Solomon Islands: revenues: $147 million

expenditures: $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Somalia: revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

South Africa: revenues: $31.1 billion

expenditures: $34.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY01/02)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: revenues: $291,777

expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)

Spain: revenues: $105 billion

expenditures: $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2000 est.)

Sri Lanka: revenues: $3 billion

expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Sudan: revenues: $1.2 billion

expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Suriname: revenues: $393 million

expenditures: $403 million, including capital expenditures of $34 million (1997 est.)

Svalbard: revenues: $11.5 million

expenditures: $11.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Swaziland: revenues: $400 million

expenditures: $450 million, including capital expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97)

Sweden: revenues: $133 billion

expenditures: $125.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Switzerland: revenues: $32.66 billion

expenditures: $34.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.3 billion (1998 est.)

Syria: revenues: $2.25 billion

expenditures: $5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Tajikistan: revenues: $146 million

expenditures: $196 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Tanzania: revenues: $1.21 billion

expenditures: $1.36 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Thailand: revenues: $19 billion

expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Togo: revenues: $232 million

expenditures: $252 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Tokelau: revenues: $430,830

expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.)

Tonga: revenues: $49 million

expenditures: $120 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (FY96/97 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago: revenues: $1.54 billion

expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998)

Tunisia: revenues: $7.5 billion

expenditures: $8.1 billion, including capital expenditures to $1.6 billion (2000 est.)

Turkey: revenues: $54.5 billion

expenditures: $75.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.3 billion (2000)

Turkmenistan: revenues: $588.6 million

expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands: revenues: $47 million

expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-1998 est.)

Tuvalu: revenues: $6.2 million

expenditures: $6.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Uganda: revenues: $959 million

expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)

Ukraine: revenues: $8.3 billion

expenditures: $8.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

United Arab Emirates: revenues: $6.5 billion

expenditures: $7.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

United Kingdom: revenues: $555.2 billion

expenditures: $510.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $37.7 billion (FY00)

United States: revenues: $1.828 trillion

expenditures: $1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

Uruguay: revenues: $4 billion

expenditures: $4.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2000 est.)

Uzbekistan: revenues: $4 billion

expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Vanuatu: revenues: $94.4 million

expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.)

Venezuela: revenues: $26.4 billion

expenditures: $27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Vietnam: revenues: $5.3 billion

expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (1999 est.)

Virgin Islands: revenues: $364.4 million

expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Wallis and Futuna: revenues: $20 million

expenditures: $17 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

West Bank: revenues: $1.6 billion

expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA

note: includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)

Western Sahara: revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Yemen: revenues: $3 billion

expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Yugoslavia: revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Zambia: revenues: $900 million

expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of NA million (1999 est.)

Zimbabwe: revenues: $2.5 billion

expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $279 million (FY96/97 est.)

Taiwan: revenues: $42.74 billion

expenditures: $48.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

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

@Capital



Afghanistan: Kabul

Albania: Tirana

Algeria: Algiers

American Samoa: Pago Pago

Andorra: Andorra la Vella

Angola: Luanda

Anguilla: The Valley

Antigua and Barbuda: Saint John's

Argentina: Buenos Aires

Armenia: Yerevan

Aruba: Oranjestad

Australia: Canberra

Austria: Vienna

Azerbaijan: Baku (Baki)

Bahamas, The: Nassau

Bahrain: Manama

Bangladesh: Dhaka

Barbados: Bridgetown

Belarus: Minsk

Belgium: Brussels

Belize: Belmopan

Benin: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government

Bermuda: Hamilton

Bhutan: Thimphu

Bolivia: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo

Botswana: Gaborone

Brazil: Brasilia

British Virgin Islands: Road Town

Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan

Bulgaria: Sofia

Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou

Burma: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

Burundi: Bujumbura

Cambodia: Phnom Penh

Cameroon: Yaounde

Canada: Ottawa

Cape Verde: Praia

Cayman Islands: George Town

Central African Republic: Bangui

Chad: N'Djamena

Chile: Santiago

China: Beijing

Christmas Island: The Settlement

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: West Island

Colombia: Bogota

Comoros: Moroni

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Kinshasa

Congo, Republic of the: Brazzaville

Cook Islands: Avarua

Costa Rica: San Jose

Cote d'Ivoire: Yamoussoukro; note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

Croatia: Zagreb

Cuba: Havana

Cyprus: Nicosia

Czech Republic: Prague

Denmark: Copenhagen

Djibouti: Djibouti

Dominica: Roseau

Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo

Ecuador: Quito

Egypt: Cairo

El Salvador: San Salvador

Equatorial Guinea: Malabo

Eritrea: Asmara (formerly Asmera)

Estonia: Tallinn

Ethiopia: Addis Ababa

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): Stanley

Faroe Islands: Torshavn

Fiji: Suva

Finland: Helsinki

France: Paris

French Guiana: Cayenne

French Polynesia: Papeete

Gabon: Libreville

Gambia, The: Banjul

Georgia: T'bilisi

Germany: Berlin

Ghana: Accra

Gibraltar: Gibraltar

Greece: Athens

Greenland: Nuuk (Godthab)

Grenada: Saint George's

Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre

Guam: Hagatna (Agana)

Guatemala: Guatemala

Guernsey: Saint Peter Port

Guinea: Conakry

Guinea-Bissau: Bissau

Guyana: Georgetown

Haiti: Port-au-Prince

Holy See (Vatican City): Vatican City

Honduras: Tegucigalpa

Hungary: Budapest

Iceland: Reykjavik

India: New Delhi

Indonesia: Jakarta

Iran: Tehran

Iraq: Baghdad

Ireland: Dublin

Israel: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv

Italy: Rome

Jamaica: Kingston

Japan: Tokyo

Jersey: Saint Helier

Jordan: Amman

Kazakhstan: Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998

Kenya: Nairobi

Kiribati: Tarawa

Korea, North: P'yongyang

Korea, South: Seoul

Kuwait: Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek

Laos: Vientiane

Latvia: Riga

Lebanon: Beirut

Lesotho: Maseru

Liberia: Monrovia

Libya: Tripoli

Liechtenstein: Vaduz

Lithuania: Vilnius

Luxembourg: Luxembourg

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: Skopje

Madagascar: Antananarivo

Malawi: Lilongwe

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Maldives: Male

Mali: Bamako

Malta: Valletta

Man, Isle of: Douglas

Marshall Islands: Majuro

Martinique: Fort-de-France

Mauritania: Nouakchott

Mauritius: Port Louis

Mayotte: Mamoutzou

Mexico: Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of: Palikir

Moldova: Chisinau

Monaco: Monaco

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar

Montserrat: Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat)

Morocco: Rabat

Mozambique: Maputo

Namibia: Windhoek

Nauru: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

Nepal: Kathmandu

Netherlands: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Netherlands Antilles: Willemstad

New Caledonia: Noumea

New Zealand: Wellington

Nicaragua: Managua

Niger: Niamey

Nigeria: Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now made the move to Abuja

Niue: Alofi

Norfolk Island: Kingston

Northern Mariana Islands: Saipan

Norway: Oslo

Oman: Muscat

Pakistan: Islamabad

Palau: Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror

Panama: Panama

Papua New Guinea: Port Moresby

Paraguay: Asuncion

Peru: Lima

Philippines: Manila

Pitcairn Islands: Adamstown

Poland: Warsaw

Portugal: Lisbon

Puerto Rico: San Juan

Qatar: Doha

Reunion: Saint-Denis

Romania: Bucharest

Russia: Moscow

Rwanda: Kigali

Saint Helena: Jamestown

Saint Kitts and Nevis: Basseterre

Saint Lucia: Castries

Saint Pierre and Miquelon: Saint-Pierre

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Kingstown

Samoa: Apia

San Marino: San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe: Sao Tome

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh

Senegal: Dakar

Seychelles: Victoria

Sierra Leone: Freetown

Singapore: Singapore

Slovakia: Bratislava

Slovenia: Ljubljana

Solomon Islands: Honiara

Somalia: Mogadishu

South Africa: Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center

Spain: Madrid

Sri Lanka: Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital

Sudan: Khartoum

Suriname: Paramaribo

Svalbard: Longyearbyen

Swaziland: Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital

Sweden: Stockholm

Switzerland: Bern

Syria: Damascus

Tajikistan: Dushanbe

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam; note - legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on regular basis

Thailand: Bangkok

Togo: Lome

Tokelau: none; each atoll has its own administrative center

Tonga: Nuku'alofa

Trinidad and Tobago: Port-of-Spain

Tunisia: Tunis

Turkey: Ankara

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat

Turks and Caicos Islands: Cockburn Town (on Grand Turk)

Tuvalu: Funafuti

Uganda: Kampala

Ukraine: Kiev (Kyyiv)

United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

United Kingdom: London

United States: Washington, DC

Uruguay: Montevideo

Uzbekistan: Tashkent (Toshkent)

Vanuatu: Port-Vila

Venezuela: Caracas

Vietnam: Hanoi

Virgin Islands: Charlotte Amalie

Wallis and Futuna: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

Western Sahara: none

Yemen: Sanaa

Yugoslavia: Belgrade

Zambia: Lusaka

Zimbabwe: Harare

Taiwan: Taipei

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

@Climate



Afghanistan: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Albania: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Algeria: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

American Samoa: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation

Andorra: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers

Angola: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

Anguilla: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Antarctica: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing

Antigua and Barbuda: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Arctic Ocean: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

Argentina: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Armenia: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Aruba: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands: tropical

Atlantic Ocean: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

Australia: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

Austria: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers

Azerbaijan: dry, semiarid steppe

Bahamas, The: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Bahrain: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Baker Island: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Bangladesh: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Barbados: tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Bassas da India: tropical

Belarus: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Belgium: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Belize: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)

Benin: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Bermuda: subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter

Bhutan: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

Bolivia: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Bosnia and Herzegovina: hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

Botswana: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Bouvet Island: antarctic

Brazil: mostly tropical, but temperate in south

British Indian Ocean Territory: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

British Virgin Islands: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Brunei: tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Bulgaria: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Burkina Faso: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Burma: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)

Burundi: equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; wet seasons from February to May and September to November, and dry seasons from June to August and December to January

Cambodia: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Cameroon: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Canada: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Cape Verde: temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic

Cayman Islands: tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Central African Republic: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Chad: tropical in south, desert in north

Chile: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south

China: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Christmas Island: tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Clipperton Island: tropical, humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, rains May-October

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year; moderate rainfall

Colombia: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Comoros: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October

Congo, Republic of the: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Cook Islands: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Coral Sea Islands: tropical

Costa Rica: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Cote d'Ivoire: tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

Croatia: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Cuba: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Cyprus: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, winters

Czech Republic: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Denmark: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Djibouti: desert; torrid, dry

Dominica: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Dominican Republic: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Ecuador: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Egypt: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

El Salvador: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Equatorial Guinea: tropical; always hot, humid

Eritrea: hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert

Estonia: maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Ethiopia: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Europa Island: tropical

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate

Faroe Islands: mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

Fiji: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Finland: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral

French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

French Polynesia: tropical, but moderate

French Southern and Antarctic Lands: antarctic

Gabon: tropical; always hot, humid

Gambia, The: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)

Gaza Strip: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Georgia: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Germany: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind

Ghana: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Gibraltar: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Glorioso Islands: tropical

Greece: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Greenland: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Grenada: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Guadeloupe: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity

Guam: tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation

Guatemala: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Guernsey: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast

Guinea: generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Guinea-Bissau: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Guyana: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)

Haiti: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Heard Island and McDonald Islands: antarctic

Holy See (Vatican City): temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)

Honduras: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Hong Kong: tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Howland Island: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Hungary: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Iceland: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

India: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Indian Ocean: northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

Indonesia: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Iran: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Iraq: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Ireland: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

Israel: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Italy: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Jamaica: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Jan Mayen: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Japan: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Jarvis Island: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Jersey: temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Johnston Atoll: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation

Jordan: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Juan de Nova Island: tropical

Kazakhstan: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Kenya: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Kingman Reef: tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds

Kiribati: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Korea, North: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Korea, South: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Kuwait: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Kyrgyzstan: dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone

Laos: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)

Latvia: maritime; wet, moderate winters

Lebanon: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Lesotho: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Liberia: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Libya: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Liechtenstein: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Lithuania: transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Luxembourg: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Macau: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Madagascar: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Malawi: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Malaysia: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Maldives: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Mali: subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February

Malta: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Man, Isle of: cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about one-third of the time

Marshall Islands: wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt

Martinique: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid

Mauritania: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Mauritius: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)

Mexico: varies from tropical to desert

Micronesia, Federated States of: tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Midway Islands: subtropical, but moderated by prevailing easterly winds

Moldova: moderate winters, warm summers

Monaco: Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers

Mongolia: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Montserrat: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Morocco: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Mozambique: tropical to subtropical

Namibia: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Nauru: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)

Navassa Island: marine, tropical

Nepal: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Netherlands: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Netherlands Antilles: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

New Caledonia: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

New Zealand: temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Nicaragua: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Niger: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Nigeria: varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Niue: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Norfolk Island: subtropical, mild, little seasonal temperature variation

Northern Mariana Islands: tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October

Norway: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers causing glaciers to grow; rainy year-round on west coast

Oman: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Pacific Ocean: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

Pakistan: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Palau: wet season May to November; hot and humid

Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot, and very rainy

Panama: tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Papua New Guinea: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Paracel Islands: tropical

Paraguay: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

Peru: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Philippines: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Pitcairn Islands: tropical, hot, humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)

Poland: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Portugal: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Puerto Rico: tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

Qatar: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer

Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

Romania: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Russia: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Rwanda: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Saint Helena: Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Saint Kitts and Nevis: tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Saint Lucia: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August

Saint Pierre and Miquelon: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Samoa: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

San Marino: Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Sao Tome and Principe: tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Saudi Arabia: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature

Senegal: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Seychelles: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

Sierra Leone: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Singapore: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

Slovakia: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Slovenia: Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east

Solomon Islands: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Somalia: principally desert; December to February - northeast monsoon, moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to October - southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

South Africa: mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Southern Ocean: sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Spain: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Spratly Islands: tropical

Sri Lanka: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Sudan: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)

Suriname: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Svalbard: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year

Swaziland: varies from tropical to near temperate

Sweden: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Switzerland: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Syria: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically hitting Damascus

Tajikistan: midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Tanzania: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Thailand: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid

Togo: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Tokelau: tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Tonga: tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)

Trinidad and Tobago: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Tromelin Island: tropical

Tunisia: temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south

Turkey: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Turkmenistan: subtropical desert

Turks and Caicos Islands: tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Tuvalu: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Uganda: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Ukraine: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

United Arab Emirates: desert; cooler in eastern mountains

United Kingdom: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

United States: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

Uruguay: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Uzbekistan: mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Vanuatu: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds

Venezuela: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Vietnam: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Virgin Islands: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November

Wake Island: tropical

Wallis and Futuna: 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

West Bank: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Western Sahara: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew

World: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates

Yemen: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Yugoslavia: in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion, continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland

Zambia: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Zimbabwe: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Taiwan: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

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

@Coastline



Afghanistan: 0 km (landlocked)

Albania: 362 km

Algeria: 998 km

American Samoa: 116 km

Andorra: 0 km (landlocked)

Angola: 1,600 km

Anguilla: 61 km

Antarctica: 17,968 km

Antigua and Barbuda: 153 km

Arctic Ocean: 45,389 km

Argentina: 4,989 km

Armenia: 0 km (landlocked)

Aruba: 68.5 km

Ashmore and Cartier Islands: 74.1 km

Atlantic Ocean: 111,866 km

Australia: 25,760 km

Austria: 0 km (landlocked)

Azerbaijan: 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)

Bahamas, The: 3,542 km

Bahrain: 161 km

Baker Island: 4.8 km

Bangladesh: 580 km

Barbados: 97 km

Bassas da India: 35.2 km

Belarus: 0 km (landlocked)

Belgium: 66 km

Belize: 386 km

Benin: 121 km

Bermuda: 103 km

Bhutan: 0 km (landlocked)

Bolivia: 0 km (landlocked)

Bosnia and Herzegovina: 20 km

Botswana: 0 km (landlocked)

Bouvet Island: 29.6 km

Brazil: 7,491 km

British Indian Ocean Territory: 698 km

British Virgin Islands: 80 km

Brunei: 161 km

Bulgaria: 354 km

Burkina Faso: 0 km (landlocked)

Burma: 1,930 km

Burundi: 0 km (landlocked)

Cambodia: 443 km

Cameroon: 402 km

Canada: 243,791 km

Cape Verde: 965 km

Cayman Islands: 160 km

Central African Republic: 0 km (landlocked)

Chad: 0 km (landlocked)

Chile: 6,435 km

China: 14,500 km

Christmas Island: 138.9 km

Clipperton Island: 11.1 km

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: 2.6 km

Colombia: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

Comoros: 340 km

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 37 km

Congo, Republic of the: 169 km

Cook Islands: 120 km

Coral Sea Islands: 3,095 km

Costa Rica: 1,290 km

Cote d'Ivoire: 515 km

Croatia: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)

Cuba: 3,735 km

Cyprus: 648 km

Czech Republic: 0 km (landlocked)

Denmark: 7,314 km

Djibouti: 314 km

Dominica: 148 km

Dominican Republic: 1,288 km

Ecuador: 2,237 km

Egypt: 2,450 km

El Salvador: 307 km

Equatorial Guinea: 296 km

Eritrea: 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km

Estonia: 3,794 km

Ethiopia: 0 km (landlocked)

Europa Island: 22.2 km

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): 1,288 km

Faroe Islands: 1,117 km

Fiji: 1,129 km

Finland: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)

France: 3,427 km

French Guiana: 378 km

French Polynesia: 2,525 km

French Southern and Antarctic Lands: 1,232 km

Gabon: 885 km

Gambia, The: 80 km

Gaza Strip: 40 km

Georgia: 310 km

Germany: 2,389 km

Ghana: 539 km

Gibraltar: 12 km

Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km

Greece: 13,676 km

Greenland: 44,087 km

Grenada: 121 km

Guadeloupe: 306 km

Guam: 125.5 km

Guatemala: 400 km

Guernsey: 50 km

Guinea: 320 km

Guinea-Bissau: 350 km

Guyana: 459 km

Haiti: 1,771 km

Heard Island and McDonald Islands: 101.9 km

Holy See (Vatican City): 0 km (landlocked)

Honduras: 820 km

Hong Kong: 733 km

Howland Island: 6.4 km

Hungary: 0 km (landlocked)

Iceland: 4,988 km

India: 7,000 km

Indian Ocean: 66,526 km

Indonesia: 54,716 km

Iran: 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Iraq: 58 km

Ireland: 1,448 km

Israel: 273 km

Italy: 7,600 km

Jamaica: 1,022 km

Jan Mayen: 124.1 km

Japan: 29,751 km

Jarvis Island: 8 km

Jersey: 70 km

Johnston Atoll: 10 km

Jordan: 26 km

Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km

Kazakhstan: 0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Kenya: 536 km

Kingman Reef: 3 km

Kiribati: 1,143 km

Korea, North: 2,495 km

Korea, South: 2,413 km

Kuwait: 499 km

Kyrgyzstan: 0 km (landlocked)

Laos: 0 km (landlocked)

Latvia: 531 km

Lebanon: 225 km

Lesotho: 0 km (landlocked)

Liberia: 579 km

Libya: 1,770 km

Liechtenstein: 0 km (landlocked)

Lithuania: 99 km

Luxembourg: 0 km (landlocked)

Macau: 40 km

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 0 km (landlocked)

Madagascar: 4,828 km

Malawi: 0 km (landlocked)

Malaysia: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)

Maldives: 644 km

Mali: 0 km (landlocked)

Malta: 196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)

Man, Isle of: 160 km

Marshall Islands: 370.4 km

Martinique: 350 km

Mauritania: 754 km

Mauritius: 177 km

Mayotte: 185.2 km

Mexico: 9,330 km

Micronesia, Federated States of: 6,112 km

Midway Islands: 15 km

Moldova: 0 km (landlocked)

Monaco: 4.1 km

Mongolia: 0 km (landlocked)

Montserrat: 40 km

Morocco: 1,835 km

Mozambique: 2,470 km

Namibia: 1,572 km

Nauru: 30 km

Navassa Island: 8 km

Nepal: 0 km (landlocked)

Netherlands: 451 km

Netherlands Antilles: 364 km

New Caledonia: 2,254 km

New Zealand: 15,134 km

Nicaragua: 910 km

Niger: 0 km (landlocked)

Nigeria: 853 km

Niue: 64 km

Norfolk Island: 32 km

Northern Mariana Islands: 1,482 km

Norway: 21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)

Oman: 2,092 km

Pacific Ocean: 135,663 km

Pakistan: 1,046 km

Palau: 1,519 km

Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km

Panama: 2,490 km

Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km

Paracel Islands: 518 km

Paraguay: 0 km (landlocked)

Peru: 2,414 km

Philippines: 36,289 km

Pitcairn Islands: 51 km

Poland: 491 km

Portugal: 1,793 km

Puerto Rico: 501 km

Qatar: 563 km

Reunion: 207 km

Romania: 225 km

Russia: 37,653 km

Rwanda: 0 km (landlocked)

Saint Helena: 60 km

Saint Kitts and Nevis: 135 km

Saint Lucia: 158 km

Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 120 km

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 84 km

Samoa: 403 km

San Marino: 0 km (landlocked)

Sao Tome and Principe: 209 km

Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km

Senegal: 531 km

Seychelles: 491 km

Sierra Leone: 402 km

Singapore: 193 km

Slovakia: 0 km (landlocked)

Slovenia: 46.6 km

Solomon Islands: 5,313 km

Somalia: 3,025 km

South Africa: 2,798 km

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: NA km

Southern Ocean: 17,968 km

Spain: 4,964 km

Spratly Islands: 926 km

Sri Lanka: 1,340 km

Sudan: 853 km

Suriname: 386 km

Svalbard: 3,587 km

Swaziland: 0 km (landlocked)

Sweden: 3,218 km

Switzerland: 0 km (landlocked)

Syria: 193 km

Tajikistan: 0 km (landlocked)

Tanzania: 1,424 km

Thailand: 3,219 km

Togo: 56 km

Tokelau: 101 km

Tonga: 419 km

Trinidad and Tobago: 362 km

Tromelin Island: 3.7 km

Tunisia: 1,148 km

Turkey: 7,200 km

Turkmenistan: 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Turks and Caicos Islands: 389 km

Tuvalu: 24 km

Uganda: 0 km (landlocked)

Ukraine: 2,782 km

United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km

United Kingdom: 12,429 km

United States: 19,924 km

Uruguay: 660 km

Uzbekistan: 0 km; note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Vanuatu: 2,528 km

Venezuela: 2,800 km

Vietnam: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Virgin Islands: 188 km

Wake Island: 19.3 km

Wallis and Futuna: 129 km

West Bank: 0 km (landlocked)

Western Sahara: 1,110 km

World: 356,000 km

Yemen: 1,906 km

Yugoslavia: 199 km

Zambia: 0 km (landlocked)

Zimbabwe: 0 km (landlocked)

Taiwan: 1,566.3 km

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

@Communications - note



Bouvet Island: automatic meteorological station

Coral Sea Islands: there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland

Europa Island: 1 meteorological station

Glorioso Islands: 1 meteorological station

Juan de Nova Island: 1 meteorological station

Saint Helena: Gough Island has a meteorological station

Tromelin Island: important meteorological station

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

@Constitution



Afghanistan: none

Albania: a new constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote

Algeria: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996; note - referendum approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was signed into law 7 December 1996

American Samoa: ratified 1966, in effect 1967

Andorra: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991; approved by referendum 14 March 1993; came into force 4 May 1993

Angola: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992

Anguilla: Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

Antigua and Barbuda: 1 November 1981

Argentina: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994

Armenia: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995

Aruba: 1 January 1986

Australia: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

Austria: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Azerbaijan: adopted 12 November 1995

Bahamas, The: 10 July 1973

Bahrain: adopted late December 2000 (new constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary)

Bangladesh: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times

Barbados: 30 November 1966

Belarus: 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996

Belgium: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Belize: 21 September 1981

Benin: December 1990

Bermuda: 8 June 1968, amended 1989

Bhutan: no written constitution or bill of rights; note - Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National Assembly; on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the National Assembly additional powers

Bolivia: 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994

Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force

Botswana: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Brazil: 5 October 1988

British Virgin Islands: 1 June 1977

Brunei: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)

Bulgaria: adopted 12 July 1991

Burkina Faso: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted

Burma: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; progress has since been stalled

Burundi: 13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a plural political system; supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional Constitution which enlarged the National Assembly and created two vice presidents

Cambodia: promulgated 21 September 1993

Cameroon: 20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996

Canada: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Cape Verde: new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president

Cayman Islands: 1959, revised 1972 and 1992

Central African Republic: passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995

Chad: passed by referendum 31 March 1995

Chile: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981, amended 30 July 1989, 1993, and 1997

China: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Christmas Island: Christmas Island Act of 1958

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955

Colombia: 5 July 1991

Comoros: 20 October 1996

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April 1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA but it has not been ratified by a national referendum

Congo, Republic of the: Draft constitution approved by transitional parliament in September 2000

Cook Islands: 4 August 1965

Costa Rica: 7 November 1949

Cote d'Ivoire: 3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last time 27 July 1998

Croatia: adopted on 22 December 1990

Cuba: 24 February 1976, amended July 1992

Cyprus: 16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new constitution for the Turkish Cypriot area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

Czech Republic: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Denmark: 1849 was the original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5 June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

Djibouti: multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Dominica: 3 November 1978

Dominican Republic: 28 November 1966

Ecuador: 10 August 1998

Egypt: 11 September 1971

El Salvador: 23 December 1983

Equatorial Guinea: approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995

Eritrea: the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented

Estonia: adopted 28 June 1992

Ethiopia: ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998

Faroe Islands: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Fiji: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990; amended 25 July 1997 to allow nonethnic Fijians greater say in government and to make multiparty government mandatory; entered into force 28 July 1998; note - the May 1999 election was the first test of the amended constitution and introduced open voting - not racially prescribed - for the first time at the national level

Finland: 17 July 1919

France: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993

French Guiana: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

French Polynesia: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Gabon: adopted 14 March 1991

Gambia, The: 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished in January 1997

Georgia: adopted 17 October 1995

Germany: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990

Ghana: new constitution approved 28 April 1992

Gibraltar: 30 May 1969

Greece: 11 June 1975; amended March 1986

Greenland: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Grenada: 19 December 1973

Guadeloupe: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Guam: Organic Act of 1 August 1950

Guatemala: 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993

Guernsey: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Guinea: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Guinea-Bissau: 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996

Guyana: 6 October 1980

Haiti: approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994

Holy See (Vatican City): Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)

Honduras: 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

Hong Kong: Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Hungary: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

Iceland: 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944

India: 26 January 1950

Indonesia: August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959

Iran: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Iraq: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted

Ireland: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

Israel: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

Italy: 1 January 1948

Jamaica: 6 August 1962

Japan: 3 May 1947

Jersey: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Jordan: 8 January 1952

Kazakhstan: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Kenya: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1997

Kiribati: 12 July 1979

Korea, North: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998

Korea, South: 25 February 1988

Kuwait: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Kyrgyzstan: adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 10 February 1996 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature

Laos: promulgated 14 August 1991

Latvia: the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms

Lebanon: 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Taif Accord) of October 1989

Lesotho: 2 April 1993

Liberia: 6 January 1986

Libya: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

Liechtenstein: 5 October 1921

Lithuania: adopted 25 October 1992

Luxembourg: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions

Macau: Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991

note: Democratic Party for Albanians (DPA), which is now a member party of the government, is calling for a rewrite of the constitution to declare ethnic Albanians a constituent national group and allow for greater regional autonomy

Madagascar: 19 August 1992 by national referendum

Malawi: 18 May 1994

Malaysia: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Maldives: adopted January 1998

Mali: adopted 12 January 1992

Malta: 1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974

Man, Isle of: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution

Marshall Islands: 1 May 1979

Martinique: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Mauritania: 12 July 1991

Mauritius: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Mayotte: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Mexico: 5 February 1917

Micronesia, Federated States of: 10 May 1979

Moldova: new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979

Monaco: 17 December 1962

Mongolia: 12 February 1992

Montserrat: present constitution came into force 19 December 1989

Morocco: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996

Mozambique: 30 November 1990

Namibia: ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990

Nauru: 29 January 1968

Nepal: 9 November 1990

Netherlands: adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983

Netherlands Antilles: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

New Caledonia: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

New Zealand: consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter

Nicaragua: 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000

Niger: the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999

Nigeria: NA 1999 new constitution adopted

Niue: 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)

Norfolk Island: Norfolk Island Act of 1979

Northern Mariana Islands: Covenant Agreement effective 4 November 1986 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978

Norway: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Oman: none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a new basic law which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens

Pakistan: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999

Palau: 1 January 1981

Panama: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983 and 1994

Papua New Guinea: 16 September 1975

Paraguay: promulgated 20 June 1992

Peru: 31 December 1993

Philippines: 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987

Pitcairn Islands: 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964

Poland: 16 October 1997; adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 23 May 1997

Portugal: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, and 3 September 1997

Puerto Rico: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952

Qatar: provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent constitution

Reunion: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Romania: 8 December 1991

Russia: adopted 12 December 1993

Rwanda: on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted as Fundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda Patriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding

Saint Helena: 1 January 1989

Saint Kitts and Nevis: 19 September 1983

Saint Lucia: 22 February 1979

Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 27 October 1979

Samoa: 1 January 1962

San Marino: 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution

Sao Tome and Principe: approved March 1990; effective 10 September 1990

Saudi Arabia: governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993

Senegal: 3 March 1963, revised 1991

Seychelles: 18 June 1993

Sierra Leone: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

Singapore: 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)

Slovakia: ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

Slovenia: adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991

Solomon Islands: 7 July 1978

Somalia: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979

note: the Transitional National Government formed in October 2000 has a mandate to create a new constitution and hold elections within three years

South Africa: 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: adopted 3 October 1985

Spain: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Sri Lanka: adopted 16 August 1978

Sudan: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR

Suriname: ratified 30 September 1987

Swaziland: none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but was not formally presented to the people; since then a few more outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been accepted

Sweden: 1 January 1975

Switzerland: 29 May 1874

Syria: 13 March 1973

Tajikistan: 6 November 1994

Tanzania: 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Thailand: new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997

Togo: multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Tokelau: administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970

Tonga: 4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967

Trinidad and Tobago: 1 August 1976

Tunisia: 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988

Turkey: 7 November 1982

Turkmenistan: adopted 18 May 1992

Turks and Caicos Islands: introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988

Tuvalu: 1 October 1978

Uganda: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995

Ukraine: adopted 28 June 1996

United Arab Emirates: 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)

United Kingdom: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

United States: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Uruguay: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

Uzbekistan: new constitution adopted 8 December 1992

Vanuatu: 30 July 1980

Venezuela: 30 December 1999

Vietnam: 15 April 1992

Virgin Islands: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

Wallis and Futuna: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Yemen: 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Yugoslavia: 27 April 1992

Zambia: 2 August 1991

Zimbabwe: 21 December 1979

Taiwan: 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999

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

@Country name



Afghanistan: conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan; note - the self-proclaimed Taliban government refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

conventional short form: Afghanistan

local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan

local short form: Afghanestan

former: Republic of Afghanistan

Albania: conventional long form: Republic of Albania

conventional short form: Albania

local long form: Republika e Shqiperise

local short form: Shqiperia

former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Algeria: conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

conventional short form: Algeria

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah

local short form: Al Jaza'ir

American Samoa: conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa

conventional short form: American Samoa

abbreviation: AS

Andorra: conventional long form: Principality of Andorra

conventional short form: Andorra

local long form: Principat d'Andorra

local short form: Andorra

Angola: conventional long form: Republic of Angola

conventional short form: Angola

local long form: Republica de Angola

local short form: Angola

former: People's Republic of Angola

Anguilla: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Anguilla

Antarctica: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Antarctica

Antigua and Barbuda: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina: conventional long form: Argentine Republic

conventional short form: Argentina

local long form: Republica Argentina

local short form: Argentina

Armenia: conventional long form: Republic of Armenia

conventional short form: Armenia

local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

local short form: Hayastan

former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic

Aruba: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Aruba

Ashmore and Cartier Islands: conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Australia: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form: Australia

Austria: conventional long form: Republic of Austria

conventional short form: Austria

local long form: Republik Oesterreich

local short form: Oesterreich

Azerbaijan: conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan

conventional short form: Azerbaijan

local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi

local short form: none

former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Bahamas, The: conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form: The Bahamas

Bahrain: conventional long form: State of Bahrain

conventional short form: Bahrain

local long form: Dawlat al Bahrayn

local short form: Al Bahrayn

former: Dilmun

Baker Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Baker Island

Bangladesh: conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh

conventional short form: Bangladesh

former: East Pakistan

Barbados: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Barbados

Bassas da India: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bassas da India

Belarus: conventional long form: Republic of Belarus

conventional short form: Belarus

local long form: Respublika Byelarus'

local short form: none

former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Belgium: conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium

conventional short form: Belgium

local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie

local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Belize: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Belize

former: British Honduras

Benin: conventional long form: Republic of Benin

conventional short form: Benin

local long form: Republique du Benin

local short form: Benin

former: Dahomey

Bermuda: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bermuda

former: Somers Islands

Bhutan: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form: Bhutan

Bolivia: conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia

conventional short form: Bolivia

local long form: Republica de Bolivia

local short form: Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina

local long form: none

local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina

Botswana: conventional long form: Republic of Botswana

conventional short form: Botswana

former: Bechuanaland

Bouvet Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bouvet Island

Brazil: conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form: Brazil

local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form: Brasil

British Indian Ocean Territory: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory

conventional short form: none

abbreviation: BIOT

British Virgin Islands: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: British Virgin Islands

abbreviation: BVI

Brunei: conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam

conventional short form: Brunei

Bulgaria: conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria

conventional short form: Bulgaria

Burkina Faso: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Burkina Faso

former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

Burma: conventional long form: Union of Burma

conventional short form: Burma

local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar)

local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw

former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

Burundi: conventional long form: Republic of Burundi

conventional short form: Burundi

local long form: Republika y'u Burundi

local short form: Burundi

former: Urundi

Cambodia: conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia

conventional short form: Cambodia

local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea

local short form: Kampuchea

former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic

Cameroon: conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon

conventional short form: Cameroon

former: French Cameroon

Canada: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Canada

Cape Verde: conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde

conventional short form: Cape Verde

local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde

local short form: Cabo Verde

Cayman Islands: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Cayman Islands

Central African Republic: conventional long form: Central African Republic

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republique Centrafricaine

local short form: none

former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire

abbreviation: CAR

Chad: conventional long form: Republic of Chad

conventional short form: Chad

local long form: Republique du Tchad

local short form: Tchad

Chile: conventional long form: Republic of Chile

conventional short form: Chile

local long form: Republica de Chile

local short form: Chile

China: conventional long form: People's Republic of China

conventional short form: China

local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form: Zhong Guo

abbreviation: PRC

Christmas Island: conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island

conventional short form: Christmas Island

Clipperton Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Clipperton Island

local long form: none

local short form: Ile Clipperton

former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands

conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Colombia: conventional long form: Republic of Colombia

conventional short form: Colombia

local long form: Republica de Colombia

local short form: Colombia

Comoros: conventional long form: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

conventional short form: Comoros

local long form: Republique Federale Islamique des Comores

local short form: Comores

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo

local short form: none

former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire

abbreviation: DROC

Congo, Republic of the: conventional long form: Republic of the Congo

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republique du Congo

local short form: none

former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Cook Islands: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Cook Islands

former: Harvey Islands

Coral Sea Islands: conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory

conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands

Costa Rica: conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica

conventional short form: Costa Rica

local long form: Republica de Costa Rica

local short form: Costa Rica

Cote d'Ivoire: conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire

conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire

local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire

local short form: Cote d'Ivoire

former: Ivory Coast

Croatia: conventional long form: Republic of Croatia

conventional short form: Croatia

local long form: Republika Hrvatska

local short form: Hrvatska

Cuba: conventional long form: Republic of Cuba

conventional short form: Cuba

local long form: Republica de Cuba

local short form: Cuba

Cyprus: conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus

conventional short form: Cyprus

note: the Turkish Cypriot area refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)

Czech Republic: conventional long form: Czech Republic

conventional short form: Czech Republic

local long form: Ceska Republika

local short form: Ceska Republika

Denmark: conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark

conventional short form: Denmark

local long form: Kongeriget Danmark

local short form: Danmark

Djibouti: conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti

conventional short form: Djibouti

former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Dominica: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica

conventional short form: Dominica

Dominican Republic: conventional long form: Dominican Republic

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republica Dominicana

local short form: none

Ecuador: conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form: Ecuador

local long form: Republica del Ecuador

local short form: Ecuador

Egypt: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt

conventional short form: Egypt

local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah

local short form: Misr

former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)

El Salvador: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador

conventional short form: El Salvador

local long form: Republica de El Salvador

local short form: El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea

conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea

local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial

local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial

former: Spanish Guinea

Eritrea: conventional long form: State of Eritrea

conventional short form: Eritrea

local long form: Hagere Ertra

local short form: Ertra

former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

Estonia: conventional long form: Republic of Estonia

conventional short form: Estonia

local long form: Eesti Vabariik

local short form: Eesti

former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Ethiopia: conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

conventional short form: Ethiopia

local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik

local short form: Ityop'iya

former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa

abbreviation: FDRE

Europa Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Europa Island

local long form: none

local short form: Ile Europa

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Faroe Islands: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Faroe Islands

local long form: none

local short form: Foroyar

Fiji: conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands

conventional short form: Fiji

Finland: conventional long form: Republic of Finland

conventional short form: Finland

local long form: Suomen Tasavalta

local short form: Suomi

France: conventional long form: French Republic

conventional short form: France

local long form: Republique Francaise

local short form: France

French Guiana: conventional long form: Department of Guiana

conventional short form: French Guiana

local long form: none

local short form: Guyane

French Polynesia: conventional long form: Territory of French Polynesia

conventional short form: French Polynesia

local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise

local short form: Polynesie Francaise

former: French Colony of Oceania

French Southern and Antarctic Lands: conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands

local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

Gabon: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic

conventional short form: Gabon

local long form: Republique Gabonaise

local short form: Gabon

Gambia, The: conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia

conventional short form: The Gambia

Gaza Strip: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Gaza Strip

local long form: none

local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Georgia: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Georgia

local long form: none

local short form: Sak'art'velo

former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Germany: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany

conventional short form: Germany

local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland

local short form: Deutschland

former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

Ghana: conventional long form: Republic of Ghana

conventional short form: Ghana

former: Gold Coast

Gibraltar: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Gibraltar

Glorioso Islands: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Glorioso Islands

local long form: none

local short form: Iles Glorieuses

Greece: conventional long form: Hellenic Republic

conventional short form: Greece

local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia

local short form: Ellas or Ellada

former: Kingdom of Greece

Greenland: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Greenland

local long form: none

local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat

Grenada: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Grenada

Guadeloupe: conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe

conventional short form: Guadeloupe

local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe

local short form: Guadeloupe

Guam: conventional long form: Territory of Guam

conventional short form: Guam

Guatemala: conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala

conventional short form: Guatemala

local long form: Republica de Guatemala

local short form: Guatemala

Guernsey: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey

conventional short form: Guernsey

Guinea: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea

conventional short form: Guinea

local long form: Republique de Guinee

local short form: Guinee

former: French Guinea

Guinea-Bissau: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau

local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form: Guine-Bissau

former: Portuguese Guinea

Guyana: conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form: Guyana

former: British Guiana

Haiti: conventional long form: Republic of Haiti

conventional short form: Haiti

local long form: Republique d'Haiti

local short form: Haiti

Heard Island and McDonald Islands: conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Holy See (Vatican City): conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)

conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)

local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)

local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Honduras: conventional long form: Republic of Honduras

conventional short form: Honduras

local long form: Republica de Honduras

local short form: Honduras

Hong Kong: conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form: Hong Kong

local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu

local short form: Xianggang

abbreviation: HK

Howland Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Howland Island

Hungary: conventional long form: Republic of Hungary

conventional short form: Hungary

local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag

local short form: Magyarorszag

Iceland: conventional long form: Republic of Iceland

conventional short form: Iceland

local long form: Lyoveldio Island

local short form: Island

India: conventional long form: Republic of India

conventional short form: India

Indonesia: conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia

conventional short form: Indonesia

local long form: Republik Indonesia

local short form: Indonesia

former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies

Iran: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran

conventional short form: Iran

local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

local short form: Iran

former: Persia

Iraq: conventional long form: Republic of Iraq

conventional short form: Iraq

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah

local short form: Al Iraq

Ireland: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Ireland

Israel: conventional long form: State of Israel

conventional short form: Israel

local long form: Medinat Yisra'el

local short form: Yisra'el

Italy: conventional long form: Italian Republic

conventional short form: Italy

local long form: Repubblica Italiana

local short form: Italia

former: Kingdom of Italy

Jamaica: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Jamaica

Jan Mayen: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Japan: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Japan

Jarvis Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Jarvis Island

Jersey: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey

conventional short form: Jersey

Johnston Atoll: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Johnston Atoll

Jordan: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

conventional short form: Jordan

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

local short form: Al Urdun

former: Transjordan

Juan de Nova Island: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island

local long form: none

local short form: Ile Juan de Nova

Kazakhstan: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form: Kazakhstan

local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form: none

former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Kenya: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya

conventional short form: Kenya

former: British East Africa

Kingman Reef: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Kingman Reef

Kiribati: conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati

conventional short form: Kiribati

note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss

former: Gilbert Islands

Korea, North: conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea

conventional short form: North Korea

local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk

local short form: none

note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country

abbreviation: DPRK

Korea, South: conventional long form: Republic of Korea

conventional short form: South Korea

local long form: Taehan-min'guk

local short form: none

note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han-guk" to refer to their country

abbreviation: ROK

Kuwait: conventional long form: State of Kuwait

conventional short form: Kuwait

local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt

local short form: Al Kuwayt

Kyrgyzstan: conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic

conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan

local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy

local short form: none

former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Laos: conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form: Laos

local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form: none

Latvia: conventional long form: Republic of Latvia

conventional short form: Latvia

local long form: Latvijas Republika

local short form: Latvija

former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Lebanon: conventional long form: Lebanese Republic

conventional short form: Lebanon

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

local short form: Lubnan

Lesotho: conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form: Lesotho

former: Basutoland

Liberia: conventional long form: Republic of Liberia

conventional short form: Liberia

Libya: conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

conventional short form: Libya

local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma

local short form: none

Liechtenstein: conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein

conventional short form: Liechtenstein

local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein

local short form: Liechtenstein

Lithuania: conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania

conventional short form: Lithuania

local long form: Lietuvos Respublika

local short form: Lietuva

former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic

Luxembourg: conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

conventional short form: Luxembourg

local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg

local short form: Luxembourg

Macau: conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region

conventional short form: Macau

local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)

local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republika Makedonija

local short form: Makedonija

abbreviation: FYROM

Madagascar: conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar

conventional short form: Madagascar

local long form: Republique de Madagascar

local short form: Madagascar

former: Malagasy Republic

Malawi: conventional long form: Republic of Malawi

conventional short form: Malawi

former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland

Malaysia: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Malaysia

former: Federation of Malaysia

Maldives: conventional long form: Republic of Maldives

conventional short form: Maldives

local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa

local short form: Dhivehi Raajje

Mali: conventional long form: Republic of Mali

conventional short form: Mali

local long form: Republique de Mali

local short form: Mali

former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic

Malta: conventional long form: Republic of Malta

conventional short form: Malta

local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta

local short form: Malta