Chapter XLV: Front Matter (45)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 2.36 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.65 male(s)/female
total population: 1.9 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 23.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.14 years
male: 70.65 years
female: 75.76 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.09% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Qatari(s)
adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups:
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Religions:
Muslim 95%

Languages:
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.5%
male: 81.4%
female: 85% (2003 est.)

Government Qatar

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Qatar
conventional short form: Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls
between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar

Government type:
traditional monarchy

Capital:
Doha

Administrative divisions:
10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al
Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan
al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal

Independence:
3 September 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Constitution:
provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir
HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent
constitution; in the 29 April 2003 referendum, 96.6% of Qatari
voters approved the new constitution

Legal system:
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil
codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and
personal matters

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995
when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad
Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince JASIM bin Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the monarch (selected crown prince by
the monarch 22 October 1996); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the
positions of minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed
forces
head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani,
brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime
Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch
(since 20 January 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member
Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed
at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election
for the CMC was held in March 1999

Legislative branch:
unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members
appointed)
note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there
were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their
terms extended every four years since; the new constitution provides
for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public
would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would
appoint the remaining members

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer),
OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Badr Umar al-DAFA
telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600
consulate(s) general: Houston
FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061
chancery: 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Maureen E. QUINN
embassy: Al-Luqtas District, 22 February Road, Doha
mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha
telephone: [974] 488 4101
FAX: [974] 488 4298

Flag description:
maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the
hoist side

Economy Qatar

Economy - overview:
Oil and gas account for more than 55% of GDP, roughly 85% of export
earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given
Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to that of the leading West
European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 14.5 billion
barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23
years. Production and export of natural gas are becoming
increasingly important to the economy. Qatar's proved reserves of
natural gas exceed 17.9 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the
world total and third largest in the world. Long-term goals feature
the development of offshore natural gas reserves. Since 2000, Qatar
has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil
prices and increased natural gas exports, and Qatar's economy is
expected to receive an added boost as it begins to increase liquid
natural gas exports.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $15.91 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $20,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 67.6%
services: 32% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2002)

Labor force:
280,122 (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.7% (2001)

Budget:
revenues: $5 billion
expenditures: $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2
billion (FY 02/03 est.)

Industries:
crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals,
steel reinforcing bars, cement

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
9.264 billion kWh (2001)

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

Electricity - consumption:
8.616 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
864,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
14.51 billion bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
17.93 trillion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish

Exports:
$10.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum products, fertilizers, steel

Exports - partners:
Japan 40.1%, South Korea 16.6%, Singapore 8.2%, US 4.1% (2002)

Imports:
$3.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:
France 17.8%, Japan 10.1%, US 8.5%, UK 8.3%, Germany 8%, Italy
6.7%, UAE 5.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.1%, South Korea 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$15.4 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency:
Qatari rial (QAR)

Currency code:
QAR

Exchange rates:
Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001), 3.64 (2000),
3.64 (1999), 3.64 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Qatar

Telephones - main lines in use:
142,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
43,476 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: NA
international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio
relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
256,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus three repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
230,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.qa

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
75,000 (2001)

Transportation Qatar

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 1,230 km
paved: 1,107 km
unpaved: 123 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
condensate 90 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 902 km; liquid
petroleum gas 87 km; oil 722 km; oil/gas/water 41 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id)

Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 638,815 GRT/995,096 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 2,
container 7, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Kuwait 1, UAE 3 (2002 est.)

Airports:
4 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 2 (2002)

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

Heliports:
1 (2002)

Military Qatar

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 320,835
note: includes non-nationals (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 168,416 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 7,192 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$723 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (FY00)

Transnational Issues Qatar

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Reunion

Introduction Reunion

Background:
The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the
17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by
influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the
island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost
the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade
route.

Geography Reunion

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
21 06 S, 55 36 E

Map references:
World

Area:
total: 2,517 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
207 km

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

Climate:
tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry
from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

Natural resources:
fish, arable land, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2%
other: 84.8% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
120 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la
Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de
la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis,
which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean

People Reunion

Population:
755,171 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.3% (male 121,119; female 115,501)
15-64 years: 62.8% (male 233,607; female 240,502)
65 years and over: 5.9% (male 18,036; female 26,406) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.4 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 27.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 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: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 8.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.43 years
male: 70.03 years
female: 77 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.53 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: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese

Ethnic groups:
French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)

Languages:
French (official), Creole widely used

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9%
male: 87%
female: 90.8% (2003 est.)

Government Reunion

Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion
local short form: Ile de la Reunion
local long form: none
former: Bourbon Island

Dependency status:
overseas department of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons

Independence:
none (overseas department of France)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and
Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc
POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council
Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)
cabinet: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral
Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to
be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next
to be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10,
UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 19, UDF 9, RPR
8, various right-wing candidates 4, various left-wing candidates 5
note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also
elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1,
PCR 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the
Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS
[Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert
GERARD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
FZ, InOC, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas department of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Reunion

Economy - overview:
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but
services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more
than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports.
The government has been pushing the development of a tourist
industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of
the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the
poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social
tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better
off than other segments of the population, often approaching
European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and
unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent.
The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the
seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of
Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from
France.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 19%
services: 73% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%

Labor force:
309,900 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)

Unemployment rate:
36% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998)

Industries:
sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
1.08 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 55.5%
hydro: 44.5%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
1.005 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
18,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn

Exports:
$214 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%,
(1993)

Exports - partners:
France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000)

Imports:
$2.5 billion c.i.f. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and
transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products

Imports - partners:
France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France

Currency:
euro (EUR)

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Reunion

Telephones - main lines in use:
268,500 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
197,000 (September 2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network
international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France,
Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
173,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
127,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.re

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
10,000 (2000)

Transportation Reunion

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)
unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Le Port, Pointe des Galets

Airports:
2 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

Military Reunion

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 198,341 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 101,116 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 6,795 (2003 est.)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Reunion

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Romania

Introduction Romania

Background:
Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a
Communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king.
The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power
in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly
oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown
and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the
government until 1996, when they were swept from power by a
fractious coalition of centrist parties. Currently, the Social
Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which
governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of
Hungarians in Romania. Bucharest must address rampant corruption,
while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms, before
Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union.

Geography Romania

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and
Ukraine

Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east)
169 km

Coastline:
225 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny
summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Terrain:
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia
on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the
Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural resources:
petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron
ore, salt, arable land, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 40.57%
permanent crops: 2.4%
other: 57.03% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
28,800 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure
and climate promote landslides

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in
south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta
wetlands

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

Geography - note:
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans,
Moldova, and Ukraine

People Romania

Population:
22,271,839 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 1,932,204; female 1,838,240)
15-64 years: 69% (male 7,634,481; female 7,739,232)
65 years and over: 14% (male 1,290,343; female 1,837,339) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 35.4 years
male: 34 years
female: 37.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.21% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.6 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: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 20.31 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.62 years
male: 66.88 years
female: 74.59 years (2003 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
350 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Romanian(s)
adjective: Romanian

Ethnic groups:
Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German
0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002)

Religions:
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%, Protestant
6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%, unaffiliated 0.2%
(2002)

Languages:
Romanian (official), Hungarian, German

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (2003 est.)

Government Romania

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Romania
local short form: Romania
local long form: none

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Bucharest

Administrative divisions:
41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality*
(municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud,
Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi,
Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati,
Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov,
Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare,
Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence:
9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from Turkey; independence
recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed
26 March 1881; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)

National holiday:
Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Constitution:
8 December 1991

Legal system:
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is
now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 December 2000)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 26 November 2000, with runoff between the top two
candidates held 10 December 2000 (next to be held NA
November/December 2004); prime minister appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister Adrian NASTASE (since 29 December
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
election results: percent of vote - Ion ILIESCU 66.84%, Corneliu
Vadim TUDOR 33.16%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(140 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (345 seats; members are
elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation
basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in
the fall of 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 26 November 2000
(next to be held in the fall of 2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDSR (now PSD)
37.1%, PRM 21.0%, PD 7.6%, PNL 7.5%, UDMR 6.9%; seats by party - PSD
65, PRM 36, PNL 13, UDMR 12, PD 9, independents 5; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - PDSR (now PSD) 36.6%, PRM
19.5%, PD 7.0%, PNL, 6.9%, UDMR 6.8%; seats by party - PSD 171, PRM
69, PD 29, PNL 27, UDMR 27, ethnic minorities 18, independents 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or PD [Traian BASESCU]; Democratic Union of
Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party
or PNL [Theodor STOLOJAN]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian
Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Adrian NASTASE], formerly known as the Party of Social Democracy in
Romania or PDSR

Political pressure groups and leaders:
various human rights and professional associations

International organization participation:
ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael E. GUEST
embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State,
5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)
telephone: [40] (21) 210-4042
FAX: [40] (21) 210-0395
branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow
band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also
resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

Economy Romania

Economy - overview:
Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely
obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the
country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing
three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets.
Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in
construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept growth above
4%. An IMF Standby Agreement, signed in 2001, has been accompanied
by slow but palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction, and
the curbing of inflation. Nonetheless, recent macroeconomic gains
have done little to address Romania's widespread poverty, while
corruption and red tape hinder foreign investment.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $169.3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 35%
services: 50% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
44.5% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
22.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
9.9 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 40%, industry 25%, services 35% (1998)

Unemployment rate:
8.3% (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $11.7 billion
expenditures: $12.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries:
textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining,
timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food
processing, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2002)

Electricity - production:
50.86 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 62.5%
hydro: 27.6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 9.9%

Electricity - consumption:
46.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
400 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
127,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
215,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.055 billion bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes;
eggs, sheep

Exports:
$13.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and
equipment, minerals and fuels

Exports - partners:
Italy 24.4%, Germany 15.5%, France 7.7%, UK 5.4%, US 5%, Turkey
4.4% (2002)

Imports:
$16.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 23%, fuels and minerals 12%, chemicals 9%,
textile and products 19% (1999)

Imports - partners:
Italy 20.2%, Germany 18.1%, France 6.6%, Russia 5.6%, Austria 4.9%,
Hungary 4.1% (2002)

Debt - external:
$13.7 billion (2002 est.)

Currency:
leu (ROL)

Currency code:
ROL

Exchange rates:
lei per US dollar - 33,055.4 (2002), 29,060.8 (2001), 21,708.7
(2000), 15,332.8 (1999), 8,875.58 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Romania

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
645,500 (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is
mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about
one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages
have no service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital,
international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note -
Romania is an active participant in several international
telecommunication network projects (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
7.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
5.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ro

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
38 (2000)

Internet users:
1 million (2002)

Transportation Romania

Railways:
total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
broad gage: 60 km 1.524-m gauge

Highways:
total: 198,603 km
paved: 98,308 km (including 113 km of expressways)
unpaved: 100,295 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,724 km (1984)

Pipelines:
gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Merchant marine:
total: 61 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 494,670 GRT/650,863 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Greece 1, Italy 5 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 39, container 1, passenger 1,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll
on/roll off 4

Airports:
65 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 39
under 914 m: 25 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 12

Heliports:
1 (2002)

Military Romania

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (AMR), Paramilitary Forces,
Civil Defense, Border Guards

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,912,284 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,974,240 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 157,840 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$985 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.47% (2002)

Transnational Issues Romania

Disputes - international:
has not resolved claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmyinyy (Snake)
Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks based
on 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years; joint
boundary commission is rectifying boundary with Bulgaria based on
shifts in Danube since last delimitation in 1920; Hungary has yet to
amend status law extending special social and cultural benefits to
ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who protest the law

Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the
Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for
Western Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Russia

Introduction Russia

Background:
Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led
to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and
to the overthrow in 1917 of the 300-year old Romanov Dynasty. The
Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed
the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened
Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions
of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following
decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91)
introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an
attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently
released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15
independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its
efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to
replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the
Communist period. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues
Russia in Chechnya.

Geography Russia

Location:
Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is included with
Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North
Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:
60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 17,075,200 sq km
water: 79,400 sq km
land: 16,995,800 sq km

Area - comparative:
approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 19,990 km
border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China
(southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland
1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km,
Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485
km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576
km

Coastline:
37,653 km

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

Climate:
ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much
of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the
polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid
in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along
Arctic coast

Terrain:
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest
and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border
regions

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Natural resources:
wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural
gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber
note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder
exploitation of natural resources

Land use:
arable land: 7.46%
permanent crops: 0.11%
other: 92.43% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
46,630 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to
development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and
earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and
summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European
Russia

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric
plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal,
and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts;
deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper
application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes
intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from
toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of
obsolete pesticides

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

Geography - note:
largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably
located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its
size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either
too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount Elbrus is Europe's
tallest peak

People Russia

Population:
144,526,278 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 11,815,360; female 11,335,715)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 49,399,322; female 52,367,194)
65 years and over: 13.6% (male 6,394,411; female 13,214,276) (2003
est.)

Median age:
total: 37.6 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 40.3 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.3% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0.91 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 21.53 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.66 years
male: 62.46 years
female: 73.11 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
700,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups:
Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir
0.9%, Belarusian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1% (1989)

Religions:
Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Languages:
Russian, other

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.5% (2003 est.)

Government Russia

Country name:
conventional long form: Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
local short form: Rossiya

Government type:
federation

Capital:
Moscow

Administrative divisions:
49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics* (respublik,
singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov,
singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray),
2 federal cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomous
oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy
Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy
(Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya,
Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya,
Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya,
Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*,
Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya
(Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya
(Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzhskaya,
Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya
(Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya,
Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy
(Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy
(Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***,
Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya,
Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva
(Moscow)****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**,
Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya,
Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya,
Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***,
Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutiya)*,
Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg
(Saint Petersburg)****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya
[North Ossetia] (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***,
Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*,
Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya,
Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy
Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya,
Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**,
Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name with
an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' or
Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

Constitution:
adopted 12 December 1993

Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting
president since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)
head of government: Premier Mikhail Mikhaylovich KASYANOV (since 7
May 2000); Deputy Premiers Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 31
May 1999), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 18 May 2000), Aleksey
Vasilyevich GORDEYEV (since 20 May 2000), Boris Sergeyevich ALESHIN
(since 24 April 2003), Galina Nikolayevna KARELOVA (since 24 April
2003), Vladimir Anatolyevich YAKOVLEV (since 16 June 2003)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of
the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other
individuals; all are appointed by the president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides
staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential
decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a
Security Council also reports directly to the president
election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN elected president;
percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 52.9%, Gennadiy
Andreyevich ZYUGANOV 29.2%, Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY 5.8%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 26 March 2000 (next to be held March 2004); note
- no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot
exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns,
the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president
until a new presidential election is held, which must be within
three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval
of the Duma

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the
Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000,
members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in
each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays,
republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of
Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the
State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; 225 seats elected by
proportional representation from party lists winning at least 5% of
the vote, and 225 seats from single-member constituencies; members
are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties
clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of
the 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, KPRF 12.7%, LDPR
11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, KPRF 53,
LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, Union of
Rightist Forces 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat election
required 3
elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be held
NA December 2007)

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration;
judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation
Council on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of the Russian Federation or KPRF [Gennadiy
Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR
[Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Motherland Bloc (Rodina) [Sergey
GLAZYEV and Dmitriy ROGOZIN]; People's Party [Gennadiy RAYKOV];
Union of Rightist Forces or SPS [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor
Timurovich GAYDAR, Irina Mutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich
NEMTSOV]; United Russia [Boris Vyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; Yabloko
Party [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC,
CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G- 8, GEF,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNDP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET,
UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW
embassy: Bolshoy Devyatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow
mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000
FAX: [7] (095) 728-5090
consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

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

Economy Russia

Economy - overview:
A decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union in December 1991,
Russia is still struggling to establish a modern market economy and
achieve strong economic growth. In contrast to its trading partners
in Central Europe - which were able within 3 to 5 years to overcome
the initial production declines that accompanied the launch of
market reforms - Russia saw its economy contract for five years, as
the executive and legislature dithered over the implementation of
many of the basic foundations of a market economy. Russia achieved a
slight recovery in 1997, but the government's stubborn budget
deficits and the country's poor business climate made it vulnerable
when the global financial crisis swept through in 1998. The crisis
culminated in the August depreciation of the ruble, a debt default
by the government, and a sharp deterioration in living standards for
most of the population. The economy subsequently has rebounded,
growing by an average of more than 6% annually in 1999-2002 on the
back of higher oil prices and the 60% depreciation of the ruble in
1998. These GDP numbers, along with a renewed government effort to
advance lagging structural reforms, have raised business and
investor confidence over Russia's prospects in its second decade of
transition. Yet serious problems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals,
and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the country
vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's industrial base is
increasingly dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the
country is to maintain vigorous economic growth. Other problems
include a weak banking system, a poor business climate that
discourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, local
and regional government intervention in the courts, and widespread
lack of trust in institutions. In 2003 President PUTIN further
tightened his control over the "oligarchs," especially in the realm
of political expression.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.409 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 34.6%
services: 59.6% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
25% (37622 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 5.9%
highest 10%: 47% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
39.9 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
71.8 million (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 12.3%, industry 22.7%, services 65% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.9% plus considerable underemployment (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $70 billion
expenditures: $62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,
oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from
rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;
shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications
equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction
equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment;
medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles,
foodstuffs, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
3.7% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
846.5 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 64.3%
hydro: 20.5%
other: 0.4% (2001)
nuclear: 14.8%

Electricity - consumption:
773 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
21.16 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
7 billion kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
51.22 billion bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
47.86 trillion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Exports:
$104.6 billion (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood
products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and
military manufactures

Exports - partners:
Germany 7.5%, Italy 6.9%, Netherlands 6.7%, China 6.3%, US 6.1%,
Ukraine 5.5%, Belarus 5.4%, Switzerland 5% (2002)

Imports:
$60.7 billion (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar,
semifinished metal products

Imports - partners:
Germany 14.3%, Belarus 8.9%, Ukraine 7.1%, US 6.4%, China 5.2%,
Italy 4.8%, Kazakhstan 4.3%, France 4.1% (2002)

Debt - external:
$153.5 billion (yearend 2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million in
non-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million

Currency:
Russian ruble (RUR)

Currency code:
RUR

Exchange rates:
Russian rubles per US dollar - 31.27 (2002), 29.17 (2001), 28.13
(2000), 24.62 (1999), 9.71 (1998)
note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1
January 1998 rubles

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Russia

Telephones - main lines in use:
30 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
19 million (January 2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the telephone system has undergone significant
changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed
to offer communication services; access to digital lines has
improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail
services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the
telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;
however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint
Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the
telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital
infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are
available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are
still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea
fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more
than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations
provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and
Orbita systems

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)

Radios:
61.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
7,306 (1998)

Televisions:
60.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ru; Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that
was allocated to the Soviet Union, its legal status and ownership
are contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, and several Russian
commercial entities

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
300 (June 2000)

Internet users:
18 million (2002)

Transportation Russia

Railways:
total: 87,157 km
broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note:: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrrier lines serve
industries (2002)

Highways:
total: 532,393 km
paved: 358,833 km
unpaved: 173,560 km (2000)

Waterways:
95,900 km (total routes in general use)
note: routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet
- 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids - 60,400 km;
man-made navigable routes - 16,900 km (January 1994)

Pipelines:
gas 135,771 km; oil 70,833 km; refined products 11,536 km; water 23
km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', De-Kastri,
Indigirskiy, Kaliningrad, Kandalaksha, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Lazarev, Mago, Mezen', Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,
Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Onega, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Rostov,
Shakhtersk, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Taganrog, Tuapse, Uglegorsk,
Vanino, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg

Merchant marine:
total: 933 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,495,122 GRT/5,490,103 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 22, cargo 553, chemical tanker
12, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 36, container 30,
multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 38, passenger/cargo
3, petroleum tanker 167, refrigerated cargo 21, roll on/roll off 20,
short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Belize 1, Cambodia 1, Cyprus 9, Denmark 1, Estonia 4,
Greece 3, Honduras 1, Latvia 4, Lithuania 3, Moldova 3, Netherlands
1, South Korea 1, Turkey 18, Turkmenistan 2, Ukraine 10, UK 5, US 1
(2002 est.)

Airports:
2,743 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 471
over 3,047 m: 56
2,438 to 3,047 m: 178
1,524 to 2,437 m: 76
914 to 1,523 m: 69
under 914 m: 92 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2,272
over 3,047 m: 28
2,438 to 3,047 m: 118
1,524 to 2,437 m: 204
914 to 1,523 m: 324
under 914 m: 1,598 (2002)

Military Russia

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces; Airborne troops, Strategic Rocket
Forces, and Military Space Forces are classified as independent
combat arms, not subordinate to any of the three branches
:

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 36 million (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 24 million (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 1.243 million (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%

Transnational Issues Russia