Chapter LVI: Front Matter (56)

Political parties and leaders:
only one political organization, the Movement (formerly the
NRM)[President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered;
note - the president maintains that the Movement is not a political
party, but a mass organization, which claims the loyalty of all
Ugandans
note: the constitution requires the suspension of political parties
while the Movement organization is in governance; of the political
parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates,
the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton
OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; Conservative
Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige
MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy KOLKER
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: [256] (41) 234-142
FAX: [256] (41) 258-451

Flag description:
six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black,
yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and
depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist
side

Economy Uganda

Economy - overview:
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils,
regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.
Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing
over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export
revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign
countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and
stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising
producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum
products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are
especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and
export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid
performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports,
reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the
return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Ongoing Ugandan
involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's
determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation
of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and
Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined
with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion.
Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price
of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Prospects for 2003 are mixed,
with probable strengthening of coffee prices yet with halting growth
in the economies of major export customers.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $30.49 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 43%
industry: 19%
services: 38% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
35% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 21% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.4 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.1% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
12 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $959 million
expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est.)

Industries:
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement

Industrial production growth rate:
6.3% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.928 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.9%
hydro: 99.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
1.62 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
174 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
1 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn,
millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers

Exports:
$476 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers,
horticultural products

Exports - partners:
Belgium 16.2%, Netherlands 13.7%, Germany 7.5%, Spain 5.5%, Hong
Kong 4.9%, US 4.6%, UK 4.3%, Italy 4.1%, Portugal 4.1% (2002)

Imports:
$1.14 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners:
Kenya 45.3%, South Africa 6.8%, India 5.7%, UK 5.5% (2002)

Debt - external:
$2.8 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.4 billion (2000)

Currency:
Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Currency code:
UGX

Exchange rates:
Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,797.55 (2002), 1,755.66 (2001),
1,644.48 (2000), 1,454.83 (1999), 1,240.31 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Uganda

Telephones - main lines in use:
50,074; however, 80,868 main lines have been installed (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
9,000 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have
been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is
essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:
5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

Televisions:
500,000 (2001)

Internet country code:
.ug

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
60,000 (2002)

Transportation Uganda

Railways:
total: 1,241 km
narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 27,000 km
paved: 1,809 km
unpaved: 25,191 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward,
Victoria Nile, Albert Nile

Ports and harbors:
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT
ships by type: roll on/roll off 3
note: these ships are in cargo and passenger (ferry) service on
Uganda's inland waterways (2002 est.)

Airports:
27 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 7 (2002)

Military Uganda

Military branches:
Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (including Army, Marine unit, Air
Wing)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,476,612 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,974,259 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$124.7 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.1% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Uganda

Disputes - international:
Tutsi, Hutu, and other ethnic groups, associated political rebels,
armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the
Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control
over populated areas and natural resources; government heads pledge
to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite UN
peacekeeping efforts; conflict in Sudan has extended rebel forces
and refugees into Uganda

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Ukraine

Introduction Ukraine

Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which
during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful
state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol
invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although independence was achieved in 1991 with the
dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive, as many of
the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

Geography Ukraine

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia

Geographic coordinates:
49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:
Asia, Europe

Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,663 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km,
Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia
1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km

Coastline:
2,782 km

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

Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean
coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west
and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool
along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across
the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Terrain:
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus,
mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the
Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur,
graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber,
arable land

Land use:
arable land: 57.1%
permanent crops: 1.73%
other: 41.17% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
24,540 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution;
deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986
accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

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

Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia;
second-largest country in Europe

People Ukraine

Population:
48,055,439 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.3% (male 4,004,948; female 3,832,931)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 15,779,735; female 17,225,103)
65 years and over: 15% (male 2,419,612; female 4,793,110) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 38 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 40.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.69% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.41 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: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 22.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.5 years
male: 61.1 years
female: 72.17 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
250,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,
Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,
Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001)

Religions:
Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev
Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic
(Uniate), Protestant, Jewish

Languages:
Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2003 est.)

Government Ukraine

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic
local short form: Ukrayina

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Kiev (Kyyiv)

Administrative divisions:
24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya
respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with
oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv),
Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k),
Donets'ka (Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k),
Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv), Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka
(Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka
(Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka
(Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna
Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**,
Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya),
Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka
(Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr); note - when using a place
name with an adjectival ending "s'ka" or "z'ka," the word Oblast'
should be added to the place name
note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in
parentheses

Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); the date of 22 January (1918),
the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet
Russia), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 21
November 2002); First Deputy Prime Minister Mykola AZAROV (since 26
November 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held
NA October 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of
vote - Leonid KUCHMA 57.7%, Petro SYMONENKO 38.8%
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but
significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions
that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in
September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kiev (Kyyiv) and
Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under
Ukraine's new election law, 225 of the Supreme Council's seats are
allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% or
more of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are
elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve
four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - Our Ukraine 24%, CPU
20%, United Ukraine 12%, United Social Democratic Party 6%, SPU 7%,
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%, other 24%; seats by party - Our Ukraine
102, CPU 60, Regions of Ukraine 42, Working Ukraine-Industrialists
and Entrepreneurs 41, United Social Democratic Party 39, Democratic
Initiatives 22, SPU 20, People's Power 19, European Choice 18,
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 18, Agrarian Party 17, People's Democratic
Party 16, People's Choice 15, others 21
note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the
Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's
Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working
Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Kateryna VASHCHUK]; Communist Party of Ukraine or
CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH];
European Choice [Volodymyr STASYUK]; Our Ukraine [Viktor
YUSHCHENKO]; People's Choice [Mykola HAPOCHKA]; People's Democratic
Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People's Power
[Bohdan HUBSKYY]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist
Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social
Democratic Party [Leonid KRAVCHUK]; Working Ukraine-Industrialists
and Entrepreneurs [Ihor SHAROV]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya
TYMOSHENKO]
note: and numerous smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Sergiy
KORSUNSKYI
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
telephone: [1] (202) 349-2920
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos E. PASCUAL
embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynskyi Street, Kiev 01901
mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000
FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow
represent grainfields under a blue sky

Economy Ukraine

Economy - overview:
After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most
important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing
about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its
fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet
agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities
of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise,
its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for
example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and
mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the
former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially
natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements.
Shortly after independence in December 1991, the Ukrainian
Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for
privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the
government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led
to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of
the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to
hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on
Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural
reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external
shocks. Now in his second term, President KUCHMA has pledged to
reduce the number of government agencies, streamline the regulatory
process, create a legal environment to encourage entrepreneurs, and
enact a comprehensive tax overhaul. Reforms in the more politically
sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are
still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have
encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP in
2000 showed strong export-based growth of 6% - the first growth
since independence - and industrial production grew 12.9%. The
economy continued to expand in 2001 as real GDP rose 9% and
industrial output grew by over 14%. Growth of 4.1% in 2002 was more
moderate, in part a reflection of faltering growth in the developed
world. In general, growth has been undergirded by strong domestic
demand, low inflation, and solid consumer and investor confidence.
Growth was a sturdy 6% in 2003 despite a loss of mementum in needed
economic reforms.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $218 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 42%
services: 35% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
29% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-1.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
22.8 million (yearend 1997)

Labor force - by occupation:
industry 32%, agriculture 24%, services 44% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
3.8% officially registered; large number of unregistered or
underemployed workers (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $10.2 billion
expenditures: $11.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and
transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
164.7 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 48.6%
hydro: 7.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 43.5%

Electricity - consumption:
152.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
800 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
86,490 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
290,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
197.5 million bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exports:
$18.1 billion (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners:
Russia 18.6%, Italy 7.4%, Turkey 5.6%, Germany 4.1%, China 4.1%
(2002)

Imports:
$18 billion (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 32.3%, Germany 11.7%, Turkmenistan 7.4%, Poland 6%, Italy 4%
(2002)

Debt - external:
$14.2 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion
(1998)

Currency:
hryvnia (UAH)

Currency code:
UAH

Exchange rates:
hryvnia per US dollar - 5.33 (2002), 5.37 (2001), 5.44 (2000), 4.13
(1999), 2.45 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ukraine

Telephones - main lines in use:
9.45 million (April 1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
236,000 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan,
running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines,
international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic
trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system
is expanding at a high rate
international: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the
fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links
have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL)
project which connects 18 countries; additional international
service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR)
fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat,
Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
45.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia)
(1997)

Televisions:
18.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ua

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
260 (2001)

Internet users:
750,000 (2001)

Transportation Ukraine

Railways:
total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2002)

Highways:
total: 169,491 km
paved: 163,898 km
unpaved: 5,593 km (2000)

Waterways:
4,499 km
note: 1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dniester (Dnister) (1990)

Pipelines:
gas 20,069 km; oil 4,435 km; refined products 4,098 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev
(Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Sevastopol',
Yalta, Yuzhnyy

Merchant marine:
total: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 633,932 GRT/640,743 DWT
ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 89, container 5, liquefied gas 2,
passenger 14, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 10, railcar
carrier 2, short-sea passenger 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Cyprus 1, Greece 1, Panama 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
790 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 182
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 81 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 608
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 50
914 to 1,523 m: 42
under 914 m: 466 (2002)

Military Ukraine

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Air Defense Forces,
Interior Troops, Border Troops

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 12,236,811 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 9,597,172 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 389,499 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$617.9 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Ukraine

Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains unratified over
unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and encouraging
illegal cross-border activities; land delimitation of boundary with
Russia is complete, but maritime regime of the Sea of Azov and Kerch
Strait remains unresolved; difficulties in the Transnistria region
of Moldova complicate border crossing and customs, facilitating
smuggling, arms transfers, and other illegal activities; has not
resolved Romanian claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake)
Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks based
on 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years

Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS
consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West;
limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point
for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and
Turkey to Europe and Russia; drug-related money laundering a minor,
but growing, problem; lax anti-money-laundering regime

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@United Arab Emirates

Introduction United Arab Emirates

Background:
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control
of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In
1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash
Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah.
The UAE's per capita GDP is not far below those of leading West
European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate
foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in
the affairs of the region.

Geography United Arab Emirates

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf,
between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 54 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline:
1,318 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate:
desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Terrain:
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast
desert wasteland; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 0.48%
permanent crops: 0.49%
other: 99.03% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
720 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:
lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination
plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills

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

Geography - note:
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a
vital transit point for world crude oil

People United Arab Emirates

Population:
2,484,818
note: includes an estimated 1,606,079 non-nationals; the 17 December
1995 census presents a total population figure of 2,377,453, and
there are estimates of 3.44 million for 2002 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 338,245; female 324,866)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 1,087,927; female 661,349)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 52,059; female 20,372) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.6 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 21.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.57% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
1.22 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: 1.65 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.56 male(s)/female
total population: 1.47 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 18.32 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.75 years
male: 72.28 years
female: 77.35 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.18% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati

Ethnic groups:
Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other
expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%

Languages:
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Government United Arab Emirates

Country name:
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
abbreviation: UAE
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
local short form: none

Government type:
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal
government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital:
Abu Dhabi

Administrative divisions:
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi),
'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al
Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn

Independence:
2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 December (1971)

Constitution:
2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)

Legal system:
federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy
(Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah are not fully integrated into the
federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil,
criminal, and high courts

Suffrage:
none

Executive branch:
chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2
December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966)
and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October
1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the
seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional
authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions
federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)
and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
(since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime
Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group
of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held 2
December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister and deputy
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president;
percent of FSC vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin
Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote - NA%,
but believed to be unanimous

Legislative branch:
unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani
(40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states
to serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto

Judicial branch:
Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI
FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432
telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20037

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcelle M. WAHBA
embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone: [971] (2) 4436691
FAX: [971] (2) 4435441
consulate(s) general: Dubai

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with
a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy United Arab Emirates

Economy - overview:
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a
sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas
output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate
with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has
undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of
small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard
of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves
should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased
spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening
up its utilities to greater private sector involvement.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $53.97 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $22,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 46%
services: 51% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
1.6 million (2000 est.)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 2002 est.) (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 78%, industry 15%, agriculture 7% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $20 billion
expenditures: $22 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries:
petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some
boat building, handicrafts, pearling

Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2000)

Electricity - production:
37.74 billion kWh (2001)

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

Electricity - consumption:
35.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
310,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
80.31 billion bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Exports:
$44.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Exports - partners:
Japan 27.8%, South Korea 10.1%, Singapore 3.8% (2002)

Imports:
$30.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
US 8.1%, China 7.8%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.5%, India 5.7%, France
5.6%, UK 5.4%, South Korea 5.1%, Iran 4.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$18.5 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
$NA

Currency:
Emirati dirham (AED)

Currency code:
AED

Exchange rates:
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.67 (2002), 3.67 (2001), 3.67
(2000), 3.67 (1999), 3.67 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications United Arab Emirates

Telephones - main lines in use:
915,223 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1 million (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar,
Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
820,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (1997)

Televisions:
310,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ae

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
900,000 (2002)

Transportation United Arab Emirates

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 1,088 km
paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
condensate 383 km; gas 1,765 km; liquid petroleum gas 186 km; oil
1,266 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali,
Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn

Merchant marine:
total: 61 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 815,428 GRT/1,207,346 DWT
ships by type: cargo 12, chemical tanker 4, container 7, liquefied
gas 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 6,
short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Greece 2, Italy 1, Kuwait 2 (2002 est.)

Airports:
41 (2002)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19
under 914 m: 5 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

Heliports:
2 (2002)

Military United Arab Emirates

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force, Air
Defense, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 764,413
note: includes non-nationals (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 416,963 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 26,636 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.6 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.1% (FY00)

Transnational Issues United Arab Emirates

Disputes - international:
because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment
of the boundary with Saudi Arabia is still unknown and labeled
approximate; boundary agreement signed and ratified with Oman in
2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al
Madhah enclaves; UAE engage direct talks and Arab League support to
resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Lesser and Greater Tunb
islands and Abu Musa island

Illicit drugs:
the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its
proximity to southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's
position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money
laundering; anti-money-laundering legislation was signed into law by
the president on 25 January 2002

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@United Kingdom

Introduction United Kingdom

Background:
Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the
19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary
democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith,
the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface.
The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously
depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the
dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern
and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of
the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the
Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it
currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental
Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the European
Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a
significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National
Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were
established in 1999.

Geography United Kingdom

Location:
Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the
island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:
54 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 244,820 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
land: 241,590 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

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

Coastline:
12,429 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North
Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

Terrain:
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in
east and southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m

Natural resources:
coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay,
chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 26.41%
permanent crops: 0.18%
other: 73.41% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,080 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
winter windstorms; floods

Environment - current issues:
continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto
Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to
meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of
a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to
reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in
landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at
least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between
1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to
10.3%

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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, Marine Life
Conservation, 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:
lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France
and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of
heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from
tidal waters

People United Kingdom

Population:
60,094,648 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.3% (male 5,621,590; female 5,350,319)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 20,067,529; female 19,626,123)
65 years and over: 15.6% (male 3,987,457; female 5,441,630) (2003
est.)

Median age:
total: 38.4 years
male: 37.3 years
female: 39.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
2.2 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.16 years
male: 75.74 years
female: 80.7 years (2003 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
34,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
460 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British

Ethnic groups:
English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%,
West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%

Religions:
Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million,
Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu
500,000, Jewish 350,000

Languages:
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish
form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of
schooling
total population: 99% (2000 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government United Kingdom

Country name:
conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
London

Administrative divisions:
England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties*, 29 London boroughs**, 12
cities and boroughs***, 10 districts****, 12 cities*****, 3 royal
boroughs******; Barking and Dagenham**, Barnet**, Barnsley, Bath and
North East Somerset****, Bedfordshire*, Bexley**, Birmingham***,
Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell
Forest, Bradford***, Brent**, Brighton and Hove, City of
Bristol*****, Bromley**, Buckinghamshire*, Bury, Calderdale,
Cambridgeshire*, Camden**, Cheshire*, Cornwall*, Coventry***,
Croydon**, Cumbria*, Darlington, Derby*****, Derbyshire*, Devon*,
Doncaster, Dorset*, Dudley, Durham*, Ealing**, East Riding of
Yorkshire****, East Sussex*, Enfield**, Essex*, Gateshead,
Gloucestershire*, Greenwich**, Hackney**, Halton, Hammersmith and
Fulham**, Hampshire*, Haringey**, Harrow**, Hartlepool, Havering**,
Herefordshire*, Hertfordshire*, Hillingdon**, Hounslow**, Isle of
Wight*, Islington**, Kensington and Chelsea******, Kent*, City of
Kingston upon Hull*****, Kingston upon Thames******, Kirklees,
Knowsley, Lambeth**, Lancashire*, Leeds***, Leicester*****,
Leicestershire*, Lewisham**, Lincolnshire*, Liverpool***, City of
London*****, Luton, Manchester***, Medway, Merton**, Middlesbrough,
Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne***, Newham**, Norfolk*,
Northamptonshire*, North East Lincolnshire****, North
Lincolnshire****, North Somerset****, North Tyneside,
Northumberland*, North Yorkshire*, Nottingham*****,
Nottinghamshire*, Oldham, Oxfordshire*, Peterborough*****,
Plymouth*****, Poole, Portsmouth*****, Reading, Redbridge**, Redcar
and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames**, Rochdale, Rotherham,
Rutland****, Salford***, Shropshire*, Sandwell, Sefton,
Sheffield***, Slough, Solihull, Somerset*, Southampton*****,
Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire****, South Tyneside,
Southwark**, Staffordshire*, St. Helens, Stockport,
Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent*****, Suffolk*, Sunderland***,
Surrey*, Sutton**, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin****,
Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets**, Trafford, Wakefield***, Walsall,
Waltham Forest**, Wandsworth**, Warrington, Warwickshire*, West
Berkshire****, Westminster***, West Sussex*, Wigan, Wiltshire*,
Windsor and Maidenhead******, Wirral, Wokingham****, Wolverhampton,
Worcestershire*, York*****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2
cities*, 6 counties**; Antrim, County Antrim**, Ards, Armagh, County
Armagh**, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast*, Carrickfergus,
Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, County Down**,
Dungannon, Fermanagh, County Fermanagh**, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn,
County Londonderry**, Derry*, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,
Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, County Tyrone**; Scotland
- 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and
Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway,
Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East
Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City,
Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North
Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire,
Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West
Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales -
11 county boroughs, 9 counties*, 2 cities and counties**; Isle of
Anglesey*, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff**,
Ceredigion*, Carmarthenshire*, Conwy, Denbighshire*, Flintshire*,
Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire*, Neath Port Talbot, Newport,
Pembrokeshire*, Powys*, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea**, Torfaen, The
Vale of Glamorgan*, Wrexham

Dependent areas:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey,
Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena,
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos
Islands

Independence:
England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the
union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of
Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in
another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to
permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great
Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of
the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the
Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six
northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as
Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927

National holiday:
Official Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second
Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:
common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental
influences; has judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the
Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir
Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May
1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually the prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of
approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and
House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as
provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House
of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain
there; pending further reforms, elections are held only as vacancies
in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 7
June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Labor 42.1%, Conservative and Unionist 32.7%, Liberal Democrats
18.8%, other 6.4%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and
Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29; note - seating as of 15
February 2002: Labor 410, Conservative 164, Liberal Democrats 53,
other 32
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament
(because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer
of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of
1999 and has been rescinded three times the latest occurring in
October 2002; since October 2002 the Northern Ireland Parliament has
been suspended); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish
Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly

Judicial branch:
House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in
Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of
Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts);
Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary

Political parties and leaders:
Conservative and Unionist Party [Michael HOWARD]; Democratic
Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party
[Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party
of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn Jones]; Scottish National Party or
SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS];
Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark
DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British
Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA
(associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, 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, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC,
UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William S. FARISH
embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (0) 7499-9000
FAX: [44] (0) 7629-9124
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh

Flag description:
blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of
England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of
Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on
the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland);
properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union
Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been
the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth
countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as
British overseas territories

Economy United Kingdom

Economy - overview:
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the
quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the
past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership
and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is
intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,
producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force.
The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy
production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any
industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and
business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth
slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the
pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt
manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the
strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment
remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated
the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join
the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out,
however, that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and they
point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of
Britons opposed to the single currency. Meantime, the government has
been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health
services, at a cost in higher taxes. The war in March-April 2003
between a US-led coalition and Iraq, together with the subsequent
problems of restoring the economy and the polity, involve a heavy
commitment of British military forces.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.528 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 24.9%
services: 73.7% (2000)

Population below poverty line:
17%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.7% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.8 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
29.7 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $565 billion
expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY 01)