Chapter XVII: Front Matter (17)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down
from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years;
parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two
inconclusive elections in January 2003
head of government: Prime Minister Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July
2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 20 August
2003), Cyril SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July
2002), Petr MARES (since July 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February
2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round;
combined votes of both chambers of parliament)
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier
elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive); prime
minister appointed by the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS
24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor
12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU
10
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26 October and 1-2
November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); Chamber of
Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June
2006)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen
are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:
Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or
KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or
ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS
[Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist Party of
Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National
Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic
Party or CSSD [Vladimir SPIDLA, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic
Union or US-DEU [Petr MARES, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL,
chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue
isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of
the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy Czech Republic

Economy - overview:
One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states,
the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since
mid-1999. Growth in 2000-03 was supported by exports to the EU,
primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign direct
investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role
in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability
of credit cards and mortgages increases. High current account
deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years -
could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control. The EU
put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in
preparations for accession, which will give further impetus and
direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking,
telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage
additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among
large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector
should strengthen output growth. But revival in the European
economies remains essential to stepped-up growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $157.1 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 41%
services: 55.2% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
25.4 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
5.203 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
9.8% (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass,
armaments

Industrial production growth rate:
3.5% (2002)

Electricity - production:
70.04 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 1% (2001)
nuclear: 20%

Electricity - consumption:
55.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
18.92 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
9.38 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
7,419 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
175,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
192,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
17.25 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
160 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.892 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
1 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.057 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Exports:
$40.8 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures
25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000)

Exports - partners:
Germany 40.2%, Slovakia 7.1%, Austria 5.8%, UK 5.1%, Poland 5%,
France 4% (2002)

Imports:
$43.2 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures
21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000)

Imports - partners:
Germany 39.1%, Slovakia 6%, Austria 5.6%, Italy 5.4%, France 5.3%,
Poland 4.1%, UK 4.1%, Russia 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$23.8 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$108 million; EU structural adjustment funds (2002)

Currency:
Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code:
CZK

Exchange rates:
koruny per US dollar - 32.74 (2002), 38.04 (2001), 38.6 (2000),
34.57 (1999), 32.28 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.869 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.346 million (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech
telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily;
growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly
vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber
systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;
trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic
and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1
Globalstar

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Radios:
3,159,134 (December 2000)

Television broadcast stations:
150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions:
3,405,834 (December 2000)

Internet country code:
.cz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
more than 300 (2000)

Internet users:
2.69 million (2001)

Transportation Czech Republic

Railways:
total: 9,462 km
standard gauge: 9,363 km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 55,408 km
paved: 55,408 km (including 499 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000)

Waterways:
303 km
note: the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river (2000)

Pipelines:
gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Airports:
144 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 44
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
under 914 m: 19 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 2

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 100
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 62 (2002)

Heliports:
2 (2002)

Military Czech Republic

Military branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,622,192 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,002,202 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 67,777 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1,190.2 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.1% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Czech Republic

Disputes - international:
Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of
land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten
German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection
with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute
with Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant and
post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit
point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of
synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money
laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Denmark

Introduction Denmark

Background:
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European
power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is
participating in the general political and economic integration of
Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973.
However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the
European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic
and Monetary Union (EMU) and issues concerning certain justice and
home affairs.

Geography Denmark

Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a
peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major
islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Geographic coordinates:
56 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 43,094 sq km
water: 700 sq km
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest
of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major
islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and
Greenland
land: 42,394 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 68 km
border countries: Germany 68 km

Coastline:
7,314 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Terrain:
low and flat to gently rolling plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and
sand

Land use:
arable land: 55.74%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 44.07% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
4,760 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of
Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are
protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions;
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and
surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of
the Sea

Geography - note:
controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and
North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater
Copenhagen

People Denmark

Population:
5,384,384 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.7% (male 516,872; female 490,543)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,809,138; female 1,762,577)
65 years and over: 15% (male 338,141; female 467,113) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.1 years
male: 38.1 years
female: 40.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.28% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
11.52 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
10.72 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.1 years
male: 74.48 years
female: 79.87 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.73 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dane(s)
adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups:
Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali

Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%,
Muslim 2%

Languages:
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small
minority)
note: English is the predominant second language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Denmark

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local short form: Danmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Copenhagen

Administrative divisions:
metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2
boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskomunes); Arhus, Bornholm,
Fredericksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavns*,
Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom,
Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg
note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland,
which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and are self-governing
overseas administrative divisions

Independence:
first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became
a constitutional monarchy

National holiday:
none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June is generally viewed as
the National Day

Constitution:
1849 was the original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5
June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief
of state

Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir
Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26
May 1968)
head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27
November 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by
Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 from
Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 November 2001 (next to be held by November
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Liberal Party 56, Social Democrats 52, Danish People's Party 22,
Conservative Party 16, Socialist People's Party 12, Social Liberal
Party 9, Christian People's Party 4, Unity List 4; note - does not
include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe
Islands

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Political parties and leaders:
Center Democratic Party [Mimi JAKOBSEN]; Christian People's Party
[Marianne KARLSMOSE]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as
Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party
[Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Social
Democratic Party [Mogens LYKKETOFT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes
called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Johannes LEBECH,
chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Holger K. NIELSEN]; Red-Green
Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of
Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO,
UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stuart A. BERNSTEIN
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] 35 55 31 44
FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23

Flag description:
red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the
vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that
design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently
adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway,
and Sweden

Economy Denmark

Economy - overview:
This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech
agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry,
extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards,
a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is
a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance
of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the
bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The
government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the
economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase
(a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary
Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join the 12 other EU
members in the euro; even so, the Danish Krone remains pegged to the
euro. Given the sluggish state of the European economy, growth in
2003 was a mere 1.1%.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $155.3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
24.7 (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
2.856 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 79%, industry 17%, agriculture 4% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $52.9 billion
expenditures: $51.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $500
million (2001 est.)

Industries:
food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing,
chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture and other
wood products, shipbuilding, windmills

Industrial production growth rate:
1.4% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
35.47 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 82.7%
hydro: 0.1%
other: 17.3% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
32.41 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
8.775 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
8.199 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
346,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
218,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
332,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
195,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.23 billion bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
8.38 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
5.28 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
81.98 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish

Exports:
$56.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products,
fish, chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills

Exports - partners:
Germany 17.1%, Sweden 11.6%, UK 7.8%, US 6.8%, France 5.8%, Norway
5.7%, Japan 4.4% (2002)

Imports:
$47.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for
industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Germany 22.9%, Sweden 10.7%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 7.8%, France 6%,
Norway 4.9%, Italy 4.4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$21.7 billion (2000)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.63 billion (1999)

Currency:
Danish krone (DKK)

Currency code:
DKK

Exchange rates:
Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.89 (2002), 8.32 (2001), 8.08
(2000), 6.98 (1999), 6.7 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Denmark

Telephones - main lines in use:
4.785 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,444,016 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form
trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with
Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe
Islands, Iceland, and Canada; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat,
10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note -
the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for
worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
6.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
3.121 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.dk

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
13 (2000)

Internet users:
3.37 million (2002)

Transportation Denmark

Railways:
total: 3,164 km
standard gauge: 2,324 km 1.435-m gauge (595 km electrified)
note:: total includes 840 km of suburban track (2002)

Highways:
total: 71,591 km
paved: 71,591 km (including 880 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000)

Waterways:
417 km

Pipelines:
condensate 12 km; gas 3,892 km; oil 455 km; oil/gas/water 2 km;
unknown (oil/water) 64 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Abenra, Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia,
Frederikshavn, Hirtshals, Kolding, Odense, Roenne (Bornholm), Vejle

Merchant marine:
total: 282 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,714,557 GRT/8,715,716 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Germany 1, Greenland 1, Indonesia 1, Netherlands 1,
Norway 9, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 85, chemical tanker 29, container 77,
liquefied gas 19, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 28, railcar
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 11, short-sea
passenger 6, specialized tanker 4

Airports:
104 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 76
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 71 (2002)

Military Denmark

Military branches:
Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home
Guard

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,282,315 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,094,611 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 28,198 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.47 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY99/00)

Transnational Issues Denmark

Disputes - international:
Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and
the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the
Rockall area); dispute with Iceland over the Faroe Islands'
fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM; disputes with Iceland,
the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf
boundary outside 200 NM; Faroese are considering proposals for full
independence; uncontested dispute with Canada over Hans Island
sovereignty in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and
Greenland

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Djibouti

Introduction Djibouti

Background:
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in
1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party
state and proceeded to serve three consecutive six-year terms as
president. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990's led to
multi-party elections resulting in President Ismail Omar GUELLEH
attaining office in May 1999. A peace accord in 2001 ended the final
phases of a ten-year uprising by Afar rebels. Djibouti occupies a
very strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and
serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and
leaving the east African highlands. GUELLEH favors close ties to
France, which maintains a significant military presence in the
country.

Geography Djibouti

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between
Eritrea and Somalia

Geographic coordinates:
11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 23,000 sq km
water: 20 sq km
land: 22,980 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline:
314 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
desert; torrid, dry

Terrain:
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Natural resources:
geothermal areas

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the
Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land;
desertification; endangered species

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to
Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly
wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

People Djibouti

Population:
457,130 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.1% (male 98,796; female 98,202)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 129,492; female 116,953)
65 years and over: 3% (male 6,933; female 6,754) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 17.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.13% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
40.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
19.45 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 106.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 98.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 114.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.13 years
male: 41.82 years
female: 44.48 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
11.75% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
37,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Djiboutian(s)
adjective: Djiboutian

Ethnic groups:
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%

Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 78%
female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

Government Djibouti

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Djibouti

Administrative divisions:
5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil,
Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura

Independence:
27 June 1977 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Constitution:
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Legal system:
based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and
Islamic law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister DILEITA Mohamed Dileita (since 4
March 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH elected president; percent of
vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats;
members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held NA January
2008)
election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats -
RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic
Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development
Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de
l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress
Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GUELLEH]; Peoples
Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican
Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for
Democracy and Justice or UDJ [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD,
PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition
coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald YAMAMOTO
embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti
mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti
telephone: [253] 35 39 95
FAX: [253] 35 39 40

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with
a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red
five-pointed star in the center

Economy Djibouti

Economy - overview:
The economy is based on service activities connected with the
country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in
northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital
city, the remainder being mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall
limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must
be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for
the region and an international transshipment and refueling center.
It has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is,
therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support
its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An
unemployment rate of 50% continues to be a major problem. Inflation
is not a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the franc to
the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over
the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high
population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced
with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen
in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to
meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. Another factor limiting
growth is the negative impact on port activity now that Ethiopia has
more trade route options.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $619 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 15.8%
services: 80.7% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
282,000

Labor force - by occupation:
NA%

Unemployment rate:
50% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries:
construction, agricultural processing

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production:
180 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
167.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
11,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels

Exports:
$70 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners:
Somalia 56.7%, Yemen 24.4%, Pakistan 4.8%, Ethiopia 4.4%, UAE 4.1%
(2002)

Imports:
$255 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 18.2%, Ethiopia 10.5%, US 9.2%, France 8.6%, China
8.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2002)

Debt - external:
$366 million (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$36 million (2001)

Currency:
Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code:
DJF

Exchange rates:
Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001),
177.72 (2000), 177.72 (1999), 177.72 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Djibouti

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
5,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti
are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to
outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles,
Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio
relay telephone network

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
28,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
3,300 (2002)

Transportation Djibouti

Railways:
total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)

Highways:
total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Djibouti

Airports:
13 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2002)

Military Djibouti

Military branches:
Djibouti National Army (including Navy and Air Force)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 107,050 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 63,459 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$26.53 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.4% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Djibouti

Disputes - international:
Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with
"Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to
various factions in Somalia including the Somali Transitional
National Government in Mogadishu

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Dominica

Introduction Dominica

Background:
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by
Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native
Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made
the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence,
Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical
administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the
first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office
for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are
the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Geography Dominica

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 754 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
148 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain:
rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 16%
other: 80% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be
expected during the late summer months

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its
spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected
by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the
Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and
include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in
the world

People Dominica

Population:
69,655 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.8% (male 9,807; female 9,571)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 23,024; female 21,768)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,226; female 3,259) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.4 years
male: 28.1 years
female: 28.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.63% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
16.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
6.99 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-16.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 20.29 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.12 years
male: 71.23 years
female: 77.15 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:
black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6%

Languages:
English (official), French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (2003 est.)

Government Dominica

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica

Government type:
parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth

Capital:
Roseau

Administrative divisions:
10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,
Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul,
Saint Peter

Independence:
3 November 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Constitution:
3 November 1978

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicholas LIVERPOOL (since 10 November
2003)
elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held
NA October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA%
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October
2000); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Roosevelt
DOUGLAS

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21
elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to be held by 17 July
2005) note - tradition dictates that the election will be held
within five years of the last election, but technically it is five
years from the first seating of parliament (17 April 2000) plus a 90
day grace period
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
-DLP 10, UWP 9, DFP 2

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal
and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges
must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary
Jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor
Party or DLP [Pierre CHARLES]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison
JAMES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Swinburne LESTRADE
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; US interests are
served by the embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados

Flag description:
green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical
part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal
part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center
of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10
green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent
the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

Economy Dominica

Economy - overview:
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas,
and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and
international economic developments. Hurricane Luis devastated the
country's banana crop in 1995 after tropical storms wiped out a
quarter of the 1994 crop. The economy subsequently has been fueled
by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals.
Development of the tourism industry remains difficult however,
because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of
an international airport. Economic growth is sluggish, and
unemployment is greater than 20%. The government has been attempting
to develop an offshore financial sector in order to diversify the
island's production base.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $380 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
30% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
25,000

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28%

Unemployment rate:
23% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001)

Industries:
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Industrial production growth rate:
-10% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
72.41 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 47.1%
hydro: 52.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
67.35 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
600 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and
fishery potential not exploited

Exports:
$50 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Exports - partners:
UK 36.1%, Jamaica 18%, US 7.5%, Antigua and Barbuda 6.4%, Guyana
5.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.4% (2002)

Imports:
$135 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:
China 23.9%, US 23.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 11.9%, South Korea 7.6%,
UK 7.3%, Japan 4.5% (2002)

Debt - external:
$161.5 million (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
$24.4 million (1995)

Currency:
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7
(2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Dominica

Telephones - main lines in use:
19,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
461 (1996)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to
Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint
Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
46,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (however, there is one cable television company) (1997)

Televisions:
6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
2,000 (2000)

Transportation Dominica

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 780 km
paved: 393 km
unpaved: 387 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Portsmouth, Roseau

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
2 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)

Military Dominica

Military branches:
Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Special Service
Unit, Coast Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%

Transnational Issues Dominica

Disputes - international:
protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island,
which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a
large portion of the Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe;
minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak,
making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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@Dominican Republic

Introduction Dominican Republic

Background:
Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the
island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of
the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized
French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804
became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo
Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was
conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally
attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. A legacy of
unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its
subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin
BALAGUER became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for
most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed
elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then,
regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition
candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had
one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere over the past
decade.

Geography Dominican Republic

Location:
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 70 40 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km

Coastline:
1,288 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 6 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate:
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal
variation in rainfall

Terrain:
rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Natural resources:
nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use:
arable land: 21.08%
permanent crops: 9.92%
other: 69% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
2,590 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs;
deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the
Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)

People Dominican Republic

Population:
8,715,602 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.6% (male 1,497,777; female 1,431,104)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 2,719,505; female 2,614,495)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 212,045; female 240,676) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 23.5 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.36% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
23.94 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 34.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 31.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 36.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.96 years
male: 66.41 years
female: 69.58 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.92 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
130,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,800 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:
white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%

Languages:
Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.7%
male: 84.6%
female: 84.8% (2003 est.)

Government Dominican Republic

Country name:
conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: none

Government type:
representative democracy

Capital:
Santo Domingo

Administrative divisions:
29 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district*
(distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*,
Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia,
La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor
Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata,
Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro
de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde

Independence:
27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Constitution:
28 November 1966

Legal system:
based on French civil codes

Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons
regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16
August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since
16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16
August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 16 May 2000
(next to be held NA May 2004)
election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected
president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD)
49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de
Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May
2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held
NA May 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council
made up of members of the legislative and executive branches with
the president presiding)

Political parties and leaders:
Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];
Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social
Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Eduardo ESTRELLA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Collective of Popular Organizations or COP

International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA
(observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo GUILIANI Cury
consulate(s): Mobile and Ponce (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Mayaguez
(Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280
chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL
embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo
Navarro, Santo Domingo
mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500
telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171
FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437

Flag description:
a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag
into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red,
and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of
arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a
palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield
a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God,
Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
appears on a red ribbon

Economy Dominican Republic