Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002



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Yemen

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: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 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) water: 0 sq km

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: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

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: 3% permanent crops: 0% other: 97% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

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: 18,701,257 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (male 4,468,928; female 4,317,648) 15-64 years: 50.1% (male 4,783,769; female 4,587,309) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 273,282; female 270,321) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.4% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 43.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 66.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 62.46 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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 (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Languages: Arabic

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 38% male: 53% female: 26% (1990 est.)

Government Yemen

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local short form: Al Yaman local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

Government type: republic

Capital: Sanaa

Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: there may be three more governorates: Ad Dali', Amran, and the capital city of Sanaa

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]; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become 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 Field Marshall 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 Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4 April 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7% elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

Legislative branch: a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) election results: Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Baath Party 2, independents 54, election pending 1; seats by party as of January 2002: Baath Party 2, YSP 2, independents 7 elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be held 27 April 2003)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: there are over 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National Arab Socialist Baath Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL] note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or GPC won a landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah - the two parties had been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, boycotted the April 1997 legislative election, but announced that it would participate in Yemen's first local elections which were held in February 2001; these local elections aim to decentralize political power and are a key element of the government's political reform program

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edmund J. HULL (since 17 September 2001) embassy: Dhahar Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 303-161 FAX: [967] (1) 303-182

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy Yemen

Economy - overview: Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production, but has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. Aided by higher oil prices in 1999-2000, Yemen worked to maintain tight control over spending and implement additional components of the IMF program. A high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $14.8 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $820 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17% industry: 40% services: 43% (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (2001 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force - by occupation: 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: 30% (1995 est.)

Budget: revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 3.2 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 2.976 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Exports: $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners: Thailand 34%, China 26%, South Korea 14%, Singapore 9%, Japan 3%, Saudi Arabia 3% (1999)

Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 10%, UAE 8%, France 7%, US 7%, Italy 6% (1999)

Debt - external: $4.7 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient: $176.1 million (1995)

Currency: Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code: YER

Exchange rates: Yemeni rials per US dollar - 171.860 (December 2001), 168.678 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999), 135.882 (1998), 129.281 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Yemen

Telephones - main lines in use: 291,359 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 32,042 (2000)

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, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems international: 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

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios: 1.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 470,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .ye

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 14,000 (2001)

Transportation Yemen

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 69,263 km paved: 9,963 km unpaved: 59,300 km (1999)

Waterways: none

Pipelines: crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km

Ports and harbors: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun

Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,002 GRT/23,752 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Hong Kong 2 (2002 est.)

Airports: 49 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 4 (2001)

Military Yemen

Military branches: Army (includes Special Forces, established in 1999), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard

Military manpower - military age: 14 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,272,156 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,397,914 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 238,690 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $482.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.2% (FY01)

Military - note: establishement of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been delayed

Transnational Issues Yemen

Disputes - international: demarcation of delimited boundary with Saudi Arabia involves nomadic tribal affiliations; Yemen has asserted traditional fishing rights to islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002



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Zambia

Introduction

Zambia

Background: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the 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 at least two parties filing legal petitions challenging the results. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly.

Geography Zambia

Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 752,614 sq km water: 11,890 sq km land: 740,724 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 location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 460 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe

People Zambia

Population: 9,959,037 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.1% (male 2,357,581; female 2,335,644) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,497,360; female 2,519,227) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 106,160; female 143,065) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.9% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 41.01 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 21.89 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 89.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 37.66 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 5.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 19.95% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 870,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 99,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian

Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: Government Zambia

Country name: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Government type: republic

Capital: Lusaka

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Constitution: 2 August 1991

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 Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president election results: Levy MWANAWASA elected president; percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 29%, Anderson MAZOKA 27%, Christon TEMBO 13%, Tilyenji KAUNDA 10%, Godfrey MIYANDA 8%, Benjamin MWILA 5%, Michael SATA 3%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; 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: Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Frederick CHILUBA, president]; National Citizens Coalition or NCC [Nevers MUMBA, president]; National Leadership for Development or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline Konie]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Atan SHANSONGA FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David B. DUNN embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 250-955 FAX: [260] (1) 252-225

Flag description: green 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

Economy Zambia

Economy - overview: Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economy has a long way to go. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. However, low mineral prices have slowed the benefits from privatizing the mines and reduced incentives for further private investment in the sector. In late 2000, Zambia was determined to be eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, but Zambia has not yet finalized its Poverty Reduction Strategy paper. Unemployment rates remain high, but GDP growth should continue at about 4%. Inflation should remain close to 20%.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.5 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $870 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24% industry: 25% services: 51% (2000)

Population below poverty line: 86% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 41% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.6 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 21.5% (2001)

Labor force: 3.4 million

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9%

Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $1.2 billion expenditures: $1.25 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture

Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 7.822 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.51% hydro: 99.49% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 5.838 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 1.536 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides; coffee

Exports: $876 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: copper 55%, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers, cotton

Exports - partners: UK 25.2%, South Africa 24.5%, Switzerland 9.4%, Malawi 7.5% (2000)

Imports: $12.05 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners: South Africa 67.1%, UK 9.8%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, US 5.9% (2000)

Debt - external: $5.8 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient: $651 million (2000 est.)

Currency: Zambian kwacha (ZMK)

Currency code: ZMK

Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 3,848.65 (January 2002), 3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998), 1,314.50 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Zambia

Telephones - main lines in use: 130,000 (including more than 40,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 75,000 (2001)

Telephone system: general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios: 1.2 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations: 9 (2002)

Televisions: 277,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .zm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)

Internet users: 15,000 (2000)

Transportation Zambia

Railways: total: 2,157 km narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double-track) note: the total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of the Zambia Railways system; Zambia Railways assets are scheduled for concessioning (2002)

Highways: total: 66,781 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 2,250 km note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers

Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km

Ports and harbors: Mpulungu

Airports: 111 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: 3 914 to 1,523 m: Military Zambia

Military branches: Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary forces

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,313,567 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,228,385 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Zambia

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and possibly Europe; regional money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002



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Atlantic Ocean

Introduction

Atlantic Ocean

Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways.

Geography Atlantic Ocean

Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W

Map references: Political Map of the World

Area: total: 76.762 million sq km note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US

Coastline: 111,866 km

Climate: 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

Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)

Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea

Geography - note: major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

People Atlantic Ocean

Population growth rate: NA%

Economy Atlantic Ocean

Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

Transportation Atlantic Ocean

Ports and harbors: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)

Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US

Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean

Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002



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Zimbabwe

Introduction

Zimbabwe

Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.

Geography Zimbabwe

Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 390,580 sq km water: 3,910 sq km land: 386,670 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries: total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Elevation extremes: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m highest point: Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops: 1% other: 91% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,170 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

People Zimbabwe

Population: 11,376,676 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 2,178,073; female 2,128,287) 15-64 years: 58.4% (male 3,376,850; female 3,268,315) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 213,286; female 211,865) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.05% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 24.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 24.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa in search of better paid employment (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 62.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 35.1 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 3.21 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 25.06% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.5 million (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 160,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%

Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: Government Zimbabwe

Country name: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Harare

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution: 21 December 1979

Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joseph MSIKA (since 23 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joseph MSIKA (since 23 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote; election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%

Legislative branch: unicameral parliament, called House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president) elections: last held 24-25 June 2000 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 47.2%, MDC 45.6%, ZANU-Ndonga 0.7%, United Parties 0.7%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 63, MDC 56, ZANU-Ndonga 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders: Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [leader NA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Paul SIWELA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Simbi Veke MUBAKO FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph G. SULLIVAN embassy: 172 Herbert P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle

Economy Zimbabwe

Economy - overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier moves to develop a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 59% in 1999, to 60% in 2000, and to 100% by yearend 2001. The economy is being steadily weakened by excessive government deficits, AIDS, and rampant inflation. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has derailed the commercial sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs. Distribution of income is extremely unequal.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $28 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -6.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11% industry: 14% services: 75% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 46.9% (1990)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 56.8 (1990-91)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 100% (2001)

Labor force: 5.5 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 24%, industry 10% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 60% (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.5 billion expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: mining (coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Industrial production growth rate: -10% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 6.425 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 53.31% hydro: 46.69% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 10.475 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 4.5 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs

Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: tobacco 30%, gold 11%, ferroalloys 9%, textile/clothing 3% (2000)

Exports - partners: South Africa 12.1%, UK 8.5%, Japan 7.7%, Germany 6.1%, China 5.4% (2000)

Imports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 34%, other manufactures 18%, chemicals 17%, fuels 11% (1999)

Imports - partners: South Africa 46.3%, UK 7.2%, Germany 2.5%, US 2.8%, Japan 2.5% (2000 est.)

Debt - external: $5 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $200 million (2000 est.)

Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)

Currency code: ZWD

Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 54.9451 (December 2001), 54.9451 (2001), 43.2900 (2000), 38.3142 (1999), 21.4133 (1998), 11.8906 (1997)

Fiscal year: 1 January - 31 December

Communications Zimbabwe

Telephones - main lines in use: 212,000 (in addition, there are about 20,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 111,000 (2001)

Telephone system: general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 1.14 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 16 (1997)

Televisions: 370,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .zw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)

Internet users: 30,000 (1999)

Transportation Zimbabwe

Railways: total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double-tracked) note: includes the 318 km Bulawaya-Beitbridge Railway Company line (2001)

Highways: total: 18,338 km paved: 8,692 km unpaved: 9,646 km (2002)

Waterways: chrome ore is transported from Harare - by way of the Mazoe River - to the Zambezi River in Mozambique

Pipelines: petroleum products 212 km

Ports and harbors: Binga, Kariba

Airports: 454 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 437 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 209 under 914 m: 224 (2001)

Military Zimbabwe

Military branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,057,381 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,898,383 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $350.6 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Zimbabwe

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002



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Pacific Ocean

Introduction

Pacific Ocean

Background: The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits.

Geography Pacific Ocean

Location: body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W

Map references: Political Map of the World

Area: total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative: about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world

Coastline: 135,663 km

Climate: 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

Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish

Natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea

Geography - note: the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean

People Pacific Ocean

Population growth rate: NA%

Economy Pacific Ocean

Economy - overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.

Transportation Pacific Ocean

Ports and harbors: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)

Transportation - note: Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)

Transnational Issues Pacific Ocean

Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

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CIA - The World Factbook 2002 - Appendixes

Appendix A: Abbreviations

Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups

Appendix C: Selected International Environmental Agreements

Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes

Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes

Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names



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Appendix A - Abbreviations

ABEDA : Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

ACC : Arab Cooperation Council

ACCT : Agency for the French-Speaking Community

ACP Group : African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States

AfDB : African Development Bank

AFESD : Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Air Pollution : Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

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

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-

Pollutants : Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

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

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

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic : Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-

Compounds : Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

AL : Arab League

AMF : Arab Monetary Fund

AMU : Arab Maghreb Union

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

ANZUS : Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty

APEC : Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Arabsat : Arab Satellite Communications Organization

AsDB : Asian Development Bank

ASEAN : Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Autodin : Automatic Digital Network

Benelux : Benelux Economic Union

Biodiversity : Convention on Biological Diversity

BIS : Bank for International Settlements

BSEC : Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone

C : Commonwealth

CACM : Central American Common Market

CAEU : Council of Arab Economic Unity

CAN : Andean Community of Nations

Caricom : Caribbean Community and Common Market

CB : citizen's band mobile radio communications

CBSS : Council of the Baltic Sea States

CCC : Customs Cooperation Council

CDB : Caribbean Development Bank

CE : Council of Europe

CEI : Central European Initiative

CEMA : Council for Mutual Economic Assistance; also known as CMEA or Comecon

CEPGL : Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries

CERN : European Organization for Nuclear Research

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

CIS : Commonwealth of Independent States

CITES : see Endangered Species

Climate Change : United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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

COCOM : Coordinating Committee on Export Controls

Comsat : Communications Satellite Corporation

CP : Colombo Plan

CY : calendar year

DC : developed country

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

DSN : Defense Switched Network

DWT : deadweight ton

EADB : East African Development Bank

EAPC : Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

EBRD : European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC : European Community

ECA : Economic Commission for Africa

ECE : Economic Commission for Europe

ECLAC : Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ECO : Economic Cooperation Organization

ECOSOC : Economic and Social Council

ECOWAS : Economic Community of West African States

ECS : European Coal and Steel Community

EEC : European Economic Community

EFTA : European Free Trade Association

EIB : European Investment Bank

EMU : European Monetary Union

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

Entente : Council of the Entente

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

ESA : European Space Agency

ESCAP : Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWA : Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

est. : estimate

EU : European Union

Euratom : European Atomic Energy Community

Eutelsat : European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Ex-Im : Export-Import Bank of the United States

FAO : Food and Agriculture Organization

FAX : facsimile

f.o.b. : free on board

FLS : Front Line States

FRG : Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91

FSU : former Soviet Union

FY : fiscal year

FYROM : The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

FZ : Franc Zone

G-2 : Group of 2

G-3 : Group of 3

G-5 : Group of 5

G-6 : Group of 6

G-7 : Group of 7

G-8 : Group of 8

G-9 : Group of 9

G-10 : Group of 10

G-11 : Group of 11

G-15 : Group of 15

G-19 : Group of 19

G-24 : Group of 24

G-30 : Group of 30

G-33 : Group of 33

G-77 : Group of 77

GATT : General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTrO

GCC : Gulf Cooperation Council

GDP : gross domestic product

GDR : German Democratic Republic (East Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91

GNP : gross national product

GRT : gross register ton

GWP : gross world product

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

HF : high-frequency

IADB : Inter-American Development Bank

IAEA : International Atomic Energy Agency

IBEC : International Bank for Economic Cooperation

IBRD : International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)

ICAO : International Civil Aviation Organization

ICC : International Chamber of Commerce

ICJ : International Court of Justice (World Court)

ICRC : International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRM : International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

IDA : International Development Association

IDB : Islamic Development Bank

IEA : International Energy Agency

IFAD : International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFC : International Finance Corporation

IFCTU : International Federation of Christian Trade Unions

IFRCS : International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

IGAD : Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

IGADD : Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development

IHO : International Hydrographic Organization

IIB : International Investment Bank

ILO : International Labor Organization

IMF : International Monetary Fund

IMO : International Maritime Organization

Inmarsat : International Mobile Satellite Organization

InOC : Indian Ocean Commission

Intelsat : International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Interpol : International Criminal Police Organization

Intersputnik : International Organization of Space Communications

IOC : International Olympic Committee

IOM : International Organization for Migration

ISO : International Organization for Standardization

ITU : International Telecommunication Union

kHz : kilohertz

km : kilometer

kW : kilowatt

kWh : kilowatt hour

LAES : Latin American Economic System

LAIA : Latin American Integration Association

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

LDC : less developed country

LLDC : least developed country

London Convention : see Marine Dumping

LOS : see Law of the Sea

m : meter

Marecs : Maritime European Communications Satellite

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

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

MARPOL : see Ship Pollution

Medarabtel : Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union

Mercosur : Southern Cone Common Market

MHz : megahertz

MINURSO : United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

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

NA : not available

NAM : Nonaligned Movement

NATO : North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NC : Nordic Council

NEA : Nuclear Energy Agency

NEGL : negligible

NIB : Nordic Investment Bank

NIC : newly industrializing country

NIE : newly industrializing economy

NM : nautical mile

NMT : Nordic Mobile Telephone

NSG : Nuclear Suppliers Group

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

NZ : New Zealand

OAPEC : Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

OAS : Organization of American States

OAU : Organization of African Unity

ODA : official development assistance

OECD : Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS : Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

OIC : Organization of the Islamic Conference

OOF : other official flows

OPCW : Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OPEC : Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

OSCE : Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

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

PCA : Permanent Court of Arbitration

PDRY : People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; used for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91

PFP : Partnership for Peace

Ramsar : see Wetlands

RG : Rio Group

SAARC : South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

SACU : Southern African Customs Union

SADC : Southern African Development Community

SFRY : Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

SHF : super-high-frequency

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

Sparteca : South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

SPC : South Pacific Commission

SPF : South Pacific Forum

sq km : square kilometer

sq mi : square mile

TAT : Trans-Atlantic Telephone

Tropical Timber 83 : International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

Tropical Timber 94 : International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

UAE : United Arab Emirates

UDEAC : Central African Customs and Economic Union

UHF : ultra-high-frequency

UK : United Kingdom

UN : United Nations

UNAMIR : United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda

UNAMSIL : United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

UNAVEM III : United Nations Angola Verification Mission III

UNCRO : United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia

UNCTAD : United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDOF : United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

UNDP : United Nations Development Program

UNEP : United Nations Environment Program

UNESCO : United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

UNFICYP : United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus

UNHCR : United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF : United Nations Children's Fund

UNIDO : United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNIFIL : United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

UNIKOM : United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission

UNITAR : United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNMIBH : United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

UNMIK : United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

UNMOGIP : United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

UNMOP : United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka

UNMOT : United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan

UNMOVIC : United Nations Monitoring and Verification Commission

UNOMIG : United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia

UNOMSIL : United Nations Mission of Observers in Sierra Leone

UNRISD : United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

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

UNSMIH : United Nations Support Mission in Haiti

UNTAET : United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

UNTSO : United Nations Truce Supervision Organization

UNU : United Nations University

UPU : Universal Postal Union

US : United States

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

USSR/EE : Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/ Eastern Europe

VHF : very-high-frequency

VSAT : very small aperture terminal

WADB : West African Development Bank

WAEMU : West African Economic and Monetary Union

WCL : World Confederation of Labor

Wetlands : Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat

WEU : Western European Union

WFC : World Food Council

WFP : World Food Program

WFTU : World Federation of Trade Unions

Whaling : International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

WHO : World Health Organization

WIPO : World Intellectual Property Organization

WMO : World Meteorological Organization

WP : Warsaw Pact

WTO : see WToO for World Tourism Organization or WTrO for World Trade Organization

WToO : World Tourism Organization

WTrO : World Trade Organization

YAR : Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen]; used for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91

ZC : Zangger Committee



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Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups



** advanced developing countries **

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



** advanced economies **

a term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; it includes the following 28 advanced economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, US;

note - this group would presumably also cover the following seven smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino which are included in the more comprehensive group of "developed countries"



** African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States **

(ACP Group)

established - 6 June 1975

aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU

members - (77) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe



** African Development Bank (AfDB) **

note - also known as Banque Africaine de Developpement (BAD)

established - 4 August 1963

aim - to promote economic and social development

regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

nonregional members - (24) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US



** Agency for the French-Speaking Community (ACCT) **

note - formerly Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation

established - 20 March 1970; name changed 1996

aim - to promote cultural and technical cooperation among French-speaking countries

members - (51) Albania, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, French Community of Belgium, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, New Brunswick (Canada), Niger, Quebec (Canada), Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam

observers - (4) Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia



** Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons **

in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL)

established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco;

effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification of the treaty

aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons

members - (32) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela; note - Cuba signed the treaty but did not ratify it



** Andean Community of Nations (CAN) **

note - formerly known as the Andean Group (AG), the Andean Parliament, and most recently as the Andean Common Market (Ancom)

established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1

October 1992; effective - 16 October 1969

aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration

members - (5) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela



** Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa **

(ABEDA) note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA)

established - 18 February 1974; effective - 16 September 1974

aim - to promote economic development

members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization;

note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen



** Arab Cooperation Council (ACC) **

established - 16 February 1989

aim - to promote economic cooperation and integration, possibly leading to an Arab Common Market

members - (4) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen



** Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development **

(AFESD)

established - 16 May 1968

aim - to promote economic and social development

members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization



** Arab League (AL) **

note - also known as League of Arab States (LAS)

established - 22 March 1945

aim - to promote economic, social, political, and military cooperation

members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization



** Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) **

established - 17 February 1989

aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa

members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia



** Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) **

established - 27 April 1976; effective - 2 February 1977

aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs

members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization



** Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) **

established - 7 November 1989

aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin

members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam

observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference, Pacific Islands Forum



** Asian Development Bank (AsDB) **

established - 19 December 1966

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

regional members - (43) Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam

nonregional members - (16) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US



** Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) **

established - 8 August 1967

aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia

members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

associate member - (1) Papua New Guinea

dialogue partners - (12) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, NZ, Russia, US, UNDP



** ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) **

established NA 1994

aim - to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern

members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

dialogue partners - (13) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Russia, US



** Australia Group **

established NA 1984

aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons

members - (34) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US



** Australia-New Zealand-United States Security **

Treaty (ANZUS)

established - 1 September 1951; effective - 29 April 1952

aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings

members - (3) Australia, NZ, US



** Bank for International Settlements (BIS) **

established - 20 January 1930; effective - 17 March 1930

aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements

members - (50) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Central Bank, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US, Yugoslavia



** Benelux Economic Union (Benelux) **

note - acronym from Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg

established - 3 February 1958; effective - 1 November 1960

aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands



** Big Seven **

note - membership is the same as the Group of 7

established - NA 1975

aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies

members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US



** Big Six **

note - not to be confused with the Group of 6

established - NA 1967

aim - to foster economic cooperation

members - (6) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK



** Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC) **

established - 25 June 1992

aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation

members - (11) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine

observers - (7) Austria, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia



** Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) **

established - 4 July 1973; effective - 1 August 1973

aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries

members - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago;

note - when Haiti has deposited an appropriate instrument of accession with the Secretary General, it will become a full member of the Community

associate members - (3) Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

observers - (10) Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela



** Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) **

established - 18 October 1969; effective - 26 January 1970

aim - to promote economic development and cooperation

regional members - (20) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela

nonregional members - (5) Canada, China, Germany, Italy, UK



** Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) **

see Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)



** Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC) **

note - acronym from Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale

established - 3 December 1975

aim - to provide loans for economic development

members - (11) African Development Bank (AfDB), Cameroon, Central African States Bank (BEAC), Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Germany, Kuwait



** Central American Bank for Economic Integration **

(BCIE) note - acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico

established - 13 December 1960 signature of Articles of Agreement; 31 May 1961 began operations

aim - to promote economic integration and development

members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

nonregional members - (4) Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan



** Central American Common Market (CACM) **

established - 13 December 1960, collapsed in 1969, reinstated in 1991

aim - to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market

members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua;

note - Panama, although not a member, pursues full regional cooperation



** Central European Initiative (CEI) **

note - evolved from the Quadrilateral Initiative and the Hexagonal Initiative

established - 11 November 1989 as the Quadrilateral Initiative, 27 July 1991 became the Hexagonal Initiative, NA July 1992 present name adopted

aim - to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas

members - (17) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia



** centrally planned economies **

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



** Colombo Plan (CP) **

established - NA May 1950 proposal was adopted; 1 July 1951 commenced full operations

aim - to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific

members - (24) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US

provisional member - (1) Mongolia



** Commonwealth (C) **

note - also known as Commonwealth of Nations

established - 31 December 1931

aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire

members - (54) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (suspended), Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe (suspended)



** Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) **

established - 8 December 1991; effective - 21 December 1991

aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR

members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan



** communist countries **

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



** Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM) **

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