$NA (continued 57)

======================================================================

Rank code: 2206

Country Comparison :: Education expenditures

This entry provides the public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP.

Rank country (% of GDP) Date of Information

1 Kiribati 17.80 2002 2 Lesotho 13.00 2006 3 Marshall Islands 11.80 2004 4 Palau 10.30 2002 5 Yemen 9.60 2001 6 Vanuatu 9.50 2003 7 Uzbekistan 9.40 1991 8 Saint Kitts and Nevis 9.30 2005 9 Cuba 9.10 2006 10 Botswana 8.70 2007 11 Djibouti 8.40 2006 12 Denmark 8.30 2005 13 Guyana 8.30 2006 14 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.10 2005 15 Maldives 8.00 2006 16 Iceland 7.60 2004 17 Moldova 7.60 2006 18 Micronesia, Federated States of 7.30 2000 19 Tunisia 7.30 2005 20 Norway 7.20 2005 21 Sweden 7.10 2005 22 Bhutan 7.00 2005 23 Swaziland 7.00 2005 24 Barbados 6.90 2005 25 Israel 6.90 2004 26 Namibia 6.90 2003 27 Kenya 6.90 2006 28 Saudi Arabia 6.80 2004 29 Saint Lucia 6.60 2006 30 Fiji 6.50 2004 31 Seychelles 6.50 2006 32 Bolivia 6.40 2003 33 Finland 6.40 2005 34 Cape Verde 6.30 2006 35 Cyprus 6.30 2004 36 Ukraine 6.30 2006 37 Malaysia 6.20 2004 38 New Zealand 6.20 2006 39 Belarus 6.10 2006 40 Belgium 6.00 2004 41 Slovenia 6.00 2005 42 Sudan 6.00 1991 43 Ethiopia 6.00 2006 44 Malawi 5.80 2003 45 Switzerland 5.80 2005 46 France 5.70 2005 47 United Kingdom 5.60 2005 48 Hungary 5.50 2005 49 Mexico 5.50 2005 50 Portugal 5.50 2005 51 Poland 5.50 2005 52 Austria 5.40 2005 53 South Africa 5.40 2006 54 Ghana 5.40 2005 55 Belize 5.30 2004 56 Jamaica 5.30 2005 57 United States 5.30 2005 58 Netherlands 5.30 2005 59 Brunei 5.20 2000 60 Guinea-Bissau 5.20 1999 61 Uganda 5.20 2004 62 Grenada 5.20 2003 63 Canada 5.20 2002 64 Algeria 5.10 1999 65 Malta 5.10 2004 66 Latvia 5.10 2004 67 Iran 5.10 2006 68 Estonia 5.10 2004 69 Burundi 5.10 2005 70 Dominica 5.00 1999 71 Tonga 5.00 2004 72 Lithuania 5.00 2005 73 Mongolia 5.00 2004 74 Senegal 5.00 2006 75 Mozambique 5.00 2005 76 Costa Rica 4.90 2004 77 Jordan 4.90 1999 78 Kyrgyzstan 4.90 2005 79 Aruba 4.80 2005 80 Colombia 4.70 2006 81 Ireland 4.70 2005 82 Germany 4.60 2004 83 Cote d'Ivoire 4.60 2001 84 Zimbabwe 4.60 2000 85 Korea, South 4.60 2004 86 Australia 4.50 2005 87 Mali 4.50 2006 88 Italy 4.50 2005 89 Croatia 4.50 2004 90 Bulgaria 4.50 2005 91 Benin 4.40 2004 92 Greece 4.40 2005 93 Monaco 4.40 2004 94 Czech Republic 4.40 2004 95 Samoa 4.30 2002 96 Egypt 4.20 2006 97 Spain 4.20 2005 98 Burkina Faso 4.20 2006 99 Thailand 4.20 2005 100 Trinidad and Tobago 4.20 2002 101 Anguilla 4.00 2005 102 Turkey 4.00 2004 103 Oman 4.00 2006 104 Paraguay 4.00 2004 105 Brazil 4.00 2004 106 Antigua and Barbuda 3.90 2002 107 Bahrain 3.90 1991 108 Turkmenistan 3.90 1991 109 Syria 3.90 1999 110 Mauritius 3.90 2006 111 Slovakia 3.90 2005 112 Hong Kong 3.90 2006 113 Argentina 3.80 2004 114 Panama 3.80 2004 115 Rwanda 3.80 2005 116 Sierra Leone 3.80 2005 117 Russia 3.80 2005 118 Gabon 3.80 2000 119 Kuwait 3.80 2006 120 Comoros 3.80 2002 121 Honduras 3.80 1991 122 Singapore 3.70 2001 123 British Virgin Islands 3.70 2006 124 Venezuela 3.70 2006 125 Bahamas, The 3.60 2000 126 Dominican Republic 3.60 2006 127 Indonesia 3.60 2006 128 Japan 3.50 2005 129 Romania 3.50 2005 130 Macedonia 3.50 2002 131 Luxembourg 3.40 1999 132 Tajikistan 3.40 2006 133 Nepal 3.40 2003 134 Niger 3.40 2006 135 Solomon Islands 3.30 1999 136 Qatar 3.30 2005 137 Montserrat 3.30 2004 138 Cameroon 3.30 2006 139 Armenia 3.20 2001 140 India 3.20 2005 141 Chile 3.20 2006 142 El Salvador 3.10 2006 143 Nicaragua 3.10 2003 144 Madagascar 3.10 2006 145 Georgia 3.10 2006 146 Laos 3.00 2006 147 Albania 2.90 2002 148 Uruguay 2.90 2006 149 Mauritania 2.90 2006 150 Cayman Islands 2.80 2005 151 Bangladesh 2.70 2005 152 Libya 2.70 1999 153 Lebanon 2.70 2006 154 Guatemala 2.60 2006 155 Pakistan 2.60 2006 156 Togo 2.60 2002 157 Peru 2.50 2006 158 Philippines 2.50 2005 159 Angola 2.40 2005 160 Macau 2.40 2005 161 Eritrea 2.40 2006 162 Andorra 2.30 2006 163 Kazakhstan 2.30 2005 164 Tanzania 2.20 1999 165 Azerbaijan 2.10 2006 166 Gambia, The 2.00 2004 167 Zambia 2.00 2005 168 Chad 1.90 2005 169 Congo, Republic of the 1.90 2005 170 China 1.90 1999 171 Vietnam 1.80 1991 172 Cambodia 1.70 2004 173 Guinea 1.60 2005 174 Central African Republic 1.40 2006 175 Haiti 1.40 1991 176 United Arab Emirates 1.30 2005 177 Bermuda 1.20 2006 178 Burma 1.20 2001 179 Ecuador 1.00 2001 180 Nigeria 0.90 1991 181 Equatorial Guinea 0.60 2003 182 Cook Islands 0.20 2001

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Rank code: 2207

Country Comparison :: 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.

Rank country (%) Date of Information

1 Zimbabwe 975.00 31 December 2007 2 Venezuela 28.50 31 December 2007 3 Sao Tome and Principe 28.00 31 December 2007 4 Turkey 25.00 31 December 2007 5 Guinea 22.25 31 December 2005 6 Iraq 20.00 31 December 2007 7 Paraguay 20.00 31 December 2007 8 Angola 19.57 31 December 2007 9 Brazil 17.85 31 December 2007 10 Costa Rica 17.00 31 December 2007 11 Tanzania 16.40 31 December 2007 12 Iceland 15.25 31 December 2007 13 Sri Lanka 15.00 31 December 2007 14 Tajikistan 15.00 31 December 2007 15 Malawi 15.00 31 December 2007 16 Uganda 14.68 31 December 2007 17 Botswana 14.50 31 December 2007 18 Ghana 13.50 31 December 2007 19 Azerbaijan 13.00 31 December 2007 20 Lesotho 12.82 31 December 2007 21 Laos 12.67 31 December 2007 22 Maldives 12.50 31 December 2007 23 Rwanda 12.50 31 December 2007 24 Barbados 12.00 31 December 2007 25 Burma 12.00 31 December 2007 26 Belize 12.00 31 December 2007 27 Mauritania 12.00 31 December 2007 28 Lebanon 12.00 31 December 2007 29 Zambia 11.73 31 December 2007 30 Colombia 11.50 31 December 2007 31 Kazakhstan 11.00 31 December 2007 32 South Africa 11.00 31 December 2007 33 Swaziland 11.00 31 December 2007 34 Ecuador 10.72 31 December 2007 35 Namibia 10.50 31 December 2007 36 Burundi 10.12 31 December 2007 37 Belarus 10.00 31 December 2007 38 Russia 10.00 31 December 2007 39 Uruguay 10.00 31 December 2007 40 Trinidad and Tobago 10.00 31 December 2007 41 Gambia, The 10.00 31 December 2007 42 Pakistan 10.00 31 December 2007 43 Mozambique 9.95 31 December 2007 44 Mongolia 9.87 31 December 2007 45 Serbia 9.57 31 December 2007 46 Nigeria 9.50 31 December 2007 47 Fiji 9.25 31 December 2007 48 Egypt 9.00 31 December 2007 49 Croatia 9.00 31 December 2007 50 Cape Verde 8.50 31 December 2007 51 New Zealand 8.25 31 December 2007 52 Indonesia 8.00 31 December 2007 53 Ukraine 8.00 31 December 2007 54 Hungary 7.50 31 December 2007 55 Papua New Guinea 7.38 31 December 2007 56 Jordan 7.00 31 December 2007 57 Antigua and Barbuda 6.50 31 December 2007 58 Anguilla 6.50 31 December 2007 59 Bolivia 6.50 31 December 2007 60 Vietnam 6.50 31 December 2007 61 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.50 31 December 2007 62 Saint Lucia 6.50 31 December 2007 63 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6.50 31 December 2007 64 Macedonia 6.50 31 December 2007 65 Montserrat 6.50 31 December 2007 66 Guyana 6.50 31 December 2007 67 Grenada 6.50 31 December 2007 68 Dominica 6.50 31 December 2007 69 Albania 6.25 31 December 2007 70 Kuwait 6.25 31 December 2007 71 Norway 6.25 31 December 2007 72 Nepal 6.25 31 December 2007 73 Chile 6.00 31 December 2007 74 India 6.00 31 December 2007 75 Vanuatu 6.00 31 December 2007 76 Latvia 6.00 31 December 2007 77 Hong Kong 5.75 31 December 2007 78 Peru 5.75 31 December 2007 79 Qatar 5.50 31 December 2007 80 Comoros 5.36 31 December 2007 81 Bahamas, The 5.25 31 December 2007 82 Chad 5.25 31 December 2007 83 Gabon 5.25 31 December 2007 84 Equatorial Guinea 5.25 31 December 2007 85 Central African Republic 5.25 31 December 2007 86 Cameroon 5.25 31 December 2007 87 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.25 31 December 2007 88 Congo, Republic of the 5.25 31 December 2007 89 Cambodia 5.25 31 December 2007 90 Seychelles 5.13 31 December 2007 91 Aruba 5.00 31 December 2007 92 Greece 5.00 31 December 2007 93 Germany 5.00 31 December 2007 94 France 5.00 31 December 2007 95 Finland 5.00 31 December 2007 96 Ireland 5.00 31 December 2007 97 European Union 5.00 31 December 2007 98 Cyprus 5.00 31 December 2007 99 Bangladesh 5.00 31 December 2007 100 Belgium 5.00 31 December 2007 101 Syria 5.00 31 December 2007 102 Spain 5.00 31 December 2007 103 Slovenia 5.00 31 December 2007 104 Portugal 5.00 31 December 2007 105 Poland 5.00 31 December 2007 106 Netherlands 5.00 31 December 2007 107 Luxembourg 5.00 31 December 2007 108 Italy 5.00 31 December 2007 109 Lithuania 4.85 31 December 2007 110 United States 4.83 31 December 2007 111 Bulgaria 4.58 31 December 2007 112 Canada 4.50 31 December 2007 113 Philippines 4.28 31 December 2007 114 Benin 4.25 31 December 2007 115 Slovakia 4.25 31 December 2007 116 Cote d'Ivoire 4.25 31 December 2007 117 Burkina Faso 4.25 31 December 2007 118 Togo 4.25 31 December 2007 119 Senegal 4.25 31 December 2007 120 Guinea-Bissau 4.25 31 December 2007 121 Niger 4.25 31 December 2007 122 Mali 4.25 31 December 2007 123 Algeria 4.00 31 December 2007 124 Israel 4.00 31 December 2007 125 Libya 4.00 31 December 2007 126 Denmark 4.00 31 December 2007 127 Thailand 3.75 31 December 2007 128 Czech Republic 3.50 31 December 2007 129 Sweden 3.50 31 December 2007 130 China 3.33 31 December 2007 131 Korea, South 3.25 31 December 2007 132 Morocco 3.25 31 December 2007 133 Switzerland 2.05 31 December 2007 134 Oman 1.98 31 December 2007 135 Japan 0.75 31 December 2007

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Rank code: 2208

Country Comparison :: 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.

Rank country (%) Date of Information

1 Zimbabwe 578.96 31 December 2007 2 Haiti 46.99 31 December 2007 3 Madagascar 45.00 31 December 2007 4 Brazil 43.72 31 December 2007 5 Sao Tome and Principe 32.40 31 December 2007 6 Laos 28.50 31 December 2007 7 Argentina 28.00 28 November 2008 8 Gambia, The 27.92 31 December 2007 9 Malawi 27.72 31 December 2007 10 Kyrgyzstan 25.32 31 December 2007 11 Paraguay 25.03 31 December 2007 12 Sierra Leone 25.00 31 December 2007 13 Peru 24.10 December 2008 14 Mauritius 21.87 31 December 2007 15 Georgia 20.41 31 December 2007 16 Iraq 19.74 31 December 2007 17 Mozambique 19.52 31 December 2007 18 Iceland 19.29 31 December 2007 19 Azerbaijan 19.13 31 December 2007 20 Uganda 19.11 31 December 2007 21 Zambia 18.89 31 December 2007 22 Moldova 18.83 31 December 2007 23 Afghanistan 18.14 31 December 2007 24 Yemen 18.00 31 December 2007 25 Angola 17.70 31 December 2007 26 Mongolia 17.54 31 December 2007 27 Armenia 17.52 31 December 2007 28 Jamaica 17.20 31 December 2007 29 Venezuela 17.11 31 December 2007 30 Burma 17.00 31 December 2007 31 Nigeria 16.94 31 December 2007 32 Burundi 16.84 31 December 2007 33 Honduras 16.61 31 December 2007 34 Botswana 16.22 31 December 2007 35 Cambodia 16.18 31 December 2007 36 Tanzania 16.03 31 December 2007 37 Bangladesh 16.00 31 December 2007 38 Rwanda 15.84 31 December 2007 39 Dominican Republic 15.83 31 December 2007 40 Liberia 15.05 31 December 2007 41 Timor-Leste 15.05 31 December 2007 42 Chad 15.00 31 December 2007 43 Gabon 15.00 31 December 2007 44 Equatorial Guinea 15.00 31 December 2007 45 Central African Republic 15.00 31 December 2007 46 Congo, Republic of the 15.00 31 December 2007 47 Cameroon 15.00 31 December 2007 48 Guyana 14.61 31 December 2007 49 Belize 14.33 31 December 2007 50 Lesotho 14.13 31 December 2007 51 Solomon Islands 14.12 31 December 2007 52 Albania 14.10 31 December 2007 53 Micronesia, Federated States of 14.03 31 December 2007 54 Bhutan 14.00 31 December 2007 55 Romania 13.35 31 December 2007 56 Kenya 13.34 31 December 2007 57 South Africa 13.17 31 December 2007 58 Swaziland 13.17 31 December 2007 59 Nicaragua 13.04 31 December 2007 60 Maldives 13.00 31 December 2007 61 Namibia 12.88 31 December 2007 62 Bolivia 12.86 31 December 2007 63 Guatemala 12.84 31 December 2007 64 New Zealand 12.83 31 December 2007 65 Costa Rica 12.80 31 December 2007 66 Samoa 12.65 31 December 2007 67 Egypt 12.51 31 December 2007 68 Tonga 12.16 31 December 2007 69 Iran 12.00 31 December 2007 70 Trinidad and Tobago 11.75 31 December 2007 71 Ukraine 11.33 31 December 2007 72 Vietnam 11.18 31 December 2007 73 Serbia 11.13 31 December 2007 74 Aruba 11.01 31 December 2007 75 Italy 10.93 31 December 2007 76 Seychelles 10.89 31 December 2007 77 Barbados 10.80 31 December 2007 78 Cape Verde 10.55 31 December 2007 79 Comoros 10.50 31 December 2007 80 Antigua and Barbuda 10.44 31 December 2007 81 Montserrat 10.40 31 December 2007 82 Lebanon 10.26 31 December 2007 83 Macedonia 10.23 31 December 2007 84 Australia 10.02 31 December 2007 85 Bulgaria 10.00 31 December 2007 86 Papua New Guinea 9.78 31 December 2007 87 Anguilla 9.76 31 December 2007 88 Grenada 9.76 31 December 2007 89 Suriname 9.71 31 December 2007 90 Netherlands Antilles 9.21 31 December 2007 91 Dominica 9.17 31 December 2007 92 Montenegro 9.09 31 December 2007 93 Fiji 9.01 31 December 2007 94 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.89 31 December 2007 95 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.80 31 December 2007 96 Netherlands 8.72 31 December 2007 97 Philippines 8.69 31 December 2007 98 Chile 8.67 31 December 2007 99 Belarus 8.58 31 December 2007 100 Kuwait 8.54 31 December 2007 101 Bahrain 8.35 31 December 2007 102 Saint Lucia 8.34 31 December 2007 103 Panama 8.25 31 December 2007 104 Vanuatu 8.16 31 December 2007 105 United States 8.05 31 December 2007 106 European Union 8.03 31 December 2007 107 Algeria 8.00 31 December 2007 108 Portugal 7.92 31 December 2007 109 El Salvador 7.81 31 December 2007 110 Gaza Strip 7.73 31 December 2006 111 West Bank 7.73 31 December 2006 112 Greece 7.71 31 December 2007 113 San Marino 7.58 31 December 2007 114 Mexico 7.56 31 December 2007 115 Qatar 7.43 31 December 2007 116 Oman 7.29 31 December 2007 117 Thailand 7.25 31 December 2007 118 Uruguay 7.25 31 December 2007 119 Indonesia 7.21 31 December 2007 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.17 31 December 2007 121 Ethiopia 7.00 31 December 2006 122 Lithuania 6.86 31 December 2007 123 Slovenia 6.82 31 December 2007 124 Cyprus 6.74 31 December 2007 125 Ireland 6.52 31 December 2007 126 Estonia 6.46 31 December 2007 127 Malaysia 6.41 31 December 2007 128 Austria 6.30 31 December 2007 129 Israel 6.27 31 December 2007 130 Malta 6.24 31 December 2007 131 Canada 6.10 31 December 2007 132 Libya 6.00 31 December 2007 133 Germany 5.96 31 December 2007 134 Czech Republic 5.79 31 December 2007 135 Poland 5.72 31 December 2007 136 China 5.58 17 December 2007 137 United Kingdom 5.52 31 December 2007 138 Bahamas, The 5.50 31 December 2007 139 Brunei 5.50 February 2009 140 Sweden 4.00 2004 141 Norway 3.50 1st quarter 2009 142 Switzerland 3.15 31 December 2007

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Rank code: 2209

Country Comparison :: 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.

Rank country Stock of money Date of Information

1 European Union $ 5,542,000,000,000 31 December 2008 2 Japan $ 5,417,000,000,000 31 December 2008 3 China $ 2,434,000,000,000 31 December 2008 4 United States $ 1,436,000,000,000 31 December 2008 5 Canada $ 356,200,000,000 31 December 2008 6 Russia $ 252,500,000,000 31 December 2008 7 Switzerland $ 207,000,000,000 31 December 2008 est. 8 Sweden $ 185,400,000,000 31 December 2008 9 Denmark $ 143,000,000,000 31 December 2008 10 Poland $ 118,200,000,000 31 December 2008 11 Saudi Arabia $ 113,200,000,000 31 December 2008 12 Brazil $ 95,030,000,000 31 December 2008 13 Mexico $ 92,340,000,000 31 December 2008 14 Czech Republic $ 86,550,000,000 31 December 2008 15 Korea, South $ 80,660,000,000 31 December 2008 16 Venezuela $ 79,910,000,000 31 December 2008 17 Syria $ 73,540,000,000 31 December 2008 18 Hong Kong $ 63,030,000,000 31 December 2008 19 Algeria $ 60,910,000,000 31 December 2008 20 Turkey $ 53,250,000,000 31 December 2008 21 Singapore $ 52,570,000,000 31 December 2008 22 Malaysia $ 51,510,000,000 31 December 2008 23 South Africa $ 44,660,000,000 31 December 2008 24 Indonesia $ 41,710,000,000 31 December 2008 25 Nigeria $ 35,290,000,000 31 December 2008 26 Hungary $ 32,780,000,000 31 December 2008 27 Egypt $ 31,720,000,000 31 December 2008 28 Ukraine $ 29,240,000,000 31 December 2008 29 Thailand $ 28,760,000,000 31 December 2008 30 Libya $ 26,660,000,000 31 December 2008 31 Iraq $ 26,100,000,000 31 December 2008 32 Slovakia $ 25,520,000,000 31 December 2008 33 Romania $ 25,300,000,000 31 December 2008 34 Philippines $ 22,530,000,000 31 December 2008 35 Colombia $ 21,580,000,000 31 December 2008 36 Kazakhstan $ 16,120,000,000 31 December 2008 37 Peru $ 15,420,000,000 31 December 2008 38 Kuwait $ 15,310,000,000 31 December 2008 39 Chile $ 14,720,000,000 31 December 2008 40 Bulgaria $ 14,290,000,000 31 December 2008 41 Qatar $ 13,980,000,000 31 December 2008 42 New Zealand $ 13,700,000,000 31 December 2008 43 Croatia $ 10,710,000,000 31 December 2008 44 Tunisia $ 9,892,000,000 31 December 2008 45 Lithuania $ 9,519,000,000 31 December 2008 46 Bangladesh $ 9,294,000,000 31 December 2008 47 Angola $ 8,446,000,000 31 December 2008 48 Latvia $ 6,688,000,000 31 December 2008 49 Azerbaijan $ 6,381,000,000 31 December 2008 50 Estonia $ 6,106,000,000 31 December 2008 51 Guatemala $ 6,106,000,000 31 December 2008 52 Kenya $ 6,068,000,000 31 December 2008 53 Ecuador $ 5,907,000,000 31 December 2008 54 Oman $ 5,250,000,000 31 December 2008 55 Belarus $ 4,872,000,000 31 December 2008 56 Malta $ 4,639,000,000 31 January 2008 57 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 4,490,000,000 31 December 2008 58 Costa Rica $ 4,209,000,000 31 December 2008 59 Bolivia $ 3,998,000,000 31 December 2008 60 Serbia $ 3,831,000,000 31 December 2008 61 Panama $ 3,764,000,000 31 December 2008 62 Dominican Republic $ 3,619,000,000 31 December 2008 63 Brunei $ 3,046,000,000 31 December 2008 64 Albania $ 3,028,000,000 31 December 2008 65 Sri Lanka $ 2,550,000,000 30 September 2008 66 Tanzania $ 2,464,000,000 31 December 2008 67 Trinidad and Tobago $ 2,390,000,000 31 December 2008 68 Uruguay $ 2,247,000,000 31 December 2008 69 Nepal $ 2,106,000,000 31 December 2008 70 Paraguay $ 2,062,000,000 31 December 2008 71 Papua New Guinea $ 2,005,000,000 31 December 2008 72 Namibia $ 1,983,000,000 31 December 2008 73 Afghanistan $ 1,688,000,000 31 December 2008 74 Mauritius $ 1,680,000,000 31 December 2008 75 Barbados $ 1,637,000,000 31 December 2008 76 Honduras $ 1,633,000,000 31 December 2008 77 Macau $ 1,591,000,000 31 December 2008 78 Uganda $ 1,488,000,000 31 December 2008 79 Mozambique $ 1,406,000,000 31 December 2008 80 Armenia $ 1,359,000,000 31 December 2008 81 Macedonia $ 1,307,000,000 31 December 2008 82 Bahamas, The $ 1,255,000,000 31 December 2008 83 Jamaica $ 1,253,000,000 31 December 2008 84 Madagascar $ 1,217,000,000 31 December 2008 85 Moldova $ 1,116,000,000 31 December 2008 86 Zambia $ 1,034,000,000 31 December 2008 87 Botswana $ 1,008,000,000 31 December 2008 88 Georgia $ 972,400,000 31 December 2008 89 Eritrea $ 896,200,000 31 December 2008 90 Aruba $ 780,400,000 31 December 2008 91 Cambodia $ 591,700,000 31 December 2008 92 Cape Verde $ 563,400,000 31 December 2008 93 Mongolia $ 521,200,000 31 December 2008 94 Nicaragua $ 507,500,000 31 December 2008 95 Suriname $ 484,700,000 31 December 2008 96 Maldives $ 475,200,000 31 December 2008 97 Djibouti $ 462,700,000 31 December 2008 98 Lesotho $ 416,500,000 31 December 2008 99 Belize $ 345,700,000 31 December 2008 100 Guyana $ 344,200,000 31 December 2008 101 Antigua and Barbuda $ 296,400,000 31 December 2008 102 Burundi $ 261,600,000 31 December 2008 103 Saint Lucia $ 261,300,000 31 December 2008 104 Rwanda $ 233,600,000 31 December 2005 105 El Salvador $ 213,700,000 31 December 2008 106 Swaziland $ 211,800,000 31 December 2008 107 Seychelles $ 164,800,000 31 December 2008 108 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 150,800,000 31 December 2008 109 Grenada $ 141,400,000 31 December 2008 110 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 107,200,000 31 December 2008 111 Timor-Leste $ 102,800,000 31 December 2008 112 Vanuatu $ 101,600,000 31 December 2008 113 Comoros $ 100,600,000 31 December 2008 114 Solomon Islands $ 86,960,000 31 December 2008 115 Dominica $ 72,100,000 31 December 2008 116 Samoa $ 60,130,000 31 December 2008 117 Tonga $ 36,160,000 31 December 2008 118 Sao Tome and Principe $ 27,840,000 31 December 2008 119 Anguilla $ 21,120,000 31 December 2008 120 Montserrat $ 16,710,000 31 December 2008

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Rank code: 2210

Country Comparison :: 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.

Rank country Stock of quasi money Date of Information

1 United States $ 10,990,000,000,000 31 December 2008 2 Japan $ 6,160,000,000,000 31 December 2008 3 European Union $ 5,631,000,000,000 31 December 2008 4 China $ 4,523,000,000,000 31 December 2008 5 Canada $ 1,299,000,000,000 31 December 2008 6 Brazil $ 724,500,000,000 31 December 2008 7 Taiwan $ 618,000,000,000 November 2008 8 Korea, South $ 478,000,000,000 31 December 2008 9 Switzerland $ 477,600,000,000 31 December 2008 est. 10 Hong Kong $ 352,400,000,000 31 December 2008 11 Russia $ 318,400,000,000 31 December 2008 12 Turkey $ 248,400,000,000 31 December 2008 13 Thailand $ 237,500,000,000 31 December 2008 14 Malaysia $ 200,900,000,000 31 December 2008 15 Singapore $ 179,000,000,000 31 December 2008 16 Mexico $ 147,400,000,000 31 December 2008 17 Saudi Arabia $ 134,300,000,000 31 December 2008 18 Indonesia $ 131,500,000,000 31 December 2008 19 South Africa $ 124,100,000,000 31 December 2008 20 Egypt $ 112,200,000,000 31 December 2008 21 Poland $ 109,000,000,000 31 December 2008 22 New Zealand $ 99,910,000,000 31 December 2008 23 Denmark $ 95,820,000,000 31 December 2008 24 Syria $ 73,930,000,000 31 December 2008 25 Chile $ 73,660,000,000 31 December 2008 26 Kuwait $ 63,080,000,000 31 December 2008 27 Czech Republic $ 58,600,000,000 31 December 2008 28 Sweden $ 54,550,000,000 31 December 2008 29 Hungary $ 47,490,000,000 31 December 2008 30 Bangladesh $ 37,980,000,000 31 December 2008 31 Ukraine $ 37,320,000,000 31 December 2008 32 Qatar $ 36,580,000,000 31 December 2008 33 Romania $ 36,090,000,000 31 December 2008 34 Kazakhstan $ 35,760,000,000 31 December 2008 35 Croatia $ 33,170,000,000 31 December 2008 36 Nigeria $ 32,040,000,000 31 December 2008 37 Algeria $ 30,360,000,000 31 December 2008 38 Slovakia $ 27,710,000,000 31 December 2008 39 Colombia $ 26,570,000,000 31 December 2008 40 Peru $ 25,320,000,000 31 December 2008 41 Macau $ 22,150,000,000 31 December 2008 42 Bulgaria $ 19,670,000,000 31 December 2008 43 Jordan $ 17,980,000,000 31 December 2008 44 Panama $ 15,840,000,000 31 December 2008 45 Iceland $ 15,050,000,000 31 December 2006 46 Tunisia $ 14,720,000,000 31 December 2008 47 Oman $ 14,570,000,000 31 December 2008 48 Serbia $ 11,950,000,000 31 December 2008 49 Venezuela $ 10,930,000,000 31 December 2008 50 Angola $ 10,410,000,000 31 December 2008 51 Guatemala $ 9,700,000,000 31 December 2008 52 Uruguay $ 9,409,000,000 31 December 2008 53 Ecuador $ 9,383,000,000 31 December 2008 54 Sri Lanka $ 9,010,000,000 30 September 2008 55 Belarus $ 8,784,000,000 31 December 2008 56 Malta $ 8,771,000,000 31 January 2008 est. 57 Lithuania $ 8,419,000,000 31 December 2008 58 Mauritius $ 6,914,000,000 31 December 2008 59 Bolivia $ 6,339,000,000 31 December 2008 60 Albania $ 6,251,000,000 31 December 2008 61 Dominican Republic $ 5,902,000,000 31 December 2008 62 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 5,614,000,000 31 December 2008 63 Honduras $ 5,574,000,000 31 December 2008 64 Latvia $ 5,572,000,000 31 December 2008 65 Estonia $ 5,478,000,000 31 December 2008 66 Kenya $ 5,468,000,000 31 December 2008 67 Iraq $ 5,415,000,000 31 December 2008 68 Gaza Strip $ 5,251,000,000 31 December 2008 69 West Bank $ 5,251,000,000 31 December 2008 70 Nepal $ 4,885,000,000 31 December 2008 71 Bahamas, The $ 4,637,000,000 31 December 2008 72 Brunei $ 4,551,000,000 31 December 2008 73 Libya $ 4,264,000,000 31 December 2008 74 Jamaica $ 4,244,000,000 31 December 2008 75 Botswana $ 4,183,000,000 31 December 2008 76 Azerbaijan $ 4,125,000,000 31 December 2008 77 Barbados $ 3,701,000,000 31 December 2008 78 Trinidad and Tobago $ 3,506,000,000 31 December 2008 79 Tanzania $ 3,362,000,000 31 December 2008 80 Macedonia $ 3,254,000,000 31 December 2008 81 Costa Rica $ 3,143,000,000 31 December 2008 82 Cambodia $ 2,328,000,000 31 December 2008 83 Moldova $ 1,928,000,000 31 December 2008 84 Nicaragua $ 1,810,000,000 31 December 2008 85 Mozambique $ 1,752,000,000 31 December 2008 86 Papua New Guinea $ 1,726,000,000 31 December 2008 87 Zambia $ 1,618,000,000 31 December 2008 88 Georgia $ 1,606,000,000 31 December 2008 89 Paraguay $ 1,599,000,000 31 December 2008 90 Uganda $ 1,485,000,000 31 December 2008 91 Mongolia $ 1,288,000,000 31 December 2008 92 Afghanistan $ 1,219,000,000 31 December 2008 93 Namibia $ 1,158,000,000 31 December 2008 94 Eritrea $ 1,053,000,000 31 December 2008 95 Suriname $ 1,018,000,000 31 December 2008 96 Armenia $ 950,100,000 31 December 2008 97 Antigua and Barbuda $ 939,900,000 31 December 2008 98 Aruba $ 890,300,000 31 December 2008 99 Guyana $ 817,600,000 31 December 2008 100 Saint Lucia $ 800,100,000 31 December 2008 101 El Salvador $ 788,700,000 31 December 2008 102 Cape Verde $ 721,300,000 31 December 2008 103 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 680,600,000 31 December 2008 104 Madagascar $ 667,200,000 31 December 2008 105 Belize $ 653,800,000 31 December 2008 106 Grenada $ 578,100,000 31 December 2008 107 Tajikistan $ 544,000,000 31 December 2008 108 Maldives $ 487,800,000 31 December 2008 109 Anguilla $ 449,500,000 31 December 2008 110 Swaziland $ 441,500,000 31 December 2008 111 Vanuatu $ 430,000,000 31 December 2008 112 Djibouti $ 338,000,000 31 December 2008 113 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 302,700,000 31 December 2008 114 Dominica $ 289,900,000 31 December 2008 115 Rwanda $ 227,400,000 31 December 2005 116 Burundi $ 189,900,000 31 December 2008 117 Seychelles $ 188,500,000 31 December 2008 118 Samoa $ 162,800,000 31 December 2008 119 Lesotho $ 108,100,000 31 December 2008 120 Tonga $ 100,700,000 31 December 2008 121 Solomon Islands $ 96,790,000 31 December 2008 122 Timor-Leste $ 89,880,000 31 December 2008 123 Montserrat $ 45,420,000 31 December 2008 124 Comoros $ 41,740,000 31 December 2008 125 Sao Tome and Principe $ 36,950,000 31 December 2008

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Rank code: 2211

Country Comparison :: 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.

Rank country Stock of domestic credit Date of Information

1 European Union $ 21,170,000,000,000 31 December 2008 2 United States $ 15,060,000,000,000 31 December 2008 3 Japan $ 12,340,000,000,000 31 December 2008 4 China $ 5,555,000,000,000 31 December 2008 5 Germany $ 5,019,000,000,000 31 December 2008 6 France $ 4,102,000,000,000 31 December 2008 7 Spain $ 3,450,000,000,000 31 December 2008 8 Italy $ 3,046,000,000,000 31 December 2008 9 Canada $ 2,335,000,000,000 31 December 2008 10 Netherlands $ 1,824,000,000,000 31 December 2008 11 Brazil $ 1,249,000,000,000 31 December 2008 12 Korea, South $ 937,000,000,000 31 December 2008 13 Switzerland $ 864,400,000,000 31 December 2008 est. 14 Belgium $ 767,100,000,000 31 December 2008 15 Ireland $ 738,600,000,000 31 December 2008 16 Denmark $ 695,800,000,000 31 December 2008 17 Taiwan $ 677,800,000,000 November 2008 18 Austria $ 606,200,000,000 31 December 2008 19 Sweden $ 549,000,000,000 31 December 2008 20 Portugal $ 491,000,000,000 31 December 2008 21 Greece $ 394,600,000,000 31 December 2008 22 Luxembourg $ 369,600,000,000 31 December 2008 23 Russia $ 367,200,000,000 31 December 2008 24 Turkey $ 326,400,000,000 31 December 2008 25 Mexico $ 287,000,000,000 31 December 2008 26 Thailand $ 274,100,000,000 31 December 2008 27 Poland $ 258,300,000,000 31 December 2008 28 Malaysia $ 246,700,000,000 31 December 2008 29 Finland $ 241,100,000,000 31 December 2008 30 South Africa $ 214,800,000,000 31 December 2008 31 Indonesia $ 166,200,000,000 31 December 2008 32 New Zealand $ 164,400,000,000 31 December 2008 33 Singapore $ 143,600,000,000 31 December 2008 34 Egypt $ 126,500,000,000 31 December 2008 35 Chile $ 116,400,000,000 31 December 2008 36 Hungary $ 114,300,000,000 31 December 2008 37 Czech Republic $ 110,500,000,000 31 December 2008 38 Ukraine $ 101,100,000,000 31 December 2008 39 Colombia $ 89,690,000,000 31 December 2008 40 Kuwait $ 88,770,000,000 31 December 2008 41 Syria $ 84,310,000,000 31 December 2008 42 Cyprus $ 80,680,000,000 31 December 2008 43 Romania $ 72,850,000,000 31 December 2008 44 Venezuela $ 62,420,000,000 31 December 2008 45 Qatar $ 59,430,000,000 31 December 2008 46 Slovakia $ 50,940,000,000 31 December 2008 47 Slovenia $ 50,310,000,000 31 December 2008 48 Croatia $ 49,790,000,000 31 December 2008 49 Nigeria $ 49,510,000,000 31 December 2008 50 Bangladesh $ 47,030,000,000 31 December 2008 51 Kazakhstan $ 44,530,000,000 31 December 2008 52 Bulgaria $ 32,040,000,000 31 December 2008 53 Lithuania $ 29,210,000,000 31 December 2008 54 Latvia $ 28,960,000,000 31 December 2008 55 Tunisia $ 26,500,000,000 31 December 2008 56 Jordan $ 25,050,000,000 31 December 2008 57 Estonia $ 22,020,000,000 31 December 2008 58 Peru $ 21,980,000,000 31 December 2008 59 Panama $ 19,800,000,000 31 December 2008 60 Belarus $ 18,420,000,000 31 December 2008 61 Oman $ 17,830,000,000 31 December 2008 62 Dominican Republic $ 17,370,000,000 31 December 2008 63 Serbia $ 17,060,000,000 31 December 2008 64 Malta $ 16,170,000,000 31 December 2008 est. 65 Sri Lanka $ 15,920,000,000 30 September 2008 66 Costa Rica $ 15,150,000,000 31 December 2008 67 Guatemala $ 14,820,000,000 31 December 2008 68 Macau $ 11,500,000,000 31 December 2008 69 Kenya $ 10,830,000,000 31 December 2008 70 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 10,260,000,000 31 December 2008 71 Ecuador $ 10,130,000,000 31 December 2008 72 Mauritius $ 9,323,000,000 31 December 2008 73 Uruguay $ 9,096,000,000 31 December 2008 74 Albania $ 8,176,000,000 31 December 2008 75 Azerbaijan $ 8,135,000,000 31 December 2008 76 Angola $ 7,893,000,000 31 December 2008 77 Bahamas, The $ 7,883,000,000 31 December 2008 78 Jamaica $ 7,175,000,000 31 December 2008 79 Honduras $ 7,172,000,000 31 December 2008 80 Nepal $ 5,556,000,000 31 December 2008 81 Bolivia $ 5,433,000,000 31 December 2008 82 Barbados $ 4,554,000,000 31 December 2008 83 Nicaragua $ 4,272,000,000 31 December 2008 84 Macedonia $ 3,906,000,000 31 December 2008 85 Georgia $ 3,754,000,000 31 December 2008 86 Namibia $ 3,430,000,000 31 December 2008 87 Trinidad and Tobago $ 3,423,000,000 31 December 2008 88 Tanzania $ 3,297,000,000 31 December 2008 89 Paraguay $ 3,098,000,000 31 December 2008 90 Moldova $ 2,406,000,000 31 December 2008 91 Zambia $ 2,138,000,000 31 December 2008 92 Papua New Guinea $ 2,065,000,000 31 December 2008 93 Armenia $ 1,980,000,000 31 December 2008 94 Eritrea $ 1,851,000,000 31 December 2008 95 Mongolia $ 1,743,000,000 31 December 2008 96 Cambodia $ 1,670,000,000 31 December 2008 97 Maldives $ 1,548,000,000 31 December 2008 98 Uganda $ 1,464,000,000 31 December 2008 99 Saint Lucia $ 1,378,000,000 31 December 2008 100 Gaza Strip $ 1,367,000,000 31 December 2008 101 West Bank $ 1,367,000,000 31 December 2008 102 Aruba $ 1,321,000,000 31 December 2008 103 Mozambique $ 1,315,000,000 31 December 2008 104 Brunei $ 1,274,000,000 31 December 2008 105 El Salvador $ 1,190,000,000 31 December 2008 106 Cape Verde $ 1,153,000,000 31 December 2008 107 Antigua and Barbuda $ 1,130,000,000 31 December 2008 108 Belize $ 955,000,000 31 December 2008 109 Tajikistan $ 889,000,000 31 December 2008 110 Guyana $ 829,400,000 31 December 2008 111 Madagascar $ 820,300,000 31 December 2008 112 Suriname $ 793,100,000 31 December 2008 113 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 790,800,000 31 December 2008 114 Grenada $ 658,000,000 31 December 2008 115 Anguilla $ 529,600,000 31 December 2008 116 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 417,400,000 31 December 2008 117 Seychelles $ 375,600,000 31 December 2008 118 Burundi $ 370,000,000 31 December 2008 119 Afghanistan $ 363,600,000 31 December 2008 120 Vanuatu $ 274,000,000 31 December 2008 121 Djibouti $ 269,900,000 31 December 2008 122 Dominica $ 213,600,000 31 December 2008 123 Samoa $ 208,500,000 31 December 2008 124 Solomon Islands $ 166,100,000 31 December 2008 125 Comoros $ 79,520,000 31 December 2008 126 Swaziland $ 51,550,000 31 December 2008 127 Sao Tome and Principe $ 20,420,000 31 December 2008 128 Montserrat $ 9,930,000 31 December 2008 129 Togo $ 674,300 31 December 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: 2212

Country Comparison :: Urbanization

This entry provides two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. The second, rate of urbanization, describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. Additionally, the World entry includes a list of the ten largest urban agglomerations. An urban agglomeration is defined as comprising the city or town proper and also the suburban fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside of, but adjacent to, the boundaries of the city.

Rank country (%) Date of Information

1 Anguilla 100.00 NA 2 Bermuda 100.00 NA 3 Gibraltar 100.00 NA 4 Cayman Islands 100.00 NA 5 Hong Kong 100.00 NA 6 Holy See (Vatican City) 100.00 NA 7 Singapore 100.00 NA 8 Macau 100.00 NA 9 Monaco 100.00 NA 10 Nauru 100.00 NA 11 Kuwait 98.00 NA 12 Puerto Rico 98.00 NA 13 Belgium 97.00 NA 14 Qatar 96.00 NA 15 Virgin Islands 95.00 NA 16 Malta 94.00 NA 17 San Marino 94.00 NA 18 Netherlands Antilles 93.00 NA 19 Venezuela 93.00 NA 20 American Samoa 92.00 NA 21 Argentina 92.00 NA 22 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 92.00 NA 23 Uruguay 92.00 NA 24 Turks and Caicos Islands 92.00 NA 25 Israel 92.00 NA 26 Iceland 92.00 NA 27 Northern Mariana Islands 91.00 NA 28 United Kingdom 90.00 NA 29 Andorra 89.00 NA 30 Bahrain 89.00 NA 31 Australia 89.00 NA 32 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 89.00 NA 33 Chile 88.00 NA 34 Denmark 87.00 NA 35 New Zealand 87.00 NA 36 Lebanon 87.00 NA 37 Djibouti 87.00 NA 38 Brazil 86.00 NA 39 Gabon 85.00 NA 40 Sweden 85.00 NA 41 Bahamas, The 84.00 NA 42 Greenland 84.00 NA 43 Luxembourg 82.00 NA 44 Netherlands 82.00 NA 45 United States 82.00 NA 46 Saudi Arabia 82.00 NA 47 Korea, South 81.00 NA 48 Palau 81.00 NA 49 Western Sahara 81.00 NA 50 Canada 80.00 NA 51 United Arab Emirates 78.00 NA 52 Libya 78.00 NA 53 Jordan 78.00 NA 54 France 77.00 NA 55 Spain 77.00 NA 56 Norway 77.00 NA 57 Mexico 77.00 NA 58 Cuba 76.00 NA 59 Brunei 75.00 NA 60 Suriname 75.00 NA 61 Colombia 74.00 NA 62 Dominica 74.00 NA 63 Cook Islands 74.00 NA 64 Germany 74.00 NA 65 Belarus 73.00 NA 66 Panama 73.00 NA 67 Switzerland 73.00 NA 68 Russia 73.00 NA 69 Czech Republic 73.00 NA 70 Gaza Strip 72.00 NA 71 West Bank 72.00 NA 72 Oman 72.00 NA 73 Bulgaria 71.00 NA 74 Peru 71.00 NA 75 Marshall Islands 71.00 NA 76 Cyprus 70.00 NA 77 Malaysia 70.00 NA 78 Dominican Republic 69.00 NA 79 Estonia 69.00 NA 80 Turkey 69.00 NA 81 Hungary 68.00 NA 82 Italy 68.00 NA 83 Ukraine 68.00 NA 84 Latvia 68.00 NA 85 Iran 68.00 NA 86 Austria 67.00 NA 87 Macedonia 67.00 NA 88 Tunisia 67.00 NA 89 Lithuania 67.00 NA 90 Iraq 67.00 NA 91 Bolivia 66.00 NA 92 Japan 66.00 NA 93 Ecuador 66.00 NA 94 Algeria 65.00 NA 95 Philippines 65.00 NA 96 New Caledonia 65.00 NA 97 Armenia 64.00 NA 98 Costa Rica 63.00 NA 99 Korea, North 63.00 NA 100 Finland 63.00 NA 101 Congo, Republic of the 61.00 NA 102 Sao Tome and Principe 61.00 NA 103 Greece 61.00 NA 104 El Salvador 61.00 NA 105 Poland 61.00 NA 106 South Africa 61.00 NA 107 Ireland 61.00 NA 108 Botswana 60.00 NA 109 Cape Verde 60.00 NA 110 Paraguay 60.00 NA 111 Montenegro 60.00 NA 112 Liberia 60.00 NA 113 Portugal 59.00 NA 114 Kazakhstan 58.00 NA 115 Angola 57.00 NA 116 Cameroon 57.00 NA 117 Gambia, The 57.00 NA 118 Croatia 57.00 NA 119 Nicaragua 57.00 NA 120 Mongolia 57.00 NA 121 Slovakia 56.00 NA 122 Morocco 56.00 NA 123 Romania 54.00 NA 124 Seychelles 54.00 NA 125 Syria 54.00 NA 126 Georgia 53.00 NA 127 Jamaica 53.00 NA 128 Azerbaijan 52.00 NA 129 Fiji 52.00 NA 130 Indonesia 52.00 NA 131 Serbia 52.00 NA 132 French Polynesia 52.00 NA 133 Belize 52.00 NA 134 Isle of Man 51.00 NA 135 Ghana 50.00 NA 136 Guatemala 49.00 NA 137 Tuvalu 49.00 NA 138 Turkmenistan 49.00 NA 139 Cote d'Ivoire 49.00 NA 140 Honduras 48.00 NA 141 Nigeria 48.00 NA 142 Slovenia 48.00 NA 143 Aruba 47.00 NA 144 Bosnia and Herzegovina 47.00 NA 145 Albania 47.00 NA 146 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 47.00 NA 147 Haiti 47.00 NA 148 Kiribati 44.00 NA 149 China 43.00 NA 150 Egypt 43.00 NA 151 Sudan 43.00 NA 152 Moldova 42.00 NA 153 Mauritius 42.00 NA 154 Senegal 42.00 NA 155 Togo 42.00 NA 156 Benin 41.00 NA 157 Faroe Islands 41.00 NA 158 Mauritania 41.00 NA 159 Barbados 40.00 NA 160 British Virgin Islands 40.00 NA 161 Central African Republic 39.00 NA 162 Equatorial Guinea 39.00 NA 163 Niue 39.00 NA 164 Saint Helena 39.00 NA 165 Maldives 38.00 NA 166 Sierra Leone 38.00 NA 167 Mozambique 37.00 NA 168 Somalia 37.00 NA 169 Namibia 37.00 NA 170 Zimbabwe 37.00 NA 171 Uzbekistan 37.00 NA 172 Kyrgyzstan 36.00 NA 173 Pakistan 36.00 NA 174 Bhutan 35.00 NA 175 Zambia 35.00 NA 176 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 34.00 NA 177 Guinea 34.00 NA 178 Burma 33.00 NA 179 Thailand 33.00 NA 180 Mali 32.00 NA 181 Saint Kitts and Nevis 32.00 NA 182 Grenada 31.00 NA 183 Guernsey 31.00 NA 184 Laos 31.00 NA 185 Yemen 31.00 NA 186 Jersey 31.00 NA 187 Antigua and Barbuda 30.00 NA 188 Guinea-Bissau 30.00 NA 189 India 29.00 NA 190 Madagascar 29.00 NA 191 Comoros 28.00 NA 192 Saint Lucia 28.00 NA 193 Vietnam 28.00 NA 194 Guyana 28.00 NA 195 Bangladesh 27.00 NA 196 Timor-Leste 27.00 NA 197 Chad 27.00 NA 198 Tajikistan 26.00 NA 199 Lesotho 25.00 NA 200 Swaziland 25.00 NA 201 Vanuatu 25.00 NA 202 Tonga 25.00 NA 203 Tanzania 25.00 NA 204 Afghanistan 24.00 NA 205 Samoa 23.00 NA 206 Cambodia 22.00 NA 207 Micronesia, Federated States of 22.00 NA 208 Kenya 22.00 NA 209 Eritrea 21.00 NA 210 Burkina Faso 20.00 NA 211 Malawi 19.00 NA 212 Solomon Islands 18.00 NA 213 Rwanda 18.00 NA 214 Ethiopia 17.00 NA 215 Nepal 17.00 NA 216 Niger 16.00 NA 217 Sri Lanka 15.00 NA 218 Liechtenstein 14.00 NA 219 Montserrat 14.00 NA 220 Trinidad and Tobago 13.00 NA 221 Uganda 13.00 NA 222 Papua New Guinea 12.00 NA 223 Burundi 10.00 NA 224 Burundi 6.80 NA 225 Laos 5.60 NA 226 Liberia 5.60 NA 227 Afghanistan 5.40 NA 228 Eritrea 5.40 NA 229 Maldives 5.30 NA 230 Malawi 5.20 NA 231 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.10 NA 232 Timor-Leste 5.00 NA 233 Burkina Faso 5.00 NA 234 Bhutan 4.90 NA 235 Nepal 4.90 NA 236 Yemen 4.90 NA 237 Mali 4.80 NA 238 Chad 4.70 NA 239 Cambodia 4.60 NA 240 Haiti 4.50 NA 241 Angola 4.40 NA 242 Uganda 4.40 NA 243 Ethiopia 4.30 NA 244 Sudan 4.30 NA 245 Togo 4.30 NA 246 Gambia, The 4.20 NA 247 Somalia 4.20 NA 248 Tanzania 4.20 NA 249 Rwanda 4.20 NA 250 Solomon Islands 4.10 NA 251 Mozambique 4.10 NA 252 Vanuatu 4.10 NA 253 Benin 4.00 NA 254 Kenya 4.00 NA 255 Western Sahara 4.00 NA 256 Niger 4.00 NA 257 Madagascar 3.80 NA 258 Nigeria 3.80 NA 259 Bangladesh 3.50 NA 260 Lesotho 3.50 NA 261 Guinea 3.50 NA 262 Ghana 3.50 NA 263 Cape Verde 3.50 NA 264 Cameroon 3.50 NA 265 Guatemala 3.40 NA 266 Gaza Strip 3.30 NA 267 Indonesia 3.30 NA 268 West Bank 3.30 NA 269 Cote d'Ivoire 3.20 NA 270 Guinea-Bissau 3.20 NA 271 Belize 3.10 NA 272 Syria 3.10 NA 273 Vietnam 3.10 NA 274 Senegal 3.10 NA 275 Jordan 3.10 NA 276 Mauritania 3.00 NA 277 Philippines 3.00 NA 278 Sao Tome and Principe 3.00 NA 279 Pakistan 3.00 NA 280 Malaysia 3.00 NA 281 United Arab Emirates 2.90 NA 282 Namibia 2.90 NA 283 Trinidad and Tobago 2.90 NA 284 Sierra Leone 2.90 NA 285 Honduras 2.90 NA 286 Burma 2.90 NA 287 Equatorial Guinea 2.80 NA 288 Paraguay 2.80 NA 289 Congo, Republic of the 2.70 NA 290 Comoros 2.70 NA 291 China 2.70 NA 292 Panama 2.70 NA 293 Marshall Islands 2.70 NA 294 Brunei 2.60 NA 295 Dominican Republic 2.60 NA 296 Algeria 2.50 NA 297 Bolivia 2.50 NA 298 Botswana 2.50 NA 299 Saudi Arabia 2.50 NA 300 Kuwait 2.50 NA 301 American Samoa 2.40 NA 302 India 2.40 NA 303 Costa Rica 2.30 NA 304 Zambia 2.30 NA 305 Central African Republic 2.30 NA 306 Djibouti 2.20 NA 307 Zimbabwe 2.20 NA 308 Turkmenistan 2.20 NA 309 Ireland 2.20 NA 310 Libya 2.20 NA 311 Qatar 2.20 NA 312 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.20 NA 313 Montserrat 2.20 NA 314 Northern Mariana Islands 2.10 NA 315 Ecuador 2.10 NA 316 New Caledonia 2.10 NA 317 Iran 2.10 NA 318 Gabon 2.10 NA 319 Faroe Islands 2.00 NA 320 Venezuela 2.00 NA 321 Oman 2.00 NA 322 Albania 1.90 NA 323 El Salvador 1.90 NA 324 Papua New Guinea 1.90 NA 325 Turkey 1.90 NA 326 Bahrain 1.80 NA 327 Egypt 1.80 NA 328 Kiribati 1.80 NA 329 Palau 1.80 NA 330 Nicaragua 1.80 NA 331 Morocco 1.80 NA 332 Brazil 1.80 NA 333 Colombia 1.70 NA 334 Swaziland 1.70 NA 335 Samoa 1.70 NA 336 British Virgin Islands 1.70 NA 337 Tunisia 1.70 NA 338 Thailand 1.70 NA 339 Iraq 1.70 NA 340 Israel 1.70 NA 341 Fiji 1.60 NA 342 Tajikistan 1.60 NA 343 Uzbekistan 1.60 NA 344 Tonga 1.60 NA 345 Netherlands Antilles 1.60 NA 346 Kyrgyzstan 1.60 NA 347 Barbados 1.50 NA 348 Cayman Islands 1.50 NA 349 Mexico 1.50 NA 350 Saint Helena 1.50 NA 351 Anguilla 1.40 NA 352 Bahamas, The 1.40 NA 353 Portugal 1.40 NA 354 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.40 NA 355 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.40 NA 356 Saint Lucia 1.40 NA 357 South Africa 1.40 NA 358 Seychelles 1.40 NA 359 Chile 1.30 NA 360 French Polynesia 1.30 NA 361 United States 1.30 NA 362 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.30 NA 363 Tuvalu 1.30 NA 364 Peru 1.30 NA 365 Cyprus 1.30 NA 366 Argentina 1.20 NA 367 Singapore 1.20 NA 368 Mongolia 1.20 NA 369 Lebanon 1.20 NA 370 Kazakhstan 1.20 NA 371 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1.20 NA 372 Australia 1.20 NA 373 Azerbaijan 1.00 NA 374 Canada 1.00 NA 375 Luxembourg 1.00 NA 376 New Zealand 1.00 NA 377 Suriname 1.00 NA 378 Hong Kong 1.00 NA 379 Antigua and Barbuda 0.90 NA 380 Greenland 0.90 NA 381 San Marino 0.90 NA 382 Spain 0.90 NA 383 Mauritius 0.90 NA 384 Netherlands 0.90 NA 385 Jamaica 0.90 NA 386 Korea, North 0.90 NA 387 Finland 0.80 NA 388 France 0.80 NA 389 Puerto Rico 0.80 NA 390 Macedonia 0.80 NA 391 Iceland 0.80 NA 392 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.80 NA 393 Austria 0.70 NA 394 Norway 0.70 NA 395 Macau 0.70 NA 396 Guernsey 0.60 NA 397 Greece 0.60 NA 398 Jersey 0.60 NA 399 Malta 0.60 NA 400 Korea, South 0.60 NA 401 Sri Lanka 0.50 NA 402 Liechtenstein 0.50 NA 403 Serbia 0.50 NA 404 Switzerland 0.50 NA 405 United Kingdom 0.50 NA 406 Sweden 0.50 NA 407 Denmark 0.50 NA 408 Croatia 0.40 NA 409 Uruguay 0.40 NA 410 Italy 0.40 NA 411 Bermuda 0.30 NA 412 Belgium 0.30 NA 413 Nauru 0.30 NA 414 Monaco 0.30 NA 415 Hungary 0.30 NA 416 Grenada 0.30 NA 417 Dominica 0.20 NA 418 Japan 0.20 NA 419 Slovakia 0.20 NA 420 Virgin Islands 0.20 NA 421 Aruba 0.10 NA 422 Germany 0.10 NA 423 Gibraltar 0.10 NA 424 Holy See (Vatican City) 0.10 NA 425 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.10 NA 426 Belarus 0.00 NA 427 Cuba 0.00 NA 428 Guyana 0.00 NA 429 Wallis and Futuna 0.00 NA 430 Wallis and Futuna 0.00 NA 431 Tokelau 0.00 NA 432 Tokelau 0.00 NA 433 Pitcairn Islands 0.00 NA 434 Pitcairn Islands 0.00 NA 435 Czech Republic 0.00 NA 436 Romania -0.10 NA 437 Andorra -0.20 NA 438 Isle of Man -0.20 NA 439 Niue -0.20 NA 440 Armenia -0.30 NA 441 Bulgaria -0.30 NA 442 Poland -0.30 NA 443 Estonia -0.30 NA 444 Lithuania -0.40 NA 445 Latvia -0.50 NA 446 Russia -0.50 NA 447 Georgia -0.60 NA 448 Slovenia -0.60 NA 449 Cook Islands -0.70 NA 450 Ukraine -0.70 NA 451 Montenegro -0.80 NA 452 Moldova -1.50 NA

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Appendix A :: Abbreviations

A

ABEDA Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

ACCT Agency for the French-Speaking Community (see International Organization of the French-speaking World)

ACP Group African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States

AfDB African Development Bank

AFESD Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Air Pollution Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

AMF Arab Monetary Fund

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

Antarctic Seals Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

ANZUS Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Arabsat Arab Satellite Communications Organization

ARF ASEAN Regional Forum

ADB Asian Development Bank

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

AU African Union

Autodin Automatic Digital Network

B

BA Baltic Assembly

bbl/day barrels per day

BCIE Central American Bank for Economic Integration

BDEAC Central African States Development Bank

Benelux Benelux Economic Union

BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity

BGN United States Board on Geographic Names

BIS Bank for International Settlements

BSEC Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone

C

C Commonwealth

c.i.f. cost, insurance, and freight

CACM Central American Common Market

CAEU Council of Arab Economic Unity

CAN Andean Community of Nations

Caricom Caribbean Community and Common Market

CB citizen's band mobile radio communications

CBSS Council of the Baltic Sea States

CCC Customs Cooperation Council

CDB Caribbean Development Bank

CE Council of Europe

CEI Central European Initiative

CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa

CEPGL Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries

CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research

CEPT Conference Europeanne des Poste et Telecommunications

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

CITES see Endangered Species

Climate Change United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

COCOM Coordinating Committee on Export Controls

Comsat Communications Satellite Corporation

COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

CP Colombo Plan

CPLP Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa

CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization

CTBTO Preparation commission for the Nuclear-Ban-Treaty Operation

CY calendar year

D

DC developed country

DDT dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane

Desertification United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

DIA United States Defense Intelligence Agency

DSN Defense Switched Network

DST daylight savings time

DWT deadweight ton

E

EAC East African Community

EADB East African Development Bank

EAEC Eurasian Economic Community

EAPC Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC European Community

ECA Economic Commission for Africa

ECE Economic Commission for Europe

ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ECO Economic Cooperation Organization

ECOSOC Economic and Social Council

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

ECSC European Coal and Steel Community

EEC European Economic Community

EFTA European Free Trade Association

EEZ exclusive economic zone

EIB European Investment Bank

EMU European Monetary Union

Endangered Species Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

Entente Council of the Entente

Environmental Modification Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

ESA European Space Agency

ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

est. estimate

EU European Union

Euratom European Atomic Energy Community

Eutelsat European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Ex-Im Export-Import Bank of the United States

F

f.o.b. free on board

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FAX facsimile

FLS Front Line States

FOC flags of convenience

FSU former Soviet Union

FY fiscal year

FZ Franc Zone

G

G-2 Group of 2

G-3 Group of 3

G-5 Group of 5

G-6 Group of 6

G-7 Group of 7

G-8 Group of 8

G-9 Group of 9

G-10 Group of 10

G-15 Group of 15

G-11 Group of 11

G-24 Group of 24

G-77 Group of 77

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO

GCC Gulf Cooperation Council

GCTU General Confederation of Trade Unions

GDP gross domestic product

GMT Greenwich Mean Time

GNP gross national product

GRT gross register ton

GSM global system for mobile cellular communications

GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development; acronym for member states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova

GWP gross world product

H

Hazardous Wastes Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

HF high-frequency

HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome

I

IADB Inter-American Development Bank

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

ICC International Chamber of Commerce

ICCt International Criminal Court

ICJ International Court of Justice (World Court)

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRM International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

ICSID International Center for Secretariat of Investment Disputes

ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

ICTY International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

IDA International Development Association

IDB Islamic Development Bank

IDP Internally Displaced Person

IEA International Energy Agency

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFC International Finance Corporation

IFRCS International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

IGAD Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

IHO International Hydrographic Organization

ILO International Labor Organization

IMF International Monetary Fund

IMO International Maritime Organization

IMSO International Mobile Satellite Organization

Inmarsat International Maritime Satellite Organization

InOC Indian Ocean Commission

INSTRAW International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women

Intelsat International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Interpol International Criminal Police Organization

Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications

IOC International Olympic Committee

IOM International Organization for Migration

IPU Inter-parliamentary Union

ISO International Organization for Standardization

ISP Internet Service Provider

ITSO International Telecommunications Satellites Organization

ITU International Telecommunication Union

ITUC International Trade Union Confederation, the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labor)

K

kHz kilohertz

km kilometer

kW kilowatt

kWh kilowatt-hour

L

LAES Latin American Economic System

LAIA Latin American Integration Association

LAS League of Arab States

Law of the Sea United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

LDC less developed country

LLDC least developed country

London Convention see Marine Dumping

LOS see Law of the Sea

M

m meter

Marecs Maritime European Communications Satellite

Marine Dumping Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter

Marine Life Conservation Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas

MARPOL see Ship Pollution

Medarabtel Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union

Mercosur Southern Cone Common Market

MHz megahertz

MICAH International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti

MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

MIGA Multilateral Investment Geographic Agency

MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

MONUC United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

N

NA not available

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement

NAM Nonaligned Movement

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NC Nordic Council

NEA Nuclear Energy Agency

NEGL negligible

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

NIB Nordic Investment Bank

NIC newly industrializing country

NIE newly industrializing economy

NIS new independent states

nm nautical mile

NMT Nordic Mobile Telephone

NSG Nuclear Suppliers Group

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

NZ New Zealand

O

OAPEC Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

OAS Organization of American States

OAU Organization of African Unity; see African Union

ODA official development assistance

OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

OIC Organization of the Islamic Conference

OIF International Organization of the French-speaking World

ONUB United Nations Operation in Burundi

OOF other official flows

OPANAL Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Ozone Layer Protection Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

P

PCA Permanent Court of Arbitration

PFP Partnership for Peace

PIF Pacific Islands Forum

PPP purchasing power parity

R

Ramsar see Wetlands

RG Rio Group

S

SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

SACU Southern African Customs Union

SACEP South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme

SADC Southern African Development Community

SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization

SAFE South African Far East Cable

SECI Southeast European Cooperative Initiative

SHF super-high-frequency

Ship Pollution Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

SICA Central American Integration System

Sparteca South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Communities

SPF South Pacific Forum

sq km square kilometer

sq mi square mile

T

TAT Trans-Atlantic Telephone

TEU Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, a unit of measure for containerized cargo capacity

Tropical Timber 83 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

Tropical Timber 94 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

U

UAE United Arab Emirates

UDEAC Central African Customs and Economic Union

UHF ultra-high-frequency

UK United Kingdom

UMA Arab Maghreb Union

UN United Nations

UNAMSIL United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

UNCLOS United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also know as LOS

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDCP United Nations Drug Control Program

UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNEP United Nations Environment Program

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

UNFICYP United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNICRI United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNMEE United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea

UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

UNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia

UNMIT United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste

UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

UNMOVIC United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission

UNOCI United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire

UNOMIG United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia

UNOPS United Nations Office of Project Services

UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

UNSC United Nations Security Council

UNSSC Untied Nations System Staff College

UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization

UNU United Nations University

UNWTO World Tourism Organization

UPU Universal Postal Union

US United States

USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991

UTC Coordinated Universal Time

UV ultra violet

V

VHF very-high-frequency

VSAT very small aperture terminal

W

WADB West African Development Bank

WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union

WCL World Confederation of Labor

WCO World Customs Organization

Wetlands Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat

WEU Western European Union

WFP World Food Program

WFTU World Federation of Trade Unions

Whaling International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

WHO World Health Organization

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

WMO World Meteorological Organization

WP Warsaw Pact

WTO World Trade Organization

Z

ZC Zangger Committee

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

======================================================================

Appendix B :: International Organizations and Groups

A

advanced developing countries

another term for those less developed countries (LDCs) with particularly rapid industrial development; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs)

advanced economies

a term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; it includes the following 28 advanced economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, US; note - this group would presumably also cover the following seven smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino that are included in the more comprehensive group of "developed countries"

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

note - regional multilateral development finance institution temporarily located in Tunis, Tunisia; the Bank Group consists of the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigerian Trust Fund established - 10 September 1964 aim - to promote economic development and social progress regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe nonregional members - (24) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

African Union (AU)

note - replaces Organization of African Unity (OAU) established - 8 July 2001 aim - to achieve greater unity among African States; to defend states' integrity and independence; to accelerate political, social, and economic integration; to encourage international cooperation; to promote democratic principles and institutions members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara), Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

established - 31 July 2007 aim - to contribute to the restoration of security conditions which will allow safe humanitarian assistance throughout Darfur, to contribute to the protection of civilian populations under imminent threat of physical attack, to monitor, observe compliance with, and verify the implementation of various ceasefire agreements members - (31) Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, UK, Yemen, Zambia

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group)

established - 6 June 1975 aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU members - (79) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL)

note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL) established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco; effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons members - (33) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Andean Community of Nations (CAN)

note - formerly known as the Andean Group (AG) and the Andean Common Market (Ancom) established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1 October 1992; effective - 16 October 1969 aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration members - (4) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru associate members - (5) Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay observers - (2) Mexico, Panama

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)

note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA) established - 18 February 1974; effective - 16 September 1974 aim - to promote economic development members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization; note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)

established - 16 May 1968 aim - to promote economic and social development members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)

established - 17 February 1989 aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia

Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)

established - 27 April 1976; effective - 2 February 1977 aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arctic Council

established - 18 September 1996 aim - to address the common concerns and challenges faced by Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic; to protect the Arctic environment members - (8) Canada, Denmark (Greenland, Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, US permanent participants - (6) Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Russian Association of Indigenous People of the North, Saami Council observers - (8) China, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

established - 25 July 1994 aim - to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern members - (26) Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, EU, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, US, Vietnam

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

established - 7 November 1989 aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

established - 19 December 1966 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (48) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam nonregional members - (19) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

established - 8 August 1967 aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam dialogue partners - (11) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, NZ, Russia, US, UNDP; note - ASEAN promotes cooperation with Pakistan in some areas of mutual interest observers - (1) Papua New Guinea

Australia Group (AG)

established - June 1985 aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons members - (41) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US

Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS)

established - 1 September 1951; effective - 29 April 1952 aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings members - (3) Australia, NZ, US

B

Baltic Assembly (BA)

established - 12 May 1990 aim - to thoroughly discuss various cooperation issues between Baltic states members - (3) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

established - 20 January 1930; effective - 17 March 1930 aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements members - (55) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, European Central Bank, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US; note - Serbia and Montenegro have separate central banks; their links with BIS are currently under review

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

established - June 1997 aim - to foster socio-economic cooperation among members members - (7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Benelux Economic Union (Benelux)

note - acronym from Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg established - 3 February 1958; effective - 1 November 1960 aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Big Seven

note - membership is the same as the Group of 7 established - 1975 aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US

Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC)

established - 25 June 1992 aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation members - (12) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine; note - Macedonia is in the process of joining observers - (17) Austria, Belarus, Black Sea Commission, Commission of the EC, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Energy Charter Secretariat, France, Germany, International Black Sea Club, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia, US; note - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia have applied for observer status

C

Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)

established - 4 July 1973; effective - 1 August 1973 aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries members - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago associate members - (5) Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands observers - (7) Aruba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

established - 18 October 1969; effective - 26 January 1970 aim - to promote economic development and cooperation regional members - (21) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela nonregional members - (5) Canada, China, Germany, Italy, UK

Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC)

see Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)

Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC)

note - acronym from Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale established - 3 December 1975 aim - to provide loans for economic development members - (10) African Development Bank (AfDB), Cameroon, Central African States Bank (BEAC), Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Kuwait

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)

note - acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico established - 13 December 1960 signature of Articles of Agreement; 31 May 1961 began operations aim - to promote economic integration and development members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua nonregional members - (7) Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Spain, Taiwan

Central American Common Market (CACM)

established - 13 December 1960, collapsed in 1969, reinstated in 1991 aim - to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua; note - Panama, although not a member, pursues full regional cooperation

Central American Integration System (SICA)

established - 13 December 1991; operational 1 February 1993 aim - to strengthen democracy; to set up a new model of regional security; to promote freedom; to achieve a regional system of welfare and economic and social justice; to attain economic unity and strengthen the area as an economic bloc; to act as a bloc in international matters members - (7) Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama associated member - (1) Dominican Republic observers - (8) Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain

Central European Initiative (CEI)

note - evolved from the Quadrilateral Initiative and the Hexagonal Initiative established - 11 November 1989 as the Quadrilateral Initiative, 27 July 1991 became the Hexagonal Initiative, July 1992 its present name was adopted aim - to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas members - (18) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

centrally planned economies

a term applied mainly to the traditionally Communist states that looked to the former USSR for leadership; most are now evolving toward more democratic and market-oriented systems; also known formerly as the Second World or as the Communist countries; through the 1980s, this group included Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yugoslavia

Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)

established - 7 October 2002 aim - to coordinate military and political cooperation, to develop multilateral structures and mechanisms of cooperation for ensuring national security of the member states members - (7) Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

Colombo Plan (CP)

established - May 1950 proposal was adopted; 1 July 1951 commenced full operations aim - to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific members - (25) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US, Vietnam

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

note - formerly known as Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA) established - 5 November 1993 aim - recognizing, promoting and protecting fundamental human rights, commitment to the principles of liberty and rule of law, maintaining peace and stability through the promotion and strengthening of good neighborliness, commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes among member states members - (19) Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Commonwealth (C)

note - also known as Commonwealth of Nations established - 31 December 1931 aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire members - (53) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji (suspended), The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (reinstated 2004), Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia; note - on 7 December 2003 Zimbabwe withdrew its membership from the Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

established - 8 December 1991; effective - 21 December 1991 aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Communist countries

traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer Communist; see centrally planned economies

Comuinidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa (CPLP)

established - 1996 aim - to establish a forum for friendship among Portuguese-speaking nations where Portuguese is an official language members - (8) Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste associate observers - (3) Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Senegal

Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM)

established in 1949 to control the export of strategic products and technical data from member countries to proscribed destinations; members were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US; abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members established a new organization, the Wassenaar Arrangement, with expanded membership on 12 July 1996 that focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East-West control of advanced technology

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA)

note - also known as CMEA or Comecon established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan (observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR), Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer), GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer), Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer), Yugoslavia (associate)

Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)

established - 3 June 1957; effective - 30 May 1964 aim - to promote economic integration among Arab nations members - (10 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Council of Europe (CE)

established - 5 May 1949; effective - 3 August 1949 aim - to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe members - (47) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK observers - (5) Canada, Holy See, Japan, Mexico, US

Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)

established - 6 March 1992 aim - to promote cooperation among the Baltic Sea states in the areas of aid to new democratic institutions, economic development, humanitarian aid, energy and the environment, cultural programs and education, and transportation and communication members - (12) Denmark, Estonia, EC, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden observers - (7) France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, UK, US

Council of the Entente (Entente)

established - 29 May 1959 aim - to promote economic, social, and political coordination members - (5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo

countries in transition

a term used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - this group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the "former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia

Customs Cooperation Council (CCC)

note - see World Customs Organization (WCO)

D

developed countries (DCs)

the top group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries have figures of more than $10,000; the 34 DCs are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "advanced economies" that adds Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey

developing countries

a term used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics include the following 126 developing countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - this category would presumably also cover the following 46 other countries that are traditionally included in the more comprehensive group of "less developed countries": American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara

Developing Eight (D-8)

established - 15 June 1997 aim - to improve developing countries' positions in the world economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, provide better standards of living member - (8) Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey

E

East African Community (EAC)

note - originally established in 1967, it was disbanded in 1977 established - January 2001 aim - to establish a political and economic union among the countries members - (5) Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

East African Development Bank (EADB)

established - 6 June 1967; effective - 1 December 1967 aim - to promote economic development members - (4) Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

East Asia Summit (EAS)

established - 14 December 2005 aim - to promote cooperation in political and security issues; to promote development, financial stability, energy security, economic integration and growth; to eradicate poverty and narrow the development gap in East Asia, and to promote deeper cultural understanding members - (16) Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, NZ, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)

note - was formerly the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) established - 8 December 1964; effective - 1 January 1966 aim - to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market members - (6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)

note - an integral part of the European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union established - 1-2 December 1969 (proposed at summit conference of heads of government; 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed) aim - to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; timetable - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted members - (16) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and nine functional commissions (Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)

note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs established - 20 September 1976 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda; note - organization collapsed because of fighting in 1998; reactivated in 2006

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

established - 28 May 1975 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (15) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

established - 27-29 January 1985 aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurasEC)

note - merged with Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) in 2005 established - May 2001 aim - to create a common economic and energy policy members - (6) Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan observers - (3) Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)

note - began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO established - 8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991 aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues members - (50) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated) aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization members - (63) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EC, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan

European Community (or European Communities, EC)

established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market), and to establish a completely integrated common market and an eventual federation of Europe; merged into the European Union (EU) on 7 February 1992; member states at the time of merger were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK

European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

established - 4 January 1960; effective - 3 May 1960 aim - to promote expansion of free trade members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

European Investment Bank (EIB)

established - 25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958 aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC members - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire established - 1 July 1953; effective - 29 September 1954 aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK observers - (8) EC, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US

European Space Agency (ESA)

established - 31 May 1975 aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology members - (17) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK cooperating states - (5) Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania

European Union (EU)

note - see European Union entry at the end of the "country" listings

F

First World

another term for countries with advanced, industrialized economies; this term is fading from use; see developed countries (DCs)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

established - 16 October 1945 aim - to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products; a UN specialized agency members - (192) includes all UN member countries except Brunei, Liechtenstein, and Singapore (189 total); plus Cook Islands, EC, Faroe Islands, and Niue

former Soviet Union (FSU)

former term often used to identify as a group the successor nations to the Soviet Union or USSR; this group of 15 countries consists of: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE)

the middle group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); these countries are in political and economic transition and may well be grouped differently in the near future; this group of 27 countries consists of: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia; this group is identical to the IMF group "countries in transition" except for the IMF's inclusion of Mongolia

Four Dragons

the four small Asian less developed countries (LDCs) that have experienced unusually rapid economic growth; also known as the Four Tigers; this group consists of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan; these countries are included in the IMF's "advanced economies" group

Franc Zone (FZ)

note - also known as Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc established - 1964 aim - to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies were linked to the French franc members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

Front Line States (FLS)

established to achieve black majority rule in South Africa; has since gone out of existence; members included Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

G

G-20

established - created 1999; inaugerated 15-16 December 1999 aim - to promote open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on any issues related to global economic stability; helps to support growth and development across the globe members - (19) Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, US

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

see the World Trade Organization (WTO)

General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU)

established - 16 April 1992 aim - to consolidate trade union actions to protect citizens' social and labor rights and interests, to help secure trade unions' rights and guarantees, and to strengthen international trade union solidarity members - (11) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Group of 10 (G-10)

note - also known as the Paris Club; includes the wealthiest members of the IMF who provide most of the money to be loaned and act as the informal steering committee; name persists despite increased membership established - October 1962 aim - to coordinate credit policy members - (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US observers - (4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD

Group of 11 (G-11)

note - also known as the Cartagena Group established in 21-22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia, aim was to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America; members were: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Group of 15 (G-15)

note - byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement; name persists despite increased membership established - September 1989 aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement members - (18) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Group of 2 (G-2)

informal term that came into use about 1986; to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation between the two most powerful economic giants; members were Japan, US

Group of 20 (G-20)

established - created 1999; inaugurated 15-16 December 1999 aim - to promote open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on any issues related to global economic stability; helps to support growth and development across the globe members - (19) Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, US

Group of 24 (G-24)

established - 1 August 1989 aim - to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF members - (24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela observers - (1) China

Group of 3 (G-3)

established - September 1990 aim - mechanism for policy coordination members - (2) Colombia, Mexico; note - Panama shows interest in joining

Group of 5 (G-5)

established - 22 September 1985 aim - to coordinate the economic policies of five major noncommunist economic powers members - (5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US

Group of 6 (G-6)

also known as Groupe des Six Sur le Desarmement (not to be confused with the Big Six) was established in 22 May 1984 with the aim of achieving nuclear disarmament; its members were Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania

Group of 7 (G-7)

note - membership is the same as the Big Seven established - 22 September 1985 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the seven major noncommunist economic powers members - (7) Group of 5 (France, Germany, Japan, UK, US) plus Canada and Italy

Group of 77 (G-77)

established - 15 June1964; October 1967 first ministerial meeting aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership members - (129 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

Group of 8 (G-8)

established - October 1975 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between December 1975 and 3 June 1977 members - (8) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, US