Chapter XXII: Front Matter (22)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 74.93 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 81.67 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.38 years
male: 52.39 years
female: 56.44 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,400 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
400 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Gambian(s)
adjective: Gambian

Ethnic groups:
African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli
9%, other 4%), non-African 1%

Religions:
Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages:
English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous
vernaculars

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.1%
male: 47.8%
female: 32.8% (2003 est.)

Government Gambia, The

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia

Government type:
republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital:
Banjul

Administrative divisions:
5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North
Bank, Upper River, Western

Independence:
18 February 1965 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

Constitution:
24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by
national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished in January 1997

Legal system:
based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and
customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October
1996; note - from 1994 to 1996 he was Chairman of the Junta); Vice
President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18
October 1996; note - from 1994 to 1996 was he Chairman of the
Junta); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
the number of terms is not restricted; election last held 18 October
2001 (next to be held NA October 2006)
election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent
of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 52.9%, Ousainou DARBOE 32.7%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote,
five appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held NA January
2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1,

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC
[Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambian People's Party-Progressive People's
Party-United Democratic Party or GPP-PPP-UDP Coalition [Ousainou
DARBOE]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National
Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic
Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA]
note: in August 2001, an independent electoral commission allowed
the reregistration of the GPP, NCP, and PPP, three parties banned
since 1996

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Lena Manga
Sagnia SECK
chancery: Suite 905, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jackson McDONALD
embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul
mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391971
FAX: [220] 392475

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges,
and green

Economy Gambia, The

Economy - overview:
The Gambia has no important mineral or other natural resources and
has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends
on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing
activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides.
Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic
activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan,
and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of
the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The government's 1998
seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest
purchaser of Gambian groundnuts; the following two marketing seasons
have seen substantially lower prices and sales. A decline in tourism
in 2000 has also held back growth. Unemployment and underemployment
rates are extremely high. Shortrun economic progress remains highly
dependent on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on
responsible government economic management as forwarded by IMF
technical help and advice, and on expected growth in the
construction sector.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.582 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 13%
services: 54% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
400,000

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 75%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 6%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $90.5 million
expenditures: $80.9 million, including capital expenditures of $4.1
million (2001 est.)

Industries:
processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages;
agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
85.33 million kWh (2001)

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

Electricity - consumption:
79.36 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca),
palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats

Exports:
$138 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports

Exports - partners:
France 21.9%, UK 19.1%, Malaysia 11.8%, Italy 11.1%, Germany 7.3%,
Belgium 6.3%, South Africa 4.2% (2002)

Imports:
$225 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment

Imports - partners:
China 21.8%, Senegal 8.9%, Brazil 7.8%, UK 6.5%, Netherlands 5.4%,
India 4.9%, Belgium 4.5%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2002)

Debt - external:
$476 million (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$45.4 million (1995)

Currency:
dalasi (GMD)

Currency code:
GMD

Exchange rates:
dalasi per US dollar - NA (2002), 15.69 (2001), 12.79 (2000), 11.4
(1999), 10.64 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Gambia, The

Telephones - main lines in use:
31,900 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
5,624 (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is
available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and
Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
196,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (government-owned) (1997)

Televisions:
5,000 (2000)

Internet country code:
.gm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2001)

Internet users:
5,000 (2001)

Transportation Gambia, The

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1999)

Waterways:
400 km

Ports and harbors:
Banjul

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
1 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Military Gambia, The

Military branches:
Gambian National Army (GNA) (includes marine unit), National
Police, Presidential Guard

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 338,800 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 170,904 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.2 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.3% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Gambia, The

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Gaza Strip

Introduction Gaza Strip

Background:
The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993,
provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of
Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and
responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the
Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of
the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip
and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo
Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional
areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995
Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol
Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998
Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh
Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility
during the transitional period for external and internal security
and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct
negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank
had begun in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but have been
derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The
resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian
Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent
agreement.

Geography Gaza Strip

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Israel

Geographic coordinates:
31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 360 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 62 km
border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline:
40 km

Maritime claims:
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation

Climate:
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain:
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural resources:
arable land, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 26.32%
permanent crops: 39.47%
other: 34.21% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
120 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
droughts

Environment - current issues:
desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment;
water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination
of underground water resources

Geography - note:
there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the
Gaza Strip (February 2002 est.)

People Gaza Strip

Population:
1,274,868 (July 2002 est.)
note: in addition, there are more than 5,000 Israeli settlers in the
Gaza Strip (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 49.4% (male 322,658; female 307,026)
15-64 years: 47.9% (male 310,910; female 299,724)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 14,645; female 19,905) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 15.3 years
male: 15.1 years
female: 15.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
3.89% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
1.66 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: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 25.37 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.4 years
male: 70.13 years
female: 72.73 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.17 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: NA
adjective: NA

Ethnic groups:
Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Religions:
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

Languages:
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians),
English (widely understood)

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Gaza Strip

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Economy Gaza Strip

Economy - overview:
Economic output in the Gaza Strip - under the responsibility of the
Palestinian Authority since the Cairo Agreement of May 1994 -
declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996. The downturn was
largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of
generalized border closures in response to security incidents in
Israel - which disrupted previously established labor and commodity
market relationships between Israel and the WBGS (West Bank and Gaza
Strip). The most serious negative social effect of this downturn was
the emergence of high unemployment; unemployment in the WBGS during
the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%.
Israel's use of comprehensive closures decreased during the next few
years and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the
impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of
Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost
three-year-long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip;
real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in
the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of violence, triggering
tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and a severe
disruption of trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more
severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority
areas resulted in the destruction of capital plant and
administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp
drop in GDP. Another major loss has been the decline in income
earned by Palestinian workers in Israel. International aid of $2
billion in 2001-02 to the Gaza Strip and West Bank have prevented
the complete collapse of the economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $735 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-15% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9%
industry: 28%
services: 63% (includes West Bank)

Population below poverty line:
60% (2002 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.2% (includes West Bank) (2001 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
50% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $930 million
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $15
million (includes West Bank) (2000 est.)

Industries:
generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap,
olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis
have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial
center

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel (2001)

Agriculture - products:
olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Exports:
$603 million f.o.b., includes West Bank

Exports - commodities:
citrus, flowers

Exports - partners:
Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Imports:
$1.9 billion c.i.f., includes West Bank

Imports - commodities:
food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners:
Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Debt - external:
$108 million (includes West Bank) (1997 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$800 million (includes West Bank) (2001 est.)

Currency:
new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001),
4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Gaza Strip

Telephones - main lines in use:
95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire
system
international: NA

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

Radios:
NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation) (1997)

Televisions:
NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (1999)

Internet users:
60,000 (includes West Bank) (2001)

Transportation Gaza Strip

Railways:
total: NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little
trackage remains (2001 est.)

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Gaza

Airports:
2 (2001)
note: includes Gaza International Airport (GIA), inaugurated on 24
November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995
Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum; GIA has
been largely closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its
runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001
(2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Gaza Strip

Military branches:
in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority
is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, a
Public Security Force and a civil Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%

Transnational Issues Gaza Strip

Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status
subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Georgia

Introduction Georgia

Background:
Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century.
Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian
revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the
Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Ethnic separation in Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, poor governance, and Russian military bases deny the
government effective control over the entirety of the state's
internationally recognized territory. Despite myriad problems, some
progress on market reforms and democratization has been made. An
attempt by the government to manipulate legislative elections in
November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the
resignation of President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE.

Geography Georgia

Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and
Russia

Geographic coordinates:
42 00 N, 43 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 69,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
Turkey 252 km

Coastline:
310 km

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Terrain:
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and
Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida
Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in
the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of
Kolkhida Lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m

Natural resources:
forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor
coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important
tea and citrus growth

Land use:
arable land: 11.21%
permanent crops: 4.09%
other: 84.7% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
4,700 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari
River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil
pollution from toxic chemicals

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

Geography - note:
strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much
of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

People Georgia

Population:
4,934,413 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 466,743; female 449,440)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 1,628,757; female 1,744,922)
65 years and over: 13% (male 252,031; female 392,520) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.8 years
male: 32.6 years
female: 37 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.52% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 45.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 56.83 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.76 years
male: 61.33 years
female: 68.36 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 900 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian

Ethnic groups:
Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian
3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%

Religions:
Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Armenian
Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%

Languages:
Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 100%
female: 98% (1999 est.)

Government Georgia

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: none

Government type:
republic

Capital:
T'bilisi

Administrative divisions:
9 regions, (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities* (k'alak'ebi,
singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics** (avtomnoy
respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is
Avtonomiuri Respublika** (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri
Respublika** (Bat'umi), Chiat'ura*, Gori*, Guria, Imereti, Kakheti,
K'ut'aisi*, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, P'ot'i*,
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Rust'avi*, Samegrelo and Zemo
Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, T'bilisi*, Tqibuli*,
Tsqaltubo*, Zugdidi*
note: the administrative centers of the 2 autonomous republics are
shown in parentheses

Independence:
9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of
independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of
independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
adopted 17 October 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nino BURJANADZE (acting president since
23 November 2003; formerly parliamentary speaker, she assumed the
presidency upon the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nino BURJANADZE (acting president
since 23 November 2003; formerly parliamentary speaker, she assumed
the presidency upon the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE reelected president; percent
of vote - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 80%; note - following the resignation
of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, Nino BURJANADZE became acting president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held 4 January 2004 to
replace Eduard SHEVARDNADZE)

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or
Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party (from earlier 1999
elections) - CUG 41.7%, AGUR 25.2%, IWSG 7.1%, all other parties
received less than 7% each; seats by party - CUG 130, AGUR 64, IWSG
15, Labor 2, Abkhaz (government-in-exile) deputies 12, independents
12
elections: last held 2 November 2003 but results were invalidated
(next to be held spring 2004)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the
president's recommendation); Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG [Avtandil JORBENADZE]; Georgian
People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or
UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE];
Industry Will Save Georgia or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party
[Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Irina
SARISHVILI-CHANTURIA]; New National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI];
New Right [Levaii GACHECHILADZE]; Republican Party [David
BERDZENISHVILI]; "Revival" Union Party or AGUR [Alsan ABASHIDZE];
Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki
ASATIANI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile;
separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
supporters of the late ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Levan MIKELADZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009
FAX: [1] (202) 393-6060
telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard M. MILES
embassy: #25 Atoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address: 7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060
telephone: [995] (32) 989-967/68
FAX: [995] (32) 933-759

Flag description:
maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner;
rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

Economy Georgia

Economy - overview:
Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of
agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and
grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small
industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages,
metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of
its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only
sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe
damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with
the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic
gains since 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing
inflation. However, the Georgian Government suffers from limited
resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia
also suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the T'bilisi
distribution network in 1998, but collection rates are low, making
the venture unprofitable. The country is pinning its hopes for
long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and
trade. The start of construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will bring
much-needed investment and job opportunities.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $16.05 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.4% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 25%
services: 55% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.9% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.1 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
2.1 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services 40% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
17% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $499 million
expenditures: $554 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining
(manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2000)

Electricity - production:
7.27 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 19.7%
hydro: 80.3%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
7.611 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
850 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
31,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tea, hazlenuts, vegetables; livestock

Exports:
$515 million (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits,
tea, wine

Exports - partners:
Turkey 23%, Italy 12.1%, Russia 11.4%, Greece 8.5%, Netherlands
7.5%, Spain 5.9%, Turkmenistan 4.7%, Ukraine 4.3% (2002)

Imports:
$750 million (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other
foods, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:
Turkey 15.6%, Azerbaijan 11.2%, US 9.9%, Russia 9.1%, Germany 7.2%,
Italy 5.1%, Bulgaria 4.9%, Romania 4.3%, France 4.2%, Ukraine 4.1%
(2002)

Debt - external:
$1.7 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $150 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
lari (GEL)

Currency code:
GEL

Exchange rates:
lari per US dollar - 2.2 (2002), 2.07 (2001), 1.98 (2000), 2.02
(1999), 1.39 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Georgia

Telephones - main lines in use:
620,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
185,500 (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line
between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is
available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow
switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
2.57 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ge

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
25,000 (2002)

Transportation Georgia

Railways:
total: 1,612 km
broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge
narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 20,362 km
paved: 19,038 km
unpaved: 1,325 km (2000)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
gas 1,495 km; oil 1,029 km; refined products 232 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi

Merchant marine:
total: 116 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 483,028 GRT/713,461 DWT
ships by type: bulk 16, cargo 72, chemical tanker 1, container 11,
petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2,
specialized tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Belize 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 4,
Gibraltar 1, Greece 5, Jordan 1, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malta 1,
Panama 9, Romania 8, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 5, Turkey 2,
Ukraine 7, UAE 11, UK 1, US 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
40 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 4 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 7 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 5

Transportation - note:
transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic
conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks
maintenance and repair

Military Georgia

Military branches:
Ground Forces (includes National Guard), combined Air and Air
Defense Forces, Naval Forces, Republic Security and Police Forces
(internal and border troops)

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,302,815 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,028,913 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 43,359 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$23 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.59% (FY00)

Military - note:
a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the
Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer
group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

Transnational Issues Georgia

Disputes - international:
boundary with Russia has been largely delimited, but not demarcated
with several small, strategic segments remaining in dispute and OSCE
observers monitoring volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the
Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia; Meshkheti Turks
scattered throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to
Georgia; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek
greater autonomy, closer ties with Armenia

Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via
Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Germany

Introduction Germany

Background:
As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany
remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and
defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country
in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century
and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the
US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the
Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal
Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic
(GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic
and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO,
while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led
Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War
allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has
expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages
up to western standards. In January 2002, Germany and 11 other EU
countries introduced a common European currency, the euro.

Geography Germany

Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between
the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Geographic coordinates:
51 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 357,021 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 3,621 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646
km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577
km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Coastline:
2,389 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 and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm foehn wind

Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural
gas, salt, nickel, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.88%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 65.47% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
4,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to
air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions,
is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and
industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste
disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of
nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU
commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the
EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance
to the Baltic Sea

People Germany

Population:
82,398,326 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.9% (male 6,312,614; female 5,988,681)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 28,213,316; female 27,240,648)
65 years and over: 17.8% (male 5,842,457; female 8,800,610) (2003
est.)

Median age:
total: 41.3 years
male: 39.9 years
female: 42.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.04% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
2.18 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.42 years
male: 75.46 years
female: 81.55 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
41,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
660 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German

Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of
Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)

Religions:
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or
other 28.3%

Languages:
German

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Germany

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Berlin

Administrative divisions:
16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern,
Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,
Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen

Independence:
18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four
zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945
following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West
Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and
French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany)
proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;
unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October
1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991

National holiday:
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
German people 3 October 1990

Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999)
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an
equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election
last held 23 May 1999 (next to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor
elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a
four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be
held NA September 2006)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by
the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal
Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor;
percent of Federal Assembly vote 50.7%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or parlament consists of the Federal Assembly
or Bundestag (603 seats; elected by popular vote under a system
combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win
5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain
representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal
Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly
represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population
and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 22 September 2002 (next to
be held NA September 2006); note - there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD
38.5%, CDU/CSU 38.5%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.6%, FDP 7.4%, PDS 4%;
seats by party - SPD 251, CDU/CSU 248, Alliance '90/Greens 55, FDP
47, PDS 2; Federal Council - current composition - NA

Judicial branch:
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the
judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER];
Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social
Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or
FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Party of Democratic Socialism or
PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard
SCHROEDER, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and
veterans groups

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS,
CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7,
G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU,
WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new
embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (30) 238-5174
FAX: [49] (30) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg,
Leipzig, Munich

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold

Economy Germany

Economy - overview:
Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy has turned
in a weak performance throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s.
The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy
continues to be a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers
from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's ageing
population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social
security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers.
Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict
regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a
national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Growth in
2002 and 2003 fell short of 1%. Corporate restructuring and growing
capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany
to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration
and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are
further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government
revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above
the EU's 3% debt limit.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.16 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
0.2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $26,200 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 31%
services: 68% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
41.9 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
9.8% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $802 billion
expenditures: $825 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
among the world's largest and most technologically advanced
producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery,
vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages;
shipbuilding; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
-2.1% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
544.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.8%
hydro: 4.2%
other: 4.1% (2001)
nuclear: 29.9%

Electricity - consumption:
506.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
43.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
44 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
85,860 bbl/day (2001 est.)

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

Oil - exports:
404,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
3.081 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
327.3 million bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle,
pigs, poultry

Exports:
$608 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures,
foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners:
France 10.7%, US 10.3%, UK 8.4%, Italy 7.3%, Netherlands 6.1%,
Austria 5.1%, Belgium 4.8%, Spain 4.6%, Switzerland 4.2% (2002)

Imports:
$487.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

Imports - partners:
France 9.5%, Netherlands 8.2%, US 7.7%, UK 6.5%, Italy 6.4%,
Belgium 5.2%, Austria 4%, China 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94
(1999), 1.76 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Germany

Telephones - main lines in use:
50.9 million (March 2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
55.3 million (June 2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to
World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries
international: Germany's international service is excellent
worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable
facilities as well as earth stations in the INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
EUTELSAT, and INTERSPUTNIK satellite systems (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
77.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
51.4 million (1998)

Internet country code:
.de

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
200 (2001)

Internet users:
32.1 million (2002)

Transportation Germany

Railways:
total: 45,514 km (21,000 km electrified)
standard gauge: 45,276 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km
0.750-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 230,735 km
paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Waterways:
7,500 km
note: major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an
important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea (1999)

Pipelines:
condensate 325 km; gas 25,289 km; oil 3,743 km; refined products
3,827 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden,
Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Luebeck, Magdeburg,
Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart

Merchant marine:
total: 337 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,036,397 GRT/7,334,067 DWT
ships by type: cargo 94, chemical tanker 15, container 203,
liquefied gas 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 5, railcar carrier 2,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 7
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Chile 1, Finland 5, Iceland 1, Netherlands 3,
Switzerland 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
551 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 328
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 54
914 to 1,523 m: 69
under 914 m: 131 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 63

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 223
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 189 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 31

Heliports:
40 (2002)

Military Germany

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, Medical Corps,
Joint Support Service

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 20,509,838 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 17,399,936 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 472,946 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$38.8 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.38% (2002)

Transnational Issues Germany

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian
heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Ghana

Introduction Ghana

Background:
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and
the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first country
in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups
resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the
banning of political parties. A new constitution, restoring
multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head
of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996,
but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in
2000. He was succeeded by John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice
President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election.

Geography Ghana

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire
and Togo

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo
877 km

Coastline:
539 km

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

Climate:
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and
humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain:
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish,
rubber, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 15.82%
permanent crops: 7.47%
other: 76.71% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
110 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts

Environment - current issues:
recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural
activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and
habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution;
inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

People Ghana

Population:
20,467,747
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 4,021,570; female 3,938,454)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 5,859,940; female 5,909,910)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 350,045; female 387,828) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.8 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 20 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.45% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 49.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 55.97 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.53 years
male: 55.66 years
female: 57.43 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
360,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
28,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups:
black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%,
Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16%, Christian 63%

Languages:
English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 67.1% (2003 est.)
male: 82.7%
total population: 74.8%

People - note:
there are 9,500 Liberians, 2,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 1,000
Togolese refugees residing in Ghana (2002)

Government Ghana

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast

Government type:
constitutional democracy

Capital:
Accra

Administrative divisions:
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra,
Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Independence:
6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution:
approved 28 April 1992

Legal system:
based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January
2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January
2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject
to approval by Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 and 28
December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004)
election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR elected president in runoff
election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 56.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.6%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members are elected by direct,
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2000 (next to be held NA December
2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPP 100, NDC 92, PNC 3, CPP 1, independents 4