River states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 136,565 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and
west due to drought and instability) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of opium; cultivation dropped 48% to
107,400 hectares in 2005; better weather and lack of widespread
disease returned opium yields to normal levels, meaning potential
opium production declined by only 10% to 4,475 metric tons; if the
entire poppy crop were processed, it is estimated that 526 metric
tons of heroin could be processed; source of hashish; many
narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source
of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the trade;
80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium;
vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal financial
networks
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
======================================================================
@Akrotiri
Introduction Akrotiri
Background:
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the
independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and
jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the
Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the
Western Sovereign Base Area.
Geography Akrotiri
Location:
peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
Geographic coordinates:
34 37 N, 32 58 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands
Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km
Coastline:
56.3 km
Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Environment - current issues:
shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead
and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on
the base
Geography - note:
British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small
off-post sites scattered across Cyprus
People Akrotiri
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there
are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military
personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus
citizens work on the base, but do not live there
Languages:
English, Greek
Government Akrotiri
Country name:
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri
Dependency status:
overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is
also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital:
name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 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
Constitution:
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council
1960, effective 16 August 1960
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY
(since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of
Defence
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is
appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
the flag of the UK is used
Economy Akrotiri
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military
and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured
goods must be imported.
Currency (code):
Cypriot pound (CYP)
Exchange rates:
Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005),
0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003), 0.6107 (2002)
Communications Akrotiri
Radio broadcast stations:
FM 1
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1
and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel
satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)
Military Akrotiri
Military - note:
Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on
Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
======================================================================
@Albania
Introduction Albania
Background:
Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic
Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The
transition has proven challenging as successive governments have
tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a
dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime
networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made
progress in its democratic development since first holding
multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International
observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the
restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid
schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party
and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime
and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size
of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition
of power, was considered an important step forward. Although
Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the
poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an
inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has
played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in
southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO
and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a
strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.
Geography Albania
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea,
between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro
Geographic coordinates:
41 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172
km, Serbia 115 km
Coastline:
362 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers;
interior is cooler and wetter
Terrain:
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore,
nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 20.1%
permanent crops: 4.21%
other: 75.69% (2005)
Irrigated land:
3,530 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast;
floods; drought
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and
domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to
Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
People Albania
Population:
3,581,655 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 464,954/female 423,003)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,214,942/female 1,158,562)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 148,028/female 172,166) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.9 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 29.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.52% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
15.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.43 years
male: 74.78 years
female: 80.34 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.03 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: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian
Ethnic groups:
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,
Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Religions:
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current
statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were
closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November
1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Languages:
Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach,
Romani, Slavic dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 93.3%
female: 79.5% (2003 est.)
Government Albania
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Albania
conventional short form: Albania
local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
local short form: Shqiperia
former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Government type:
emerging democracy
Capital:
name: Tirana (Tirane)
geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 19 50 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:
12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i
Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i
Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku
i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores
Independence:
28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Constitution:
adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998
Legal system:
has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court for its citizens
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24
June 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September
2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister,
nominated by the president, and approved by parliament
elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24
June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly
vote by number - total votes 134: for 97, against 19, abstained 14,
invalid votes 4
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 are elected by
direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD
56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the
People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and
district courts
Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian
Democratic Party or PDK [Nard NDOKA]; Communist Party of Albania or
PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or AD [Neritan
CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement
Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or BLD [Arjan
STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Adriatik
ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of
National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or
PDRN [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social
Democracy Party of Albania or PDSSh [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic
Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration
or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for
Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade
Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian
National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Erion
VELIAJ]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of
Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]
International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA
chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942
FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES
embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana
mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles,
VA 20189-9510
telephone: [355] (4) 247285
FAX: [355] (4) 232222
Flag description:
red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
Economy Albania
Economy - overview:
Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the
difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The
government has taken measures to curb violent crime and reduce the
large grey economy. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances
from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Albanians residing in
Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit.
Agriculture, which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held
back because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights,
and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy
shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to
Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to
attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of
a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and
distribution facilities eventually will help relieve the energy
shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor
national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained
economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003-06
and inflation is low and stable.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$20.21 billion
note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50%
of official GDP (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$9.306 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.3%
industry: 18.8%
services: 57.9% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 58%
industry: 19%
services: 23% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.3% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of
near-subsistence farming (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
25% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.2 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.323 billion
expenditures: $2.587 billion; including capital expenditures of $500
million (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes;
meat, dairy products
Industries:
food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement,
chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Industrial production growth rate:
3.1% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
5.434 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 2.9%
hydro: 97.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
5.231 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
390 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
567 million kWh (2004 est.)
Oil - production:
3,600 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
21,600 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
185.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
30 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
30 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:
$-679.9 million (2006 est.)
Exports:
$763.2 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude
oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports - partners:
Italy 72.4%, Greece 10.5%, Serbia and Montenegro 5% (2005)
Imports:
$2.901 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Italy 29.3%, Greece 16.4%, Turkey 7.5%, China 6.6%, Germany 5.4%,
Russia 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.621 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.55 billion (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA: $366 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2003 est.)
Currency (code):
lek (ALL)
note: the plural of lek is leke
Currency code:
ALL
Exchange rates:
leke per US dollar - 98.5927 (2006), 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004),
121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Albania
Telephones - main lines in use:
255,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.259 million (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the
density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly
seven lines per 100 people; however, cellular telephone use is
widespread and generally effective
domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile
phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies
were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of
Albania's Balkan neighbors
international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines;
adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by
fiber optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from
the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2003)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 46 (3 national, 62 local), shortwave 1 (2005)
Radios:
1 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
65 (3 national, 62 local); note - 2 cable networks (2005)
Televisions:
700,000 (2001)
Internet country code:
.al
Internet hosts:
430 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2001)
Internet users:
75,000 (2005)
Transportation Albania
Airports:
11 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 447 km
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 18,000 km
paved: 7,020 km
unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)
Waterways:
43 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 52,987 GRT/79,863 DWT
by type: cargo 23, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Military Albania
Military branches:
General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval
Forces Command, Air Defense Command, Logistics Command, Training and
Doctrine Command
Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 809,524
females age 19-49: 784,199 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 668,526
females age 19-49: 648,334 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 37,407
females age 19-49: 34,587 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$56.5 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.49% (FY02)
Transnational Issues Albania
Disputes - international:
the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of
ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful
resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in
neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea
has little appeal among Albanian nationals; thousands of unemployed
Albanians emigrate annually to nearby Italy and other developed
countries
Illicit drugs:
increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian
opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to
a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for
Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production;
ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding
in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional
trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Algeria
Introduction Algeria
Background:
After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought
through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's
primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has
dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent
generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the
FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round
success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991
balloting spurred the
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