Chapter LIII: Front Matter (53)

Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir
Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968
head of government: President of the Government Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ
ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President (and Minister
of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA(since 18 April
2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and
Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are
non-binding
election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected
president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%
elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004
(next to be held NA March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the
monarch on the proposal of the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members
directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the
regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of
Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE
38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC
1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress
12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%,
CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU
2, CC 3, other 8
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March
2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders:
Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition
or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute];
Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of
the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro]
and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y
LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping
four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA) [leader NA]; Galician
Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of
Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular
Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC
[Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE
[Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of
parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar
LLAMAZARES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor
unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of
Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or
USO; university students; Workers Confederation or CC.OO; Nunca Mas
(Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker
Prestige oil spill)

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP
chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Robert
MANZANARES
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

Economy Spain

Economy - overview:
Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per
capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European
economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR
successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of
countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1
January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate
liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and
introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily
under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 11.7%. Growth of
2.4% in 2003 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering
European economy. Incoming President RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, whose party
won the election three days after the Madrid train bombings in
March, plans to reduce government intervention in business, combat
tax fraud, and support innovation, research and development, but
also intends to reintroduce labor market regulations that had been
scrapped by the AZNAR government. Adjusting to the monetary and
other economic policies of an integrated Europe - and reducing
unemployment - will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $885.5 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 28.6%
services: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
25.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.5 (1990)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
18.82 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 7%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 29%,
services 64% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
11.3% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $330.7 billion
expenditures: $335.3 billion, including capital expenditures of
$12.8 billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
62.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef,
pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Industries:
textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages,
metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles,
machine tools, tourism

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

Electricity - production:
222.5 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
210.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
4.138 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
7.588 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
7,099 bbl/day (2001 est.)

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

Oil - exports:
135,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
1.582 million bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-23.77 billion (2003)

Exports:
$159.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, other consumer goods

Exports - partners:
France 19.2%, Germany 11.9%, Italy 9.7%, UK 9.4%, Portugal 9.3%, US
4.2% (2003)

Imports:
$197.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods;
foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
France 16.8%, Germany 16.6%, Italy 8.8%, UK 6.5%, Netherlands 4.9%
(2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$26.81 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$718.4 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions
of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions with the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Spain

Telephones - main lines in use:
17,567,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
37,506,700 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;
teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
13.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
224 (plus 2,105 repeaters)
note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88
repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995)

Televisions:
16.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.es

Internet hosts:
1,056,950 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
56 (2000)

Internet users:
9.789 million (2003)

Transportation Spain

Railways:
total: 14,268 km (7,718 km electrified)
broad gauge: 11,804 km 1.668-m gauge (6,409 km electrified)
standard gauge: 526 km 1.435-m gauge (526 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,910 km 1.000-m gauge (755 km electrified); 28 km
0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 663,795 km
paved: 657,157 km (including 10,317 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,638 km (1999)

Waterways:
1,045 km (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 7,306 km; oil 730 km; refined products 3,512 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana,
Ceuta, Huelva, A Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga,
Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands),
Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

Merchant marine:
total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,740,974 GRT/2,157,551 DWT
by type: bulk 9, cargo 29, chemical tanker 13, container 17,
liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker
21, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 32, short-sea/passenger
7, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 7
registered in other countries: 115 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Chile 1, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 9, Italy 2,
Netherlands 1, Norway 6, Sweden 1, Uruguay 1

Airports:
156 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 95
over 3,047 m: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 28 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 61
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 44 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
8 (2003 est.)

Military Spain

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force (Ejercito del Aire, EdA), Marines

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 10,482,753 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 8,336,273 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 245,007 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9,906.5 million (2003)

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

Transnational Issues Spain

Disputes - international:
since Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum in
2003 against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement, talks between
the UK and Spain over the fate of the 300-year old UK colony have
stalled; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater
autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves
of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera,
Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters;
Morocco serves as the primary launching area of illegal migration
into Spain from North Africa; Morocco 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;
some Portuguese groups assert dormant claims to territories ceded to
Spain around the town of Olivenza

Illicit drugs:
key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American
cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market;
destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin; money laundering site for European earnings of Colombian
narcotics trafficking organizations

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Spratly Islands

Introduction Spratly Islands

Background:
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or
reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially
by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively
small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing
zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal
claim.

Geography Spratly Islands

Location:
Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China
Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the
southern Philippines

Geographic coordinates:
8 38 N, 111 55 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: less than 5 sq km
note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts
scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South
China Sea
water: 0 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km

Area - comparative:
NA

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
926 km

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
flat

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m

Natural resources:
fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and
shoals

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the
central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls,
shoals, and coral reefs

People Spratly Islands

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several
claimant states (July 2004 est.)

Government Spratly Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Economy Spratly Islands

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity
to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the
potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely
unexplored; there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves;
commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Transportation Spratly Islands

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Airports:
3 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

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

Military Spratly Islands

Military - note:
Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of
which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Transnational Issues Spratly Islands

Disputes - international:
all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and
Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines;
in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that
encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not
publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,"
which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code
of conduct"

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Sri Lanka

Introduction Sri Lanka

Background:
The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C.,
probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in
about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed
at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa
A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th
century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and
established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th
century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded
to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was
united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent
in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between
the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in
1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that
continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government
and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in
February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.

Geography Sri Lanka

Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Geographic coordinates:
7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 65,610 sq km
water: 870 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,340 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 monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest
monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central
interior

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources:
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay,
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 13.86%
permanent crops: 15.7%
other: 70.44% (2001)

Irrigated land:
6,510 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by
poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining
activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being
polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air
pollution in Colombo

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

Geography - note:
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People Sri Lanka

Population:
19,905,165
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and
armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand
Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of yearend 2000,
approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south
India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than
200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 2,526,143; female 2,414,876)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 6,589,438; female 6,976,487)
65 years and over: 7% (male 655,636; female 742,585) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 29.1 years
male: 28 years
female: 30.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.81% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.78 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 16.01 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.89 years
male: 70.34 years
female: 75.57 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan

Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Religions:
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)

Languages:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken
competently by about 10% of the population

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.3%
male: 94.8%
female: 90% (2003 est.)

Government Sri Lanka

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Serendib, Ceylon

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital

Administrative divisions:
8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,
Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern province
may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern

Independence:
4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution:
adopted 16 August 1978

Legal system:
a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch,
Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since
12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April 2004)i s
the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
(since 12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April
2004) is the prime minister; the president is considered both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December
2005)
election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected
president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA 51%,
Ranil WICKREMASINGHE 42%, other 7%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote
on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by
district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%,
UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party or electoral
alliance - SLFP and JVP 105, UNP 82, TNA 22, JHU 9, SLMC 5, UPF 1,
EPDP 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers
Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D.
GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF
[Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP
[Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP
[Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF];
National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; People's
Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [leader NA]; Sihala
Urumaya or SU [leader NA]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP
[Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or
SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson
PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM];
Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United
Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party
or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P.
CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties,
represented in either Parliament or provincial councils

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or
LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a
separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the
National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups

International organization participation:
AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB,
OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Devinda R. SUBASINGHE
consulate(s): New York
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)
chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey J. LUNSTEAD
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: [94] (11) 244-8007
FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345

Flag description:
yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is
a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and
there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears
as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Economy Sri Lanka

Economy - overview:
In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import
substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and
export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food
processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages,
telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation
crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while
textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average
annual rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s until a drought and a
deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The
economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001
saw the first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due to a
combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the
global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to
4.0% in 2002 and 5.2% in 2003. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work
abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a
year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a
largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the
economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $73.7 billion (2003 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.9%
industry: 26.3%
services: 53.8% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
22% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 28% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.4 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
7.17 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 38%, industry 17%, services 45% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $3.229 billion
expenditures: $4.526 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
105.1% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber,
coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef

Industries:
rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural
commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:
5.8% (2003)

Electricity - production:
6.36 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.915 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
75,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-278 million (2003)

Exports:
$5.269 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum
products

Exports - partners:
US 34.6%, UK 12.5%, India 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2003)

Imports:
$6.626 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
textiles, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and
equipment

Imports - partners:
India 16.1%, Hong Kong 8.4%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China
4.9%, South Korea 4.2%, Taiwan 4.2%, UK 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.273 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$10.52 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$577 million (1998)

Currency:
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Currency code:
LKR

Exchange rates:
Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 96.521 (2003), 95.6621 (2002),
89.383 (2001), 77.0051 (2000), 70.6354 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Sri Lanka

Telephones - main lines in use:
881,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
931,600 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly
in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national
telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good
international service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital
microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area
and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition
is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low
at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and
Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
3.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
21 (1997)

Televisions:
1.53 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lk

Internet hosts:
1,882 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)

Internet users:
200,000 (2002)

Transportation Sri Lanka

Railways:
total: 1,449 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 96,695 km
paved: 91,860 km
unpaved: 4,835 km (1999)

Waterways:
160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee

Merchant marine:
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 120,924 GRT/173,604 DWT
by type: cargo 14, container 2, petroleum tanker 2
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Germany 8, Singapore 1

Airports:
14 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 13
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2004 est.)

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

Military Sri Lanka

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,418,496 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,195,736 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 179,869 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$518 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Sri Lanka

Disputes - international:
none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 362,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to Tamil
conflict) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Sudan

Introduction Sudan

Background:
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have
dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956.
Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of this
period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in northern economic,
political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern
Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects
have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people
displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an
Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern
opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels
and entered the war as a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace
talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several
accords, including a cease-fire agreement.

Geography Sudan

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 2,505,810 sq km
water: 129,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 7,687 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km,
Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605
km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km

Coastline:
853 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by
region (April to November)

Terrain:
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,
northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources:
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc,
tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 6.83%
permanent crops: 0.18%
other: 92.99% (2001)

Irrigated land:
19,500 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations
threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification;
periodic drought

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

Geography - note:
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

People Sudan

Population:
39,148,162 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,730,609; female 8,358,569)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 10,588,634; female 10,571,199)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 490,869; female 408,282) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.9 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.64% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 64.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 64.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.13 years
male: 56.96 years
female: 59.36 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
450,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
23,000 (2001 est.)

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

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

Ethnic groups:
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5%
(mostly in south and Khartoum)

Languages:
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic,
Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.1%
male: 71.8%
female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

Government Sudan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan
local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
local short form: As-Sudan

Government type:
authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989;
government is run by an alliance of the military and the National
Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF),
which espouses an Islamist platform

Capital:
Khartoum

Administrative divisions:
26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al
Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah,
An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal,
Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb
Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an
Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al
Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab

Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Constitution:
12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim
constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June
1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially
suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR

Legal system:
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991,
the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in
the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the
northern states regardless of their religion; some separate
religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman
Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses
MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); 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 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA)
head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman
Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses
MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the
National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front
or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet
election results: Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR
reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR
86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates
received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged;
all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack
of guarantees for a free and fair election
note: BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it
through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s
before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90
elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National
Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA
December 2004)
election results: NCP 355, others 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders:
the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law
revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept
the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence
against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress
Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC
[Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National
Congress Party [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR]; National Democratic Alliance
[Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation
Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad
Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M.
GALLUCCI
embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum
mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829
telephone: [249] (11) 774611 or 774700
FAX: [249] (11) 774137
note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum
(see http://usembassy.egnet.net/sudan.htm)

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a
green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy Sudan

Economy - overview:
Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic
policies and infrastructure investments, yet it still faces
formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per
capita output and extending to its devastating civil stife. From
1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms.
In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of
1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary
policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production,
revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped
sustain GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003 and 7% in 2004. Agriculture
production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of
the work force and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms remain
rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including
the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the
Christian/pagan south, the ethnic purges in Darfur, adverse weather,
and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the
population will remain at or below the poverty line for years.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $70.95 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38.7%
industry: 20.3%
services: 41% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA (2004 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
11 million (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998
est.)

Unemployment rate:
18.7% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.402 billion
expenditures: $2.546 billion, including capital expenditures of $304
million (2003 est.)

Public debt:
87% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic,
sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet
potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock

Industries:
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap
distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments,
automobile/light truck assembly

Industrial production growth rate:
8.5% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.389 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.222 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
209,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
50,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

Current account balance:
$-718 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.45 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts,
gum arabic, sugar

Exports - partners:
China 40.9%, Saudi Arabia 17.2%, UAE 5.4% (2003)

Imports:
$2.383 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment,
medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 16.3%, China 14.2%, UK 5%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.8%,
France 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$847.2 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$16.09 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$172 million (2001)

Currency:
Sudanese dinar (SDD)

Currency code:
SDD

Exchange rates:
Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 260.983 (2003), 263.306 (2002),
258.702 (2001), 257.122 (2000), 252.55 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Sudan

Telephones - main lines in use:
900,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
650,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional
standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in
1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone
communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite
system with 14 earth stations
international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
7.55 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (1997)

Televisions:
2.38 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.sd

Internet hosts:
NA

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2002)

Internet users:
300,000 (2003)

Transportation Sudan

Railways:
total: 5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for
cotton plantations (2003)

Highways:
total: 11,900 km
paved: 4,320 km
unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers)
(2004)

Pipelines:
gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,466 GRT/26,973 DWT
by type: livestock carrier 1, roll on/roll off 2
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports:
63 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 63
914 to 1,523 m: 33
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)

Military Sudan

Military branches:
Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF), Navy, Air Force, Popular
Defense Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 3 years (August 2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 9,339,775 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,743,783 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 442,242 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$581 million (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (1999)

Transnational Issues Sudan

Disputes - international:
the north-south civil war has affected Sudan's neighbors by drawing
them into the fighting and by forcing them to provide shelter to
refugees, to contend with infiltration by rebel groups, and to serve
as mediators; Sudan has provided shelter to Ugandan refugees and
cover to Lord's Resistance Army soldiers; Sudan accuses Eritrea of
supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous
boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by fighting in Sudan;
Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan,
creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to
administer the triangular areas that extend north and south of the
1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn
their military presence; Egypt is economically developing and
currently effectively administers the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of
the Treaty Line; Sudan has pledged to work with the Central African
Republic to stem violent skirmishes over water and grazing among
related pastoral populations along the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 108,251 (Eritrea), 5,023 (Chad),
7,983 (Uganda)
IDPs: 4.367 million (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing
genocide) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Suriname

Introduction Suriname

Background:
Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years
later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that
soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to rule through a
succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when
international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In
1989, the military overthrew the civilian government, but a
democratically-elected government returned to power in 1991.

Geography Suriname

Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:
4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 163,270 sq km
water: 1,800 sq km
land: 161,470 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,707 km
border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline:
386 km

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

Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small
amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 0.37%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 99.57% (2001)

Irrigated land:
490 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland
waterways by small-scale mining activities

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

Geography - note:
smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly
tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for
the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development;
relatively small population, mostly along the coast

People Suriname

Population:
436,935 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 67,588; female 64,223)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 142,656; female 135,819)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 11,914; female 14,735) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.8 years
male: 25.4 years
female: 26.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.31% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-8.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 28.24 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.1 years
male: 66.77 years
female: 71.55 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Surinamer(s)
adjective: Surinamese

Ethnic groups:
Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors
emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th
century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%,
"Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in
the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior)
10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

Religions:
Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2%
(predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%

Languages:
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of
Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca
among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 95%
female: 91% (1995 est.)

Government Suriname

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Suriname
conventional short form: Suriname
local short form: Suriname
former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
local long form: Republiek Suriname

Government type:
constitutional democracy

Capital:
Paramaribo

Administrative divisions:
10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo,
Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo,
Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

Independence:
25 November 1975 (from Netherlands)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Constitution:
ratified 30 September 1987

Legal system:
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August
2000); Vice President Jules Rattankoemar AJODHIA (since 12 August
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12
August 2000); Vice President Jules Rattankoemar AJODHIA (since 12
August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president from among
the members of the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate
receives a constitutional majority in the National Assembly after
two votes, by the larger People's Assembly (869 representatives from
the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms;
election last held 6 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN elected president by the
National Assembly; percent of legislative vote - Runaldo Ronald
VENETIAAN 72.5%; Rashied DOEKHIE (NDP) 19.6%; total votes cast -
Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (New Front) 37 votes, Rashied DOEKHIE (NDP)
10 votes
note: widespread demonstrations during the summer of 1999 led to the
call for elections a year early

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NF
33, MC 10, DNP 2000 3, DA '91 2, PVF 2, PALU 1
note: widespread demonstrations during the summer of 1999 led to the
call for elections a year early
elections: last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)

Judicial branch:
Court of Justice (justices are nominated for life)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Alternative '91 or DA '91 (a coalition of the
Alternative Forum or AF and Party for Brotherhood and Unity in
Politics or BEP, formed in January 1991) [Winston JESSURUN];
Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP 2000 (coalition of two
parties, Democratic Party and Democrats of the 21st Century) [Jules
WIJDENBOSCH]; Independent Progressive Democratic Alternative or OPDA
[Joginder RAMKHILAWAN]; Millennium Combination or MC (a coalition of
three parties, Democratic Alternative, Party for National Unity and
Solidarity, and National Democratic Party) [leader NA]; National
Democratic Party or NDP [Desire BOUTERSE]; Naya Kadam or NK [leader
NA]; Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD [Tjan GOBARDHAN]; Party
of National Unity and Solidarity or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA]; Pertjaja
Luhur [Paul SOMOHARDJO]; Progressive Workers' and Farm Laborers'
Union or PALU [Ir Iwan KROLIS]; The New Front or NF (a coalition of
four parties Suriname National Party or NPS, Progressive Reform
Party or VHP, Suriname Labor Party or SPA, and Pertjaja Luhur)
[Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN]; The Progressive Development Alliance (a
combination of three parties, Renewed Progressive Party or HPP,
Party of the Federation of Land Workers or PVF, and Suriname
Progressive People's Party or PSV) [Harry KISOENSINGH]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
General Liberation and Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie
BRUNSWIJK]; Mandela Bushnegro Liberation Movement [Leendert ADAMS];
Tucayana Amazonica [Alex JUBITANA, Thomas SABAJO]; Union for
Liberation and Democracy [Kofi AFONGPONG]

International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFAD,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS,
OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Henry Lothar ILLES
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878
consulate(s) general: Miami
telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488
chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marsha E. BARNES
embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo
mailing address: Department of State, 3390 Paramaribo Place,
Washington, DC, 20521-3390
telephone: [597] 472900
FAX: [597] 420800

Flag description:
five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red
(quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a
large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band

Economy Suriname