 |
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,227 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,136 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 602 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA
Transnational Issues Dominica
Disputes - international: Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Dominican Republic
Introduction Dominican Republic
Background: Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.
Geography Dominican Republic
Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 70 40 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: arable land: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005)
Irrigated land: 2,750 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
People Dominican Republic
Population: 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 24.1 years male: 24 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.47% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.73 years male: 70.21 years female: 73.33 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 88,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 7,900 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican
Ethnic groups: mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.)
Government Dominican Republic
Country name: conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana
Government type: representative democracy
Capital: name: Santo Domingo geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde
Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Constitution: 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002
Legal system: based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote
Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2008); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative)
Political parties and leaders: Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)
International organization participation: ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437
Flag description: a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon
Economy Dominican Republic
Economy - overview: The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004-06. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, high unemployment and inflation remain important challenges. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $73.74 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $19.91 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 7.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.2% industry: 30.6% services: 58.2% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 3.896 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17% industry: 24.3% services: 58.7% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: 25%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 47.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 15.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $5.852 billion expenditures: $5.947 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2006 est.)
Public debt: 45.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 15.02 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92% hydro: 7.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 13.96 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production: 11.95 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption: 127,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 129,900 bbl/day (2003)
Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 130 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 130 million cu m
Current account balance: $-1.124 billion (2006 est.)
Exports: $6.495 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exports - partners: US 78.9%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9% (2005)
Imports: $11.39 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: US 50%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.106 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: $8.634 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $571.6 million (2004)
Currency (code): Dominican peso (DOP)
Currency code: DOP
Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US dollar - 33.6046 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Dominican Republic
Telephones - main lines in use: 894,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.623 million (2005)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 1.44 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (2003)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .do
Internet hosts: 91,895 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (2000)
Internet users: 938,300 (2005)
Transportation Dominican Republic
Airports: 33 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2006)
Railways: total: 517 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2005)
Roadways: total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo
Military Dominican Republic
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,133,142 females age 18-49: 2,032,840 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,671,493 females age 18-49: 1,536,257 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 91,699 females age 18-49: 87,550 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $0 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues Dominican Republic
Disputes - international: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@East Timor
Introduction East Timor
Background: The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state. In March of 2006, a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. Over 2,000 Australian, New Zealand, and Portuguese police and peacekeepers deployed to East Timor in late May. Although many of the peacekeepers were replaced by UN police officers, 850 Australian soldiers remained as of 1 January 2007.
Geography East Timor
Location: Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco
Geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 125 55 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 15,007 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: total: 228 km border countries: Indonesia 228 km
Coastline: 706 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons
Terrain: mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Natural resources: gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Land use: arable land: 8.2% permanent crops: 4.57% other: 87.23% (2005)
Irrigated land: 1,065 sq km (est.)
Natural hazards: floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones
Environment - current issues: widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion
Environment - international agreements: NA
Geography - note: Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands
People East Timor
Population: 1,062,777 note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 196,293/female 189,956) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 328,111/female 315,401) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 16,072/female 16,944) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 20.8 years male: 20.8 years female: 20.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.08% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 26.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 45.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.26 years male: 63.96 years female: 68.67 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.53 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Timorese adjective: Timorese
Ethnic groups: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority
Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)
Languages: Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: NA% female: NA% (2002)
Government East Timor
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste conventional short form: East Timor local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: Portuguese Timor
Government type: republic
Capital: name: Dili geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque
Independence: 28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1975)
Constitution: 22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)
Legal system: UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but are to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law; these have passed but have not been promulgated
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May 2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections; he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO head of government: Prime Minister Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 10 July 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Estanlislau Maria Alexio da SILVA (since 10 July 2006); Second Deputy Prime Minister Rui Maria do ARAUJO (since 10 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held 9 April 2007) election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL 17.3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an exceptional basis elections: (next to be held in May 2007); direct elections for national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the national convention adopted a constitution and named themselves legislators instead of having elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the national parliament election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD 8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT 2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT 2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court
Political parties and leaders: Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Francisco Guterres Lu OLO]; Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Socialist Party of Timor or PST [Pedro da COSTA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT [Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or PTT [Paulo Freitas DA SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO]
International organization participation: ACP, ARF, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Constancio PINTO chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: 202 966-3202 FAX: 202 966-3205 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William Gary GRAY embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250 telephone: (670) 332-4684 FAX: (670) 331-3206
Flag description: red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle
Economy East Timor
Economy - overview: In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, all refugees either returned or resettled in Indonesia. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices - but the technology-intensive industry does little to create jobs for the unemployed, because there are no production facilities in Timor and the gas is piped to Australia. The parliament in June 2005 unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of East Timor's petroleum wealth for future generations.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $370 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $349 million (2005)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.5% industry: 23.1% services: 68.4% (2004)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Unemployment rate: 50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 42% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38 (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (2005)
Budget: revenues: $107.7 million expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla
Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth
Industrial production growth rate: 8.5%
Electricity - production: NA kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)
Exports: $10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports
Exports - partners: Indonesia 100% (2005)
Imports: $202 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery
Debt - external: $0
Economic aid - recipient: $153 million (2004 est.)
Currency (code): US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications East Timor
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: East Timor has a state-run media oversight authority, which oversees at least one television and one radio station.
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005
Internet hosts: 68 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 1,000 (2004)
Transportation East Timor
Airports: 8 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Heliports: 9 (2006)
Roadways: total: 5,000 km paved: 2,500 km unpaved: 2,500 km (2005)
Ports and terminals: Dili
Military East Timor
Military branches: East Timor Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL): Army, Navy (Armada) (2005)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 235,198 females age 18-49: 223,069 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 179,422 females age 18-49: 184,533 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 12,740 females age 18-49: 12,438 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.4 million (FY03)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA
Transnational Issues East Timor
Disputes - international: UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) has maintained about 1,000 peacekeepers in East Timor since 2002; East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which prevents delimitation of the northern maritime boundaries; many refugees who left East Timor in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and East Timor agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Australia has hampered creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia
Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 150,000 (2006)
Illicit drugs: NA
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Ecuador
Introduction Ecuador
Background: What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence by 1819 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents.
Geography Ecuador
Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 77 30 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries: total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath
Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 4.81% other: 89.48% (2005)
Irrigated land: 8,650 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
People Ecuador
Population: 13,547,510 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33% (male 2,281,499/female 2,195,551) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 4,178,653/female 4,210,766) 65 years and over: 5% (male 319,719/female 361,322) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 23.6 years male: 23.1 years female: 24 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.5% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 22.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 4.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 22.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.42 years male: 73.55 years female: 79.43 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 21,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,700 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 94% female: 91% (2003 est.)
Government Ecuador
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador
Government type: republic
Capital: name: Quito geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution: 10 August 1998
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch: chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO (since 15 January 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5; other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution)
Political parties and leaders: Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]
International organization participation: CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Linda L. JEWELL embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: APO AA 34039 telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890 FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
Economy Ecuador
Economy - overview: Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices. However, the government under Alfredo PALACIO has reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, allowing the central government greater access to oil windfalls and disbursing surplus retirement funds.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $60.48 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $32.57 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.3% industry: 33.5% services: 60.2% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 4.57 million (urban) (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 8% industry: 24% services: 68% (2001)
Unemployment rate: 10.6% official rate; but underemployment of 47% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: 41% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 32% note: data for urban households only (October 2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 42 note: data are for urban households (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 22.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $11.5 billion expenditures: planned $10.46 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2006 est.)
Public debt: 36% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production: 12.2 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 12.95 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 35 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 1.642 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production: 493,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 148,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: 387,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 5.115 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: 170 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 170 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 9.769 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance: $727 million (2006 est.)
Exports: $12.56 billion (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp
Exports - partners: US 50.6%, Peru 7.9%, Germany 4.3%, Colombia 4.3% (2005)
Imports: $10.81 billion (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment, electricity
Imports - partners: US 22.1%, Colombia 14.8%, Venezuela 7.7%, Brazil 7.2%, China 5.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.514 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: $18.1 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $216 million (2002)
Currency (code): US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: 1 (2006), 25,000 (2005), 25,000 (2004), 25,000 (2003), 25,000 (2002)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Ecuador
Telephones - main lines in use: 1,701,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.246 million (2005)
Telephone system: general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Radios: 5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions: 2.5 million (2001)
Internet country code: .ec
Internet hosts: 19,027 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 31 (2001)
Internet users: 616,000 (2005)
Transportation Ecuador
Airports: 359 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 98 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 43 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 261 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 228 (2006)
Heliports: 1 (2006)
Pipelines: extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006)
Railways: total: 966 km narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 43,197 km paved: 6,467 km unpaved: 36,730 km (2004)
Waterways: 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2005)
Merchant marine: total: 31 ships (1000 GRT or over) 184,819 GRT/300,339 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 21, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Norway 1, Paraguay 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
Military Ecuador
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry, naval aviation, coast guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE)
Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2004)
Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 2,792,770 females age 20-49: 2,849,519 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 2,338,428 females age 20-49: 2,380,327 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 133,922 females age 20-49: 129,758 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Ecuador
Disputes - international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border and caused over 20,000 refugees to flee into Ecuador in 2004
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 9,851 (Colombia), note - UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of deportation (2006)
Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Egypt
Introduction Egypt
Background: The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.
Geography Egypt
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use: arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005)
Irrigated land: 34,220 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees
People Egypt
Population: 78,887,007 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 13,172,641/female 12,548,346) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 25,102,754/female 24,519,698) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,510,280/female 2,033,288) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 24 years male: 23.6 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.75% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 22.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 31.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.29 years male: 68.77 years female: 73.93 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 700 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Egyptian(s) adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.7% male: 68.3% female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
Government Egypt
Country name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt conventional short form: Egypt local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah local short form: Misr former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Government type: republic
Capital: name: Cairo geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, As Suways, Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 and 25 May 2005
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011 election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9%
Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004 (next to be held May-June 2007) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party or NDP [Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (governing party)]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow Party [Naji AL-GHATRIFI] note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government
Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE, Jr. embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900 telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300 FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band
Economy Egypt
Economy - overview: Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew about 5% per year in 2005-06. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have contributed to a growing budget deficit - more than 10% of GDP each year - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct investment remains low. To achieve higher GDP growth the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of reform, especially in the energy sector. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $328.1 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $84.51 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.7% industry: 35.5% services: 49.8% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 21.8 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 32% industry: 17% services: 51% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10.3% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: 20% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.4% highest 10%: 25% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.4 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $21.32 billion expenditures: $31.83 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.7 billion (2006 est.)
Public debt: 102.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production: 91.72 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 84.49 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 200 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production: 700,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 590,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: 134,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 2.6 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: 32.56 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 31.46 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 1.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.657 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance: $2.697 billion (2006 est.)
Exports: $24.22 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 13%, Italy 9.2%, Spain 7.7%, Syria 5.5%, France 4.9%, Germany 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, UK 4% (2005)
Imports: $35.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels
Imports - partners: US 10.5%, Germany 7%, China 6.4%, France 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $26.3 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: $29.59 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $1.12 billion (2002)
Currency (code): Egyptian pound (EGP)
Currency code: EGP
Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.75 (2006), 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003), 4.4997 (2002)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Egypt
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,396,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,045,134 (2005)
Telephone system: general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular service are available domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)
Radios: 20.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 98 (September 1995)
Televisions: 7.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: .eg
Internet hosts: 2,254 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000)
Internet users: 5 million (2005)
Transportation Egypt
Airports: 88 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 72 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Heliports: 3 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 464 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,021 km; liquid petroleum gas 897 km; oil 5,120 km; oil/gas/water 36 km; refined products 897 km (2006)
Railways: total: 5,063 km standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways: total: 92,370 km paved: 74,820 km unpaved: 17,550 km (2004)
Waterways: 3,500 km note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2005)
Merchant marine: total: 76 ships (1000 GRT or over) 987,524 GRT/1,467,139 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 33, container 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2) registered in other countries: 49 (Bolivia 2, Cambodia 8, Georgia 8, Honduras 4, North Korea 2, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Sierra Leone 1, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals: Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Suez, Zeit
Military Egypt
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service obligation (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,347,560 females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,540,234 females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 802,920 females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.44 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2004)
Transnational Issues Egypt
Disputes - international: Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the two triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is developing the Hala'ib Triangle north of the Treaty line; since the attack on Taba and other Egyptian resort towns on the Red Sea in October 2004, Egypt vigilantly monitors the Sinai and borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip; Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to some 70,000 persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently, UNHCR recognition as refugees
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 100,000 (Iraq), 70,255 (Palestinian Territories), 13,446 (Sudan) (2006)
Trafficking in persons: current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe to Israel for the purpose of sexual exploitation; these women generally arrive as tourists and are subsequently trafficked through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes; men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to be trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and Europe for labor exploitation; some Egyptian children from rural areas are trafficked within the country to work as domestic servants or laborers in the agriculture industry tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking over the past year, particularly in the area of law enforcement
Illicit drugs: transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@El Salvador
Introduction El Salvador
Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
Geography El Salvador
Location: Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Land use: arable land: 31.37% permanent crops: 11.88% other: 56.75% (2005)
Irrigated land: 450 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
People El Salvador
Population: 6,822,378 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216) 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 21.8 years male: 20.7 years female: 22.9 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.72% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 26.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.49 years male: 67.88 years female: 75.28 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.12 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 29,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,200 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%, other 17% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador
Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 80.2% male: 82.8% female: 77.7% (2003 est.)
Government El Salvador
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short form: El Salvador
Government type: republic
Capital: name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 23 December 1983
Legal system: based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held March 2009) election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ, coordinator general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo, coordinator general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671 FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington, DC consulate(s): Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 2278-4444 FAX: [503] 2278-5522
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
Economy El Salvador
Economy - overview: The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El Salvador was the first to ratify, has strenthened an already positive export trend. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - equivalent to more than 15% of GDP - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. The current government has pursued economic diversification, with some success in promoting textile production, international port services, and tourism. It is committed to opening the economy to trade and investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $33.2 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $15.14 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,900 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.7% industry: 29.6% services: 60.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 2.856 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17.1% industry: 17.1% services: 65.8% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: 36.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.5 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 16.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $356.6 million expenditures: $384.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt: 44.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp
Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.174 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44% hydro: 30.9% nuclear: 0% other: 25.1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 4.229 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 109 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 456 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption: 43,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance: $-1.059 billion (2006 est.)
Exports: $3.686 billion (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity
Exports - partners: US 61%, Guatemala 12.1%, Honduras 7.4%, Nicaragua 4.2% (2005)
Imports: $7.326 billion (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners: US 43.4%, Guatemala 8.2%, Mexico 7.8% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.951 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: $8.841 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003)
Currency (code): US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: 8.75 (2006), the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications El Salvador
Telephones - main lines in use: 971,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.412 million (2005)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 2.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997)
Televisions: 600,000 (1990)
Internet country code: .sv
Internet hosts: 4,682 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000)
Internet users: 637,100 (2005)
Transportation El Salvador
Airports: 75 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 71 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 56 (2006)
Heliports: 1 (2006)
Railways: total: 283 km narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2005)
Roadways: total: 10,029 km paved: 1,986 km unpaved: 8,043 km (1999)
Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)
Ports and terminals: Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco
Military El Salvador
Military branches: Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,391,278 females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 960,315 females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 70,286 females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $161.7 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues El Salvador
Disputes - international: in 1992, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but despite Organization of American States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Equatorial Guinea
Introduction Equatorial Guinea
Background: Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards.
Geography Equatorial Guinea
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay
Land use: arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2005)
Irrigated land: NA
Natural hazards: violent windstorms, flash floods
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: insular and continental regions widely separated
People Equatorial Guinea
Population: 540,109 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.7% (male 113,083/female 111,989) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914/female 152,645) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886/female 11,592) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 18.8 years male: 18.2 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.05% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.54 years male: 48 years female: 51.13 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,900 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 370 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)
Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
Languages: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Government Equatorial Guinea
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale former: Spanish Guinea
Government type: republic
Capital: name: Malabo geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Constitution: approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995
Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
Legislative branch: unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Donald C. JOHNSON embassy: adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 220 15 00 FAX: [237] 220 16 20
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
Economy Equatorial Guinea
Economy - overview: The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2006, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the third highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg and Bermuda.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $25.69 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $7.644 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 18.6% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $50,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 92.6% services: 4.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 34.1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.752 billion expenditures: $1.424 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt: 4.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber
Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 30% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production: 26 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.3% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 24.18 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
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