 |
Nationality:
noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi
Ethnic groups:
African 97%, European 3%
Religions:
Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%
Languages:
English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
7% of GDP (2005)
Government Swaziland
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini
Government type:
monarchy
Capital:
name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
Administrative divisions:
4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
Independence:
6 September 1968 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 September (1968)
Constitution:
signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006
Legal system:
based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 16 October 2008) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Judicial branch:
High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch
Political parties and leaders:
the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland and Solidarity Network or SSN
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Maurice S. PARKER embassy: 2350 Mbabane Place, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-2445 FAX: [268] 404-2059
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
Economy Swaziland
Economy - overview:
In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts, in response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union, which may equal as much as 70% of government revenue this year, and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland is not poor enough to merit an IMF program; however, the country is struggling to reduce the size of the civil service and control costs at public enterprises. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate, Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.364 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.936 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.8% industry: 45.7% services: 42.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
300,000 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
40% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
69% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.4 (2001)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.13 billion expenditures: $1.143 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
11% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13.17% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$244.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$529.4 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$204.1 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Industries:
coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel
Industrial production growth rate:
1.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
460 million kWh (2007)
Electricity - consumption:
1.2 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 58% hydro: 42% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
3,490 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
3,530 bbl/day (2005)
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 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$24 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.926 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Exports - partners:
South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)
Imports:
$1.914 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners:
South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$46.03 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$762.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$524 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$196.8 million (2005)
Currency (code):
lilangeni (SZL)
Currency code:
SZL
Exchange rates:
emalangeni per US dollar - 7.4 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)
Communications Swaziland
Telephones - main lines in use:
44,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
380,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity approaching 40 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)
Radios:
170,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)
Televisions:
23,000 (2000)
Internet country code:
.sz
Internet hosts:
2,582 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2002)
Internet users:
42,000 (2006)
Transportation Swaziland
Airports:
18 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2007)
Railways:
total: 301 km narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 3,594 km paved: 1,078 km unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)
Military Swaziland
Military branches:
Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 266,311 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 122,260 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 15,951 female: 15,728 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.7% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Swaziland
Disputes - international:
in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Sweden
Introduction Sweden
Background:
A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
Geography Sweden
Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Geographic coordinates:
62 00 N, 15 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline:
3,218 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain:
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources:
iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,150 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
179 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%) per capita: 296 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Environment - current issues:
acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
People Sweden
Population:
9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 745,110/female 703,857) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,008,148/female 2,928,930) 65 years and over: 18.3% (male 729,500/female 929,844) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 41.3 years male: 40.2 years female: 42.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.157% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.66 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: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.74 years male: 78.49 years female: 83.13 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish
Ethnic groups:
indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Religions:
Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
Languages:
Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
7.1% of GDP (2005)
Government Sweden
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 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:
21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands
Independence:
6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)
National holiday:
Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916); National Day, 6 June (1983)
Constitution:
1 January 1975
Legal system:
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime minister with 175 out of 349 votes
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, Liberal People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, Liberal People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders:
Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Jan BJORKLUND]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Mona SAHLIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Children's Rights in Society; Central Association of Salarited Emplyees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LO other: media
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jonas HAFSTROM chancery: 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64
Flag description:
blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy Sweden
Economy - overview:
Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and 2% of employment. Sweden is in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances have offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. The government plans to sell $31 billion in state assets during the next three years to further stimulate growth and raise revenue to pay down the federal debt. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$338.5 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$455.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$37,500 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.5% industry: 28.8% services: 69.7% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
4.839 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2% industry: 24% services: 74% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
23 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
19% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $249.1 billion expenditures: $233.5 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
41.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.2% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
4% (31 December 2004)
Stock of money:
$217.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$48.49 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$630.8 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk
Industries:
iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
143.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
133.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
14.74 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
16.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 4% hydro: 50.8% nuclear: 43% other: 2.3% (2001)
Oil - production:
2,350 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
353,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
219,200 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
581,000 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$37.97 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$170.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals
Exports - partners:
Germany 10.4%, Norway 9.4%, US 7.6%, Denmark 7.4%, UK 7.1%, Finland 6.4%, Netherlands 5.1%, France 5%, Belgium 4.6% (2007)
Imports:
$151.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:
Germany 18.4%, Denmark 9.2%, Norway 8.3%, UK 6.8%, Finland 6.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, France 5%, China 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $3.955 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$31.04 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$598.2 billion (30 June 2006)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$216.6 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$261.5 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$403.9 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Swedish krona (SEK)
Currency code:
SEK
Exchange rates:
Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar - 6.7629 (2007), 7.3731 (2006), 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004), 8.0863 (2003)
Communications Sweden
Telephones - main lines in use:
5.506 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.371 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line, mobile-cellular, Internet and broadband penetration domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
8.25 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
4.6 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.se
Internet hosts:
3.579 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
29 (2000)
Internet users:
7 million (2007)
Transportation Sweden
Airports:
250 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 152 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 38 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 98 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 92 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 798 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 11,528 km standard gauge: 11,528 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 425,300 km paved: 139,300 km (includes 1,740 km of expressways) unpaved: 286,000 km (2008)
Waterways:
2,052 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 195 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 23, carrier 1, chemical tanker 45, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 37, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 25 foreign-owned: 41 (Denmark 4, Estonia 2, Finland 12, Germany 5, Italy 9, Norway 7, UK 2) registered in other countries: 207 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 4, Barbados 7, Bermuda 20, Cook Islands 8, Cyprus 2, Denmark 6, Finland 2, France 9, Germany 1, Gibraltar 13, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Liberia 10, Malaysia 3, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 28, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 31, Norway 3, Panama 6, Portugal 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 20, UK 17, US 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Lulea, Malmo, Stenungsund, Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby
Military Sweden
Military branches:
Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47 (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,052,890 females age 16-49: 1,980,550 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,699,115 females age 16-49: 1,637,868 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 64,605 female: 61,110 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Sweden
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Switzerland
Introduction Switzerland
Background:
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Geography Switzerland
Location:
Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Geographic coordinates:
47 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain:
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Natural resources:
hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use:
arable land: 9.91% permanent crops: 0.58% other: 89.51% (2005)
Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
53.3 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.52 cu km/yr (24%/74%/2%) per capita: 348 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
People Switzerland
Population:
7,581,520 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 623,213/female 577,430) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 2,605,044/female 2,562,354) 65 years and over: 16% (male 501,699/female 711,780) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.7 years male: 39.6 years female: 41.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.329% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.74 years male: 77.91 years female: 83.71 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.44 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss
Ethnic groups:
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)
Languages:
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.8% of GDP (2005)
Government Switzerland
Country name:
conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian); Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh) local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian); Svizra (Romansh)
Government type:
formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
Capital:
name: Bern geographic coordinates: 46 57 N, 7 26 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:
26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
Independence:
1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
National holiday:
Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Constitution:
revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000
Legal system:
civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government representing the Federal Council; the Federal Council is the formal chief of state and head of government whose council members, rotating in one-year terms as federal president, represent the Council head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 12 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 80.0%; Hans-Rudolf MERZ elected vice president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 86.5%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats; membership consists of 2 representatives from each canton and 1 from each half canton; to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held on 21 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2011) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 29%, SPS 19.5%, FDP 15.6%, CVP 14.6%, Greens 9.6%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SVP 62, SPS 43, FDP 31, CVP 31, Green Party 20, other small parties 13; note - seating for the Council of States as of December 2007 is CVP 16, FDP 12, SVP 7, SPS 9, other 2
Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER]; Christian Democratic People's Party (Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Christophe DARBELLAY]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Fulvio PELLI]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Hans-Juerg FEHR]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER]; and other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Urs ZISWILER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CONEWAY embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44
Flag description:
red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
Economy Switzerland
Economy - overview:
Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth stagnated during the 2001-03 period, improved during 2004-05, and jumped to 2.9% in 2006, and 2.6% in 2007. Unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$303.2 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$423.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$40,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
3.954 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.6% industry: 26.3% services: 69.1% (1998)
Unemployment rate:
2.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.7 (2000)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $150.6 billion expenditures: $141.5 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
44.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
2.05% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
3.15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$213.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$450.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$855.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Industries:
machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, and insurance
Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:
64.56 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
58.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
36.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
34.82 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 59.5% nuclear: 37.1% other: 2% (2001)
Oil - production:
3,202 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
244,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
9,370 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
274,900 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
NA
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$72.35 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$200.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products
Exports - partners:
Germany 20.3%, US 9.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 8.4%, UK 5.1% (2007)
Imports:
$187.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles
Imports - partners:
Germany 32.6%, Italy 10.8%, France 9.5%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 4.6%, Austria 4.2%, UK 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.646 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$75.37 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.34 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$306.4 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$605.6 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$938.6 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Swiss franc (CHF)
Currency code:
CHF
Exchange rates:
Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007), 1.2539 (2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)
Communications Switzerland
Telephones - main lines in use:
5 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.096 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with excellent domestic and international services domestic: ranked among leading countries for fixed-line teledensity and infrastructure; mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 100 per 100 persons; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low-power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
7.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
3.31 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.ch
Internet hosts:
3.437 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000)
Internet users:
4.61 million (2007)
Transportation Switzerland
Airports:
65 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 16 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Heliports:
2 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,781 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 4,839 km standard gauge: 3,561 km 1.435-m gauge (3,195 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,268 km 1.000-m gauge (1,274 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 71,298 km paved: 71,298 km (includes 1,758 of expressways) (2006)
Waterways:
65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 35 by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 6, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 1, France 3, Italy 8, Liberia 13, Malta 20, Marshall Islands 12, Panama 25, Portugal 2, Russia 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 2, Tonga 1, UK 1, Vanuatu 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Basel
Military Switzerland
Military branches:
Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,852,580 females age 16-49: 1,807,667 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,513,984 females age 16-49: 1,478,761 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 49,205 female: 45,220 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Switzerland
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and limited ecstasy production
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Syria
Introduction Syria
Background:
Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah.
Geography Syria
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm
Climate:
mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
Terrain:
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)
Irrigated land:
13,330 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
46.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)
People Syria
Population:
19,747,586 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.2% (male 3,679,473/female 3,467,096) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 6,119,459/female 5,822,376) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 310,838/female 348,344) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.4 years male: 21.3 years female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.189% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
26.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.9 years male: 69.53 years female: 72.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Languages:
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.6% male: 86% female: 73.6% (2004 census)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (1999)
Government Syria
Country name:
conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Government type:
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
Capital:
name: Damascus geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
Independence:
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Constitution:
13 March 1973
Legal system:
based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; Islamic law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees cultural policy head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president approved by popular referendum for a second seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held on 27 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2014); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPF 172, independents 78
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts - Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce)
Political parties and leaders:
legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSU]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]) opposition parties not legally recognized:: Arab Democratic Socialist Union Party [Hasan Abdul AZIM]; Arab Socialist Movement; Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAHKOS]; People's Democratic Party [Riad al TURK]; Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafeez al HAFEZ] Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Democratic Front [Abdul Hamid DARWISH] (includes four parties); Kurdish Coordination [Abdul Hakim BASHAR] (includes Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD], Future Party [Masha'l TAMMO], Yekity Party [Hasam SALE]) other parties: Nahda Party [Abdul Aziz al MISLET]; Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Damascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a broad alliance of opposition groups and individuals including: Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF], Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS], Kurdish Democratic Alliance, Kurdish Democratic Front, Liberal Nationalists' Movement, National Democratic Front, National Democratic Rally, and Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in exile in London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration, but is not an official member)
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Maura CONNELLY embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444 FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980
Economy Syria
Economy - overview:
The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 3.3% in real terms in 2007 led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Damascus has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably gasoline and cement, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which is set to begin operations in 2009. In October 2007, for example, Damascus raised the price of subsidized gasoline by 20%, and may institute a rationing system in 2008. In addition, President ASAD signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform, and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for government debt. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production, high unemployment and inflation, rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$90.37 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$37.76 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 24% industry: 27.9% services: 48.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
5.462 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 19.2% industry: 14.5% services: 66.3% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
11.9% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $8.393 billion expenditures: $11.21 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
37.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.2% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8% (31 December 2005)
Stock of money:
$58.84 billion note: This number reflects the greatly overvalued official exchange rate of 11.23 Syrian pounds per dollar. At the unofficial rate of 50 Syrian pounds per dollar, the stock of Syrian pounds would equal US$13.22 billion and Syria's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be three, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money:
$45.93 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of domestic credit:
$50.92 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Industries:
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly
Industrial production growth rate:
2.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
34.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
34 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
986 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 57.6% hydro: 42.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
433,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
261,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
254,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
7.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
4.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
NA cu m
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$908 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$11.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners:
Iraq 30%, Lebanon 10%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 8%, Egypt 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, France 4.9% (2007)
Imports:
$10.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 12%, China 8.7%, Egypt 6.2%, Italy 6%, UAE 5.9%, Ukraine 4.8%, Russia 4.8%, Germany 4.7%, Iran 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$213 million (2008 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.046 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.633 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Syrian pound (SYP)
Currency code:
SYP
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003) note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03 are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during 2004-06,
Communications Syria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.452 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.7 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing rapidly and teledensity about 35 wireless telephones per 100 persons; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sy
Internet hosts:
7,857 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
3.47 million (2007)
Transportation Syria
Airports:
90 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 64 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 52 (2007)
Heliports:
7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,794 km; oil 2,000 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 97,401 km paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways) unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)
Waterways:
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 77 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 65, carrier 4, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 7 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 3, Romania 2) registered in other countries: 196 (Barbados 1, Bolivia 2, Cambodia 48, Comoros 4, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 49, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Libya 2, Malta 6, Moldova 1, Panama 32, Saint Kitts and Nevis 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra Leone 18, Slovakia 2, Togo 2, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Latakia, Tartus
Military Syria
Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Forces (includes Air Defense Command) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,251,875 females age 16-49: 4,966,367 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,242,401 females age 16-49: 4,218,648 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 215,734 female: 203,106 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Syria
Disputes - international:
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Taiwan
Introduction Taiwan
Background:
In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.
Geography Taiwan
Location:
Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Geographic coordinates:
23 30 N, 121 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,566.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain:
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural resources:
small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
67 cu km (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons
Environment - current issues:
air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
People Taiwan
Population:
22,920,946 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 2,057,458/female 1,900,449) 15-64 years: 72.3% (male 8,362,038/female 8,204,834) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,167,476/female 1,228,691) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 36 years male: 35.5 years female: 36.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.238% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.76 years male: 74.89 years female: 80.89 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups:
Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
Religions:
mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Languages:
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA female: NA (2003)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government Taiwan
Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa
Government type:
multiparty democracy
Capital:
name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government Information Office in Taipei. counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung [county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]
National holiday:
Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Constitution:
25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on 25 December 1947
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008); Vice President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIO Chao-shiuan (since 20 May 2008); Vice Premier (Vice President of Executive Yuan) Paul CHIU (CHANG-hsiung) (since 20 May 2008) cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: MA Ying-jeou elected president on 22 March 2008; percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%; MA Ying-jeou takes office on 20 May 2008
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for at-large seats elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2012) election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%; seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1
Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for Independence other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business groups note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the island currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC; there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162
Flag description:
red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy Taiwan
Economy - overview:
Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by the authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance in 2007 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate above 5%, and unemployment is below 4%.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$698.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$383.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4% industry: 27.5% services: 71.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
10.71 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.3% industry: 36.8% services: 57.9% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
0.95% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $76.2 billion expenditures: $75.65 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
NA
Stock of quasi money:
NA
Stock of domestic credit:
NA
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Industries:
electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
9.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
216.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
208.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 6% nuclear: 22.6% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
10,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
950,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
289,200 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
1.208 million bbl/day (2006)
Oil - proved reserves:
2.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
400 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
11.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
10.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$32.88 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$246.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electronic and electrical products, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals, auto parts (2002)
Exports - partners:
China 32.6%, US 12.9%, Hong Kong 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore 5% (2007)
Imports:
$215.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
electronic and electrical products, machinery, petroleum, precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2002)
Imports - partners:
Japan 22.7%, US 13.3%, China 11.2%, South Korea 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, Singapore 4.6% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$275 billion (31 December 2007)
Debt - external:
$97.85 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$92.83 billion (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$108.9 billion (2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$654 billion (28 December 2007)
Currency (code):
New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Currency code:
TWD
Exchange rates:
New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 32.84 (2007), 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003)
Communications Taiwan
Telephones - main lines in use:
14.313 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
24.302 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 140, FM 229, shortwave 49
Radios:
16 million (1994)
Television broadcast stations:
76 (46 digital and 30 analog) (2007)
Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)
Internet country code:
.tw
Internet hosts:
5.225 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)
Internet users:
14.76 million (2007)
Transportation Taiwan
Airports:
41 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
4 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,588 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities) (2007)
Roadways:
total: 40,262 km paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 102 by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 19, chemical tanker 1, container 24, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Canada 2, France 1) registered in other countries: 536 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 13, Kiribati 5, Liberia 91, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 320, Philippines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 72, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Chilung (Keelung), Kaohsiung, Taichung
Military Taiwan
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military service age and obligation:
19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service; service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009) year; women may enlist; women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (Army); the Ministry of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military training (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,283,134 females age 16-49: 6,098,599 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,112,737 females age 16-49: 5,036,346 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 164,883 female: 152,085 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.2% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Taiwan
Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Illicit drugs:
regional transit point for heroin, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Tajikistan
Introduction Tajikistan
Background:
The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbekistan SSR to newly formed Tajikistan SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-97 civil war. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and security assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.
Geography Tajikistan
Location:
Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:
total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Terrain:
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Natural resources:
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use:
arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:
7,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
99.7 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%) per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes and floods
Environment - current issues:
inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
People Tajikistan
Population:
7,211,884 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,270,289/female 1,226,954) 15-64 years: 61.7% (male 2,203,720/female 2,244,660) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 113,156/female 153,105) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.6 years male: 21.2 years female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.893% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
27.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 42.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 47.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.97 years male: 61.95 years female: 68.15 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s) adjective: Tajikistani
Ethnic groups:
Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Languages:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.5% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2000 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 10 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2006)
Government Tajikistan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Dushanbe geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Independence:
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Constitution:
6 November 1994
Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMON (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON 79.3%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 6.2%, other 14.5%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; 25 members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; to serve five-year terms) and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 25 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010); Assembly of Representatives 27 February and 13 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3; Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5 |
|
