Y (continued 47)
Reading edition
services: 80% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.2% (2004) country comparison to the world: 59
Population below poverty line:
28.9% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.2% (2003) country comparison to the world: 62
Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle
Industries:
tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
776.4 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Electricity - consumption:
722 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 150
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
16,870 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - consumption:
88,820 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Oil - exports:
388,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - imports:
480,600 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Exports:
$4.234 billion (2001) country comparison to the world: 116
Exports - commodities:
refined petroleum products
Imports:
$4.609 billion (2001) country comparison to the world: 120
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Virgin Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
75,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 150
Telephones - mobile cellular:
80,300 (2005) country comparison to the world: 190
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: full range of services available
international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth stations - NA
Broadcast media:
about a dozen television broadcast stations including 1 public TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; 24 radio stations broadcasting (2009)
Internet country code:
.vi
Internet hosts:
8,933 (2010) country comparison to the world: 129
Internet users:
30,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 180
Transportation ::Virgin Islands
Airports:
2 (2010) country comparison to the world: 201
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 1,260 km (2008) country comparison to the world: 179
Ports and terminals:
Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Frederiksted, Limetree Bay
Military ::Virgin Islands
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,675
females age 16-49: 21,070 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 805
female: 849 (2010 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues ::Virgin Islands
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on January 11, 2011
======================================================================
@Wake Island (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Wake Island
Background:
The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. Although operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon IOKE (category 5), damage was comparatively minor. A US Air Force repair team restored full capability to the airfield and facilities, which remains a vital strategic link in the Pacific region.
Geography ::Wake Island
Location:
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Geographic coordinates:
19 17 N, 166 39 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 6.5 sq km country comparison to the world: 243 land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
19.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
People ::Wake Island
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 150 military personnel and civilian contractors maintain and operate the airfield and communications facilities (2009)
Government ::Wake Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Wake Island
Dependency status:
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the US Air Force
Legal system:
the laws of the US where applicable apply
Flag description:
the flag of the US is used
Economy ::Wake Island
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to providing services to military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Communications ::Wake Island
Telephone system:
general assessment: satellite communications; 2 DSN circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS); located in the Hawaii area code - 808
domestic: NA
international: NA
Broadcast media:
American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) provides satellite radio/television broadcasts (2009)
Transportation ::Wake Island
Airports:
1 (2010) country comparison to the world: 212
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2010)
Ports and terminals:
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Transportation - note:
there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available
Military ::Wake Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; the US Air Force is responsible for overall administration and operation of the island facilities; the launch support facility is administered by the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
Transnational Issues ::Wake Island
Disputes - international:
claimed by Marshall Islands
page last updated on December 28, 2010
======================================================================
@Wallis and Futuna (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Wallis and Futuna
Background:
The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
Geography ::Wallis and Futuna
Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
13 18 S, 176 12 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 142 sq km country comparison to the world: 220 land: 142 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
129 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Terrain:
volcanic origin; low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Singavi (on Futuna) 765 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 7.14%
permanent crops: 35.71%
other: 57.15% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources
Geography - note:
both island groups have fringing reefs
People ::Wallis and Futuna
Population:
15,343 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 221
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 2,141/female 1,935)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 5,069/female 5,065)
65 years and over: 7.1% (male 488/female 591) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.9 years
male: 26.8 years
female: 29.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.365% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Birth rate:
14.08 births/1,000 population NA country comparison to the world: 149
Death rate:
4.56 deaths/1,000 population NA country comparison to the world: 198
Net migration rate:
-5.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 204 note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2010 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 0% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.057 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.74 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 189 male: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.83 years country comparison to the world: 40 male: 75.85 years
female: 81.96 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.84 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic groups:
Polynesian
Religions:
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages:
Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French (official) 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50%
male: 50%
female: 50% (1969 est.)
Government ::Wallis and Futuna
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna
local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna
local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Dependency status:
overseas territory of France
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis
Independence:
none (overseas territory of France)
National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
the laws of France where applicable apply
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Administrator Michel JEANJEAN (since 10 June 2010)
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Victor BRIAL (since 11 December 2007)
cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of 3 kings and 3 members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) note: there are 3 traditional kings with limited powers
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly elected by the members of the assembly
Legislative branch:
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 13, other 7
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - UMP 1; French National Assembly - elections last held on 17 June 2007 (next to be held by 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - PS 1
Judicial branch:
justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu; a court of appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia
Political parties and leaders:
Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP); Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei; Union Populaire Locale or UPL; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
PIF (observer), SPC, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of France)
Flag description:
unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant
note: the design is derived from an original red banner with a white cross pattee that was introduced in the 19th century by French missionaries; the flag of France used for official occasions
National anthem:
note: as a territory of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)
Economy ::Wallis and Futuna
Economy - overview:
The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$60 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 222
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
3,104 (2003) country comparison to the world: 222
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 4%
services: 16% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15.2% (2003) country comparison to the world: 152
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Public debt:
5.6% of GDP (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2005) country comparison to the world: 87
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish
Industries:
copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Exports:
$47,450 (2004) country comparison to the world: 222
Exports - commodities:
copra, chemicals, construction materials
Imports:
$61.17 million (2004) country comparison to the world: 215
Imports - commodities:
chemicals, machinery, consumer goods
Debt - external:
$3.67 million (2004) country comparison to the world: 193
Exchange rates:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 87.59 (2007), 94.97 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)
Communications ::Wallis and Futuna
Telephones - main lines in use:
3,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 218
Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 681
Broadcast media:
the publicly-owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which broadcasts to France's overseas departments and territories, is carried on the RFO Wallis and Fortuna television and radio stations (2008)
Internet country code:
.wf
Internet hosts:
1,734 (2010) country comparison to the world: 156
Internet users:
1,300 (2009) country comparison to the world: 211
Transportation ::Wallis and Futuna
Airports:
2 (2010) country comparison to the world: 200
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 country comparison to the world: 122 by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 6
foreign-owned: 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Leava, Mata-Utu
Military ::Wallis and Futuna
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,326
females age 16-49: 3,305 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 178
female: 153 (2010 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues ::Wallis and Futuna
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on January 11, 2011
======================================================================
@West Bank (Middle East)
Introduction ::West Bank
Background:
The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel still controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. Violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007 resulted in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. In February 2007, ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June 2007, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal, and despite multiple rounds of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation negotiations, the two groups have failed to bridge their differences. The status quo remains with HAMAS in control of the Gaza Strip and ABBAS and the Fatah-dominated PA governing the West Bank. FAYYAD and his PA government continue to implement a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS has said he will not resume negotiations with current Prime Minister NETANYAHU until Israel halts all settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Geography ::West Bank
Location:
Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 5,860 sq km country comparison to the world: 171 land: 5,640 sq km
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain:
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources:
arable land
Land use:
arable land: 16.9%
permanent crops: 18.97%
other: 64.13% (2001)
Irrigated land:
150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Natural hazards:
droughts
Environment - current issues:
adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
Geography - note:
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 355 Israeli civilian sites including about 145 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 32 sites in East Jerusalem (2010 est.)
People ::West Bank
Population:
2,514,845 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 note: approximately 296,700 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank (2009 est.); approximately 192,800 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 470,735/female 446,878)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 744,822/female 708,695)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 37,471/female 52,666) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.9 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 21.1 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.13% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Birth rate:
24.91 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Death rate:
3.62 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Urbanization:
urban population: 72% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.41 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 122 male: 17.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.78 years country comparison to the world: 91 male: 72.76 years
female: 76.92 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.12 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic groups:
Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions:
Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Languages:
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.4%
male: 96.7%
female: 88% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::West Bank
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank
Economy ::West Bank
Economy - overview:
The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories - experienced a high single-digit economic growth rate in 2010 as a result of inflows of donor aid, the Palestinian Authority's (PA) implementation of economic and security reforms, and the easing of some movement and access restrictions by the Israeli Government. Nevertheless, overall standard-of-living measures remain near levels seen prior to the start of the second intifada in 2000. The almost decade-long downturn largely has been a result of Israeli closure policies - a steady increase in movement and access restrictions across the West Bank in response to Israeli security concerns which have disrupted labor and trade flows, industrial capacity, and basic commerce, both external and internal. Since 2008, the PA under President Mahmoud ABBAS and Prime Minister Salam FAYYAD has implemented a largely successful campaign of institutional reforms that has contributed to increased security and economic performance, supported by more than $3 billion in direct foreign donor assistance to the PA's budget since 2007. An easing of some Israeli restrictions on West Bank movement and access since 2008 also has contributed to an uptick in retail activity in larger cities. The biggest impediments to economic improvements in the West Bank remain Palestinians' lack of access to land and resources in Israeli-controlled areas, import and export restrictions, and a high-cost capital structure. Absent robust private sector growth, the PA will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.79 billion (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141 $11.95 billion (2008)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$6.641 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 2.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 169 note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 14%
services: 81% (includes Gaza Strip) (2008 est.)
Labor force:
694,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 149
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 23%
services: 65% (June 2008)
Unemployment rate:
16.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 19% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
46% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 103 9.9% (2009 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.78% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125 7.19% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of broad money:
$5.567 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 116 $5.251 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 128 $1.367 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 92 $2.123 billion (31 December 2008)
$2.475 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
olives, citrus fruit, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Industries:
small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs
Industrial production growth rate:
NA% (2005)
Electricity - production:
500 million kWh country comparison to the world: 160 note: most imported electricity is from Israel; Jerusalem District Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in east Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
3.265 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008)
Electricity - imports:
2.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
Oil - exports:
511 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Oil - imports:
22,150 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Oil - proved reserves:
NA bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 115
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 120
Exports:
$529 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 165 $339 million (2006)
note: includes Gaza Strip
Exports - commodities:
stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Imports:
$3.772 billion (2008) country comparison to the world: 129 $2.84 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, chemicals
Debt - external:
$1.04 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 149 $1.3 billion (2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.7461 (2010), 3.9326 (2009), 3.56 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006)
Communications ::West Bank
Telephones - main lines in use:
360,400 (includes Gaza Strip) (2010) country comparison to the world: 109
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.405 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2010) country comparison to the world: 125
Telephone system:
general assessment: continuing political and economic instability has impeded significant liberalization of the telecommunications industry
domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; PALTEL plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Jordan to route domestic mobile calls; the Palestinian JAWWAL company and WATANIYA PALESTINE provide cellular services
international: country code - 970; 1 international switch in Ramallah (2009) (2009)
Broadcast media:
the Palestinian Authority operates 1 television and 1 radio station; about 30 independent TV and 25 radio stations operating; Jordanian TV is available; satellite TV is accessible (2008)
Internet country code:
.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip
Internet users:
1.379 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2009) country comparison to the world: 88
Transportation ::West Bank
Airports:
2 (2010) country comparison to the world: 199
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 5,147 km country comparison to the world: 153 paved: 5,147 km
note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)
Military ::West Bank
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 562,570
females age 16-49: 531,532 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 30,547
female: 29,062 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Transnational Issues ::West Bank
Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)
page last updated on January 12, 2011
======================================================================
@Western Sahara (Africa)
Introduction ::Western Sahara
Background:
Morocco annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976 and claimed the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Morocco's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on the territory's final status has been repeatedly postponed. The UN since 2007 has sponsored intermittent talks between representatives of the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front to negotiate the status of Western Sahara. Morocco has put forward an autonomy proposal for the territory, which would allow for some local administration while maintaining Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario, with Algeria's support, demands a popular referendum that includes the option of independence.
Geography ::Western Sahara
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates:
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km country comparison to the world: 77 land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline:
1,110 km
Maritime claims:
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Climate:
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain:
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.98% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Environment - current issues:
sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
People ::Western Sahara
Population:
491,519 country comparison to the world: 171 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.9% (male 92,428/female 89,570)
15-64 years: 52.8% (male 105,191/female 108,803)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,881/female 5,337) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.1 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.169% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Birth rate:
32.56 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Death rate:
9.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Urbanization:
urban population: 81% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 61.97 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 33 male: 67.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.74 years country comparison to the world: 185 male: 58.57 years
female: 62.99 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.37 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic groups:
Arab, Berber
Religions:
Muslim
Languages:
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy:
NA
Government ::Western Sahara
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
former: Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, Spanish Sahara
Government type:
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 80 percent of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)
Capital:
none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (territory west of the berm under de facto Moroccan control)
Suffrage:
none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Executive branch:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
AU, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none
Economy ::Western Sahara
Economy - overview:
Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main indutries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Wstern Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a source of employment, infrstructure development, and social spending in the territory. Western Sahara's unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Morocco and the EU in July 2006 signed a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory. Western Sahara's main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$900 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 204
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
144,000 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Agriculture - products:
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Industries:
phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
90 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Electricity - consumption:
83.7 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Oil - consumption:
2,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 184
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
Oil - imports:
1,702 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 111
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
phosphates 62%
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3619 (2009), 7.526 (2008), 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006)
Communications ::Western Sahara
Telephones - main lines in use:
about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (1999) country comparison to the world: 221
Telephone system:
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Broadcast media:
Morocco's state-owned broadcaster, Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM), operates a radio service from Laayoune and relays TV service; a Polisario-backed radio station also broadcasts (2008)
Internet country code:
.eh
Transportation ::Western Sahara
Airports:
6 (2010) country comparison to the world: 175
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Ad Dakhla, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Military ::Western Sahara
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 76,483
females age 16-49: 83,988 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 5,376
female: 5,280 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues ::Western Sahara
Disputes - international:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
page last updated on January 13, 2011
======================================================================
@World (World)
Introduction ::World
Background:
Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).
Geography ::World
Geographic overview:
The surface of the earth is approximately 70.9% water and 29.1% land. The former portion is divided into large water bodies termed oceans. The World Factbook recognizes and describes five oceans, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.
The land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents. Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five, if the Eurasia designation is used).
North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Portions of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey fall within both Europe and Asia, but in every instance the larger section is in Asia. These countries are considered part of both continents. Armenia and Cyprus, which lie completely in Western Asia, are geopolitically European countries.
Asia usually incorporates all the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a "land mass" termed Oceania or Australasia. Africa's northeast extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often included as part of Africa.
Although the above groupings are the most common, different continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts of the world, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.
Map references:
Political Map of the World , Physical Map of the World , Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total: 510.072 million sq km
land: 148.94 million sq km
water: 361.132 million sq km
note: 70.9% of the world's surface is water, 29.1% is land
Area - comparative:
land area about 16 times the size of the US
top fifteen World Factbook entities ranked by size: Pacific Ocean 155.557 million sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76.762 million sq km; Indian Ocean 68.556 million sq km; Southern Ocean 20.327 million sq km; Russia 17,098,242 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14.056 million sq km; Antarctica 14 million sq km; Canada 9,984,670 sq km; United States 9,826,675 sq km; China 9,596,961 sq km; Brazil 8,514,877 sq km; Australia 7,741,220 sq km; European Union 4,324,782 sq km; India 3,287,263 sq km; Argentina 2,780,400 sq km
top ten largest islands: Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea) 785,753 sq km; Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia) 751,929 sq km; Madagascar 587,713 sq km; Baffin Island (Canada) 507,451 sq km; Sumatra (Indonesia) 472,784 sq km; Honshu (Japan) 227,963 sq km; Victoria Island (Canada) 217,291 sq km; Great Britain (United Kingdom) 209,331 sq km; Ellesmere Island (Canada) 196,236 sq km
Land boundaries:
the land boundaries in the world total 251,060 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries
note: 45 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked
Coastline:
356,000 km
note: 95 nations and other entities are islands that border no other countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Baker Island, Barbados, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan
Maritime claims:
a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm
Climate:
a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates
Terrain:
the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m
note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
top ten highest mountains (measured from sea level): Mount Everest (Nepal-China) 8,850 m; K2 (Pakistan) 8,611 m; Kanchenjunga (Nepal-India) 8,598 m; Lhotse (Nepal) 8,516 m; Makalu (Nepal-China) 8,463 m; Cho Oyu (Nepal-China) 8,201 m; Dhaulagiri (Nepal) 8,167 m; Manaslu (Nepal) 8,163 m; Nanga Parbat (Pakistan) 8,125 m; Anapurna (Nepal) 8,091 m
Natural resources:
the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in some countries of Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Land use:
arable land: 10.57%
permanent crops: 1.04%
other: 88.39% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,770,980 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones); natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
volcanism: the world is home to more than 1,500 potentially active volcanoes, with over 500 of these having erupted in historical times; an estimated 500 million people live near these volcanoes; associated dangers include lava flows, lahars (mudflows), pyroclastic flows, ash clouds, ash fall, ballistic projectiles, gas emissions, landslides, earthquakes, and tsunamis; in the 1990s, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, created a list of 16 volcanoes worthy of special study because of their great potential for destruction: Avachinsky-Koryaksky (Russia), Colima (Mexico), Etna (Italy), Galeras (Colombia), Mauna Loa (United States), Merapi (Indonesia), Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Rainier (United States), Sakurajima (Japan), Santa Maria (Guatemala), Santorini (Greece), Taal (Philippines), Teide (Spain), Ulawun (Papua New Guinea), Unzen (Japan), Vesuvius (Italy)
Environment - current issues:
large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion; global warming becoming a greater concern
Geography - note:
the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the universe
People ::World
Population:
6,768,181,146 (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 944,987,919/female 884,268,378)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 2,234,860,865/female 2,187,838,153)
65 years and over: 7.6% (male 227,164,176/female 289,048,221) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.4 years
male: 27.7 years
female: 29 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.133% (2009 est.)
Birth rate:
19.86 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate:
8.37 deaths/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 50.5% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.85% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
ten largest urban agglomerations: Tokyo (Japan) - 36,669,000; Delhi (India) - 22,157,000; Sao Paulo (Brazil) - 20,262,000; Mumbai (India) - 20,041,000; Mexico City (Mexico) - 19,460,000; New York-Newark (US) - 19,425,000; Shanghai (China) - 16,575,000; Kolkata (India) - 15,552,000; Dhaka (Bangladesh) - 14,648,000; Karachi (Pakistan) - 13,125,000 (2009)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 44.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 46.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.12 years
male: 64.29 years
female: 68.07 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.56 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.8% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
33 million (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2 million (2007 est.)
Religions:
Christians 33.32% (of which Roman Catholics 16.99%, Protestants 5.78%, Orthodox 3.53%, Anglicans 1.25%), Muslims 21.01%, Hindus 13.26%, Buddhists 5.84%, Sikhs 0.35%, Jews 0.23%, Baha'is 0.12%, other religions 11.78%, non-religious 11.77%, atheists 2.32% (2007 est.)
Languages:
Mandarin Chinese 12.65%, Spanish 4.93%, English 4.91%, Arabic 3.31%, Hindi 2.73%, Bengali 2.71%, Portuguese 2.67%, Russian 2.16%, Japanese 1.83%, Standard German 1.35%, Javanese 1.27% (2008 est.)
note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82%
male: 87%
female: 77%
note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, the Arab states, South and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)
Government ::World
Administrative divisions:
266 countries, dependent areas, and other entities
Legal system:
all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
Economy ::World
Economy - overview:
In 2010, world output - and per capita income - began to recover from the 2008-09 recession, the first global downturn since 1946. Gross World Product (GWP) grew 4.6%, largely on the strength of rebounding exports, which rose about 20% from the level of 2009. Growth was not evenly distributed across countries, however. Lower income countries - those with per capita incomes below $30,000 per year - averaged 6.3% growth, while higher income countries - with per capita incomes above $30,000 - averaged just 2.8% growth. And countries with current account surpluses averaged 6.0% growth, while those with current account deficits averaged just 3.4% growth. Among large economies, China (+10.1%), Taiwan (+8.3%), India (+8.3%), Brazil (+7.5%), and South Korea (+6.1%) recorded the biggest GDP gains - China also became the world's largest exporter. Continuing uncertainties in mortgage and financial markets resulted in slower growth in Japan (+3.0%), the US (+2.8%), and the European Union (+1.7%). In 2010, global unemployment continued to creep upwards, reaching 8.8% - underemployment, especially in the developing world, remained much higher. Global gross fixed investment stabilized at about 23% of GWP, after a significant drop in 2009. World trade appears to be returning to pre-2009 patterns, with current account surpluses or deficits rising for a majority of countries. World external debt, however, dropped again in 2010 - about 5% from the 2009 level, as many countries reduced borrowing. Many, if not most, countries pursued expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. The global money supply, both narrowly and broadly defined, increased roughly 10%, as countries tried to keep interest rates low; the global budget deficit stablilized at roughly $3.5 trillion, as countries tried to rein in spending and slow the rise of public debt.
The international financial crisis of 2008-09 presents the world economy with a major new challenge, together with several long-standing ones. The fiscal stimulus packages put in place in 2009-10 required most countries to run budget deficits - government balances have deteriorated for 14 out of every 15 countries. Treasuries issued new public debt - totaling $5.5 trillion since 2008 - to pay for the additional expenditures. To keep interest rates low, many central banks monetized that debt, injecting large sums of money into the economies. As economic activity picks up, central banks will face the difficult task of containing inflation without raising interest rates so high they snuff out further growth. At the same time, governments will face the difficult task of spurring current growth and employment without saddling their economies with so much debt that they sacrifice long-term growth and financial stability.
Long-standing challenges the world faces are several. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of underemployment, pollution, waste-disposal, epidemics, water-shortages, famine, over-fishing of oceans, deforestation, desertification, and depletion of non-renewable resources. The nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, central governments often find their control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, central governments are losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, most notably the EU. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because the participating nations are culturally and politically diverse and have varying levels and rates of growth of income, and hence, differing needs for monetary and fiscal policies. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan added new uncertainties to global economic prospects.
Despite these challenges, the world economy also shows great promise. Technology has made possible further advances in all fields, from agriculture, to medicine, alternative energy, metallurgy, and transportation. Improved global communications have greatly reduced the costs of international trade, helping the world gain from the international division of labor, raise living standards, and reduce income disparities among nations. Much of the resilience of the world economy in the aftermath of the financial crisis resulted from government leaders around the globe working in concert to stem the financial onslaught, knowing well the lessons of past economic failures.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$74.43 trillion (2010 est.)
$71.17 trillion (2009 est.)
$71.67 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
GWP (gross world product): $62.22 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2010 est.)
-0.7% (2009 est.)
2.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,100 (2010 est.)
$10,800 (2009 est.)
$11,000 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 30.8%
services: 63.4% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
3.232 billion (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 37.3%
industry: 21.7%
services: 41% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8.8% (2010 est.)
8.2% (2009 est.)
note: 30% (2007 est.) combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 27.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
23.1% of GDP (2009 est.) (2010 est.)
Public debt:
58.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
56.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
developed countries 2.5%
developing countries 5.6%
note: developed countries 0% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 10% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases; inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries, and by soft demand as a result of the world financial crisis (2010 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$22.4 trillion (31 December 2010 est)
$20.87 trillion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$75.86 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
$68.54 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$104.2 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
$94.49 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$48.85 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
$36.41 trillion (31 December 2008)
$64.6 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Industries:
dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (2010 est.)
Electricity - production:
19.25 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
17.93 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
615.4 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
613.9 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
84.24 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - consumption:
83.62 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - exports:
61.37 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports:
63.77 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.378 trillion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Natural gas - production:
3.127 trillion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.073 trillion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
949.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
947.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
187.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
Exports:
$14.9 trillion (2010 est.)
$12.39 trillion (2009)
Exports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
top ten - share of world trade: electrical machinery, including computers 14.8%; mineral fuels, including oil, coal, gas, and refined products 14.4%; nuclear reactors, boilers, and parts 14.2%; cars, trucks, and buses 8.9%; scientific and precision instruments 3.5%; plastics 3.4%; iron and steel 2.7%; organic chemicals 2.6%; pharmaceutical products 2.6%; diamonds, pearls, and precious stones 1.9%
Exports - partners:
US 12.7%, Germany 7.2%, China 6.4%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2008 est.)
Imports:
$14.68 trillion (2010)
$12.19 trillion (2009)
Imports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
top ten - share of world trade: see listing for exports
Imports - partners:
China 10.3%, Germany 8.7%, US 8%, Japan 5% (2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$59.09 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
$62.25 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$17.53 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
$16.51 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$18.19 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
$17.28 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Communications ::World
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.268 billion (2008)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.3 billion (2010)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Internet users:
2.1 billion (2010)
Transportation ::World
Airports:
total airports - 44,010 (2010)
top ten by passengers: Atlanta (ATL) - 88,032,086; London (LHR) - 66,037,578; Beijing (PEK) - 65,372,012; Chicago (ORD) - 64,158,343; Tokyo (HND) - 61,903,656; Paris (CDG) - 57,906,866; Los Angeles (LAX) - 56,520,843; Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - 56,030,457; Frankfurt (FRA) - 50,932,840; Denver (DEN) - 50,167,485 (2009)
top ten by cargo (metric tons): Memphis (MEM) - 3,697,054; Hong Kong (HKG) - 3,385,313; Shanghai (PVG) - 2,543,394; Inch'on (ICN) - 2,313,001; Paris (CDG) - 2,054,515; Anchorage (ANC) - 1,994,629; Louisville (SDF) - 1,949,528; Dubai (DXB) - 1,927,520; Frankfurt (FRA) - 1,887,686; Tokyo (NRT) - 1,851,972 (2009)
Heliports:
3,825 (2010)
Railways:
total: 1,138,632 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 102,260,304 km (2008)
Waterways:
671,886 km (2004)
top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,693 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,238 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,981 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,569 km; Yangtze (Asia) 5,525 km; Yellow (Asia) 4,671 km; Amur (Asia) 4,352 km; Lena (Asia) 4,345 km; Congo (Africa) 4,344 km
note: if measured by volume, the Amazon is the largest river in the world
Ports and terminals:
top ten container ports as measured by Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) throughput: Singapore - 25,866,400; Shanghai - 25,002,000; Hong Kong - 20,983,000; Shenzhen (China) - 18,250,100; Pusan (South Korea) - 11,954,861; Guangzhou (China) - 11,190,000; Dubai (UAE) - 11,124,082; Ningbo (China) - 10,502,800; Qingdao (China) - 10,260,000; - Rotterdam - 9,743,290 (2009)
Transportation - note:
as of September 2009, incidents of piracy around the world have more than doubled over the comparable time period in 2008; half of all attacks occur in the waters off Somalia, primarily in the Gulf of Aden; other high risk areas include the waters off Nigeria, the South China Sea, and waters off Malaysia
Military ::World
Military expenditures:
roughly 2% of GDP of gross world product (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues ::World
Disputes - international:
stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 322 international land boundaries separate 194 independent states and 71 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; most maritime states have claimed limits that include territorial seas and exclusive economic zones; overlapping limits due to adjacent or opposite coasts create the potential for 430 bilateral maritime boundaries of which 209 have agreements that include contiguous and non-contiguous segments; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries tend to encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation and internal displacement of the estimated 6.6 million people and cross-border displacements of 8.6 million refugees around the world as of early 2006; just over one million refugees were repatriated in the same period; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially hydrocarbon) resources, fisheries, and arable land; armed conflict prevails not so much between the uniformed armed forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2006 there was a global population of 8.8 million registered refugees and as many as 24.5 million IDPs in more than 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees is probably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: approximately 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female and up to 50% are minors; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; almost two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people)
Tier 2 Watch List: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Iraq, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Mali, Moldova, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen
Tier 3: Burma, Chad, Cuba, Eritrea, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Zimbabwe (2009)
Illicit drugs:
cocaine: worldwide coca leaf cultivation in 2007 amounted to 232,500 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production decreased 7% to 865 metric tons in 2007; Colombia conducts an aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 551 metric tons of export-quality cocaine (85% pure) is documented to have been seized or destroyed in 2005; US consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been in excess of 380 metric tons
opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation continued to increase in 2007, with a potential opium production of 8,400 metric tons, reaching the highest levels recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 95% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 9% of global opium - saw marginal increases in production; Latin America produced 1% of global opium, but most was refined into heroin destined for the US market; if all potential opium was processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 1,000 metric tons of heroin in 2007
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@Yemen (Middle East)
Introduction ::Yemen
Background:
North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.
Geography ::Yemen
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 48 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 527,968 sq km country comparison to the world: 49 land: 527,968 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline:
1,906 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use:
arable land: 2.91%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:
5,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
4.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
sandstorms and dust storms in summer
volcanism: Yemen experiences limited volcanic activity; Jebel at Tair (Jabal al-Tair, Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Jazirat at-Tair) (elev. 244 m, 801 ft), which forms an island in the Red Sea, erupted in 2007 after awakening from dormancy; other historically active volcanoes include Harra of Arhab, Harras of Dhamar, Harra es-Sawad, and Jebel Zubair, although many of these have not erupted in over a century
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
People ::Yemen
Population:
23,495,361 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.9% (male 5,108,423/female 4,925,523)
15-64 years: 53.5% (male 6,215,999/female 6,013,334)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 285,752/female 309,207) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.9 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 18 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.713% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 23
Birth rate:
34.37 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 36
Death rate:
7.24 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 99
Urbanization:
urban population: 31% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.77 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 38 male: 61.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.36 years country comparison to the world: 173 male: 61.35 years
female: 65.47 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.81 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 30
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 96
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups:
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans
Religions:
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages:
Arabic (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2%
male: 70.5%
female: 30% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 11 years
female: 7 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 60
Government ::Yemen
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
local short form: Al Yaman
former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Sanaa
geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
21 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan (Aden), Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Amanat al 'Asimah, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Raymah, Sa'dah, San'a' (Sanaa), Shabwah, Ta'izz
Independence:
22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen became independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962; South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
Constitution:
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31 March 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held on 20 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faysal BIN SHAMLAN 21.8%
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve eight-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (scheduled April 2009 election postponed for two years)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 238, Islah 47, YSP 6, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Muhammed Abdallah AL-YADUMI]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abd al-Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Yasin Said NUMAN]; note - there are at least seven more active political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Muslim Brotherhood; Women National Committee
other: conservative tribal groups; Huthis, southern secessionist groups; al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
International organization participation:
AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI
chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gerald M. FEIERSTEIN
embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa
mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266
FAX: [967] (1) 303-182
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)
note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band
National anthem:
name: "al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida" (United Republic)
lyrics/music: Abdullah Abdulwahab NOA'MAN/Ayyoab Tarish ABSI
note: adopted 1990; the music first served as the anthem for South Yemen before unification with North Yemen in 1990
Economy ::Yemen
Economy - overview:
Yemen is a low income country that is highly dependent on declining oil resources for revenue. Petroleum accounts for roughly 25% of GDP and 70% of government revenue. Yemen has tried to counter the effects of its declining oil resources by diversifying its economy through an economic reform program initiated in 2006 that is designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. In October 2009, Yemen exported its first liquefied natural gas as part of this diversification effort. In January 2010, the international community established the Friends of Yemen group that aims to support Yemen's efforts towards economic and political reform, and in August 2010 the IMF approved a three-year $370 million program to further this effort. Despite these ambitious endeavors, Yemen continues to face difficult long term challenges, including declining water resources and a high population growth rate.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$61.88 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 $58.82 billion (2009 est.)
$56.67 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$30.02 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 3.8% (2009 est.)
3.2% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 173 $2,600 (2009 est.)
$2,600 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.2%
industry: 38.8%
services: 53% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
6.832 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Labor force - by occupation:
note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force
Unemployment rate:
35% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 184
Population below poverty line:
45.2% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 30.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.7 (2005) country comparison to the world: 76 33.4 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.4% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 96
Public debt:
39.1% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 76 36.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 209 5.4% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA%
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 18% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$3.551 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 106 $3.74 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$9.739 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 $9.552 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$5.297 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 $5.098 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish
Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial ship repair; natural gas production
Industrial production growth rate:
9% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Electricity - production:
5.665 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
Electricity - consumption:
4.133 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
288,400 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Oil - consumption:
155,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Oil - exports:
274,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - imports:
65,860 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 77
Oil - proved reserves:
3.16 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 30
Natural gas - production:
454,700 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Natural gas - exports:
454,700 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 45
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - proved reserves:
478.5 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Current account balance:
-$2.181 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 157 -$2.328 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$7.462 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $5.812 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish, liquefied natural gas
Exports - partners:
China 36%, Thailand 17.63%, India 13.54%, South Africa 6.16%, Japan 5.49%, UAE 4.99% (2009)
Imports:
$8.35 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 $7.518 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
China 13.98%, UAE 12.3%, India 8.63%, Saudi Arabia 5.8%, US 4.52%, Brazil 4.51%, Turkey 4.51%, Kuwait 4.33%, France 4.24% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.744 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 $6.993 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.147 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 $6.552 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 220.05 (2010), 202.85 (2009), 199.76 (2008), 199.14 (2007), 197.18 (2006)
Communications ::Yemen
Telephones - main lines in use:
997,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 79
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.313 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 72
Telephone system:
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, GSM and CDMA mobile-cellular telephone systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by regional standards
international: country code - 967; landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Broadcast media:
state-run TV with 2 stations; state-run radio with 2 national radio stations and 5 local stations; stations from Oman and Saudi Arabia can be accessed (2007)
Internet country code:
.ye
Internet hosts:
255 (2010) country comparison to the world: 188
Internet users:
2.349 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 71
Transportation ::Yemen
Airports:
55 (2010) country comparison to the world: 85
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 10 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 423 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,367 km (2009)
Roadways:
total: 71,300 km country comparison to the world: 67 paved: 6,200 km
unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 6 country comparison to the world: 128 by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 14 (Moldova 1, Panama 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sierra Leone 2, unknown 6) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom
Military ::Yemen
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jamahiriya al Yemeniya; includes Air Defense Force), Republican Guard (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,458,642
females age 16-49: 5,205,387 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,902,186
females age 16-49: 3,952,370 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 279,283
female: 269,824 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
6.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 7
Military - note:
a Coast Guard was established in 2002
Transnational Issues ::Yemen
Disputes - international:
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 91,587 (Somalia) (2007)
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Zambia (Africa)
Introduction ::Zambia
Background:
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anticorruption investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in which former President CHILUBA and numerous others were found liable for USD 41 million. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his abrupt death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his Vice President Rupiah BANDA, who subsequently won a special presidential election in October 2008.
Geography ::Zambia
Location:
Southern Africa, east of Angola
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 752,618 sq km country comparison to the world: 39 land: 743,398 sq km
water: 9,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,664 km
border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Terrain:
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: unnamed elevation in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m
Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 6.99%
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 92.97% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,560 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
105.2 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.74 cu km/yr (17%/7%/76%)
per capita: 149 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic drought; tropical storms (November to April)
Environment - current issues:
air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe
People ::Zambia
Population:
13,460,305 country comparison to the world: 69 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.1% (male 2,685,142/female 2,659,771)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 3,122,305/female 3,116,846)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 114,477/female 164,199) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.5 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.118% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Birth rate:
44.63 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Death rate:
12.84 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Net migration rate:
-0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Urbanization:
urban population: 35% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 68.4 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 20 male: 73.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.03 years country comparison to the world: 209 male: 50.81 years
female: 53.28 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.07 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
15.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.1 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
56,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groups:
African 99.5% (includes Bemba, Tonga, Chewa, Lozi, Nsenga, Tumbuka, Ngoni, Lala, Kaonde, Lunda, and other African groups), other 0.5% (includes Europeans, Asians, and Americans) (2000 Census)
Religions:
Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages:
Bemba 30.1% (official), Nyanja 10.7% (official), Tonga 10.6% (official), Lozi 5.7% (official), Chewa 4.9%, Nsenga 3.4%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda 2.2% (official), Kaonde 2% (official), Lala 2%, Luvale 1.7% (official), English 1.7% (official), other 22.5% (2000 Census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 80.6%
male: 86.8%
female: 74.8% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 7 years (2000)
Education expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 178
Government ::Zambia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Lusaka
geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western
Independence:
24 October 1964 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
Constitution:
24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits
Legal system:
based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008); note - President BANDA was acting president during the illness leading up to the death of President Levy MWANAWASA on 18 August 2008, he was then elected president on 30 October 2008 to serve out the remainder of MWANAWASA's term; the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 October 2008 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president; note - due to the death of former President Levy MWANAWASA, early elections were held to identify a replacement to serve out the remainder of his term
election results: Rupiah BANDA elected president; percent of vote - Rupiah BANDA 40.1%, Michael SATA 38.1%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 19.7%, Godfrey MIYANDA 0.8%, other 1.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (158 seats; 150 members are elected by popular vote, 8 members appointed by the president, to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 28 September 2006 (next to be held in October 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MMD 72, PF 44, UDA 27, ULP 2, NDF 1, independents 2; seats not determined 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases)
Political parties and leaders:
Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [vacant]; Party of Unity for Democracy and Development or PUDD [Dan PULE]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Reform Party [Nevers MUMBA]; United Democratic Alliance or UDA (a coalition of RP, ZADECO, PUDD, and ZRP); United Liberal Party or ULP [Sakwiba SIKOTA]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Tilyenji KAUNDA]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]; Zambia Democratic Congress or ZADECO [Langton SICHONE]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Shelia Z. SIWELA
chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael KOPLOVSKY
embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka
mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka
telephone: [260] (211) 250-955
FAX: [260] (211) 252-225
Flag description:
green field with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag; green stands for the country's natural resources and vegetation, red symbolizes the struggle for freedom, black the people of Zambia, and orange the country's mineral wealth; the eagle represents the people's ability to rise above the nation's problems
National anthem:
name: "Lumbanyeni Zambia" (Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free)