Chapter XL: Front Matter (40)

Economy - overview:
Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a
damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June
1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and
social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the
island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited
the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the
lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops.
Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation
to the volcano and on public sector construction activity. The UK
has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help
reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain
uninhabitable for another decade.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $29 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 13.6%
services: 81% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
4,521 ; note - lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity
(2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA

Unemployment rate:
6% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital expenditures of $8.4
million (1997 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, livestock
products

Industries:
tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
2.5 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.325 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$700,000 (2001)

Exports - commodities:
electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live
plants, cattle

Exports - partners:
US, Antigua and Barbuda

Imports:
$17 million (2001)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured
goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials

Imports - partners:
US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada

Debt - external:
$8.9 million (1997)

Economic aid - recipient:
As of 31 March 2003, UK's DFID had provided about $328 million in
economic relief from volcanic activity, and by 31 March 2006, DFID
aid is expected to total $411 million.

Currency:
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since
1976)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Montserrat

Telephones - main lines in use:
NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
70 (1994)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-664

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)

Televisions:
3,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ms

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Montserrat

Highways:
total: 227 km
paved: NA km
note: volcanic eruptions beginning in 1995 destroyed most of the
road system (2003)
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors:
Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing),
Carr's Bay

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Montserrat

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Montserrat

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the
US and Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Morocco

Introduction Morocco

Background:
Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956.
The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over to the new
country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara
during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the
territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s
resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997.
Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September
2002 and municipal elections were held in September 2003.

Geography Morocco

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 446,550 sq km
land: 446,300 sq km
water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:
total: 2,017.9 km
border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain
(Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline:
1,835 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:
Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain:
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of
bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m
highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use:
arable land: 19.61%
permanent crops: 2.17%
other: 78.22% (2001)

Irrigated land:
12,910 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to
earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from
farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation);
water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs;
oil pollution of coastal waters

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

Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

People Morocco

Population:
32,209,101 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.6% (male 5,355,388; female 5,156,762)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 10,013,466; female 10,112,060)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 692,465; female 878,960) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 23.3 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 23.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.61% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.98 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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 47.09 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.35 years
male: 68.06 years
female: 72.74 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan

Ethnic groups:
Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%

Religions:
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%

Languages:
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of
business, government, and diplomacy

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.7%
male: 64.1%
female: 39.4% (2003 est.)

Government Morocco

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco
conventional short form: Morocco
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah
local short form: Al Maghrib

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Rabat

Administrative divisions:
16 regions: Casablanca, Chaouia-Ourdigha, Doukkala-Abda,
Fes-Boulmane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara,
Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz,
Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira,
Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal,
Tangier-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate

Independence:
2 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday:
Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July
(1999)

Constitution:
10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create
bicameral legislature) September 1996

Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of
Supreme Court

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)

Executive branch:
chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch following legislative elections
head of government: Prime Minister Driss JETTOU (since 9 October
2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of
Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils,
professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year
terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a
lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; 295 by
multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of women;
members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 6 October 2003 (next to
be held NA 2006); Chamber of Representatives - last held 27
September 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, PI 21,
USFP 16, MNP 15, PA 13, FFD 12, other 42; Chamber of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - USFP 50, PI 48,
PJD 42, RNI 41, MP 27, MNP 18, UC 16, PND 12, PPS 11, UD 10, other 50

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the
Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:
Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of Liberties or
ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj [Abdellah EL HARIF];
Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS [Ahmed BENJELLOUN];
Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI]; Citizen's Initiatives
for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU]; Constitutional Union or UC
[Mohamed ABIED (interim)]; Democratic and Independence Party or PDI
[Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Mahmoud
ARCHANE]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI];
Democratic Union or UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and Development
Party or PED [Ahmed EL ALAMI]; Front of Democratic Forces or FFD
[Thami EL KHYARI]; Istiqlal Party (Independence Party) or PI [Abbas
El FASSI]; Justice and Development Party or PJD [Saad Eddine
OTHMANI]; Moroccan Liberal Party or PML [Mohamed ZIANE]; National
Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah KADIRI]; National Ittihadi
Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid BOUZOUBAA]; National Popular
Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents
or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; National Union of Popular Forces or UNFP
[Abdellah IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd [Najib EL OUAZZANI,
chairman]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI];
Party of Renewal and Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party of the
Unified Socialist Left or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER]; Popular
Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Reform and Development Party or
PRD [Abderrahmane EL KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC [Lahcen
MADIH]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Mohammed
El-YAZGHI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General
Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan
Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National Labor Union
of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan Workers or
UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR
chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161
telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY
embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat
mailing address: PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718
telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65
FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61
consulate(s) general: Casablanca

Flag description:
red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as
Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green
are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is
more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf;
design dates to 1912

Economy Morocco

Economy - overview:
Morocco faces the problems typical of developing countries -
restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private
activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable economic
growth. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF,
the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully
convertible for current account transactions. Reforms of the
financial sector are being contemplated. Droughts depressed activity
in the key agricultural sector and contributed to a stagnant economy
in 2002. Morocco reported large foreign exchange inflows from the
sale of a mobile telephone license, and partial privatization of the
state-owned telecommunications company and the state tobacco
company. Favorable rainfall in 2003 led to a growth of 6%.
Formidable long-term challenges include: preparing the economy for
freer trade with the EU and US, improving education, and attracting
foreign investment to boost living standards and job prospects for
Morocco's youth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $128.3 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2003 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.9%
industry: 35.5%
services: 41.5% (2003 est.)

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

Population below poverty line:
19% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
39.5 (1998-99)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.2% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
10.84 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 40%, industry 15%, services 45% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
19% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $13.8 billion
expenditures: $14 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1
billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
76.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Industries:
phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather
goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
13.35 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
14.61 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
2.2 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
167,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
900,000 bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
50 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:
665.4 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$963 million (2003)

Exports:
$8.466 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals,
fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits,
vegetables

Exports - partners:
France 26.5%, Spain 16.7%, UK 7.2%, Germany 5.2%, Italy 5%, US 4%
(2003)

Imports:
$12.75 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment,
wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics

Imports - partners:
France 20.6%, Spain 12.4%, Italy 7.1%, Germany 5.2%, Saudi Arabia
5%, Russia 4.9%, US 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$14.08 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$17.32 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$565.6 million (1995)

Currency:
Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code:
MAD

Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002),
11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000), 9.8044 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Morocco

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,219,200 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,332,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system with all important capabilities;
however, density is low with only 4.6 main lines available for each
100 persons
domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and
microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;
principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national
network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural
service employs microwave radio relay
international: country code - 212; 7 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in
Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and
Tunisia (1998)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios:
6.64 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ma

Internet hosts:
3,627 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)

Internet users:
800,000 (2003)

Transportation Morocco

Railways:
total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 57,707 km
paved: 32,547 km (including 481 km of expressways)
unpaved: 25,160 km (2000)

Pipelines:
gas 695 km; oil 285 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia,
Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and
Melilla

Merchant marine:
total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 236,131 GRT/252,367 DWT
by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 7, container 7, petroleum tanker
1, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea/passenger 2
foreign-owned: France 1, Germany 2, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 2, United Kingdom 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
64 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 15

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Morocco

Military branches:
Royal Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force

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: 8,788,971 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,529,267 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 352,711 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2,297.2 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues Morocco

Disputes - international:
claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains
unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since
September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and
parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco
protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta,
Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de
Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco also
rejected Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the
Canary Islands in 2002 to set limits to undersea resource
exploration and refugee interdiction, but agreed in 2003 to discuss
a comprehensive maritime delimitation; Morocco serves as one of the
primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North
Africa

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed
to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America
destined for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Mozambique

Introduction Mozambique

Background:
Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with
independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic
dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil
war hindered the country's development. The ruling Front for the
Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism
in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for
multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated
peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National
Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December
2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO
steped down after 18 years in office. His newly elected successor,
Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, has promised to continue the sound economic
policies that have encouraged foreign investment.

Geography Mozambique

Location:
South-eastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between
South Africa and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:
18 15 S, 35 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 801,590 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 4,571 km
border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland
105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Coastline:
2,470 km

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

Climate:
tropical to subtropical

Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in
northwest, mountains in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources:
coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

Land use:
arable land: 5.1%
permanent crops: 0.3%
other: 94.6% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,070 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central
and southern provinces

Environment - current issues:
a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have
resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and
coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences;
desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant
poaching for ivory is a problem

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

Geography - note:
the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part
of the country

People Mozambique

Population:
18,811,731
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; the 1997
Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2004
est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 4,126,178; female 4,074,759)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 4,944,416; female 5,145,167)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 215,418; female 305,793) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 18.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.22% (2004 est.)

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

Death rate:
23.86 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 137.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 131.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 142.67 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 37.1 years
male: 37.83 years
female: 36.34 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
12.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.3 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
110,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups:
indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and
others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages:
Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, numerous other indigenous languages,
Portuguese (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second
language)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.8%
male: 63.5%
female: 32.7% (2003 est.)

Government Mozambique

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local short form: Mocambique
former: Portuguese East Africa
local long form: Republica de Mocambique

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Maputo

Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*;
Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*,
Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Independence:
25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Constitution:
30 November 1990

Legal system:
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February
2004)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December
2009); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote
- Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250
seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret
ballot to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 62%, Renamo
29.7%; seats by party - Frelimo 160, Renamo 90

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional
judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the
Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs
courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts
note: although the constitution provides for the creation of a
separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in
its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases

Political parties and leaders:
Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de
Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, president];
Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional
Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA,
president]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia)
or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa,
chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e
Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos
Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]; Human Rights and
Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia
FRANCO, secretary general]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
ONUB, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISET, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE
chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036
FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON
embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
telephone: [258] (1) 492797
FAX: [258] (1) 490448

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with
a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is
edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed
star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an
open white book

Economy Mozambique

Economy - overview:
At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest
countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from
1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked
on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the
economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with
political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have
led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation
was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s although it
returned to double digits in 2000-03. Fiscal reforms, including the
introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service,
have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In
spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign
assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the
population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture
continues to employ the vast majority of the country's workforce. A
substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the
MOZAL aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment
project to date has increased export earnings. Additional investment
projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment
manufacturing should further close the import/export gap.
Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through
forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a
manageable level.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $21.23 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.1%
industry: 27.3%
services: 52.7% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
47.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
70% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
39.6 (1996-97)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
9.2 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 81%, industry 6%, services 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
21% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.089 billion
expenditures: $1.269 billion, including capital expenditures of
$479.4 million (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn,
coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers;
beef, poultry

Industries:
food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum,
petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:
3.4% (2000)

Electricity - production:
7.193 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.39 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
5.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
500 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
8,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
60 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:
63.71 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-566 million (2003)

Exports:
$795 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk
electricity

Exports - partners:
Belgium 26%, South Africa 14.4%, Italy 9.6%, Spain 9.5%, Germany
8.3%, Zimbabwe 4.7% (2003)

Imports:
$1.142 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products,
foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:
South Africa 26.3%, Australia 9.2%, US 3.9% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$990 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$966 million (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$632.8 million (2001)

Currency:
metical (MZM)

Currency code:
MZM

Exchange rates:
meticais per US dollar - 23,782.3 (2003), 23,678 (2002), 20,703.6
(2001), 15,447.1 (2000), 13,028.6 (1999)
note: effective October 2000, the exchange rate is determined as the
weighted average of buying and selling exchange rates of all
transactions of commercial banks and stock exchanges with the public

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Mozambique

Telephones - main lines in use:
83,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
428,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system but not available generally
(telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000 persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk
connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)

Radios:
730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)

Televisions:
67,600 (2000)

Internet country code:
.mz

Internet hosts:
3,249 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2002)

Internet users:
50,000 (2002)

Transportation Mozambique

Railways:
total: 3,123 km
narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa
Lake) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 649 km; refined products 292 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT
by type: cargo 3
foreign-owned: Belgium 2 (2004 est.)

Airports:
158 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 136
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 87 (2004 est.)

Military Mozambique

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Forces

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 4,335,294 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,485,197 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$101.3 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Mozambique

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish, South Asian
heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the
European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local
consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa);
corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system
vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed
financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a
money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Namibia

Introduction Namibia

Background:
South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during
World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War
II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West
Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war
of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was
not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in
accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won
its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since.
Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a
landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during
its first 14 years of self rule.

Geography Namibia

Location:
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola
and South Africa

Geographic coordinates:
22 00 S, 17 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries:
total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa
967 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline:
1,572 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain:
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in
east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m

Natural resources:
diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc,
salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.01% (2001)

Irrigated land:
70 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
prolonged periods of drought

Environment - current issues:
very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification;
wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas

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

Geography - note:
first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the
environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is
protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

People Namibia

Population:
1,954,033
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: 42.4% (male 419,700; female 409,156)
15-64 years: 54% (male 527,553; female 528,386)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 30,427; female 38,811) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 18 years
female: 18.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.25% (2004 est.)

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

Death rate:
21.02 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: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 69.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 66.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 72.65 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.53 years
male: 42.36 years
female: 38.64 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
21.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
210,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
16,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian

Ethnic groups:
black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9%
to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara
7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Religions:
Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs
10% to 20%

Languages:
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the
population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,
indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84%
male: 84.4%
female: 83.7% (2003 est.)

Government Namibia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia
former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Windhoek

Administrative divisions:
13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene,
Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa

Independence:
21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution:
ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990

Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since November 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Theo-Ben GURIRAB (since 28 August
2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009)
election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of
vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats;
two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year
terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to
determine members of the National Council, held 15-16 November 2004
(next to be held November 2009); National Assembly - last held 15-16
November 2004 (next to be held November 2009)
note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, UDF 3, MAG 1, other 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders:
Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle
Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor
Action Group or MAG [Kosie PRETORIUS]; South West Africa People's
Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic
Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard Nangolo IIPUMBU
chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443
telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kevin J. McGUIRE
embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek
mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek
telephone: [264] (61) 221601
FAX: [264] (61) 229792

Flag description:
a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left
section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right
section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is
contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders

Economy Namibia

Economy - overview:
The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing
of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich
alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for
gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of
nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of
uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin,
silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the
population while about half of the population depends on subsistence
agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50%
of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a
major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the
region, hides the great inequality of income distribution; nearly
one-third of Namibians had annual incomes of less than $1,400 in
constant 1994 dollars, according to a 1993 study. The Namibian
economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar
pegged to the South African rand. Privatization of several
enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign
investment. Mining of zinc, copper, and silver and increased fish
production led growth in 2003.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $13.85 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.5%
industry: 29.8%
services: 58.7% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2002 est.)

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
70 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.3% (2003)

Labor force:
760,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
35% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $1.434 billion
expenditures: $1.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2003)

Public debt:
35.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish

Industries:
meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond,
lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
26.95 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
603.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
578 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Current account balance:
$123 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.09 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed
fish, karakul skins

Exports - partners:
EU 79%, US 4% (2001)

Imports:
$1.371 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment,
chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 50%, EU 31% (2001)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$325.2 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$1.04 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $160 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
NAD; ZAR

Exchange rates:
Namibian dollars per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002),
8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Namibia

Telephones - main lines in use:
127,400 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
223,700 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100
persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio
relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are
by open wire; 100% digital
international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South
Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to
other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South
African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa;
satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:
232,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
60,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.na

Internet hosts:
3,164 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
65,000 (2003)

Transportation Namibia

Railways:
total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 66,467 km
paved: 9,172 km
unpaved: 57,285 km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Merchant marine:
none (2004 est.)

Airports:
136 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 115
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 71
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Military Namibia

Military branches:
Namibian Defense Force: Army (including Naval Wing, Air Wing),
Police

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 468,934 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 279,755 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$111.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (2003)

Transnational Issues Namibia

Disputes - international:
commission established with Botswana to resolve small residual
disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands
along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest Namibia's
planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa
Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the
boundary in the Orange River; Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe boundary convergence is not clearly defined or delimited;
Angolan rebels and refugees still reside in Namibia

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Nauru

Introduction Nauru

Background:
Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th
century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by
Australian forces in World War I. Nauru achieved independence in
1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest
independent republic.

Geography Nauru

Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall
Islands

Geographic coordinates:
0 32 S, 166 55 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 21 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
30 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate:
tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to
February)

Terrain:
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with
phosphate plateau in center

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect
rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination
plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly
by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of
Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and
Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator

People Nauru

Population:
12,809 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 2,516; female 2,372)
15-64 years: 60% (male 3,782; female 3,898)
65 years and over: 1.9% (male 128; female 113) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.9 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 20.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.87% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 10.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 12.76 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.33 years
male: 58.78 years
female: 66.06 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.29 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: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan

Ethnic groups:
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Religions:
Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

Languages:
Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English
widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes

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

Government Nauru

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island

Government type:
republic

Capital:
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

Administrative divisions:
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada,
Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Independence:
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN
trusteeship)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Constitution:
29 January 1968

Legal system:
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term;
election last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary
elections for president
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of Parliament
head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not later than May
2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3,
independents 15

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru
Party (informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader
NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office
at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone:
(212) 937-0074
consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Nauru

Flag description:
blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and
a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side;
the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator
(the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original
tribes of Nauru

Economy Nauru

Economy - overview:
Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports
of phosphates, but reserves are now depleted. Few other resources
exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia,
its former occupier and later major source of support. The
rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from
phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the
exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of
phosphate income have been invested in trust funds to help cushion
the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result
of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual
bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has called for a freeze on
wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments,
privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some
overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the
registration of offshore banks and corporations. In 2004 the
deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant
continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and
economy afloat has substantially mounted. Few comprehensive
statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP
varying widely.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-3.6% (1993)

Labor force - by occupation:
employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education,
and transportation

Unemployment rate:
0% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(FY95/96)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts

Industries:
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
30 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
27.9 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$18 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
phosphates

Exports - partners:
Japan 42.3%, India 38.5%, South Korea 7.7% (2003)

Imports:
$31 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners:
Australia 67.9%, Indonesia 10.7%, US 7.1% (2003)

Debt - external:
$33.3 million (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) (2000 est.)

Currency:
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.2641 (2002)
1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Nauru

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,500 (2002)