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Tonga general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television domestic: fully automatic switched network international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)
Trinidad and Tobago general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Tunisia general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Turkey general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly international: country code - 90; international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Turkmenistan general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Turks and Caicos Islands general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalu general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite
Uganda general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Ukraine general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
United Arab Emirates general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
United States general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguay general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)
Uzbekistan general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System) international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998)
Vanuatu general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuela general assessment: modern and expanding domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network
Vietnam general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly international: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Virgin Islands general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Island general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA
Wallis and Futuna general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 681
West Bank general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Sahara general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
World general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA
Yemen 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: country code - 967; 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
Zambia 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: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwe 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: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2125 Terrain
Afghanistan mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Albania mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Algeria mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
American Samoa five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Andorra rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Angola narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Anguilla flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Antarctica about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Antigua and Barbuda mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Arctic Ocean central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Argentina rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Armenia Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Aruba flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Ashmore and Cartier Islands low with sand and coral
Atlantic Ocean 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
Australia mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Austria in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Azerbaijan large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Bahamas, The long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Bahrain mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Baker Island low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Bangladesh mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Barbados relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Bassas da India volcanic rock
Belarus generally flat and contains much marshland
Belgium flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Belize flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Benin mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Bermuda low hills separated by fertile depressions
Bhutan mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Bolivia rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Bosnia and Herzegovina mountains and valleys
Botswana predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Bouvet Island volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible
Brazil mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
British Indian Ocean Territory flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
British Virgin Islands coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Brunei flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west
Bulgaria mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Burkina Faso mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
Burma central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Burundi hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
Cambodia mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Cameroon diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Canada mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Cape Verde steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Cayman Islands low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Central African Republic vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Chad broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
Chile low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
China mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Christmas Island steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Clipperton Island coral atoll
Cocos (Keeling) Islands flat, low-lying coral atolls
Colombia flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Comoros volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Congo, Democratic Republic of the vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Congo, Republic of the coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Cook Islands low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Coral Sea Islands sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Costa Rica coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Cote d'Ivoire mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Croatia geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Cuba mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
Cyprus central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
Czech Republic Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Denmark low and flat to gently rolling plains
Djibouti coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Dominica rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Dominican Republic rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
East Timor mountainous
Ecuador coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Egypt vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
El Salvador mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Equatorial Guinea coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Eritrea dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Estonia marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Ethiopia high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Europa Island low and flat
European Union fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Faroe Islands rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Fiji mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Finland mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
France mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
French Polynesia mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
French Southern and Antarctic Lands volcanic
Gabon narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Gambia, The flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Gaza Strip flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Georgia largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Germany lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Ghana mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Gibraltar a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands low and flat
Greece mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Greenland flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Grenada volcanic in origin with central mountains
Guadeloupe Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Guam volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south
Guatemala mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau (Peten)
Guernsey mostly level with low hills in southwest
Guinea generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Guinea-Bissau mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Guyana mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Haiti mostly rough and mountainous
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Holy See (Vatican City) low hill
Honduras mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Hong Kong hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Howland Island low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area
Hungary mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border
Iceland mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
India upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Indian Ocean surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Indonesia mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
Iran rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Iraq mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Ireland mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Israel Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Italy mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Jamaica mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Jan Mayen volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Japan mostly rugged and mountainous
Jarvis Island sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Jersey gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Johnston Atoll mostly flat
Jordan mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Juan de Nova Island low and flat
Kazakhstan extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Kenya low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Kingman Reef low and nearly level
Kiribati mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Korea, North mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Korea, South mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Kuwait flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Kyrgyzstan peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation
Laos mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Latvia low plain
Lebanon narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Lesotho mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Liberia mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Libya mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Liechtenstein mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Lithuania lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Luxembourg mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Macau generally flat
Macedonia mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River
Madagascar narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Malawi narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains
Malaysia coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Maldives flat, with white sandy beaches
Mali mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Malta mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Man, Isle of hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Marshall Islands low coral limestone and sand islands
Martinique mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Mauritania mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Mauritius small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Mayotte generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks
Mexico high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk
Midway Islands low, nearly level
Moldova rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Monaco hilly, rugged, rocky
Mongolia vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Montserrat volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Morocco northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambique mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west
Namibia mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Nauru sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Navassa Island raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Nepal Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Netherlands mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
Netherlands Antilles generally hilly, volcanic interiors
New Caledonia coastal plains with interior mountains
New Zealand predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Nicaragua extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Niger predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Nigeria southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
Niue steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Norfolk Island volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Northern Mariana Islands southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Norway glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Oman central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Pacific Ocean 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
Pakistan flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Palau varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Palmyra Atoll very low
Panama interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Papua New Guinea mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Paracel Islands mostly low and flat
Paraguay grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peru western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Philippines mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Pitcairn Islands rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Poland mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Portugal mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Puerto Rico mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Qatar mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Reunion mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Romania central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Russia broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Rwanda mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Saint Helena Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Saint Kitts and Nevis volcanic with mountainous interiors
Saint Lucia volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Saint Pierre and Miquelon mostly barren rock
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines volcanic, mountainous
Samoa two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
San Marino rugged mountains
Sao Tome and Principe volcanic, mountainous
Saudi Arabia mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Senegal generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Serbia and Montenegro extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands off the coast
Seychelles Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Sierra Leone coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Singapore lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Slovakia rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south
Slovenia a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east
Solomon Islands mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Somalia mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
South Africa vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Southern Ocean the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Spain large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
Spratly Islands flat
Sri Lanka mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Sudan generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Suriname mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Svalbard wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and north coasts
Swaziland mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Sweden mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Switzerland mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Syria primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Taiwan eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Tajikistan Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Tanzania plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Thailand central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
Togo gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Tokelau low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Tonga most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Trinidad and Tobago mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Tromelin Island low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic
Tunisia mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
Turkey high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Turkmenistan flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Turks and Caicos Islands low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Tuvalu very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Uganda mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Ukraine most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
United Arab Emirates flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
United Kingdom mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
United States vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Uruguay mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Uzbekistan mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west
Vanuatu mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Venezuela Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Vietnam low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Virgin Islands mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Wake Island atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Wallis and Futuna volcanic origin; low hills
West Bank mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Western Sahara mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
World the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean
Yemen 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
Zambia mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Zimbabwe mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)
Afghanistan 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Albania 2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Algeria 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
American Samoa 3.25 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Andorra 1.29 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Angola 6.27 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Anguilla 1.73 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda 2.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Argentina 2.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Armenia 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Aruba 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Australia 1.76 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Austria 1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Azerbaijan 2.44 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bahamas, The 2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bahrain 2.63 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bangladesh 3.13 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Barbados 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Belarus 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Belgium 1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Belize 3.68 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Benin 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bermuda 1.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bhutan 4.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bolivia 2.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.71 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Botswana 2.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Brazil 1.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
British Virgin Islands 1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Brunei 2.3 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Bulgaria 1.38 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Burkina Faso 6.23 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Burma 2.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Burundi 5.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cambodia 3.44 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cameroon 4.47 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Canada 1.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cape Verde 3.48 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cayman Islands 1.9 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Central African Republic 4.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Chad 6.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Chile 2.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)
China 1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Christmas Island NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA
Colombia 2.56 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Comoros 5.09 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Congo, Republic of the 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cook Islands NA children born/woman (2005 est.)
Costa Rica 2.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire 4.58 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Croatia 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cuba 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Cyprus 1.83 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Czech Republic 1.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Denmark 1.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Djibouti 5.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Dominica 1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Dominican Republic 2.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)
East Timor 3.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Ecuador 2.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Egypt 2.88 children born/woman (2005 est.)
El Salvador 3.16 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Equatorial Guinea 4.62 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Eritrea 5.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Estonia 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Ethiopia 5.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)
European Union 1.47 children born/woman (July 2005 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA children born/woman (2005 est.)
Faroe Islands 2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Fiji 2.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Finland 1.73 children born/woman (2005 est.)
France 1.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
French Guiana 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)
French Polynesia 2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Gabon 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Gambia, The 5.38 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Gaza Strip 5.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Georgia 1.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Germany 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Ghana 3.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Gibraltar 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Greece 1.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Greenland 2.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Grenada 2.37 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guadeloupe 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guam 2.6 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guatemala 4.53 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guernsey 1.38 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guinea 5.83 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guinea-Bissau 4.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Guyana 2.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Haiti 5.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Honduras 3.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Hong Kong 0.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Hungary 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Iceland 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
India 2.78 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Indonesia 2.44 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Iran 1.82 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Iraq 4.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Ireland 1.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Israel 2.44 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Italy 1.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Jamaica 1.95 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Japan 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Jersey 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Jordan 2.71 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Kazakhstan 1.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Kenya 4.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Kiribati 4.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Korea, North 2.15 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Korea, South 1.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Kuwait 2.97 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Kyrgyzstan 2.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Laos 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Latvia 1.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Lebanon 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Lesotho 3.35 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Liberia 6.09 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Libya 3.34 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Liechtenstein 1.51 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Lithuania 1.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Luxembourg 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Macau 0.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Macedonia 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Madagascar 5.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Malawi 5.98 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Malaysia 3.07 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Maldives 5.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mali 6.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Malta 1.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Man, Isle of 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Marshall Islands 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Martinique 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mauritania 5.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mauritius 1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mayotte 5.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mexico 2.45 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of 3.25 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Moldova 1.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Monaco 1.76 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mongolia 2.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Montserrat 1.78 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Morocco 2.73 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Mozambique 4.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Namibia 3.18 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nauru 3.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nepal 4.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Netherlands 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Netherlands Antilles 2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
New Caledonia 2.31 children born/woman (2005 est.)
New Zealand 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nicaragua 2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Niger 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nigeria 5.53 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Niue NA
Norfolk Island NA
Northern Mariana Islands 1.27 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Norway 1.78 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Oman 5.84 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Pakistan 4.14 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Palau 2.46 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Panama 2.45 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Papua New Guinea 3.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Paraguay 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Peru 2.56 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Philippines 3.16 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Pitcairn Islands NA
Poland 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Portugal 1.47 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Puerto Rico 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Qatar 2.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Reunion 2.47 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Romania 1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Russia 1.27 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Rwanda 5.49 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saint Helena 1.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saint Lucia 2.21 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2.03 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Samoa 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)
San Marino 1.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe 5.71 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Saudi Arabia 4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Senegal 4.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Serbia and Montenegro 1.67 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Seychelles 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Sierra Leone 5.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Singapore 1.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Slovakia 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Slovenia 1.24 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Solomon Islands 4.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Somalia 6.84 children born/woman (2005 est.)
South Africa 2.24 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Spain 1.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Sri Lanka 1.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Sudan 4.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Suriname 2.34 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Svalbard NA children born/woman
Swaziland 3.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Sweden 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Switzerland 1.42 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Syria 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Taiwan 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Tajikistan 4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Tanzania 5.06 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Thailand 1.88 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Togo 4.61 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Tokelau NA
Tonga 3 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Tunisia 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Turkey 1.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Turkmenistan 3.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands 3.08 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Tuvalu 3 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Uganda 6.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Ukraine 1.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)
United Arab Emirates 2.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
United Kingdom 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
United States 2.08 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Uruguay 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Uzbekistan 2.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Vanuatu 2.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Venezuela 2.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Vietnam 1.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Virgin Islands 2.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Wallis and Futuna NA children born/woman
West Bank 4.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Western Sahara NA children born/woman
World 2.6 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Yemen 6.67 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Zambia 5.47 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Zimbabwe 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@2128 Government type
Afghanistan Islamic republic
Albania emerging democracy
Algeria republic
American Samoa NA
Andorra parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives
Angola republic, nominally a multiparty democracy with a strong presidential system
Anguilla NA
Antarctica Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 27th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa in May-June 2004; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2003, there were 45 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 17 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983), Bulgaria (1998) China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Ukraine (1992), Uruguay (1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), and Venezuela (1999); Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, and 5) area protection and management; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Antigua and Barbuda constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
Argentina republic
Armenia republic
Aruba parliamentary democracy
Australia democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
Austria federal republic
Azerbaijan republic
Bahamas, The constitutional parliamentary democracy
Bahrain constitutional hereditary monarchy
Bangladesh parliamentary democracy
Barbados parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
Belarus republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Belgium federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch
Belize parliamentary democracy
Benin republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989
Bermuda parliamentary British overseas territory with internal self-government
Bhutan monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Bolivia republic
Bosnia and Herzegovina emerging federal democratic republic
Botswana parliamentary republic
Brazil federative republic
British Virgin Islands NA
Brunei constitutional sultanate
Bulgaria parliamentary democracy
Burkina Faso parliamentary republic
Burma military junta
Burundi republic
Cambodia multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993
Cameroon unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) note: preponderance of power remains with the president
Canada a constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation
Cape Verde republic
Cayman Islands British crown colony
Central African Republic republic
Chad republic
Chile republic
China Communist state
Christmas Island NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA
Colombia republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Comoros independent republic
Congo, Democratic Republic of the dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative government
Congo, Republic of the republic
Cook Islands self-governing parliamentary democracy
Costa Rica democratic republic
Cote d'Ivoire republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960
Croatia presidential/parliamentary democracy
Cuba Communist state
Cyprus republic note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey
Czech Republic parliamentary democracy
Denmark constitutional monarchy
Djibouti republic
Dominica parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth
Dominican Republic representative democracy
East Timor Republic
Ecuador republic
Egypt republic
El Salvador republic
Equatorial Guinea republic
Eritrea transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Estonia parliamentary republic
Ethiopia federal republic
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA
Faroe Islands NA
Fiji republic note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Finland republic
France republic
French Guiana NA
French Polynesia NA
Gabon republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990)
Gambia, The republic under multiparty democratic rule
Georgia republic
Germany federal republic
Ghana constitutional democracy
Gibraltar NA
Greece parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974
Greenland parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Grenada constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament
Guadeloupe NA
Guam NA
Guatemala constitutional democratic republic
Guernsey NA
Guinea republic
Guinea-Bissau republic, multiparty since mid-1991
Guyana republic within the Commonwealth
Haiti elected government
Holy See (Vatican City) ecclesiastical
Honduras democratic constitutional republic
Hong Kong limited democracy
Hungary parliamentary democracy
Iceland constitutional republic
India federal republic
Indonesia republic
Iran theocratic republic
Iraq none; note - the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) was appointed on 1 June 2004
Ireland republic
Israel parliamentary democracy
Italy republic
Jamaica constitutional parliamentary democracy
Japan constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Jersey NA
Jordan constitutional monarchy
Kazakhstan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Kenya republic
Kiribati republic
Korea, North Communist state one-man dictatorship
Korea, South republic
Kuwait nominal constitutional monarchy
Kyrgyzstan republic
Laos Communist state
Latvia parliamentary democracy
Lebanon republic
Lesotho parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Liberia republic
Libya Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Liechtenstein hereditary constitutional monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis
Lithuania parliamentary democracy
Luxembourg constitutional monarchy
Macau limited democracy
Macedonia parliamentary democracy
Madagascar republic
Malawi multiparty democracy
Malaysia constitutional monarchy note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives and will hold 25 seats after the next election; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives
Maldives republic
Mali republic
Malta republic
Man, Isle of parliamentary democracy
Marshall Islands constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Martinique NA
Mauritania republic
Mauritius parliamentary democracy
Mayotte NA
Mexico federal republic
Micronesia, Federated States of constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004
Moldova republic
Monaco constitutional monarchy
Mongolia mixed parliamentary/presidential
Montserrat NA
Morocco constitutional monarchy
Mozambique republic
Namibia republic
Nauru republic
Nepal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Netherlands constitutional monarchy
Netherlands Antilles parliamentary
New Caledonia NA
New Zealand parliamentary democracy
Nicaragua republic
Niger republic
Nigeria federal republic
Niue self-governing parliamentary democracy
Norfolk Island NA
Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature
Norway constitutional monarchy
Oman monarchy
Pakistan federal republic
Palau constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Panama constitutional democracy
Papua New Guinea constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy
Paraguay constitutional republic
Peru constitutional republic
Philippines republic
Pitcairn Islands NA
Poland republic
Portugal parliamentary democracy
Puerto Rico commonwealth
Qatar traditional monarchy
Reunion NA
Romania republic
Russia federation
Rwanda republic; presidential, multiparty system
Saint Helena NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament
Saint Lucia Westminster-style parliamentary democracy
Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
Samoa mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
San Marino independent republic
Sao Tome and Principe republic
Saudi Arabia monarchy
Senegal republic under multiparty democratic rule
Serbia and Montenegro republic
Seychelles republic
Sierra Leone constitutional democracy
Singapore parliamentary republic
Slovakia parliamentary democracy
Slovenia parliamentary democratic republic
Solomon Islands parliamentary democracy
Somalia no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
South Africa republic
Spain parliamentary monarchy
Sri Lanka republic
Sudan authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989; government is run by an alliance of the military and the National Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF), which espouses an Islamist platform
Suriname constitutional democracy
Svalbard NA
Swaziland monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
Sweden constitutional monarchy
Switzerland formally a confederation, but similar in structure to a federal republic
Syria republic under military regime since March 1963
Taiwan multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and unicameral legislature
Tajikistan republic
Tanzania republic
Thailand constitutional monarchy
Togo republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Tokelau NA
Tonga hereditary constitutional monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago parliamentary democracy
Tunisia republic
Turkey republican parliamentary democracy
Turkmenistan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Turks and Caicos Islands NA
Tuvalu constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992
Uganda republic
Ukraine republic
United Arab Emirates federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
United Kingdom constitutional monarchy
United States Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Uruguay constitutional republic
Uzbekistan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Vanuatu parliamentary republic
Venezuela federal republic
Vietnam Communist state
Virgin Islands NA
Wallis and Futuna NA
Western Sahara legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
Yemen republic
Zambia republic
Zimbabwe parliamentary democracy
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@2129 Unemployment rate (%)
Afghanistan NA
Albania 14.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.)
Algeria 25.4% (2004 est.)
American Samoa 6% (2000)
Andorra 0% (1996 est.)
Angola extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.)
Anguilla 8% (2002)
Antigua and Barbuda 11% (2001 est.)
Argentina 14.8% (2004 est.)
Armenia 30% (2003 est.)
Aruba 0.6% (2003 est.)
Australia 5.1% (December 2004 est.)
Austria 4.4% (2004 est.)
Azerbaijan 1.2% (official rate) (2004 est.)
Bahamas, The 10.2% (2004 est.)
Bahrain 15% (1998 est.)
Bangladesh 40% (includes underemployment) (2004 est.)
Barbados 10.7% (2003 est.)
Belarus 2% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2004)
Belgium 12% (first half, 2004)
Belize 12.9% (2003)
Benin NA
Bermuda 5% (2002 est.)
Bhutan NA
Bolivia 9.2% in urban areas note: widespread underemployment (2003 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 44% officially; however, grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to near 20% (2004 est.)
Botswana 23.8% (2004 est.)
Brazil 11.5% (2004 est.)
British Virgin Islands 3% (1995)
Brunei 3.2% (2002 est.)
Bulgaria 12.7% (2004 est.)
Burkina Faso NA%
Burma 5.2% (2004 est.)
Burundi NA
Cambodia 2.5% (2000 est.)
Cameroon 30% (2001 est.)
Canada 7% (2004)
Cape Verde 21% (2000 est.)
Cayman Islands 4.1% (1997)
Central African Republic 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)
Chad NA
Chile 8.5% (2004 est.)
China 9.8% in urban areas; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2004 est.)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 60% (2000 est.)
Colombia 13.6% (2004 est.)
Comoros 20% (1996 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA (2003 est.)
Congo, Republic of the NA (2003)
Cook Islands 13% (1996)
Costa Rica 6.6% (2004 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire 13% in urban areas (1998)
Croatia 13.8% (2004 est.)
Cuba 2.5% (2004 est.)
Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 3.2%; north Cyprus: 5.6% (2004 est.)
Czech Republic 10.6% (2004 est.)
Denmark 6.2% (2004 est.)
Djibouti 50% (2004 est.)
Dominica 23% (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic 17% (2004 est.)
East Timor 50% (including underemployment) (1992 est.)
Ecuador 11.1%; note - underemployment of 47% (2004 est.)
Egypt 10.9% (2004 est.)
El Salvador 6.3% - but the economy has much underemployment (2004 est.)
Equatorial Guinea 30% (1998 est.)
Eritrea NA (2003 est.)
Estonia 9.6% (2004 est.)
Ethiopia NA (2002)
European Union 9.5% (2004 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Faroe Islands 1% (October 2000)
Fiji 7.6% (1999)
Finland 8.9% (2004 est.)
France 10.1% (2004 est.)
French Guiana 22% (2001)
French Polynesia 11.8% (1994)
Gabon 21% (1997 est.)
Gambia, The NA (2002 est.)
Gaza Strip 50% (includes West Bank) (2003 est.)
Georgia 17% (2001 est.)
Germany 10.6% (2004 est.)
Ghana 20% (1997 est.)
Gibraltar 2% (2001 est.)
Greece 10% (2004 est.)
Greenland 10% (2000 est.)
Grenada 12.5% (2000)
Guadeloupe 27.8% (1998)
Guam 15% (2000 est.)
Guatemala 7.5% (2003 est.)
Guernsey 0.5% (1999 est.)
Guinea NA (2002 est.)
Guinea-Bissau NA (1998)
Guyana 9.1% (understated) (2000)
Haiti widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)
Honduras 28.5% (2004 est.)
Hong Kong 6.7% (2004 est.)
Hungary 5.9% (2004 est.)
Iceland 3.1% (2004 est.)
India 9.2% (2004 est.)
Indonesia 9.2% (2004 est.)
Iran 11.2% (2004 est.)
Iraq 25% to 30% (2004 est.)
Ireland 4.3% (2004 est.)
Israel 10.7% (2004 est.)
Italy 8.6% (2004 est.)
Jamaica 15% (2004 est.)
Japan 4.7% (2004 est.)
Jersey 0.9% (2004 est.)
Jordan 15% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2004 est.)
Kazakhstan 8% (2004 est.)
Kenya 40% (2001 est.)
Kiribati 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Korea, North NA (2003)
Korea, South 3.6% (2004 est.)
Kuwait 2.2% (2004 est.)
Kyrgyzstan 18% (2004 est.)
Laos 5.7% (1997 est.)
Latvia 8.8% (2004 est.)
Lebanon 18% (1997 est.)
Lesotho 45% (2002)
Liberia 85% (2003 est.)
Libya 30% (2004)
Liechtenstein 1.3% (September 2002)
Lithuania 8% (2004 est.)
Luxembourg 4.5% (December, 2004 est.)
Macau 4.7% (3rd Quarter, 2004)
Macedonia 37.7% (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)
Malawi NA (2003 est.)
Malaysia 3% (2004 est.)
Maldives NEGL% (2003 est.)
Mali 14.6% urban areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.)
Malta 7% (2003 est.)
Man, Isle of 0.6% (2004 est.)
Marshall Islands 30.9% (1999 est.)
Martinique 27.2% (1998)
Mauritania 20% (2004 est.)
Mauritius 10.8% (2004 est.)
Mayotte 38% (1999)
Mexico 3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2004 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of 16% (1999 est.)
Moldova 8% (roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad) (2002 est.)
Monaco 22% (1999)
Mongolia 6.7% (2003)
Montserrat 6% (1998 est.)
Morocco 12.1% (2004 est.)
Mozambique 21% (1997 est.)
Namibia 35% (1998)
Nauru 90% (2004 est.)
Nepal 47% (2001 est.)
Netherlands 6% (2004 est.)
Netherlands Antilles 15.6% (2002 est.)
New Caledonia 19% (1996)
New Zealand 4.2% (2004 est.)
Nicaragua 7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.)
Niger NA (2002 est.)
Nigeria NA
Niue NA
Norfolk Island 0%
Northern Mariana Islands NA
Norway 4.3% (2004 est.)
Oman 15% (2004 est.)
Pakistan 8.3% plus substantial underemployment (2004 est.)
Palau 2.3% (2000 est.)
Panama 12.6% (2004 est.)
Papua New Guinea NA
Paraguay 15.1% (2004 est.)
Peru 9.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2004 est.)
Philippines 11.7% (2004 est.)
Pitcairn Islands NA
Poland 19.5% (2004 est.)
Portugal 6.5% (2004 est.)
Puerto Rico 12% (2002)
Qatar 2.7% (2001)
Reunion 36% (1999 est.)
Romania 6.3% (2004 est.)
Russia 8.3% plus considerable underemployment (2004 est.)
Rwanda NA
Saint Helena 14% (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.5% (1997)
Saint Lucia 20% (2003 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 9.8% (1997)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15% (2001 est.)
Samoa NA; note - substantial underemployment
San Marino 2.6% (2001)
Sao Tome and Principe NA
Saudi Arabia 25% (unofficial estimate) (2004 est.)
Senegal 48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)
Serbia and Montenegro 30% note: unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2004 est.)
Seychelles NA
Sierra Leone NA
Singapore 3.4% (2004 est.)
Slovakia 13.1% (31 December 2004 est.)
Slovenia 6.4% (2004 est.)
Solomon Islands NA%
Somalia NA
South Africa 26.2% (2004 est.)
Spain 10.4% (2004 est.)
Sri Lanka 7.8% (2004 est.)
Sudan 18.7% (2002 est.)
Suriname 17% (2000)
Swaziland 34% (2000 est.)
Sweden 5.6% (2004 est.)
Switzerland 3.4% (2004 est.)
Syria 20% (2002 est.)
Taiwan 4.5% (2004 est.)
Tajikistan 40% (2002 est.)
Tanzania NA
Thailand 1.5% (November 2004 est.)
Togo NA (2003 est.)
Tokelau NA%
Tonga 13.3% (1996 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago 10.4% (2004 est.)
Tunisia 13.8% (2004 est.)
Turkey 9.3% (plus underemployment of 4.0%) (2004 est.)
Turkmenistan 60% (2004 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands 10% (1997 est.)
Tuvalu NA%
Uganda NA (2002 est.)
Ukraine 3.5% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10 percent (2004 est.)
United Arab Emirates 2.4% (2001)
United Kingdom 4.8% (2004 est.)
United States 5.5% (2004 est.)
Uruguay 13% (2004 est.)
Uzbekistan 0.6% officially, plus another 20% underemployed (2004 est.)
Vanuatu NA%
Venezuela 17.1% (2004 est.)
Vietnam 1.9% (2004 est.)
Virgin Islands 9.3% (2003 est.)
Wallis and Futuna NA%
West Bank 27.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2004 est.)
Western Sahara NA
World 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment
Yemen 35% (2003 est.)
Zambia 50% (2000 est.)
Zimbabwe 70% (2002 est.)
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2137 Military - note
Akrotiri Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit
American Samoa defense is the responsibility of the US
Andorra defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Anguilla defense is the responsibility of the UK
Antarctica the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes
Argentina the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2005)
Aruba defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
Baker Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
Barbados the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)
Bassas da India defense is the responsibility of France
Bermuda defense is the responsibility of the UK
Bouvet Island defense is the responsibility of Norway
British Indian Ocean Territory defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
British Virgin Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK
Cayman Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK
Christmas Island defense is the responsibility of Australia
Clipperton Island defense is the responsibility of France
Cocos (Keeling) Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory does have a five-person police force
Cook Islands defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Coral Sea Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors
Cuba Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
Dhekelia includes Dheklia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway
Europa Island defense is the responsibility of France
European Union In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - committments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007. (2005)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) defense is the responsibility of the UK
Faroe Islands defense is the responsibility of Denmark
French Guiana defense is the responsibility of France
French Polynesia defense is the responsibility of France
French Southern and Antarctic Lands defense is the responsibility of France
Georgia a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia
Gibraltar defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Glorioso Islands defense is the responsibility of France
Greenland defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Guadeloupe defense is the responsibility of France
Guam defense is the responsibility of the US
Guernsey defense is the responsibility of the UK
Heard Island and McDonald Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Holy See (Vatican City) defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard
Hong Kong defense is the responsibility of China
Howland Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
Iceland defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik
Jan Mayen defense is the responsibility of Norway
Jarvis Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
Jersey defense is the responsibility of the UK
Johnston Atoll defense is the responsibility of the US
Juan de Nova Island defense is the responsibility of France
Kingman Reef defense is the responsibility of the US
Kiribati Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Laos Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)
Lesotho the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs
Liechtenstein defense is the responsibility of Switzerland
Man, Isle of defense is the responsibility of the UK
Marshall Islands defense is the responsibility of the US
Martinique defense is the responsibility of France
Mayotte defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island
Micronesia, Federated States of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the US; FSM is totally dependent on the US for its defense
Midway Islands defense is the responsibility of the US
Monaco defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003)
Montserrat defense is the responsibility of the UK
Nauru Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Navassa Island defense is the responsibility of the US
Netherlands Antilles defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
New Caledonia defense is the responsibility of France
Niue defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Norfolk Island defense is the responsibility of Australia
Northern Mariana Islands defense is the responsibility of the US
Palau defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years
Palmyra Atoll defense is the responsibility of the US
Panama on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression"
Paracel Islands occupied by China
Pitcairn Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK
Puerto Rico defense is the responsibility of the US
Reunion defense is the responsibility of France
Saint Helena defense is the responsibility of the UK
Saint Pierre and Miquelon defense is the responsibility of France
Samoa Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship
San Marino defense is the responsibility of Italy
Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resouces at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as intial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is excersized from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)
South Africa with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK
Spratly Islands Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Svalbard demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920
Tokelau defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Tromelin Island defense is the responsibility of France
Turkey in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly moblie forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)
Turks and Caicos Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK
Virgin Islands defense is the responsibility of the US
Wake Island defense is the responsibility of the US; launch support facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) administered by US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)
Wallis and Futuna defense is the responsibility of France
Yemen a Coast Guard was established in 2002
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2138 Communications - note
Afghanistan in March 2003 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name; Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul that are part of a nationwide network proposed by the Transitional Authority for Internet access (2002)
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
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2140 Government - note
Malawi the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature
Solomon Islands June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003. By the end of 2004 the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) had been scaled back to 302 police officers and 120 military in addition to civilian technical advisors.
Somalia although an interim government was created in 2004 other governing bodies continue to exist and control various cities and regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, and traditional clan and faction strongholds
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2142 Country name
Afghanistan conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan
Akrotiri conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Akrotiri
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: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat 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 |
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