The 2008 CIA World Factbook
by United States. Central Intelligence Agency · English · Gutenberg #29233 · 9,637,093 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The 2008 CIA World Factbook
Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Release date: June 25, 2009 [eBook #29233]
Most recently updated: October 3, 2025
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29233
Credits: Produced by Al Haines
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2008 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK ***
THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2008
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 18 December 2008.
- In the People category, two new fields provide information on
education in terms of opportunity and resources. "School Life
Expectancy" is an estimate of the total number of years of schooling
(primary to tertiary) that a child can expect to receive, assuming
that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any
particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at
that age. "Education expenditures" provides an estimate of the public
expenditure on education as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- In order to help policymakers understand the nature and global
dimensions of the current financial crisis, The World Factbook has
added five new fields to the Economy category. "Central bank discount
rate" provides the annualized interest rate a country's central bank
charges commercial, depository banks for loans to meet temporary
shortages of funds. "Commercial bank prime lending rate" provides a
simple average of annualized interest rates commercial banks charge
on new loans, denominated in the national currency, to their most
credit-worthy customers. "Stock of money" also known as "M1," comprises
the total quantity of currency in circulation (notes and coins) plus
demand deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank
financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial
public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. "Stock of
quasi money" comprises the total quantity of time and savings deposits
denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank financial
institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public
enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. When added together
with "M1" the total money supply is known as "M2." "Stock of domestic
credit" is the total quantity of credit, denominated in the domestic
currency, provided by banks to nonbanking institutions.
- In the Geography category, two new fields focus on the increasingly
vital resource of water: "Total renewable water resources" and
"Freshwater withdrawal."
- 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 (2008) - 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
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
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
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
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
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
K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
Kiribati
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kosovo
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
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
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
=====================================================================
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 (male(s)/female)
2019 Heliports
2020 Elevation extremes (m)
2021 Natural hazards
2022 People - note
2023 Area - comparative
2024 Military service age and obligation (years of age)
2025 Manpower fit for military service
2026 Manpower reaching militarily significant 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 (% of GDP)
2038 Electricity - production (kWh)
2042 Electricity - consumption (kWh)
2043 Electricity - imports (kWh)
2044 Electricity - exports (kWh)
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 (births/1,000 population)
2055 Military branches
2056 Budget
2057 Capital
2058 Imports - commodities (%)
2059 Climate
2060 Coastline (km)
2061 Imports - partners (%)
2062 Economic aid - donor
2063 Constitution
2064 Economic aid - recipient
2065 Currency (code)
2066 Death rate (deaths/1,000 population)
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 (km)
2086 Illicit drugs
2087 Imports
2088 Independence
2089 Industrial production growth rate (%)
2090 Industries
2091 Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)
2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%)
2093 Waterways (km)
2094 Judicial branch
2095 Labor force
2096 Land boundaries (km)
2097 Land use (%)
2098 Languages (%)
2100 Legal system
2101 Legislative branch
2102 Life expectancy at birth (years)
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 (migrant(s)/1,000 population)
2113 Geography - note
2115 Political pressure groups and leaders
2116 Economy - overview
2117 Pipelines (km)
2118 Political parties and leaders
2119 Population
2120 Ports and terminals
2121 Railways (km)
2122 Religions (%)
2123 Suffrage
2124 Telephone system
2125 Terrain
2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)
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 (sq km)
2147 Area (sq km)
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 (bbl/day)
2174 Oil - consumption (bbl/day)
2175 Oil - imports (bbl/day)
2176 Oil - exports (bbl/day)
2177 Median age (years)
2178 Oil - proved reserves (bbl)
2179 Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m)
2180 Natural gas - production (cu m)
2181 Natural gas - consumption (cu m)
2182 Natural gas - imports (cu m)
2183 Natural gas - exports (cu m)
2184 Internet hosts
2185 Investment (gross fixed) (% of GDP)
2186 Public debt (% of GDP)
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
2198 Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
2199 Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
2200 Market value of publicly traded shares
2201 Total renewable water resources (cu km)
2202 Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) ()
2203 Geographic overview
2204 Economy of the area administered by Turkish Cypriots
2205 School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (years)
2206 Education expenditures (% of GDP)
2207 Central bank discount rate (%)
2208 Commercial bank prime lending rate (%)
2209 Stock of money
2210 Stock of quasi money
2211 Stock of domestic credit
======================================================================
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 55
fields in six of the nine Factbook categories.
Geography
Area - total
People
Population
Population growth rate
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)
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of money
Stock of quasi money
Stock of domestic credit
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
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
Market value of publicly traded shares
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 - 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 20 November, 2008
=====================================================================
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
In addition to the regular information updates, The World Factbook 2008
features several new additions. In the Geography category, two new
fields focus on the increasingly vital resource of water: "Total
renewable water resources" and "Freshwater withdrawal."
In the Economy category, the Factbook has added three fields: "Stock of
direct foreign investment - at home", "Stock of direct foreign
investment - abroad", and "Market value of publicly traded shares."
Additionally, the data for GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) has
been rebased using new PPP conversion rates, benchmarked to the year
2005, which were released on 17 December 2007 by the International
Comparison Program (ICP). The 2005 PPP data replace previous estimates,
many from studies dating to 1993 or earlier. The preliminary ICP report
provides estimates of internationally comparable price levels and the
relative purchasing power of currencies for 146 countries. The 2005
benchmark revises downward the size of the world economy in PPP terms
from the previous estimates, and changes the relative sizes of many of
the world's economies.
Concise descriptions of the major religions mentioned in the Factbook
have been added to the Notes and Definitions. France 's redesignation
of some of its overseas possessions caused the five former Indian Ocean
island possessions making up Iles Eparses to be incorporated into the
French Southern and Antarctic Lands, while two new Caribbean entities,
St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, were created.
Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001
edition, is continued in this edition. The revised maps include
elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid. Several regional maps
have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name
spelling changes.
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 (ICC for International Chamber of Commerce
and ICCt for International Criminal Court).
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 the 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 accommodations
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.
Central bank discount rate: This entry provides the annualized
interest rate a country's central bank charges commercial, depository
banks for loans to meet temporary shortages of funds.
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.
Commercial bank prime lending rate: This entry provides a simple
average of annualized interest rates commercial banks charge on new
loans, denominated in the national currency, to their most credit-
worthy customers.
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.
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 189 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 2
independent states that are not in the UN, the Holy See and Kosovo, 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.
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.
Education expenditures: This entry provides the public expenditure on
education as a percent of GDP
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 266 separate geographic entities in The
World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES
194 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, 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, Kosovo, 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, Timor-Leste, 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
9 France - Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and
Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint
Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna
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
266 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.
Waterborne 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. The International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code
for the national medium of exchange is presented in parenthesis.
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 include 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 listing of the highest-
valued exported products; 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.
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.
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): This entry
provides the annual quantity of water in cubic kilometers removed from
available sources for use in any purpose. Water drawn-off is not
necessarily entirely consumed and some portion may be returned for
further use downstream. Domestic sector use refers to water supplied by
public distribution systems. Note that some of this total may be used
for small industrial and/or limited agricultural purposes. Industrial
sector use is the quantity of water used by self-supplied industries
not connected to a public distribution system. Agricultural sector use
includes water used for irrigation and livestock watering, and does not
account for agriculture directly dependent on rainfall. Included are
figures for total annual water withdrawal and per capita water
withdrawal.
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 official 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-à-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
artificially 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 wealthy 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 provide 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. 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 locations provided in the
Geographic Names Server (GNS), maintained by the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency on behalf of the US Board on Geographic Names.
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. (Note that
for some countries more than one definition applies.):
Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules
unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution, or legally organized
opposition.
Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought
about by the absence of governmental authority.
Authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is
imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives.
Commonwealth - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on
law and united by a compact of the people for the common good.
Communist - 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 (Federation) - 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 adopted 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).
Presidential - a system of government where the executive branch exists
separately from a legislature (to which it is generally not
accountable).
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, Robitussin 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 listing of the highest-
valued imported products; 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 investment 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 a country
(defined as being ages 16-49) 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 a country
(defined as being ages 16-49) 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 militarily significant age annually: This entry
gives the number of males and females entering the military manpower
pool (i.e., reaching age 16) in any given year and is a measure of the
availability of military-age young adults.
Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference
map on which a country may be found. Note that boundary representations
on these maps are not necessarily authoritative. 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 mean 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.
Market value of publicly traded shares: This entry gives the value of
shares issued by publicly traded companies at a price determined in the
national stock markets on the final day of the period indicated. It is
simply the latest price per share multiplied by the total number of
outstanding shares, cumulated over all companies listed on the
particular exchange.
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: 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
service 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 a country's political, social, labor, or religious organizations
that are involved in politics, or that exert political pressure, but
whose leaders do not stand for legislative election. International
movements or organizations are generally not listed.
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 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 cumulative 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. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's
major religions are described below.
Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in
1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal
transcendent God. Its guiding focus is to encourage the unity of all
peoples on the earth so that justice and peace may be achieved on
earth. Baha'i revelation contends the prophets of major world religions
reflect some truth or element of the divine, believes all were
manifestations of God given to specific communities in specific times,
and that Baha'u'llah is an additional prophet meant to call all
humankind. Bahais are an open community, located worldwide, with the
greatest concentration of believers in South Asia.
Buddhism - Religion or philosophy inspired by the 5th century B.C.
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as Gautama Buddha "the
enlightened one"). Buddhism focuses on the goal of spiritual
enlightenment centered on an understanding of Gautama Buddha's Four
Noble Truths on the nature of suffering, and on the Eightfold Path of
spiritual and moral practice, to break the cycle of suffering of which
we are a part. Buddhism ascribes to a karmic system of rebirth. Several
schools and sects of Buddhism exist, differing often on the nature of
the Buddha, the extent to which enlightenment can be achieved - for one
or for all, and by whom - religious orders or laity.
Basic Groupings
Theravada Buddhism: The oldest Buddhist school, Theravada is
practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand,
with minority representation elsewhere in Asia and the West.
Theravadans follow the Pali Canon of Buddha's teachings, and believe
that one may escape the cycle of rebirth, worldly attachment, and
suffering for oneself; this process may take one or several lifetimes.
Mahayana Buddhism, including subsets Zen and Tibetan Buddhism: Forms
of Mahayana Buddhism are common in East Asia and Tibet, and parts of
the West. Mahayanas have additional scriptures beyond the Pali Canon
and believe the Buddha is eternal and still teaching. Unlike Theravada
Buddhism, Mahayana schools maintain the Buddha-nature is present in all
beings and all will ultimately achieve enlightenment.
Christianity - Descending from Judaism, Christianity's central belief
maintains Jesus of Nazareth is the promised messiah of the Hebrew
Scriptures, and that his life, death, and resurrection are salvific for
the world. Christianity is one of the three monotheistic Abrahamic
faiths, along with Islam and Judaism, which traces its spiritual
lineage to Abraham of the Hebrew Scriptures. Its sacred texts include
the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (or the Christian Gospels).
Basic Groupings
Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest established
western Christian church and the world's largest single religious body.
It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the
Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. Catholics
believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a
direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. Catholicism is
comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites - one Western (Latin-
Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up
about 98% of Catholic membership. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the
Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion
with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their
immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. The
Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine
specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among
most forms of Christianity.
Mormonism (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints): Originating in 1830 in the United States under Joseph Smith,
Mormonism is not characterized as a form of Protestant Christianity
because it claims additional revealed Christian scriptures after the
Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The Book of Mormon maintains there was
an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account
of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed
continents. Mormonism believes earlier Christian traditions, such as
the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant reform faiths, are
apostasies and that Joseph Smith's revelation of the Book of Mormon is
a restoration of true Christianity. Mormons have a hierarchical
religious leadership structure, and actively proselytize their faith;
they are located primarily in the Americas and in a number of other
Western countries.
Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of
Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the
Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but its
various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian
Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent of
Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs). Orthodox
churches are highly nationalist and ethnic. The Orthodox Christian
faith shares many theological tenets with the Roman Catholic Church,
but diverges on some key premises and does not recognize the governing
authority of the Pope.
Protestant Christianity: Protestant Christianity originated in the
16th century as an attempt to reform Roman Catholicism's practices,
dogma, and theology. It encompasses several forms or denominations
which are extremely varied in structure, beliefs, relationship to
state, clergy, and governance. Many protestant theologies emphasize the
primary role of scripture in their faith, advocating individual
interpretation of Christian texts without the mediation of a final
religious authority such as the Roman Pope. The oldest Protestant
Christianities include Lutheranism, Calvinism (Presbyterians), and
Anglican Christianity (Episcopalians), which have established
liturgies, governing structure, and formal clergy. Other variants on
Protestant Christianity, including Pentecostal movements and
independent churches, may lack one or more of these elements, and their
leadership and beliefs are individualized and dynamic.
Hinduism - Originating in the Vedic civilization of India (second and
first millennium B.C.), Hinduism is an extremely diverse set of beliefs
and practices with no single founder or religious authority. Hinduism
has many scriptures; the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita
are among some of the most important. Hindus may worship one or many
deities, usually with prayer rituals within their own home. The most
common figures of devotion are the gods Vishnu, Shiva, and a mother
goddess, Devi. Most Hindus believe the soul, or atman, is eternal, and
goes through a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) determined
by one's positive or negative karma, or the consequences of one's
actions. The goal of religious life is to learn to act so as to finally
achieve liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle.
Islam - The third of the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam
originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims
believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets (beginning with
Abraham) and that the Qu'ran, which is the Islamic scripture, was
revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word submission, and
obedience to God is a primary theme in this religion. In order to live
an Islamic life, believers must follow the five pillars, or tenets, of
Islam, which are the testimony of faith (shahada), daily prayer
(salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and the
pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).
Basic Groupings
The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split
from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the
rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's cousin and
son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam (religious
leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs after
Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam, Sunnis and
Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic
jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. Islam
also has an active mystical branch, Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia
subsets.
Sunni Islam accounts for over 75% of the world's Muslim population.
It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Sunni
has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i,
and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the Hadith, or recorded oral
traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of
these schools, as all are considered equally valid.
Shia Islam represents 10-20% of Muslims worldwide, and its
distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible,
divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community
after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because
they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad
culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will
reappear at its end to redeem the righteous.
Variants
Ismaili faith: A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known as
"Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam in
Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq.
Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as the Mahdi,
or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in various parts of
the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant.
Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects
followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are a
closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia Muslims,
although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have a syncretic
mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East. Alawis live
mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Druze faith: A highly secretive tradition and a closed community
that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are
thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing that
the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key aspects
of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the word, the
soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key presence in
Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
Jainism - Originating in India, Jain spiritual philosophy believes in
an eternal human soul, the eternal universe, and a principle of "the
own nature of things." It emphasizes compassion for all living things,
seeks liberation of the human soul from reincarnation through
enlightenment, and values personal responsibility due to the belief in
the immediate consequences of one's behavior. Jain philosophy teaches
non-violence and prescribes vegetarianism for monks and laity alike;
its adherents are a highly influential religious minority in Indian
society.
Judaism - One of the first known monotheistic religions, likely dating
to between 2000-1500 B.C., Judaism is the native faith of the Jewish
people, based upon the belief in a covenant of responsibility between a
sole omnipotent creator God and Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism's
Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. Divine revelation of principles and
prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish law, or
halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. While there are
extensive traditions of Jewish halakhic and theological discourse,
there is no final dogmatic authority in the tradition. Local
communities have their own religious leadership. Modern Judaism has
three basic categories of faith: Orthodox, Conservative, and
Reform/Liberal. These differ in their views and observance of Jewish
law, with the Orthodox representing the most traditional practice, and
Reform/Liberal communities the most accommodating of individualized
interpretations of Jewish identity and faith.
Shintoism - A native animist tradition of Japan, Shinto practice is
based upon the premise that every being and object has its own spirit
or kami. Shinto practitioners worship several particular kamis,
including the kamis of nature, and families often have shrines to their
ancestors' kamis. Shintoism has no fixed tradition of prayers or
prescribed dogma, but is characterized by individual ritual. Respect
for the kamis in nature is a key Shinto value. Prior to the end of
World War II, Shinto was the state religion of Japan, and bolstered the
cult of the Japanese emperor.
Sikhism - Founded by the Guru Nanak (born 1469), Sikhism believes in a
non-anthropomorphic, supreme, eternal, creator God; centering one's
devotion to God is seen as a means of escaping the cycle of rebirth.
Sikhs follow the teachings of Nanak and nine subsequent gurus. Their
scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib - also known as the Adi Granth - is
considered the living Guru, or final authority of Sikh faith and
theology. Sikhism emphasizes equality of humankind and disavows caste,
class, or gender discrimination.
Taoism - Chinese philosophy or religion based upon Lao Tzu's Tao Te
Ching, which centers on belief in the Tao, or the way, as the flow of
the universe and the nature of things. Taoism encourages a principle of
non-force, or wu-wei, as the means to live harmoniously with the Tao.
Taoists believe the esoteric world is made up of a perfect harmonious
balance and nature, while in the manifest world - particularly in the
body - balance is distorted. The Three Jewels of the Tao - compassion,
simplicity, and humility - serve as the basis for Taoist ethics.
Zoroastrianism - Originating from the teachings of Zoroaster in about
the 9th or 10th century B.C., Zoroastrianism may be the oldest
continuing creedal religion. Its key beliefs center on a transcendent
creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will. The key ethical
tenets of Zoroastrianism expressed in its scripture, the Avesta, are
based on a dualistic worldview where one may prevent chaos if one
chooses to serve God and exercises good thoughts, good words, and good
deeds. Zoroastrianism is generally a closed religion and members are
almost always born to Zoroastrian parents. Prior to the spread of
Islam, Zoroastrianism dominated greater Iran. Today, though a minority,
Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and Pakistan.
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.
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary): School life expectancy
(SLE) is the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary)
that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of
his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is
equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be
maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons.
For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not
necessarily the same in terms of educational content or quality as a
year or grade completed in another country. SLE represents the expected
number of years of schooling that will be completed, including years
spent repeating one or more grades.
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.
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: This entry gives the
cumulative US dollar value of all investments in foreign countries made
directly by residents - primarily companies - of the home country, as
of the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes
investment through purchase of shares.
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: This entry gives the
cumulative US dollar value of all investments in the home country made
directly by residents - primarily companies - of other countries as of
the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes
investment through purchase of shares.
Stock of domestic credit: This entry is the total quantity of credit,
denominated in the domestic currency, provided by banks to nonbanking
institutions. The national currency units have been converted to US
dollars at the closing exchange rate on the date of the information.
Stock of money: This entry, also known as "M1," comprises the total
quantity of currency in circulation (notes and coins) plus demand
deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank
financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial
public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. The national
currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing
exchange rate on the date of the information.
Stock of quasi money: This entry comprises the total quantity of time
and savings deposits denominated in the national currency, held by
nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments,
nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy.
When added together with "M1" the total money supply is known as "M2."
The national currency units have been converted to US dollars at the
closing exchange rate on the date of the information.
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.
Total renewable water resources: This entry provides the long-term
average water availability for a country in cubic kilometers of
precipitation, recharged ground water, and surface inflows from
surrounding countries. The values have been adjusted to account for
overlap resulting from surface flow recharge of groundwater sources.
Total renewable water resources provides the water total available to a
country but does not include water resource totals that have been
reserved for upstream or downstream countries through international
agreements. Note that these values are averages and do not accurately
reflect the total available in any given year. Annual available
resources can vary greatly due to short-term and long-term climatic and
weather variations.
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 (i.e., the current situation) 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 2007
Trafficking in Persons Report as Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3 based on
the following tier rating 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 high or significantly increasing number of 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 18 December 2008
=====================================================================
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 2008 marks the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the
Central Intelligence Agency and the 65th 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).
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.
2008--In the Geography category, two fields focus on the increasingly
vital resource of water: Total renewable water resources and Freshwater
withdrawal. In the Economy category, three fields added for: Stock of
direct foreign investment--at home, Stock of direct foreign
investment--abroad, and Market value of publicly traded shares. Concise
descriptions of the major religions mentioned in the Factbook included
in the Notes and Definitions.
This page was last updated on 8 October, 2008
=======================================================================
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), 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 Center for
Medical Intelligence (Department of Defense), 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:
US Government Printing Office
732 N. Capitol St.
Washington, DC 20401
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-6:30 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/
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
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:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-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 us. When submitting corrections or updates to the Factbook,
please include your source(s) of information. At least two Factbook
staffers review every submitted item. The sheer volume of
correspondence precludes detailed personal replies, but we sincerely
appreciate your time and interest in the Factbook. If you include
your e-mail address we will at least acknowledge your note. Thank
you again.
Answers to many frequently asked questions (FAQs) are explained in
the Notes and Definitions section in The World Factbook. Please
review this section to see if your question is already answered
there. In addition, we have compiled the following list of FAQs to
answer other common questions. Select from the following categories
to narrow your search:
General
Geography
Spelling and Pronunciation
Policies and Procedures
Technical
General
Can you provide additional information for a specific country?
The staff cannot provide data beyond what appears in The World
Factbook. The format and information in the Factbook are tailored to
the specific requirements of US Government officials and content is
focused on their current and anticipated needs. The staff welcomes
suggestions for new entries.
How often is The World Factbook updated?
Formerly our Web site (and the published Factbook) were only updated
annually. Beginning in November 2001 we instituted a new system of
more frequent online updates. The World Factbook is currently
updated every two weeks.
The annual printed version of the Factbook is usually released about
midyear. US Government officials may obtain information about
Factbook availability from their own organizations or through
liaison channels to the CIA. Other users may obtain sales
information through the following channels:
Superintendent of Documents
P. O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
Telephone: [1] (202) 512-1800
FAX: [1] (202) 512-2250
http://bookstore.gpo.gov
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161
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
Can I use some or all of The World Factbook for my Web site (book,
research project, homework, etc.)?
The World Factbook is in the public domain and may be used freely by
anyone at anytime without seeking permission. However, US Code
prohibits use of the CIA seal in a manner which implies that the CIA
approved, endorsed, or authorized such use. If you have any
questions about your intended use, you should consult with legal
counsel. Further information on The World Factbook's use is
described on the Contributors and Copyright Information page. As a
courtesy, please cite The World Factbook when used.
Why doesn't The World Factbook include information on states,
departments, provinces, etc., in the country format?
The World Factbook provides national-level information on countries,
territories, and dependencies, but not subnational administrative
units within a country. A good encyclopedia should provide
state/province-level information.
Is it possible to access older editions of The World Factbook to do
comparative research and trend analysis?
Previous versions of the Factbook, beginning with the 2000 edition,
are available for downloading - but not browsing - on the CIA Web
site. Hardcopy editions for earlier years are available from
libraries.
Would it be possible to set up a partnership or collaboration
between the producers of The World Factbook and other organizations
or individuals?
The World Factbook does not partner with other organizations or
individuals, but we do welcome comments and suggestions that such
groups or persons choose to provide.
Geography
I can't find a geographic name for a particular country. Why not?
The World Factbook is not a gazetteer (a dictionary or index of
places, usually with descriptive or statistical information) and
cannot provide more than the names of the administrative divisions
(in the Government category) and major cities/towns (on the country
maps). Our expanded Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names,
however, includes many of the world's major geographic features as
well as historic (former) names of countries and cities mentioned in
The World Factbook.
Why are Taiwan and the European Union listed out of alphabetical
order at the end of the Factbook entries?
Taiwan is listed after the regular entries because even though the
mainland People's Republic of China claims Taiwan, elected Taiwanese
authorities de facto administer the island and reject mainland
sovereignty claims. With the establishment of diplomatic relations
with China on January 1, 1979, the US Government recognized the
People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China,
acknowledging the Chinese position that there is only one China and
that Taiwan is part of China.
The European Union (EU) is not a country, but it has taken on many
nation-like attributes and these are likely to be expanded in the
future. A more complete explanation on the inclusion of the EU into
the Factbook may be found in the Preliminary statement.
Since we have an ambassador who represents the US at the Vatican,
why is this entity not listed in the Factbook?
Vatican City is found under Holy See. The term "Holy See" refers to
the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and
his advisors to direct the worldwide Catholic Church. The Holy See
has a legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the
juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic
representatives. Vatican City, created in 1929 to administer
properties belonging to the Holy See in Rome, is recognized under
international law as a sovereign state, but it does not send or
receive diplomatic representatives. Consequently, Holy See is
included as a Factbook entry, with Vatican City cross-referenced in
the Geographic Names appendix.
Why is Palestine not listed in The World Factbook?
The areas that could potentially form a future Palestinian state --
the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- do appear in the Factbook. These
areas are presently Israeli-occupied with current status subject to
the Israeli-Palestinian 1995 Interim Agreement; their permanent
status is to be determined through further negotiation.
Why are the Golan Heights not shown as part of Israel or Northern
Cyprus with Turkey?
Territorial occupations/annexations not recognized by the United
States Government are not shown on US Government maps.
Why don't you include information on entities such as Tibet or
Kashmir?
The World Factbook provides information on the administrative
divisions of a country as recommended by the United States Board on
Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is a component of the US Government
that develops policies, principles, and procedures governing the
spelling, use, and application of geographic names--domestic,
foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions enable all
departments and agencies of the US Government to have access to
uniform names of geographic features.
Also included in the Factbook are entries on parts of the world
whose status has not yet been resolved (e.g., West Bank, Spratly
Islands). Specific regions within a country or areas in dispute
among countries are not covered.
What do you mean when you say that a country is "doubly landlocked"?
A doubly landlocked country is one that is separated from an ocean
or an ocean-accessible sea by two intervening countries. Uzbekistan
and Liechtenstein are the only countries that fit this definition.
Why is the area of the United States described as "slightly larger
than China" in the Factbook , while other sources list China as
larger in area than the United States?
It all depends on whether one is looking at total area (land and
water) when making the comparison (which is the criterion used by
the Factbook) or just land area (which excludes inland water
features such as rivers or lakes).
Total area (combining land and water)
United States = 9,826,630 sq km
China = 9,596,960 sq km
Land only (without any water features)
United States = 9,161,923 sq km
China = 9,326,410 sq km
Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?
The reason the four entities are no longer in The World Factbook is
because their status has changed. While they are overseas
departments of France, they are also now recognized as French
regions, having equal status to the 22 metropolitan regions that
make up European France. In other words, they are now recognized as
being part of France proper. Their status is somewhat analogous to
Alaska and Hawaii vis-a-vis the contiguous United States. Although
separated from the larger geographic entity, they are still
considered to be an integral part of it.
Spelling and Pronunciation
Why is the spelling of proper names such as rulers, presidents, and
prime ministers in The World Factbook different than their spelling
in my country?
The Factbook staff applies the names and spellings from the Chiefs
of State link on the CIA Web site. The World Factbook is prepared
using the standard American English computer keyboard and does not
use any special characters, symbols, or most diacritical markings in
its spellings. Surnames are always spelled with capital letters;
they may appear first in some cultures.
The spelling of geographic names, features, cities, administrative
divisions, etc. in the Factbook differs from those used in my
country. Why is this?
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) recommends and
approves names and spellings. The BGN is the component of the United
States Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures
governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic
names--domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions
enable all departments and agencies of the US Government to use
uniform names of geographic features. (A note is usually included
where changes may have occurred but have not yet been approved by
the BGN). The World Factbook is prepared using the standard American
English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters,
symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings.
Why doesn't The World Factbook include pronunciations of country or
leader names?
There are too many variations in pronunciation among
English-speaking countries, not to mention English renditions of
non-English names, for pronunciations to be included. American
English pronunciations are included for some countries like Qatar
and Kiribati.
Why is the name of the Labour party misspelled?
When American and British spellings of common English words differ,
The World Factbook always uses the American spelling, even when
these common words form part of a proper name in British English.
Policies and Procedures
What is The World Factbook's source for a specific subject field?
The Factbook staff uses many different sources to publish what we
judge are the most reliable and consistent data for any particular
category. Space considerations preclude a listing of these various
sources.
The names of some geographic features provided in the Factbook
differ from those used in other publications. For example, in Asia
the Factbook has Burma as the country name, but in other
publications Myanmar is used; also, the Factbook uses Sea of Japan
whereas other publications label it East Sea. What is your policy on
naming geographic features?
The Factbook staff follows the guidance of the United States Board
on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is the component of the United
States Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures
governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic
names--domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions
enable all departments and agencies of the US Government to have
access to uniform names of geographic features. The position of the
BGN is that the names Burma and Sea of Japan be used in official US
Government maps and publications.
Why is most of the statistical information in the Factbook given in
metric units, rather than the units standard to US measure?
US Federal agencies are required by the Metric Conversion Act of
1975 (Public Law 94-168) and by Executive Order 12770 of July 1991
to use the International System of Units, commonly referred to as
the metric system or SI. In addition, the metric system is used by
over 95 percent of the world's population.
Why don't you include information on minimum and maximum temperature
extremes?
The Factbook staff judges that this information would only be useful
for some (generally smaller) countries. Larger countries can have
large temperature extremes that do not represent the landmass as a
whole. In the future, such a category may be adopted listing the
extremes, but also adding a normal temperature range found
throughout most of a country's territory.
What information sources are used for the country flags?
Flag designs used in The World Factbook are those recognized by the
protocol office of the US Department of State.
Why do your GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics differ from
other sources?
We have two sets of GDP dollar estimates in The World Factbook , one
derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations and the
other derived using official exchange rates (OER). Other sources
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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. A series of subsequent 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 in New York City, 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, a presidential election in 2004, and
National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI
became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and
the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December.
Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a
resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability -
particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges
for the Afghan Government.
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)
Total renewable water resources:
65 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)
per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Ozone Layer
Protection
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:
32,738,376 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,474,394/female 7,121,145)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,901,880/female 8,447,983)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 383,830/female 409,144) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.626% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
45.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
19.56 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 154.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 158.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 150.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 44.21 years
male: 44.04 years
female: 44.39 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.58 children born/woman (2008 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
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
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%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Languages:
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (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: 28.1%
male: 43.1%
female: 12.6% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 11 years
female: 4 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
NA
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 11 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, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor,
Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar,
Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika,
Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan,
Wardak, Zabul
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:
based on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
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 held the honorific, "Father of the Country," and
presided symbolically over certain occasions but lacked any
governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary; King ZAHIR
Shah died on 23 July 2007
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, and one-third nominated by the president for five-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:
Afghanistan Peoples' Treaty Party [Sayyed Amir TAHSEEN];
Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF];
Afghanistan's Islamic Nation Party [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad ZAI];
Afghanistan's National Islamic Party [Rohullah LOUDIN];
Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social
Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Afghan Society for the Call to
the Koran and Sunna [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Comprehensive
Movement of Democracy and Development of Afghanistan Party [Sher
Mohammad BAZGAR]; Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];
Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR]; Elites People
of Afghanistan Party [Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Freedom and Democracy
Movement of Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Freedom
Party of Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK]; Freedom Party of
Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq NEJRABEE]; Hizullah-e-Afghanistan
[Qari Ahmad ALI]; Human Rights Protection and Development Party of
Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATI]; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan
[Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad
Ali JAWID]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Mukhtar
MUFLEH]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI];
Islamic Party of the Afghan Land [Mohammad Hassan FEROZKHEL];
Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hussain
ANWARY]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad RABBANI]; Islamic
Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban Ali URFANI];
Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Islamic
Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ];
Labor and Progress of Afghanistan Party [Zulfiqar OMID]; Muslim
People of Afghanistan Party [Besmellah JOYAN]; Muslim Unity Movement
Party of Afghanistan [Wazir Mohammad WAHDAT]; National and Islamic
Sovereignty Movement Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI];
National Congress Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM];
National Country Party [Ghulam MOHAMMAD]; National Development Party
of Afghanistan [Dr. Aref BAKTASH]; National Freedom Seekers Party
[Abdul Hadi DABEER]; National Independence Party of Afghanistan [Taj
Mohammad WARDAK]; National Islamic Fighters Party of Afghanistan
[Amanat NINGARHAREE]; National Islamic Front of Afghanistan [Pir
Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; National Islamic Moderation Party of
Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized YAAR]; National Islamic Movement of
Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]; National Islamic Unity Party of
Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE]; National Movement of Afghanistan
[Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; National Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid
ARYAN]; National Patch of Afghanistan Party [Sayed Kamal SADAT];
National Peace Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Shah Mohammood Popal
ZAI]; National Peace & Islamic Party of the Tribes of Afghanistan
[Abdul Qaher SHARIATEE]; National Peace & Unity Party of Afghanistan
[Abdul Qader IMAMI]; National Prosperity and Islamic Party of
Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman SALEKZADA]; National Prosperity Party
[Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE]; National Solidarity Movement of
Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; National Solidarity Party of
Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor NADREEI]; National Sovereignty Party
[Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI]; National Stability Party [Mohammad Same
KHAROTI]; National Stance Party [Habibullah JANEBDAR]; National
Tribal Unity Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANI];
National United Front [Burhanuddin RABBANI] (a coalition); National
Unity Movement [Sultan Mohammad GHAZI]; National Unity Movement of
Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; National Unity Party of
Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid JALILI]; New Afghanistan Party [Mohammad
Yunis QANUNI]; Peace and National Welfare Activists Society [Shamsul
Haq Noor SHAMS]; Peace Movement [Shahnawaz TANAI]; People's
Aspirations Party of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE];
People's Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS];
People's Liberal Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Ajmal
SUHAIL]; People's Message Party of Afghanistan [Noor Aqa WAINEE];
People's Movement of the National Unity of Afghanistan [Abdul Hakim
NOORZAI]; People's Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR]; People's
Prosperity Party of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF]; People's
Sovereignty Movement of Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE]; People's
Uprising Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir Qayed Omul BELADI];
People's Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ]; People's
Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Progressive
Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Republican Party
[Sebghatullah SANJAR]; Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq
NEMAT]; The Afghanistan's Mujahid Nation's Islamic Unity Movement
[Saeedullah SAEED]; The People of Afghanistan's Democratic Movement
[Sharif NAZARI]; Tribes Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad
Zarif NASERI]; Understanding and Democracy Party of Afghanistan
[Ahamad SHAHEEN]; United Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Wasil RAHIMEE];
United Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Wahidullah SABAWOON]; Young
Afghanistan's Islamic Organization [Sayed Jawad HUSSINEE]; Youth
Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; note -
includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: religious groups; tribal leaders
International organization participation:
ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO
(guest), 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 William B. WOOD
embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul
mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806
telephone: [93] 0700 108 001
FAX: [93] 0700 108 564
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green,
with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and
slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the emblem
features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the
mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian
calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central
image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the
left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the
Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over
the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom
center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan
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 exceeded 7% in 2007. 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 level, among the lowest in the world. 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. 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 $4 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):
$35 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$8.842 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2007 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%
Budget:
revenues: $715 million
expenditures: $2.6 billion
note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the
Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order
Trust Fund (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18.14% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.426 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$958.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$20.06 million (31 December 2007)
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:
839 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
1.088 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
230 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 36.3%
hydro: 63.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
5,036 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
4,534 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
20 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
20 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
NA
Exports:
$274 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports
(2006)
Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:
India 22.8%, Pakistan 21.8%, US 20.5%, Tajikistan 7.2% (2007)
Imports:
$3.823 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Pakistan 36.8%, US 11%, India 5%, Germany 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2.775 billion (2005)
Debt - external:
$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500
million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
afghani (AFA)
Currency code:
AFA
Exchange rates:
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - NA (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48
(2004), 49 (2003)
Communications
Afghanistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
280,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.4 million (2008)
Telephone system:
general assessment: limited landline telephone service; an
increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks
in major cities
domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers,
mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidly
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 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 5, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashto, Dari (Afghan
Persian), Urdu, and English) (2006)
Radios:
167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
at least 7 (1 government-run central television station in Kabul and
regional stations in 6 of the 34 provinces) (2006)
Televisions:
100,000 (1999)
Internet country code:
.af
Internet hosts:
31 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
580,000 (2007)
Communications - note:
Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public
"telekiosks" in Kabul (2005)
Transportation
Afghanistan
Airports:
46 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2007)
Heliports:
9 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 466 km (2007)
Roadways:
total: 42,150 km
paved: 12,350 km
unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)
Waterways:
1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
(2007)
Ports and terminals:
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Military
Afghanistan
Military branches:
Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan
National Army Air Corps) (2008)
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 16-49: 7,431,147
females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,234,180
females age 16-49: 3,946,685 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 371,451
female: 351,295 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues
Afghanistan
Disputes - international:
Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border with
Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to foreign terrorists
and other illegal activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and
west due to drought and instability) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation increased 17%
to a near-record 202,000 hectares in 2007; good growing conditions
pushed potential opium production to a record 8,000 metric tons, up
42% from last year; if the entire opium crop were processed, 947
metric tons of heroin potentially could be produced; drug trade is a
source of instability and the Taliban and other antigovernment
groups participate in and profit from the drug trade; widespread
corruption impedes counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed
in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; vulnerable to
drug money laundering through informal financial networks; regional
source of hashish
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@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:
Eastern Mediterranean, 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; of the Sovereign Base Area
land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the
Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land
People
Akrotiri
Population:
approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri
and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK-based
contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents
Languages:
English, Greek
Government
Akrotiri
Country name:
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri
Dependency status:
a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an
administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital:
name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri
and Dhekelia)
geographic coordinates:
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