Chapter XVI: Front Matter (16)

Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
NA (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
NA (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Cook Islander(s)
adjective: Cook Islander

Ethnic groups:
Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and European 7.7%,
Polynesian and non-European 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9%

Religions:
Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook Islands
Christian Church)

Languages:
English (official), Maori

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 95%
male: NA
female: NA

Government Cook Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cook Islands
former: Harvey Islands

Dependency status:
self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands
is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains
responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation
with the Cook Islands

Government type:
self-governing parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Avarua

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on
4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full
independence by unilateral action)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)

Constitution:
4 August 1965

Legal system:
based on New Zealand law and English common law

Suffrage:
NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New
Zealand High Commissioner Kurt MEYER (since July 2001),
representative of New Zealand
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is
appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is
appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December
2004); Deputy Prime Minister SIR Geoffrey HENRY (since 14 December
2004)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively
responsible to Parliament

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 September 2004 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CIP 10, DAP 9, Demo Tumu 4, independent 1; note - one seat undecided
pending by-election
note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters and
maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers

Judicial branch:
High Court

Political parties and leaders:
Cook Islands People's Party or CIP [Geoffrey HENRY]; Democratic
Alliance Party or DAP [Terepai MAOATE]; New Alliance Party or NAP
[Norman GEORGE]; Cook Islands National Party or CIN [Teariki
HEATHER]; Demo Party Tumu [Robert WOONTON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island)
centered in the outer half of the flag

Economy Cook Islands

Economy - overview:
Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands'
economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country
from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of
natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and
inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture provides the economic base
with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Manufacturing
activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and
handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants
and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s
and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated
public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent
reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of
economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt
restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $105 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.1% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 7.8%
services: 75.2% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
8,000 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services 56%
note: shortage of skilled labor (1995)

Unemployment rate:
13% (1996)

Budget:
revenues: $28 million
expenditures: $27 million, including capital expenditures of $3.3
million (FY00/01 est.)

Agriculture - products:
copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams,
taro, coffee; pigs, poultry

Industries:
fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
1% (2002)

Electricity - production:
27.43 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
25.51 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$9.1 million (2000)

Exports - commodities:
copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls
and pearl shells; clothing

Exports - partners:
Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2000)

Imports:
$50.7 million (2000)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods

Imports - partners:
New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2000)

Debt - external:
$141 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater
part (1995)

Currency:
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.1622 (2002),
2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Cook Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:
6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,500 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international
direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex
domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of
satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF
radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small
exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and
fiber-optic cable
international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
14,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)

Televisions:
4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ck

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
3,600 (2002)

Transportation Cook Islands

Highways:
total: 320 km
paved: 33 km
unpaved: 287 km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Avarua, Avatiu

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,074 GRT/7,520 DWT
foreign-owned: Australia 1, United Kingdom 1 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1

Airports:
9 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Cook Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with
the Cook Islands and at its request

Transnational Issues Cook Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Coral Sea Islands

Introduction Coral Sea Islands

Background:
Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral
Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are
uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis
Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy
many other islands and reefs.

Geography Coral Sea Islands

Location:
Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:
18 00 S, 152 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: less than 3 sq km
note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea
area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most
important
water: 0 sq km
land: less than 3 sq km

Area - comparative:
NA

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
3,095 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional tropical cyclones

Environment - current issues:
no permanent fresh water resources

Geography - note:
important nesting area for birds and turtles

People Coral Sea Islands

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological
station (2004 est.)

Government Coral Sea Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands

Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the
Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories

Legal system:
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:
administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment,
Sport, and Territories

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used

Economy Coral Sea Islands

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Communications Coral Sea Islands

Communications - note:
there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs
relaying data to the mainland

Transportation Coral Sea Islands

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Military Coral Sea Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by
the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities
of visitors

Transnational Issues Coral Sea Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Costa Rica

Introduction Costa Rica

Background:
Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th
century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its
democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural
country, it has expanded its economy to include strong technology
and tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land
ownership is widespread.

Geography Costa Rica

Location:
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Geographic coordinates:
10 00 N, 84 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 51,100 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
land: 50,660 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km

Coastline:
1,290 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy
season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Terrain:
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100
volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m

Natural resources:
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.88%
other: 89.71% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,260 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent
flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active
volcanoes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing
of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal
marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air
pollution

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San
Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu,
erupted destructively in 1963-65

People Costa Rica

Population:
3,956,507 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.5% (male 597,332; female 570,008)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,300,206; female 1,271,010)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 101,270; female 116,681) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.7 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 26.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.52% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
18.99 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
4.32 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 10.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 11.17 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.63 years
male: 74.07 years
female: 79.33 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican

Ethnic groups:
white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%,
other 1%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%,
other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Languages:
Spanish (official), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 95.9%
female: 96.1% (2003 est.)

Government Costa Rica

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica
local short form: Costa Rica
local long form: Republica de Costa Rica

Government type:
democratic republic

Capital:
San Jose

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago,
Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
7 November 1949

Legal system:
based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First
Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since 8 May 2002); Second Vice
President Luis FISHMAN (since 8 May 2002); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First
Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice
President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president
elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 February
2002; run-off election held 7 April 2002 (next to be held NA
February 2006)
election results: Abel PACHECO elected president; percent of vote -
Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%; Rolando ARAYA (PLN) 42%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 February 2002 (next to be held 3 February
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1; note - seats by party as of
January 2005 - PUSC 19, PLN 16, PAC 8, PML 5, PRC 1, Patriotic Union
3, Homeland First 1, Authentic Member from Heredia 1, Democratic
National Alliance 1, independent 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for
eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or
PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo
OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Juan Carlos CHAVES Mora];
Democratic National Alliance [Emilia RODRIGUEZ]; General Union Party
or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First [Juan Jose
VARGAS]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO
Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth];
National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Victor GONZALEZ]; National
Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National
Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National
Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National
Rescue Party or PRN [Carlos VARGAS Solano]; Patriotic Union
[Humberto ARCE]; Popular Vanguard [Trino BARRANTES Araya]; Social
Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist
Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of
Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican
Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party
affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National
Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association
of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert
Brown]

International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS
consulate(s): Austin
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Durham (North
Carolina), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Douglas M.
BARNES
embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose
mailing address: APO AA 34020
telephone: [506] 220-3939
FAX: [506] 519-2305

Flag description:
five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width),
white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on
the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue
ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near
the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words,
REPUBLICA COSTA RICA

Economy Costa Rica

Economy - overview:
Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism,
agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially
reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has
been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the
country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism
continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for coffee and
bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues
to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt. The
reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises
in the price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal
deficits. Costa Rica recently concluded negotiations to participate
in the US - Central American Free Trade Agreement, which, if
ratified by the Costa Rican Legislature, would result in economic
reforms and an improved investment climate.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $35.34 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.6% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,100 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 29.4%
services: 62.1% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.2% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
20.6% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 36.8% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45.9 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.758 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.313 billion
expenditures: $2.851 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
56.1% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes;
beef; timber

Industries:
microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing,
construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.839 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.109 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
379 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
128 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
37,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-970 million (2003)

Exports:
$6.176 billion (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic
components, medical equipment

Exports - partners:
US 14.2%, Guatemala 3%, Nicaragua 2.7% (2003)

Imports:
$7.057 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum

Imports - partners:
US 23.2%, Mexico 4.7%, Venezuela 3.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.836 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$5.366 billion (2003 est.)

Currency:
Costa Rican colon (CRC)

Currency code:
CRC

Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 398.663 (2003), 359.817 (2002),
328.871 (2001), 308.187 (2000), 285.685 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Costa Rica

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.132 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
528,047 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of
breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; connected to Central American
Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)

Radios:
980,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)

Televisions:
525,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.cr

Internet hosts:
10,826 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)

Internet users:
800,000 (2002)

Transportation Costa Rica

Railways:
total: 950 km
narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 35,892 km
paved: 7,896 km
unpaved: 27,996 km (2000)

Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)

Pipelines:
refined products 242 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
by type: passenger 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
149 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 30
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 119
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 95 (2004 est.)

Military Costa Rica

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,101,887 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 736,007 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 41,709 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$64 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2003)

Transnational Issues Costa Rica

Disputes - international:
legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on the
border with Nicaragua remains unsolved

Illicit drugs:
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America;
illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic
cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Cote d'Ivoire

Introduction Cote d'Ivoire

Background:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of
cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote
d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states,
but did not protect it from political turmoil. On 25 December 1999,
a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -
overthrew the government led by President Henri Konan BEDIE. Junta
leader Robert GUEI held elections in late 2000, but excluded
prominent opposition leader Alassane OUATTARA, blatantly rigged the
polling results, and declared himself winner. Popular protest forced
GUEI to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power.
Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched
a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the
northern half of the country and in January 2003 were granted
ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of
the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces
resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a
three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such
as land reform and grounds for nationality remain unresolved. The
central government has yet to exert control over the northern
regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and rebel leaders.
Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote
d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament,
demobilization, and rehabilitation process.

Geography Cote d'Ivoire

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana
and Liberia

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 322,460 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km,
Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Coastline:
515 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm
and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet
(June to October)

Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt,
bauxite, copper, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 9.75%
permanent crops: 13.84%
other: 76.41% (2001)

Irrigated land:
730 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy
season torrential flooding is possible

Environment - current issues:
deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in
West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage
and industrial and agricultural effluents

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart
from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

People Cote d'Ivoire

Population:
17,327,724
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.1% (male 3,856,130; female 3,965,930)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 4,651,921; female 4,468,085)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 182,995; female 202,663) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 16.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.11% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
39.64 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
18.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 97.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 79.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 113.87 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.48 years
male: 40.27 years
female: 44.76 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
47,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian

Ethnic groups:
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous
11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and
14,000 French) (1998)

Religions:
Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40% (2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%)

Languages:
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely
spoken

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.9%
male: 57.9%
female: 43.6% (2003 est.)

Government Cote d'Ivoire

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire
conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire
local short form: Cote d'Ivoire
former: Ivory Coast
local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire

Government type:
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960

Capital:
Yamoussoukro; note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official
capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and
administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its
Embassy in Abidjan

Administrative divisions:
19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit
Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue,
Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama,
Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan

Independence:
7 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

Constitution:
a new constitution was adopted 4 August 2000

Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review
in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000);
note - seized power following a popular overthrow of the interim
leader Gen. Robert GUEI who had claimed a dubious victory in
presidential elections; Gen. GUEI himself had assumed power on 25
December 1999, following a military coup against the government of
former President Henri Konan BEDIE
head of government: Prime Minister Seydou DIARRA (since 25 January
2003); note - appointed as transitional Prime Minister by President
GBAGBO as part of a French brokered peace plan
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote
- Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other
2.2%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats;
members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on
14 January 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election
in 2005
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial
Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases,
Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative
Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of
members

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or
PDCI-RDA [Aime Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI
[Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE];
Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for
Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [leader NA]; over 20 smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pascal Dago KOKORA
chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
FAX: [1] (202) 462-9444
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Arlene RENDER
embassy: 5 Rue Jesse Owens, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79
FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and
green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the
colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also
similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white,
and red; design was based on the flag of France

Economy Cote d'Ivoire

Economy - overview:
Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters
of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is
highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these
products and to weather conditions. Despite government attempts to
diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture
and related activities, which engage roughly 68% of the population.
After several years of lagging performance, the Ivorian economy
began a comeback in 1994, due to the 50% devaluation of the CFA
franc and improved prices for cocoa and coffee, growth in
nontraditional primary exports such as pineapples and rubber,
limited trade and banking liberalization, offshore oil and gas
discoveries, and generous external financing and debt rescheduling
by multilateral lenders and France. Moreover, government adherence
to donor-mandated reforms led to a jump in growth to 5% annually
during 1996-99. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of the
difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors,
continued low prices of key exports, and severe civil war. Political
uncertainty will continue to cloud the economic outlook in 2004, but
rising world prices for cocoa will help both the current account and
the government balances.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $24.51 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-1.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 36.6%
industry: 19.9%
services: 43.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
8.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
37% (1995)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 28.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.7 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
6.64 million 68% agricultural (2003)

Unemployment rate:
13% in urban areas (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $2.339 billion
expenditures: $2.749 billion, including capital expenditures of $420
million (2003 est.)

Public debt:
82.5% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc
(tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber

Industries:
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus
assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity

Industrial production growth rate:
15% (1998 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.605 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.983 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
11,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
32,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
50 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
14.87 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$501 million (2003)

Exports:
$5.299 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm
oil, fish

Exports - partners:
France 19.1%, Netherlands 17.7%, US 7.1%, Spain 5.6% (2003)

Imports:
$2.781 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
France 32.7%, Nigeria 14.4%, UK 7% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.005 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$11.85 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.)

Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:
XOF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699
(1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Cote d'Ivoire

Telephones - main lines in use:
328,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.236 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: well developed by African standards but
operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: country code - 225; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 submarine cables
(June 1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
2.26 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
14 (1999)

Televisions:
1.09 million (2000)

Internet country code:
.ci

Internet hosts:
3,795 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
90,000 (2002)

Transportation Cote d'Ivoire

Railways:
total: 660 km
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000-meter gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina
Faso (2003)

Highways:
total: 50,400 km
paved: 4,889 km
unpaved: 45,511 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons)
(2003)

Pipelines:
condensate 107 km; gas 223 km; oil 104 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro

Airports:
37 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Military Cote d'Ivoire

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard
(includes Presidential Guard)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 4,135,309 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,164,014 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 204,434 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$173.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Cote d'Ivoire

Disputes - international:
continuing rebel fighting extends to neighboring states and has
kept out foreign workers from nearby countries; the Ivorian
Government accuses Burkina Faso and Liberia of supporting Ivorian
rebels

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 71,711 (Liberia)
IDPs: 500,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption;
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to
Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American cocaine
destined for Europe and South Africa; while rampant corruption and
inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money
laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the
country's utility as a major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Croatia

Introduction Croatia

Background:
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the
Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as
Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal
independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO.
Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991,
it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before
occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under
UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was
returned to Croatia in 1998.

Geography Croatia

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:
45 10 N, 15 30 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 56,542 sq km
water: 128 sq km
land: 56,414 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 2,197 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,
Serbia and Montenegro (north) 241 km, Serbia and Montenegro (south)
25 km, Slovenia 670 km

Coastline:
5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with
hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Terrain:
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low
mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m

Natural resources:
oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum,
natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 26.09%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 71.65% (2001)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain
is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and
domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of
infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and
Turkish Straits

People Croatia

Population:
4,496,869 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.6% (male 383,729; female 364,287)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,525; female 1,515,956)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 277,616; female 457,756) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.7 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 41.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.02% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
9.51 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
11.3 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.14 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 78.29 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 10 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian

Ethnic groups:
Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, Bosniak 0.5%, Hungarian 0.4%, Slovene 0.3%,
Czech 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Albanian 0.1%, Montenegrin 0.1%, others 4.1%
(2001)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%,
others and unknown 6.2% (2001)

Languages:
Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech,
Slovak, and German)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.5%
male: 99.4%
female: 97.8% (2003 est.)

Government Croatia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local short form: Hrvatska
former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska

Government type:
presidential/parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Zagreb

Administrative divisions:
20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -
singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska
Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija,
Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija,
Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska
Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija,
Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija,
Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija,
Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija,
Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*,
Zagrebacka Zupanija

Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday:
Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Constitution:
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December
2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December
2003) and Andrija HEBRANG (since 23 December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and
approved by the parliamentary Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held January 2010);
prime minister nominated by the president in line with the balance
of power in the Assembly
election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote
- Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 66%, Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ) 34%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added
in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from
party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in
2007)
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; number
of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4,
Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts
appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the
Republic, which is elected by the Assembly

Political parties and leaders:
Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic
Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ
[Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC];
Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian Pensioner
Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS
[Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Ivan CEHOK];
Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic
Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party
or SDSS [Vojislav STRANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS
[Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LS [Zlatko BENASIC]; Party of
Liberal Democrats or Libra [Jozo RADOS]; Social Democratic Party of
Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM
(observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UPU,
WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson, 10010 Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200
FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373

Flag description:
red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of arms
(red and white checkered)

Economy Croatia

Economy - overview:
Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia,
after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized area,
with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav
average. The economy emerged from a mild recession in 2000 with
tourism, banking, and public investments leading the way.
Unemployment remains high, at over 13 percent, with structural
factors slowing its decline. While macroeconomic stabilization has
largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep
resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from
politicians. Growth, while impressively over 4% for the last several
years, has been achieved through high fiscal and current account
deficits. The government is gradually reducing a heavy back log of
civil cases, many involving land tenure. The EU accession process
should accelerate fiscal and structural reform.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $47.05 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $10,600 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.9%
industry: 30%
services: 62.1% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
27.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 23.3% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.69 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 13.2%, industry 25.4%, services 46.4% (2002)

Unemployment rate:
19.5% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $12.76 billion
expenditures: $14.31 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
69.1% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover,
olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Industries:
chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal,
electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper,
wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding,
petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
3.9% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
12.12 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
14.27 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
386 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
3.386 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
89,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
93.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
34.36 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-2.039 billion (2003)

Exports:
$6.355 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels

Exports - partners:
Italy 26.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.6%, Germany 12%, Slovenia
8.3%, Austria 7.9% (2003)

Imports:
$12.86 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and
lubricants, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Italy 17.9%, Germany 15.7%, Slovenia 7.4%, Austria 6.6%, France
5.3%, Russia 4.7% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$8.191 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$23.56 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $66 million (2000)

Currency:
kuna (HRK)

Currency code:
HRK

Exchange rates:
kuna per US dollar - 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002), 8.34 (2001),
8.2766 (2000), 7.1124 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Croatia

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.825 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.553 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog
circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be
included in the plan for the main trunk
international: country code - 385; digital international service is
provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in
the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of
two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic
trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also
investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany,
Albania, and Greece (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)

Radios:
1.51 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.hr

Internet hosts:
29,644 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)

Internet users:
1.014 million (2003)

Transportation Croatia

Railways:
total: 2,726 km
standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (984 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 28,123 km
paved: 23,792 km (including 410 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,331 km (2000)

Waterways:
785 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split,
Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar

Merchant marine:
total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 750,579 GRT/1,178,786 DWT
by type: bulk 16, cargo 14, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 5,
multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker
2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 3
registered in other countries: 44 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Hong Kong 3, Russia 1

Airports:
68 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Croatia

Military branches:
Ground Forces (Hrvatska Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna
Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno
Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 6-month
service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary
service (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,100,132 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 873,994 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 30,639 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$520 million (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.39% (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues Croatia

Disputes - international:
discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over disputed
territory around Kostajnica on the Una River and villages at the
base of Mount Pljesevica; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime
boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and
maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains
controversial, has not been ratified, and has been complicated by
Croatia's declaration of an ecological-fisheries zone in the
Adriatic Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-1995 war) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to
Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime
shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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