Chapter XIX: Front Matter (19)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May
2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is
able to veto some legislation; he formerly used the name Jose
Alexandre GUSMAO
head of government: Prime Minister Mari Bin Amude ALKATIRI (since 20
May 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2007);
after the first legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party was appointed prime minister by the president, suggesting a
precedent for the future
election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent
of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL
17.3%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum
requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of
office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an
exceptional basis
elections: (next to be held August 2006); direct elections for
national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the
national convention named themselves legislators instead of having
elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the
national parliament.
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD
8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT
2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by
party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT
2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be
appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior
Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established,
Court of Appeals is highest court

Political parties and leaders:
Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do
AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio
XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da
Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO];
Liberal Party or PL [leader NA]; Maubere Democratic Party or PDM
[leader NA]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER];
Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Lu OLO];
Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO];
Socialist Party of Timor or PST [leader Avelino COELHO]; Sons of the
Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or
KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT
[Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or PTT [Paulo Freitas DA
SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO]; Timorese
Popular Democratic Association or APODETI [Frederico Almeida-Santos
DA COSTA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Popular Council for the Defense of the Democratic Republic of East
Timor or CPD-RDTL [leader Antonio-Aitahan MATAK] is largest
political pressure group; it rejects current government and claims
to be rightful government; Kolimau 2000 [leader Dr. Bruno MAGALHAES]
is another opposition group; dissatisfied veterans of struggle
against Indonesia, led by one-time government advisor Cornelio GAMA
(also known as L-7), also play an important role in pressuring
government

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer),
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Luis GUTERRES
consulate(s) general: New York (the ambassador resides in New York)
(2004)
FAX: 202 965-1517
telephone: 202 965-1515
chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Grover Joseph REES
embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili
mailing address: Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington,
DC 20521-8250
telephone: (670) 332-4684
FAX: (670) 331-3206

Flag description:
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to
the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the
black triangle

Economy East Timor

Economy - overview:
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East
Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence
militias, and 260,000 people fled westward. Over the next three
years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000
peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to
substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By
mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned. Growth
was held back in 2003 by extensive drought and the gradual winding
down of the international presence. The country faces great
challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure,
strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs
for young people entering the workforce. One promising long-term
project is the planned development of oil and gas resources in
nearby waters, but the government faces a substantial financing gap
over the next several years before these revenues start flowing into
state coffers.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $440 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25.4%
industry: 17.2%
services: 57.4% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
42% (2003 est.)

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38 (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% NA (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
NA

Unemployment rate:
50% (including underemployment) (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $36 million
expenditures: $97 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage,
mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industries:
printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate:
8.5%

Electricity - production:
NA kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Exports:
$8 million (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - the potential for oil and
vanilla exports

Exports - partners:
NA

Imports:
$237 million (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities:
mainly food (2001)

Imports - partners:
NA

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.2 billion (1999-2002 est.)

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is the legal tender

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications East Timor

Telephones - main lines in use:
NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
NA

Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
NA

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.tp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation East Timor

Highways:
total: 3,800 km
paved: 428 km
unpaved: 3,372 km (1995)

Ports and harbors:
NA

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
8 (2003 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military East Timor

Military branches:
East Timor Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL):
Army, Navy

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
NA (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
NA (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
NA (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.4 million (FY03)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues East Timor

Disputes - international:
East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey,
and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary
especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia
and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral
island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which may delay decision on the
northern maritime boundaries; numbers of East Timor refugees in
Indonesia refuse repatriation; East Timor and Australia continue to
disagree over the delimitation of a permanent maritime boundary and
over the sharing of petroleum resources that fall outside the Joint
Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty

Illicit drugs:
NA

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Ecuador

Introduction Ecuador

Background:
The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that
emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being
Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost
territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border
war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although
Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period
has been marred by political instability. Nine presidents have
governed Ecuador since 1996.

Geography Ecuador

Location:
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator,
between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates:
2 00 S, 77 30 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 283,560 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
water: 6,720 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries:
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline:
2,237 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath

Climate:
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations;
tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain:
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and
flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 5.85%
permanent crops: 4.93%
other: 89.22% (2001)

Irrigated land:
8,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution;
pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas
of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

People Ecuador

Population:
13,212,742 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.9% (male 2,285,775; female 2,199,356)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 4,020,873; female 4,062,672)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 302,129; female 341,937) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 23 years
male: 22.5 years
female: 23.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.03% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-8.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 29.34 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.01 years
male: 73.15 years
female: 79 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
21,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,700 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish
and others 7%, black 3%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%

Languages:
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 94%
female: 91% (2003 est.)

Government Ecuador

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Quito

Administrative divisions:
22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar,
Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos,
Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo,
Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence:
24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution:
10 August 1998

Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages
18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003);
Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same
ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (no immediate
reelection); election last held 20 October 2002; runoff election
held 24 November 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)
head of government: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January
2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
election results: results of the 24 November 2002 runoff election -
Lucio GUTIERREZ elected president; percent of vote - Lucio GUTIERREZ
54.3%; Alvaro NOBOA 45.7%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats;
members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held NA October
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PSC 25, PRE 15, ID 16, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD
5, DP 4, PS-FA 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of
National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in
the numbers of seats held by the various parties

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema; note - per the Constitution, new
justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; In December 2004,
however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a
simple-majority resolution

Political parties and leaders:
Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM];
Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; National Action
Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik
Movement [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio
GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel
FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta];
Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist
Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian
Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or
PS-FA [Victor GRANDA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE
[Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F.
Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or
FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous
Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ,
president]; Popular Front or FP [Luis VILLACIS]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie Anne KENNEY
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890
FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red
with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag;
similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear
a coat of arms

Economy Ecuador

Economy - overview:
Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted
for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public
sector revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world
market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late
1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural
disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving
Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by
more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking
system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt
later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and,
on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it
would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from
office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to
garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the
presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural
reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US
dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and
growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed.
Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ, who took office in
January 2003, Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices,
but the government has made little progress on fiscal reforms and
reforms of state-owned enterprises necessary to reduce Ecuador's
vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $45.65 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.7%
industry: 29.7%
services: 61.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
65% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.7 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.9% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
4.36 million (urban) (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
9.8%; note - underemployment of 47% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $6.908 billion
expenditures: planned $6.594 billion, including capital expenditures
of $1.6 billion (2003)

Public debt:
53.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca),
plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy
products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:
5.3% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
75.23 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
69.96 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
421,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
129,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
2.358 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-117 million (2003)

Exports:
$6.073 billion (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp

Exports - partners:
US 42.4%, Colombia 5.7%, Germany 5.6% (2003)

Imports:
$6.22 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, industrial raw materials, capital goods

Imports - partners:
US 23.9%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 7.1%, Brazil 6.1%, Chile 4.8%,
Japan 4.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.161 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$15.69 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$120 million (2001)

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
Ecuador formally adopted the US dollar as legal tender in March 2000

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ecuador

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.549 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,394,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

Radios:
5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
2.5 million (2001)

Internet country code:
.ec

Internet hosts:
3,188 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
31 (2001)

Internet users:
569,700 (2003)

Transportation Ecuador

Railways:
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,164 km
unpaved: 35,033 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2003)

Pipelines:
extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products
1,185 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San
Lorenzo

Merchant marine:
total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 241,403 GRT/391,898 DWT
foreign-owned: Greece 1, Paraguay 1, Peru 1
registered in other countries: 3 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 5,
petroleum tanker 21, specialized tanker 1

Airports:
205 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 62
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 143
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 113 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Ecuador

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Police

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service
obligation (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 3,440,371 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,315,808 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 132,476 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$650 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2003)

Transnational Issues Ecuador

Disputes - international:
the continuing civil disorder in Colombia has created a serious
refugee crisis in neighboring states, especially Ecuador

Illicit drugs:
significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and
Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit
narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug
traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak
anti-money-laundering regime, especially vulnerable along the border
with Colombia; increased activity on the northern frontier by
trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Egypt

Introduction Egypt

Background:
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled
with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west,
allowed for the development of one of the world's great
civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C. and a series
of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last
native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were
replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who
introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who
ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the
Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the
conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the
completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important
world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt.
Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of
Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman
Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in
1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The
completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake
Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the
agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the
largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on
the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The
government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium
through economic reform and massive investment in communications and
physical infrastructure.

Geography Egypt

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and
the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the
Asian Sinai Peninsula

Geographic coordinates:
27 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 2,665 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km,
Sudan 1,273 km

Coastline:
2,450 km

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

Climate:
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain:
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone,
gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc

Land use:
arable land: 2.87%
permanent crops: 0.48%
other: 96.65% (2001)

Irrigated land:
33,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides;
hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms,
sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands;
increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification;
oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats;
other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and
industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources
away from the Nile which is the only perennial water source; rapid
growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and
remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link
between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition
to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics;
dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues;
prone to influxes of refugees

People Egypt

Population:
76,117,421 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.4% (male 13,038,369; female 12,418,254)
15-64 years: 62.2% (male 23,953,949; female 23,419,418)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,407,248; female 1,880,183) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 23.4 years
male: 23 years
female: 23.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.83% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.22 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: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 33.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 33.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 34.64 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.71 years
male: 68.22 years
female: 73.31 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
700 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian

Ethnic groups:
Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%,
Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and
French) 1%

Religions:
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%

Languages:
Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated
classes

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
male: 68.3%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

Government Egypt

Country name:
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Cairo

Administrative divisions:
26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah,
Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al
Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al
Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways,
Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash
Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj

Independence:
28 February 1922 (from UK)

National holiday:
Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

Constitution:
11 September 1971

Legal system:
based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes;
judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees
validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October
1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president nominated by the People's Assembly for a
six-year term, the nomination must then be validated by a national,
popular referendum; national referendum last held 26 September 1999
(next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: national referendum validated President MUBARAK's
nomination by the People's Assembly to a fourth term

Legislative branch:
bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis
al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by
the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory
Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative
role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the
president; members serve six-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 19
October, 29 October, 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA
October-November 2005); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004
(next to be held May-June 2007)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA; Advisory Council - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Nasserist Arab Democratic Party or Nasserists [Dia' al-din DAWUD];
National Democratic Party or NDP [President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK]
- governing party; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu
[Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [No'man GOMA]; Socialist
Liberal Party or Al-Ahrar [Hilmi SALIM]; Tomorrow Party or Al-Ghad
[Ayman NOUR]
note: formation of political parties must be approved by the
government

Political pressure groups and leaders:
despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the
technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's
potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated
limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his first two
terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its
influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in
practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are
officially sanctioned

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, EBRD,
FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OIC, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador M. Nabil FAHMY
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador C. David WELCH
embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300
FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the
national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with
a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name
of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is
based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria,
which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus
an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white
band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

Economy Egypt

Economy - overview:
Lack of substantial progress on economic reform since the mid 1990s
has limited foreign direct investment in Egypt and kept annual GDP
growth in the range of 2-3 percent in 2001-03. Egyptian officials in
late 2003 and early 2004 proposed new privatization and customs
reform measures, but the government is likely to pursue these
initiatives cautiously and gradually to avoid a public backlash over
potential inflation or layoffs associated with the reforms. Monetary
pressures on an overvalued Egyptian pound led the government to
float the currency in January 2003, leading to a sharp drop in its
value and consequent inflationary pressure. The existence of a black
market for hard currency is evidence that the government continues
to influence the official exchange rate offered in banks. In
September 2003, Egyptian officials increased subsidies on basic
foodstuffs, helping to calm a frustrated public but widening an
already deep budget deficit. Egypt's balance-of-payments position
was not hurt by the war in Iraq in 2003, as tourism and Suez Canal
revenues fared well. The development of an export market for natural
gas is a bright spot for future growth prospects, but improvement in
the capital-intensive hydrocarbons sector does little to reduce
Egypt's persistent unemployment.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $295.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 33%
services: 50% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
16.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
16.7% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 29.5% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.4 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
20.19 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 32%, industry 17%, services 51% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
9.9% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $14.69 billion
expenditures: $19.03 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.7
billion (2003)

Public debt:
101.8% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water
buffalo, sheep, goats

Industries:
textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, hydrocarbons,
construction, cement, metals

Industrial production growth rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
75.23 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
69.96 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
816,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
562,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
3.308 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
21.2 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:
1.264 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$3.874 billion (2003)

Exports:
$8.759 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products,
chemicals

Exports - partners:
US 13.3%, Italy 12.3%, UK 7.9%, France 4.7%, Germany 4.7%, India
4.2% (2003)

Imports:
$14.75 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels

Imports - partners:
US 13.6%, Germany 7.4%, Italy 7%, France 6.6%, China 4.8%, Saudi
Arabia 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$14.22 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$30.34 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $1.2 billion (2001)

Currency:
Egyptian pound (EGP)

Currency code:
EGP

Exchange rates:
Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.8509 (2003), 4.4997 (2002), 3.973
(2001), 3.4721 (2000), 3.3953 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Egypt

Telephones - main lines in use:
8,735,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
5,797,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading
during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular
service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1
Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan;
microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a
signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable
system)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

Radios:
20.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
98 (September 1995)

Televisions:
7.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.eg

Internet hosts:
3,401 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2000)

Internet users:
2.7 million (2003)

Transportation Egypt

Railways:
total: 5,063 km
standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
3,500 km
note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway,
and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including
approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m
(2004)

Pipelines:
condensate 289 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,115 km; liquid
petroleum gas 852 km; oil 5,032 km; oil/gas/water 36 km; refined
products 246 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur Safajah, Damietta,
Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez

Merchant marine:
total: 159 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,194,696 GRT/1,754,815 DWT
foreign-owned: China 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2,
Turkey 1
registered in other countries: 50 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 18, cargo 41, container 5, passenger 64, petroleum
tanker 14, roll on/roll off 13, short-sea/passenger 4

Airports:
89 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 38
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5

Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)

Military Egypt

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for conscript military service; 3-year service
obligation (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 20,340,716 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 13,148,944 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 756,233 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2,443.2 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.6% (2003)

Transnational Issues Egypt

Disputes - international:
Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas
that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the
22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is
economically developing and effectively administers the "Hala'ib
Triangle" north of the Treaty line

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 70,215 (Palestinian Territories)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and
opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for
Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax
financial regulations and enforcement

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@El Salvador

Introduction El Salvador

Background:
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the
Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost
about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the
government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for
military and political reforms.

Geography El Salvador

Location:
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:
13 50 N, 88 55 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
water: 320 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline:
307 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to
April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 31.85%
permanent crops: 12.07%
other: 56.08% (2001)

Irrigated land:
360 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very
destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible
to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of
soils from disposal of toxic wastes

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

Geography - note:
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline
on Caribbean Sea

People El Salvador

Population:
6,587,541 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.8% (male 1,237,262; female 1,185,750)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 1,819,035; female 2,009,032)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 150,221; female 186,241) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.4 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 22.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.78% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-3.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.93 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 28.79 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.92 years
male: 67.31 years
female: 74.7 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups:
mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout
the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador

Languages:
Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 80.2%
male: 82.8%
female: 77.7% (2003 est.)

Government El Salvador

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador

Government type:
republic

Capital:
San Salvador

Administrative divisions:
14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);
Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz,
La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente,
Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
23 December 1983

Legal system:
based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA (since 1 June 2004);
Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA (since 1 June
2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 21 March
2004 (next to be held NA March 2009)
election results: Elias Antonio SACA elected president; percent of
vote - Elias Antonio SACA (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN)
35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
FMLN 31, ARENA 28, PCN 15, PDC 5, CD 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the
Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER]; United
Democratic Center or CDU [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general];
Democratic Party or PD [Jorge MELENDEZ]; Farabundo Marti National
Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ]; Liberal Democratic
Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, president]; National Action Party
or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio SALINAS, secretary general]; National
Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president]; National
Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA]; Social Christian
Union or USC (formed by the merger of Christian Social Renewal Party
or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president];
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Juan MEDRANO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or
SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and
other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of
Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or
UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union
of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers
Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL;
business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or
ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran
Industrial Association or ASI

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC
FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone: [503] 278-4444
FAX: [503] 278-5522

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL
SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua,
which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it
features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on
top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern
centered in the white band

Economy El Salvador

Economy - overview:
With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador has
lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on
maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. GDP per capita is roughly
only half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and the distribution
of income is highly unequal. The trade deficit has been offset by
annual remittances of almost $2 billion from Salvadorans living
abroad and external aid. The government is striving to open new
export markets, encourage foreign investment, modernize the tax and
healthcare systems, and stimulate the sluggish economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $30.99 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.4% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.4%
industry: 31.2%
services: 59.3% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
16.2% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
48% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52.2 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
2.62 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.5% - but the economy has much underemployment (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.434 billion
expenditures: $2.625 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
43.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp;
beef, dairy products

Industries:
food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals

Industrial production growth rate:
1.6% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.729 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.777 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
44 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
353 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
39,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-734 million (2003)

Exports:
$3.162 billion (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,
chemicals, electricity

Exports - partners:
US 67.8%, Guatemala 11.5%, Honduras 5.9% (2003)

Imports:
$5.466 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,
petroleum, electricity

Imports - partners:
US 50%, Guatemala 8.1%, Mexico 5.5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.061 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$6.575 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
total $252 million; $57 million from US (1995)

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is the legal tender

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications El Salvador

Telephones - main lines in use:
752,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,149,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (1997)

Televisions:
600,000 (1990)

Internet country code:
.sv

Internet hosts:
4,084 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2000)

Internet users:
550,000 (2003)

Transportation El Salvador

Railways:
total: 283 km
narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by
disuse and lack of maintenance (2003)

Highways:
total: 10,029 km
paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,043 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
73 (2003 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 69
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military El Salvador

Military branches:
Army, Navy (FNES), Air Force

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month
service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,571,299 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 995,672 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 69,993 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$157 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.1% (2003)

Transnational Issues El Salvador

Disputes - international:
in 1992, the ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed
areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, and the OAS is
assisting with a technical resolution of undemarcated bolsones; in
2003, the ICJ rejected El Salvador's request to revise its decision
on one part of the bolsones; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a
tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca
with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador
continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned by the ICJ, off
Honduras in the Gulf de Fonseca

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana
produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Equatorial Guinea

Introduction Equatorial Guinea

Background:
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of
Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus
five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African
continent. President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO has ruled the country for
over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President
MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as
well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being
flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the
judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall
from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government
revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the
country's living standards.

Geography Equatorial Guinea

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon

Geographic coordinates:
2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline:
296 km

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

Climate:
tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain:
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Natural resources:
oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold,
manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues:
tap water is not potable; deforestation

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

Geography - note:
insular and continental regions rather widely separated

People Equatorial Guinea

Population:
523,051 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 110,268; female 109,222)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 136,370; female 147,431)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,745; female 11,015) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 19.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.43% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 87.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 93.27 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.15 years
male: 53 years
female: 57.36 years (2004 est.)