 |
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 15, PLRA 14, UNACE 9, PPQ 4, other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 30, PLRA 27, UNACE 15, PPQ 3, APC 2, other 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders:
Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change) or APC [Fernando LUGO]; Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Jose Alberto ALDERETE]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Emilio CAMACHO Paredes]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]
International organization participation:
CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Ambassador Liliana AYALDE embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 228-603
Flag description:
three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)
Economy Paraguay
Economy - overview:
Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, limited progress on structural reform, and deficient infrastructure. The economy rebounded between 2003 and 2007, posting modest growth each year, as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.7 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.87 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.7% industry: 17.6% services: 59.7% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
2.787 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 31% industry: 17% services: 52% (2007)
Unemployment rate:
5.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
32% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 46.1% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.8 (2008)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.159 billion expenditures: $2.042 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
27% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
20% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
25.03% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.943 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.368 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$2.457 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber
Industries:
sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power
Industrial production growth rate:
-1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
70 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - consumption:
6 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports:
64 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0.1% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
27,410 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007)
Oil - imports:
25,940 bbl/day (2007)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)
Current account balance:
$119 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.463 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather
Exports - partners:
Argentina 28.1%, Uruguay 15.2%, Brazil 12.7%, Chile 5.9%, Germany 4.9%, Russia 4.5% (2007)
Imports:
$6.094 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts
Imports - partners:
Brazil 30.4%, US 22.8%, Argentina 14.4%, China 8.6% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$51.09 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.463 billion (31 December 2007)
Debt - external:
$3.492 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.057 million (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$233.8 million (2005)
Currency (code):
guarani (PYG)
Currency code:
PYG
Exchange rates:
guarani (PYG) per US dollar - 5,031 (2007), 5,672.8 (2006), 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003)
Communications Paraguay
Telephones - main lines in use:
453,800 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.33 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion domestic: the fixed-line market is a state monopoly; deficiencies in provision of fixed-line service have resulted in a rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services fostered by competition among multiple providers international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 121, shortwave 6 (3 inactive) (2006)
Radios:
925,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
5 (2007)
Televisions:
990,000 (2001)
Internet country code:
.py
Internet hosts:
19,691 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2000)
Internet users:
280,000 (2007)
Transportation Paraguay
Airports:
838 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 825 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 267 under 914 m: 532 (2007)
Railways:
total: 36 km standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 29,500 km paved: 14,986 km unpaved: 14,514 km (2000)
Waterways:
3,100 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 23 by type: cargo 18, carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Argentina 5, Netherlands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion
Military Paraguay
Military branches:
Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,589,873 females age 16-49: 1,585,573 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,327,730 females age 16-49: 1,356,989 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 72,109 female: 70,509 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues Paraguay
Disputes - international:
unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations
Illicit drugs:
major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; weak border controls, extensive corruption and money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Peru
Introduction Peru
Background:
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions and maintain fiscal responsibility.
Geography Peru
Location:
Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
Geographic coordinates:
10 00 S, 76 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 7,461 km border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km, Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km
Coastline:
2,414 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Terrain:
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
Natural resources:
copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 2.88% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005)
Irrigated land:
12,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
1,913 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 20.13 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%) per capita: 720 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River
People Peru
Population:
29,180,900 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.7% (male 4,409,227/female 4,253,836) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 9,501,597/female 9,381,139) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 770,389/female 864,711) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 25.8 years male: 25.5 years female: 26.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.264% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
19.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.44 years male: 68.61 years female: 72.37 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
82,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,200 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, Oroya fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian
Ethnic groups:
Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
2.5% of GDP (2006)
Government Peru
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru
Government type:
constitutional republic
Capital:
name: Lima geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Independence:
28 July 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Constitution:
29 December 1993
Legal system:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - for the first time in recent elections, members of the military and national police were eligible to vote in the 2006 elections
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Yehude SIMON Munaro (since 14 October 2008) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a nonconsecutive reelection); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006 with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held in April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%, other 14.6%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF (a coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva Mayoria, and Si Cumple); Central Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC (a coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional de Independientes) [Victor Andres GARCIA Belaunde]; National Renovation Party (Partido Renovacion Nacional) [Rafael REY]; National Restoration Party (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN (a coalition of Partido Popular Cristiano and Partido Solidaridad Nacional) [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP [Alan GARCIA] (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA); Peruvian Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Peruano) or PNP [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; Union for Peru (Union por el Peru) or UPP [Aldo ESTRADA Choque]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group); Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group)
International organization participation:
APEC, CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869 FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador P. Michael MCKINLEY embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000 FAX: [51] (1) 618-2397
Flag description:
three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath
Economy Peru
Economy - overview:
Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Growth jumped to 7.5% in 2007, driven by higher world prices for minerals and metals. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, underemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Growth prospects depend on exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products, and by expectations for the Camisea natural gas megaproject and for other promising energy projects. Upon taking office, President GARCIA announced Sierra Exportadora, a program aimed at promoting economic growth in Peru's southern and central highlands.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$219.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$109.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.4% industry: 25.6% services: 66% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
9.839 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 9% industry: 18% services: 73% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
6.9% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
44.5% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 40.9% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
23% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $32.54 billion expenditures: $29.15 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
29.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5.75% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
22.86% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$14.66 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$19.95 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$17.88 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
asparagus, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish, guinea pigs
Industries:
mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
9.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
24.92 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
22.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 14.5% hydro: 84.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0.8% (2001)
Oil - production:
125,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
167,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
69,090 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
115,600 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
382.9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
337.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$1.516 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$27.96 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, guinea pigs
Exports - partners:
US 19.5%, China 12.7%, Canada 7.6%, Japan 7.5%, Chile 5.9%, Switzerland 4.2%, Spain 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
$19.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper
Imports - partners:
US 20.5%, China 10.8%, Brazil 9%, Ecuador 6.1%, Argentina 5.6%, Chile 5%, Colombia 4.8% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$397.8 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$27.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$32.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$24.72 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.476 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$59.66 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
nuevo sol (PEN)
Currency code:
PEN
Exchange rates:
nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar - 3.1731 (2007), 3.2742 (2006), 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003)
Communications Peru
Telephones - main lines in use:
2.673 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
15.417 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate for most requirements domestic: fixed-line teledensity is only about 9 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity, spurred by competition among multiple providers, has increased to roughly 55 telephones per 100 persons; nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; the South America-1 (SAM-1) and Pan American (PAN-AM) submarine cable systems provide links to parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999)
Radios:
6.65 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
3.06 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.pe
Internet hosts:
271,745 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2000)
Internet users:
7.636 million (2007)
Transportation Peru
Airports:
237 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 54 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 183 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 117 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,181 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,749 km; refined products 13 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,989 km standard gauge: 1,726 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 263 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 78,829 km paved: 11,351 km (includes 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 67,478 km (2004)
Waterways:
8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (Bahamas 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Belize 1, Panama 16) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries
Military Peru
Military branches:
Army of Peru (Ejercito Peruano), Navy of Peru (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP (includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast Guard)), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,653,898 females age 16-49: 7,531,329 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,796,449 females age 16-49: 6,217,524 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 306,260 female: 296,819 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Peru
Disputes - international:
Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 60,000-150,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer, Peru is now the world's second largest producer of coca leaf, though it lags far behind Colombia; cultivation of coca in Peru declined to 36,000 hectares in 2007; second largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 210 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007; finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipment to Europe and Africa; increasing domestic drug consumption
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Philippines
Introduction Philippines
Background:
The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. The 20-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a "people power" movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 and his administration was marked by greater stability and progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another "people power" movement ("EDSA 2") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces threats from three terrorist groups on the US Government's Foreign Terrorist Organization list, but in 2006 and 2007 scored some major successes in capturing or killing key wanted terrorists. Decades of Muslim insurgency in the southern Philippines have led to a peace accord with one group and an ongoing cease-fire and peace talks with another.
Geography Philippines
Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 122 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 300,000 sq km land: 298,170 sq km water: 1,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
36,289 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
Natural resources:
timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use:
arable land: 19% permanent crops: 16.67% other: 64.33% (2005)
Irrigated land:
15,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
479 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%) per capita: 343 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues:
uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait
People Philippines
Population:
96,061,680 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.5% (male 17,392,780/female 16,708,255) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 28,986,232/female 29,076,329) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,682,485/female 2,215,602) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.3 years male: 21.8 years female: 22.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.991% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
26.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.8 years male: 67.89 years female: 73.85 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.32 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Filipino(s) adjective: Philippine
Ethnic groups:
Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages:
Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 92.5% female: 92.7% (2000 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
2.5% of GDP (2005)
Government Philippines
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines conventional short form: Philippines local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas local short form: Pilipinas
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Manila geographic coordinates: 14 35 N, 121 00 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
81 provinces and 136 chartered cities provinces: Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Shariff Kabunsuan, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay chartered cities: Alaminos, Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago, Baguio, Bais, Balanga, Batac, Batangas, Bayawan, Baybay, Bayugan, Bislig, Bogo, Borongan, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Cabanatuan, Cadiz, Cagayan de Oro, Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon, Carcar, Catbalogan, Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao, Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Escalante, El Salvador, Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog, Guihulngan, Himamaylan, Iligan, Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga, Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal, La Carlota, Lamitan, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi, Ligao, Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon, Malaybalay, Malolos, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Marikina, Masbate, Mati, Meycauayan, Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga (Camarines Sur), Naga (Cebu), Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan, Panabo, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa, Quezon, Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos (in Pangasinan), San Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in Pampanga), San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Juan, San Pablo, Santa Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tabaco, Tabuk, Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in Cebu), Talisay (in Negros Occidental), Tanauan, Tandag, Tangub, Tanjay, Tarlac, Tayabas, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires, Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan, Zamboanga (2007)
Independence:
12 June 1898 (independence proclaimed from Spain); 4 July 1946 (from the US)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was date of independence from US
Constitution:
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Legal system:
based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO) elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three others 23%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (as a result of May 2007 election it has 239 seats including 218 members representing districts and 21 sectoral party-list members representing special minorities elected on the basis of 1 seat for every 2% of the total vote but limited to 3 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250 members) elections: Senate - last held on 14 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2010); House of Representatives - elections last held on 14 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas-Kampi 4, LP 4, NPC 3, Nacionalista 2, independents 4, others 6; note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was elected mayor of Manila; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas 86, Kampi 46, NPC 29, LP 21, Party-list 21, others 36
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan (special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials)
Political parties and leaders:
Genuine Opposition or GO (coalition of oppositon parties formed to contest the 2007 elections); Kabalikat Ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi [Ronaldo PUNO]; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas Ng Edsa (National Union of Christian Democrats) or Lakas [Jose DE VENECIA]; Liberal Party or LP [Manuel ROXAS]; Nacionalista [Manuel VILLAR]; National People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO]; PROMDI [Emilio OSMENA]; Pwersa Ng Masang Pilipino (Party of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]; Reporma [Renato DE VILLA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
AKBAYAN [Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Acmad TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Sunny Rose MADAMBA, Ernesto PABLO, and Edgar VALDEZ]; AVE [Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Satur OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Rene VELARDE and Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Liza MAZA]; Partido Ng Manggagawa [Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the Philippines [Ernesto GIDAYA]
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Willy C. GAA chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-9300 FAX: [1] (202) 467-9417 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie A. KENNEY embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000 telephone: [63] (2) 301-2000 FAX: [63] (2) 301-2399
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top
Economy Philippines
Economy - overview:
The Philippine economy grew at its fastest pace in three decades with real GDP growth exceeding 7% in 2007. Higher government spending contributed to the growth, but a resilient service sector and large remittances from the millions of Filipinos who work abroad have played an increasingly important role. Economic growth has averaged 5% since President MACAPAGAL-ARROYO took office in 2001. Nevertheless, the Philippines will need still higher, sustained growth to make progress in alleviating poverty, given its high population growth and unequal distribution of income. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO averted a fiscal crisis by pushing for new revenue measures and, until recently, tightening expenditures. Declining fiscal deficits, tapering debt and debt service ratios, as well as recent efforts to increase spending on infrastructure and social services have heightened optimism over Philippine economic prospects. Although the general macroeconomic outlook has improved significantly, the Philippines continues to face important challenges and must maintain the reform momentum in order to catch up with regional competitors, improve employment opportunities, and alleviate poverty. Longer-term fiscal stability will require more sustainable revenue sources, rather than non-recurring revenues from privatization.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$300.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$144.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.8% industry: 31.7% services: 54.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
36.22 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 35% industry: 15% services: 50% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 31.2% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45.8 (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $24.63 billion expenditures: $24.9 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
55.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.28% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.69% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$21.27 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$65.85 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$65.66 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish
Industries:
electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
7.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
56.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
47.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 55.6% hydro: 17.5% nuclear: 0% other: 26.9% (2001)
Oil - production:
23,930 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
340,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
41,160 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
355,800 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
138.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
98.54 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$6.351 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$49.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits
Exports - partners:
US 17%, Japan 14.5%, Hong Kong 11.5%, China 11.4%, Netherlands 8.2%, Singapore 6.2%, Malaysia 5%, Germany 4.3% (2007)
Imports:
$57.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic
Imports - partners:
US 14.1%, Japan 12.3%, Singapore 11.2%, Taiwan 7.3%, China 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, South Korea 5.9%, Malaysia 4.1%, Thailand 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $451.4 million in commitments (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$33.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$61.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$19.88 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$5.584 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$103.4 billion (2007)
Currency (code):
Philippine peso (PHP)
Currency code:
PHP
Exchange rates:
Philippine pesos (PHP) per US dollar - 46.148 (2007), 51.246 (2006), 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003)
Communications Philippines
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.633 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
51.795 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations; cellular communications now dominate the industry; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density about 60 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and Europe; multiple international gateways (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 381, FM 628, shortwave 4 (each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target audience) (2007)
Radios:
11.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
250 (plus 1,501 CATV networks) (2007)
Televisions:
3.7 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.ph
Internet hosts:
283,579 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
33 (2000)
Internet users:
5.3 million (2007)
Transportation Philippines
Airports:
255 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 84 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 10 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 171 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 68 under 914 m: 99 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 897 km narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 200,037 km paved: 19,804 km unpaved: 180,233 km (2003)
Waterways:
3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 391 by type: bulk carrier 75, cargo 125, carrier 16, chemical tanker 17, container 6, liquefied gas 5, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 68, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 11 foreign-owned: 161 (Bermuda 34, China 4, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Japan 81, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 23, Norway 10, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Panama 7) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila, Nasipit Harbor
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift
Military Philippines
Military branches:
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 23,547,252 females age 16-49: 23,177,487 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,232,050 females age 16-49: 19,827,538 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,012,779 female: 977,030 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Philippines
Disputes - international:
Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 300,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years despite government crackdowns; major consumer of amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas where Manila's control is limited
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Pitcairn Islands
Introduction Pitcairn Islands
Background:
Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.
Geography Pitcairn Islands
Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 47 sq km land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
51 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain:
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources:
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use:
arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons (especially November to March)
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Geography - note:
Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore
People Pitcairn Islands
Population:
48 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate:
0% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Death rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
NA
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
NA (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Ethnic groups:
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
Religions:
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Languages:
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Literacy:
NA
Government Pitcairn Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Adamstown geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:
30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964
Legal system:
local island by-laws
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008) cabinet: NA elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council
Legislative branch:
unicameral Island Council (10 seats; 5 members elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year terms) elections: last held 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents
Judicial branch:
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
SPC, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor
Economy Pitcairn Islands
Economy - overview:
The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October 2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$NA
Labor force:
15 able-bodied men (2004)
Labor force - by occupation:
note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing
Budget:
revenues: $746,000 expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Agriculture - products:
honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens, fish
Industries:
postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey
Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs
Economic aid - recipient:
$3.465 million (2004)
Currency (code):
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code:
NZD
Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)
Communications Pitcairn Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: satellite phone services domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 Ham radio operators (VP6)) (2004)
Radios:
NA
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.pn
Internet hosts:
12 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
NA
Transportation Pitcairn Islands
Ports and terminals:
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Military Pitcairn Islands
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Poland
Introduction Poland
Background:
Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.
Geography Poland
Location:
Central Europe, east of Germany
Geographic coordinates:
52 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 312,679 sq km land: 304,459 sq km water: 8,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,047 km border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 615 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia 420 km, Ukraine 428 km
Coastline:
440 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties
Climate:
temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Terrain:
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m
Natural resources:
coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 40.25% permanent crops: 1% other: 58.75% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
63.1 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.73 cu km/yr (13%/79%/8%) per capita: 304 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
flooding
Environment - current issues:
situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at substantial cost to business and the government
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
Geography - note:
historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain
People Poland
Population:
38,500,696 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 3,013,109/female 2,849,977) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 13,681,481/female 13,808,412) 65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,964,477/female 3,183,240) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 37.6 years male: 35.8 years female: 39.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.045% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.41 years male: 71.42 years female: 79.65 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish
Ethnic groups:
Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)
Languages:
Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.5% of GDP (2005)
Government Poland
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie, Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie, Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)
Independence:
11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)
Constitution:
adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997
Legal system:
based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November 2007) and Grzegorz SCHETYNA (since 16 November 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1; note - seats by party as of February 2008 - PO 209, PiS 159, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 7 note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Democratic Party or PD [Janusz ONYSZKIEWICZ]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Sylwester CHRUSZCZ]; Left and Democrats or LiD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK] (a coalition formed by the SLD, PD, SDPL, and UP); Polish People's Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Bartosz DOMINIK, acting]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop Jozef MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]
International organization participation:
Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688 consulate(s) general: Krakow
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white
Economy Poland
Economy - overview:
Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. In 2007, GDP grew an estimated 6.5%, based on rising private consumption, a jump in corporate investment, and EU funds inflows. GDP per capita is still much below the EU average, but is similar to that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004, EU membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly, though at roughly 12.8% in 2007, it remains well above the EU average. Tightening labor markets, and rising global energy and food prices, pose a risk to consumer price stability. In December 2007 inflation reached 4.1% on a year-over-year basis, or higher than the upper limit of the National Bank of Poland's target range. Poland's economic performance could improve further if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its business environment. An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor code, bureaucratic red tape, and persistent low-level corruption keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential. Rising demands to fund health care, education, and the state pension system present a challenge to the Polish government's effort to hold the consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP, a target which was achieved in 2007. The PO/PSL coalition government which came to power in November 2007 plans to further reduce the budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the euro. The new government has also announced its intention to enact business-friendly reforms, reduce public sector spending growth, lower taxes, and accelerate privatization. However, the government does not have the necessary three-fifths majority needed to override a presidential veto, and thus may have to water down initiatives in order to garner enough support to pass its pro-business policies.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$623.1 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$420.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.1% industry: 31.6% services: 64.4% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
16.86 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 16.1% industry: 29% services: 54.9% (2002)
Unemployment rate:
12.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
17% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 27% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $85.39 billion expenditures: $91.16 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
43.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.48% (31 December 2006)
Stock of money:
$137.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$93.99 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$223.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy
Industries:
machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
8.9% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
149.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
126.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
13.11 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
7.761 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 98.1% hydro: 1.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)
Oil - production:
37,670 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
524,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
57,920 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
499,200 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
96.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
6.025 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
16.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
45 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
10.12 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
164.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$15.91 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$144.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003)
Exports - partners:
Germany 25.9%, Italy 6.6%, France 6.1%, UK 5.9%, Czech Republic 5.5%, Russia 4.6% (2007)
Imports:
$160.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003)
Imports - partners:
Germany 29%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.7%, France 5.1%, China 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.524 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$65.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$169.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$143 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$19.69 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$149.1 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
zloty (PLN)
Currency code:
PLN
Exchange rates:
zlotych (PLN) per US dollar - 2.81 (2007), 3.1032 (2006), 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty
Communications Poland
Telephones - main lines in use:
10.336 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
41.389 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
20.2 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
40 (2006)
Televisions:
13.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.pl
Internet hosts:
7.808 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
16 million (2007)
Transportation Poland
Airports:
123 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 22 (2007)
Heliports:
7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 23,072 km broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 423,997 km paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways) unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)
Waterways:
3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 15 by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1) registered in other countries: 98 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas 17, Cyprus 18, Liberia 13, Malta 24, Norway 3, Panama 11, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 7) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin
Military Poland
Military branches:
Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, SPRP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,741,508 females age 16-49: 9,514,843 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,937,840 females age 16-49: 7,949,677 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 257,605 female: 245,832 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.71% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Poland
Disputes - international:
as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine
Illicit drugs:
despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Portugal
Introduction Portugal
Background:
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Geography Portugal
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Geographic coordinates:
39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Coastline:
1,793 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:
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Terrain:
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
Natural resources:
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 17.29% permanent crops: 7.84% other: 74.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
6,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
73.6 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%) per capita: 1,056 cu m/yr (1998)
Natural hazards:
Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
People Portugal
Population:
10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.4% (male 912,995/female 835,715) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,514,905/female 3,555,097) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 764,443/female 1,093,755) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.1 years male: 37 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.305% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.04 years male: 74.78 years female: 81.53 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
22,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese
Ethnic groups:
homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Religions:
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.5% of GDP (2005)
Government Portugal
Country name:
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal
Government type:
republic; parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Lisbon geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Independence:
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died
Constitution:
adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control, trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications media
Legal system:
based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held in Fall 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, CDS/PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, CDS/PP 12, BE 8 |
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