Chapter L: Front Matter (50)

Economy - overview:
This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over
major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of
petroleum in the world (25% of the proved reserves), ranks as the
largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The
petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of
GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the
private sector. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play
an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and
service sectors. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin
privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing
privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is
encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence
on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi
population. Priorities for government spending in the short term
include additional funds for education and for the water and sewage
systems. Economic reforms proceed cautiously because of deep-rooted
political and social conservatism.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $287.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.7%
industry: 58.8%
services: 36.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
6.43 million
note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is
non-national (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
25% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $78.77 billion
expenditures: $66.76 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
94.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens,
eggs, milk

Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals,
cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Industrial production growth rate:
7.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
122.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
113.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
7.92 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2003)

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
53.69 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:
6.339 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$22.27 billion (2003)

Exports:
$86.53 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Exports - partners:
US 20.6%, Japan 15.4%, South Korea 9.8%, China 5.5%, Taiwan 4.5%,
Singapore 4.1% (2003)

Imports:
$30.38 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles,
textiles

Imports - partners:
US 9.4%, Japan 7.7%, Germany 7.3%, UK 6.2%, China 4.4%, France 4.1%
(2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$22.86 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$39.16 billion (2003)

Economic aid - donor:
pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon;
since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance
to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in
Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans
to Iraq

Currency:
Saudi riyal (SAR)

Currency code:
SAR

Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002), 3.745
(2001), 3.745 (2000), 3.745 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Saudi Arabia

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,502,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,238,200 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and
fiber-optic cable systems
international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain,
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to
Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian
Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
6.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
117 (1997)

Televisions:
5.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.sa

Internet hosts:
15,931 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2003)

Internet users:
1.5 million (2003)

Transportation Saudi Arabia

Railways:
total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2003)

Highways:
total: 151,470 km
paved: 45,592 km
unpaved: 105,878 km (1999)

Pipelines:
condensate 212 km; gas 1,780 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,191 km; oil
5,068 km; refined products 1,162 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji,
Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah

Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,306,706 GRT/1,963,191 DWT
registered in other countries: 54 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 11, container 4, livestock carrier
2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 4, roll
on/roll off 10, short-sea/passenger 6
foreign-owned: Egypt 3, Greece 4, Norway 2, Sudan 1, United Kingdom 3

Airports:
204 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 32
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 129
under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.)
over 3047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 72

Heliports:
5 (2003 est.)

Military Saudi Arabia

Military branches:
Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National
Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,240,714 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,725,514 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 246,343 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (2002)

Transnational Issues Saudi Arabia

Disputes - international:
nomadic groups on border region with Yemen resist demarcation of
boundary; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as
a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities
in sections of the boundary; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue
discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; because the treaties
have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with
the UAE is still unknown and labeled approximate

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 240,000 (Palestinian Territories)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin,
cocaine, and hashish; not a major money-laundering center, improving
anti-money-laundering legislation

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Senegal

Introduction Senegal

Background:
Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to
form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However, the
envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out,
and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern
separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces
since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in
international peacekeeping.

Geography Senegal

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 196,190 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries:
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau
338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km

Coastline:
531 km

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

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong
southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot,
dry, harmattan wind

Terrain:
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

Natural resources:
fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 12.78%
other: 87.01% (2001)
permanent crops: 0.21%

Irrigated land:
710 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note:
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost
an enclave within Senegal

People Senegal

Population:
10,852,147 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.2% (male 2,368,011; female 2,325,298)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,803,192; female 3,025,304)
65 years and over: 3% (male 158,881; female 171,461) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 18.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.52% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 52.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 60.25 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.56 years
male: 54.94 years
female: 58.23 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
44,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese

Ethnic groups:
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%,
Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Religions:
Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman
Catholic)

Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.2%
male: 50%
female: 30.7% (2003 est.)

Government Senegal

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal
local short form: Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal

Government type:
republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital:
Dakar

Administrative divisions:
11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies,
Ziguinchor

Independence:
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was
achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution:
a new constitution was adopted 7 January 2001

Legal system:
based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the
government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
under new constitution; election last held 27 February and 19 March
2000 (next to be held 27 February 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote
in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.49%, Abdou
DIOUF (PS) 41.51%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001,
had 140 seats
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or
Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals; note - the judicial system was
reformed in 1992

Political parties and leaders:
African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as
PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE, secretary general]; African Party of
Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP
[Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also
known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor
Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for
Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde
Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party
or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier
DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition (a
coalition led by the PDS) [Abdoulaye WADE]; Union for Democratic
Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC,
UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Alan ROTH
embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar
telephone: [221] 823-4296
FAX: [221] 822-2991

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Senegal

Economy - overview:
In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic
reform program with the support of the international donor
community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's
currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the
French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been
steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in
1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
program, with real growth in GDP averaging 5% annually during
1995-2003. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single
digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
(WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with
a unified external tariff. Senegal also realized full Internet
connectivity in 1996, creating a miniboom in information
technology-based services. Private activity now accounts for 82% of
GDP. On the negative side, Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems
of chronic unemployment, trade union militancy, juvenile
delinquency, and drug addiction.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.09 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.8%
industry: 27.2%
services: 56% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
4.62 million NA (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%

Unemployment rate:
48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.304 billion
expenditures: $1.367 billion, including capital expenditures of $357
million (2003 est.)

Public debt:
54.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green
vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Industries:
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer
production, petroleum refining, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
2.9% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.518 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.412 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
31,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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.)

Current account balance:
$-389 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.23 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners:
India 13%, France 12.2%, Mali 9.5%, Italy 8.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.4%,
Spain 5% (2003)

Imports:
$1.753 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foods and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners:
France 24.9%, Nigeria 12.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Spain 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$780 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$3.009 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$362.6 million (2002 est.)

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

Currency code:
XOF

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

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Senegal

Telephones - main lines in use:
228,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
575,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)

Televisions:
361,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sn

Internet hosts:
672 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
225,000 (2003)

Transportation Senegal

Railways:
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km including 7 km of expressways
unpaved: 10,305 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 564 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor

Airports:
20 (2003 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Senegal

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police
(Surete Nationale)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,490,290 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,301,761 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 119,833 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$95.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)

Transnational Issues Senegal

Disputes - international:
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem refugees, cross border
raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist
movement in Senegal's Casamance region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in
Casamance region) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving
to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Serbia and Montenegro

Introduction Serbia and Montenegro

Background:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its
name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany
in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each
other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal TITO took
full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his
new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer
their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the
next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO
Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia,
Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent
states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro
declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992
and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military
intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics
into a "Greater Serbia." All of these efforts were ultimately
unsuccessful and led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992.
In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries
of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international
response, including the NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of
a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of
2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav
KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for
his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against
humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted,
and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by
the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June
1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244,
pending a determination by the international community of its future
status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of
Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship. These
talks became a reality in February 2003 when lawmakers restructured
the country into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia
and Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro
includes a provision that allows either republic to hold a
referendum after three years that would allow for their independence
from the state union.

Geography Serbia and Montenegro

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

Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
water: 214 sq km
land: 102,136 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky

Land boundaries:
total: 2,246 km
border countries: Albania 287 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 527 km,
Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia (north) 241 km, Croatia (south) 25 km,
Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km, Romania 476 km

Coastline:
199 km

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid
summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion,
continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic
climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively
cold winters with heavy snowfall inland

Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east,
limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and
hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands
off the coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Daravica 2,656 m

Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, antimony,
chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone,
marble, salt, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.35%
permanent crops: 3.2%
other: 63.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
570 sq km

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade
and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes
dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube

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

Geography - note:
controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey
and the Near East; strategic location along the Adriatic coast

People Serbia and Montenegro

Population:
10,825,900 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.3% (male 1,027,479; female 956,681)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 3,602,959; female 3,627,616)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 693,929; female 917,236) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 36.6 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 38.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.03% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 15.04 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.4 years
male: 71.9 years
female: 77.12 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Serb(s); Montenegrin(s)
adjective: Serbian; Montenegrin

Ethnic groups:
Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%, other
12.6% (1991)

Religions:
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other
11%

Languages:
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 97.2%
female: 88.9% (1991)

Government Serbia and Montenegro

Country name:
conventional long form: Serbia and Montenegro
conventional short form: none
local short form: none
local long form: Srbija i Crna Gora
former: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
abbreviation: SCG

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Belgrade

Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republike, singular - republika); and 2 nominally
autonomous provinces* (autonomn pokrajine, singular - autonomna
pokrajina); Kosovo* (currently under UN administration pending
resolution of its future status), Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina*

Independence:
27 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or FRY - now Serbia
and Montenegro - formed as self-proclaimed successor to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)

National holiday:
National Day, 27 April

Constitution:
4 February 2003

Legal system:
based on civil law system

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

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
election results: Svetozar MAROVIC elected president by the
Parliament; vote was Svetozar MAROVIC 65, other 47
elections: president elected by the Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 7 March 2003 (next to be held 2007)
cabinet: Federal Ministries act as Cabinet
head of government: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian, 35 Montenegrin -
filled by nominees of the two state parliaments for the first two
years, after which the Constitutional Charter calls for direct
elections
elections: last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Serbian parties: SRS 30, DSS 20, DS 13, G17 Plus 12, SPO-NS 8, SPS
8; Montenegrin parties: DPS 15, SNP 9, SDP 4, DSS 3, NS 2, LSCG 2

Judicial branch:
The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the
Serbia and Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms
note: since the promulgation of the 2003 Constitution, the Federal
Court has constitutional and administrative functions; it has an
equal number of judges from each republic

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; Democratic Party of Serbia or
DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party of Socialists of
Montenegro or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Democratic Serbian Party of
Montenegro or DSS [Bozidar BOJOVIC]; G17 Plus [Miroljub LABUS]; New
Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LSCG
[Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Dragan SOC];
Power of Serbia Movement or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]; Serbian Radical
Party or SRS [Tomislav NIKOLIC]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO
[Vuk DRASKOVIC]; Serbian Socialist Party or SPS (former Communist
Party and party of Slobodan MILOSEVIC) [Ivica DACIC, president of
Main Board]; Social Democratic Party of Montenegro or SDP [Ranko
KRIVOKAPIC]; Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Predrag
BULATOVIC]
note: the following political parties participate in elections and
institutions only in Kosovo, which has been governed by the UN under
UNSCR 1244 since 1999: Albanian Christian Democratic Party or PSHDK
[Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush
HARADINAJ]; Citizens' Initiative of Serbia or GIS [Slavisa
PETKOVIC]; Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit
RRAHMANI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Ibrahim RUGOVA];
Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Justice Party of
PD [Sylejman CERKEZI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP
[Mahir YAGCILAR]; Liberal Party of Kosovo or PLK [Gjergj DEDAJ]; Ora
[Veton SURROI]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Bislim
HOTI]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Popular
Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Prizren-Dragas
Initiative or PDI [Ismajl KARADOLAMI]; Serb List for Kosovo and
Metohija or SLKM [Oliver IVANOVIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or
PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi MERXHA]; Vakat [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Political Council for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac or PCPMB
[leader NA]; Group for Changes of Montenegro or GZP [Nebojsa
MEDOJEVIC]

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC
consulate(s) general: Chicago
FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933
chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael C. POLT
embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade
mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070
telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344
FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230
consulate(s): Podgorica
note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38000
Pristina, Kosovo; telephone: [381](38)549-516; FAX: [381](38)549-890

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

Economy Serbia and Montenegro

Economy - overview:
MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of
economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure
and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 have left the
economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of
former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government
implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive
market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in
December 2000, Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the
international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World
Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June
2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. An agreement
rescheduling the country's $4.5 billion Paris Club government debts
was concluded in November 2001; it wrote off 66% of the debt. The
smaller republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal
control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to
maintain its own central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav
dinar as official currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages
its own budget. Kosovo, while technically still part of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) according to
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, is largely
autonomous under United Nations Interim Administration Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) and is greatly dependent on the international
community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance.
The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are official currencies, and UNMIK
collects taxes and manages the budget. The complexity of Serbia and
Montenegro political relationships, slow progress in privatization,
legal uncertainty over property rights, and scarcity of
foreign-investment are holding back Serbia and Montenegro's economy.
Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal
discipline, are an important element in policy formation. Severe
unemployment remains a key political economic problem.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $23.89 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 28.2%
services: 56.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
30% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.2% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
2.93 million (2003 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
34.5% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $8.668 billion
expenditures: $9.633 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
123.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:
machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and
weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy
(steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth,
cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore,
limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs,
appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and
pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:
1.7% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
31.71 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
32.37 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
446 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
3.33 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
15,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
64,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
602 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:
24.07 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-2.416 billion (2003)

Exports:
$2.667 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials

Exports - partners:
Italy 31.6%, Germany 17.5%, Austria 6.2%, France 6%, Greece 5.4%,
Slovenia 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)

Imports:
$7.144 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants,
manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials

Imports - partners:
Germany 18.8%, Italy 16.3%, Austria 8.1%, Slovenia 6.6%, Hungary
5.8%, France 4.8%, Bulgaria 4.6%, Greece 4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$3.7 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$14.01 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2 billion pledged in 2001 (disbursements to follow for several
years)

Currency:
in Serbia the Serbian dinar (CSD) is legal tender, but the euro
(EUR) is the de facto currency; in Montenegro and Kosovo the euro is
legal tender. (2004)

Currency code:
CSD, EUR

Exchange rates:
new Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - official rate: 65 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Serbia and Montenegro

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,611,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,634,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 381; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
more than 771 (including 86 strong stations and 685 low-power
stations, plus 20 repeaters in the principal networks; also numerous
local or private stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)

Televisions:
2.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.yu

Internet hosts:
20,207 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)

Internet users:
847,000 (2003)

Transportation Serbia and Montenegro

Railways:
total: 4,380 km
standard gauge: 4,380 km 1.435-m gauge (1,445 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 49,805 km
paved: 31,029 km (including 560 km of expressways)
unpaved: 18,776 km (2000)

Waterways:
587 km
note: Danube River traffic delayed by pontoon bridge at Novi Sad;
plan to replace by summer of 2005 (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Tivat, Zelenika

Airports:
45 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
4 (2003 est.)

Military Serbia and Montenegro

Military branches:
Army (VJ) (including ground forces with border troops, naval
forces, air and air defense forces)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
19 years of age (nine months compulsory service) (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,718,234 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,184,937 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 81,245 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$654 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Serbia and Montenegro

Disputes - international:
the future status of Kosovo remains an unresolved issue in South
Central Europe with Kosovo Albanians overwhelmingly supporting and
Serbian officials opposing Kosovo independence; the international
community has agreed to begin a process to determine final status
only after significant progress has been made in solidifying
multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo as outlined in the policy of
"standards before status"; the Contact group (including the US, UK,
France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) will review progress on the
UNMIK standard around mid-2005; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo resist
demarcation of the F.Y.R.O.M. boundary in accordance with the 2000
delimitation treaty, which transfers on net a small amount of land
to F.Y.R.O.M.; Serbia and Montenegro have delimited about half of
the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the
Drina River remain in dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 99,170 (Bosnia), 188,656 (Croatia)
IDPs: 225,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western
Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Seychelles

Introduction Seychelles

Background:
A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands
ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came
in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new
constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent
presidential elections were held 31 August-2 September 2001.
President RENE, who has served since 1977, was re-elected. On 14
April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was
sworn in as president.

Geography Seychelles

Location:
Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of
Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 455 sq km

Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
491 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon
(late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon
(March to May)

Terrain:
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others
are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources:
fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use:
arable land: 2.22%
permanent crops: 13.33%
other: 84.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short
droughts possible

Environment - current issues:
water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater

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

Geography - note:
40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands

People Seychelles

Population:
80,832 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 10,987; female 10,717)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 26,380; female 27,731)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,638; female 3,379) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.3 years
male: 26.2 years
female: 28.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.45% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-5.69 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: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 20.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.53 years
male: 66.1 years
female: 77.14 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.77 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: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychellois

Ethnic groups:
mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab

Religions:
Roman Catholic 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian 2.5%, other
4.1%

Languages:
English (official), French (official), Creole

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 56%
female: 60% (1971 est.)

Government Seychelles

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Victoria

Administrative divisions:
23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse
Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau
Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe),
Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont
Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint
Louis, Takamaka

Independence:
29 June 1976 (from UK)

National holiday:
Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)

Constitution:
18 June 1993

Legal system:
based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA
2006)
election results: France Albert RENE re-elected president; percent
of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO)
44.95%, Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that
presidential elections have been held separately from legislative
elections; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice
President James MICHEL was sworn in as president
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25
elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to
parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next held by 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%,
DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the
percentage that each party won of the total vote

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement
Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National
Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel
RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France
Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Roman Catholic Church; trade unions

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to
Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles

Flag description:
five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and
green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Economy Seychelles

Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean
archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old
near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector,
which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than
70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years
the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade
hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has
moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the
development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. A
sharp drop illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in
1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war, and once again following the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Other issues facing the
government are the curbing of the budget deficit, including the
containment of social welfare costs, and further privatization of
public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, due to sluggish
tourist and tuna sectors. Also, tight controls on exchange rates and
the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic
prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles rupee is half
the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency
the tourist sector should remain sluggish as vacationers seek
cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $626 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 28.7%
services: 68.9% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
39.1% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
30,900 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989)

Unemployment rate:
NA

Budget:
revenues: $338.7 million
expenditures: $323.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
129.3% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish

Industries:
fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut
fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
160 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
148.8 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-73 million (2003)

Exports:
$250 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(reexports)

Exports - partners:
UK 38.8%, France 31.8%, Italy 14.5%, Germany 7.5% (2003)

Imports:
$383.7 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 15.7%, South Africa 10.9%, Spain 10.4%, France 9.7%,
Italy 9.2%, Singapore 7%, UK 6.8% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$66 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$213 million (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$16.4 million (1995)

Currency:
Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Currency code:
SCR

Exchange rates:
Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002),
5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000), 5.3426 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Seychelles

Telephones - main lines in use:
21,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
54,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

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

Radios:
42,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
11,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sc

Internet hosts:
264 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
11,700 (2002)

Transportation Seychelles

Highways:
total: 373 km
paved: 315 km
unpaved: 58 km (1997 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Victoria

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT
foreign-owned: Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 2 (2004
est.)
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1

Airports:
15 (2003 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Military Seychelles

Military branches:
Army, Coast Guard (including Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard,
Presidential Protection Unit (includes Presidential Guard),
Seychelles National Police (includes Police Mobile Unit)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 23,661 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 11,712 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues Seychelles

Disputes - international:
together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago
(UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Sierra Leone

Introduction Sierra Leone

Background:
The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of
deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over
one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in
neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force
and contributions from the World Bank and international community,
demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces
(CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in
May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its
authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in
Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005,
deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the
tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present
challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability.

Geography Sierra Leone

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

Geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Coastline:
402 km

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

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter
dry season (December to April)

Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use:
arable land: 6.98%
permanent crops: 0.89%
other: 92.13% (2001)

Irrigated land:
290 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to
February); sandstorms, dust storms

Environment - current issues:
rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting
of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn
agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion;
civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year,
making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

People Sierra Leone

Population:
5,883,889 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,291,621; female 1,343,827)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,458,610; female 1,599,109)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 91,232; female 99,490) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.27% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly
returning (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 145.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 127.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 162.64 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.69 years
male: 40.23 years
female: 45.21 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
170,000 (2001 est.)

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

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

Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups:
20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%),
Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were
settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees
from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Religions:
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

Languages:
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende
(principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in
the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of
freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a
lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but
understood by 95%)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)

Government Sierra Leone

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone

Government type:
constitutional democracy

Capital:
Freetown

Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)