Chapter LX: Front Matter (60)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo FERNANDEZ-FAINGOLD
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142
telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316
chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN
embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200
mailing address: APO AA 34035
telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777
FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611

Flag description:
nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating
with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner
with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and
16 rays alternately triangular and wavy

Economy Uruguay

Economy - overview:
Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented
agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of
social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during
1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn,
stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems
of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in
2001-02 massive withdrawals by Argentina of dollars deposited in
Uruguayan banks led to a plunge in the Uruguyan peso and a massive
rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by
nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the serious banking
crisis. Unemployment rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged,
and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF
and the US has limited the damage. The debt swap with private
creditors carried out in 2003, which extended the maturity dates on
nearly half of Uruguay's $11.3 billion in public debt, substantially
alleviated the country's amortization burden in the coming years and
restored public confidence. The economy is expected to resume growth
in 2004 (perhaps 4% or more) as a result of high commodity prices
for Uruguayan exports, the weakness of the dollar against the euro,
growth in the region, low international interest rates, and greater
export competitiveness. On the negative side, in December 2003 the
electorate voted to repeal the law permitting a cautious
liberalization of the energy industry.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $43.67 billion (2003 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 26.6%
services: 66% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
9.7% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
23.7% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 25.8% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.8 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
19.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.56 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70%

Unemployment rate:
16% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $2.934 billion
expenditures: $3.425 billion, including capital expenditures of $193
million (2003)

Agriculture - products:
rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish

Industries:
food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment,
petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
0.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.963 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.152 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.377 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
123 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
41,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$76 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.164 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products

Exports - partners:
Brazil 21.4%, US 11.4%, Argentina 7.1%, Germany 6.6%, China 4.3%,
Mexico 4.1%, Italy 4.1%, Canada 4% (2003)

Imports:
$1.989 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum

Imports - partners:
Argentina 26.1%, Brazil 21%, Russia 11.7%, US 7.6% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.087 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$10.73 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
NA

Currency:
Uruguayan peso (UYU)

Currency code:
UYU

Exchange rates:
Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 28.2091 (2003), 21.257 (2002),
13.3191 (2001), 12.0996 (2000), 11.3393 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Uruguay

Telephones - main lines in use:
946,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
652,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new
nationwide microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001)

Radios:
1.97 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
23 (2002)

Televisions:
782,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.uy

Internet hosts:
87,630 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
14 (2001)

Internet users:
400,000 (2002)

Transportation Uruguay

Railways:
total: 2,073 km
standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in
partial use (2003)

Highways:
total: 8,983 km
paved: 8,081 km
unpaved: 902 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,600 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 192 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo, Nueva
Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis

Merchant marine:
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/10,342 DWT
registered in other countries: 6 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Argentina 4, Greece 1
by type: chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll
on/roll off 1

Airports:
64 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 50
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.)

Military Uruguay

Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in
wartime), Air Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 838,195 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 677,315 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$217.9 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Uruguay

Disputes - international:
uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the
Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with
Argentina

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Uzbekistan

Introduction Uzbekistan

Background:
Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff
resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually
suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the
Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain
led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies,
which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain
rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to
gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its
mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism
by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of
human rights and democratization.

Geography Uzbekistan

Location:
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 447,400 sq km
water: 22,000 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:
total: 6,221 km
border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km,
Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km

Coastline:
0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern
portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Maritime claims:
none (doubly landlocked)

Climate:
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters;
semiarid grassland in east

Terrain:
mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat
intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr
Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded
by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead
and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Land use:
arable land: 10.83%
permanent crops: 0.83%
other: 88.34% (2001)

Irrigated land:
42,810 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of
chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then
blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to
desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the
heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human
health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination
from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including
DDT

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked
countries in the world

People Uzbekistan

Population:
26,410,416 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.1% (male 4,583,228; female 4,418,003)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 7,990,233; female 8,157,136)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 513,434; female 748,382) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 22.1 years
male: 21.4 years
female: 22.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.65% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 71.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 75.03 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.09 years
male: 60.67 years
female: 67.69 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
11,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Uzbekistani
adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups:
Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%,
Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Religions:
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Languages:
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.3%
male: 99.6%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

Government Uzbekistan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
conventional short form: Uzbekistan
local short form: Ozbekiston
former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi

Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch

Capital:
Tashkent (Toshkent)

Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous
republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati,
Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan
Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi),
Qaraqalpog'iston Respublikasi* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo
Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent
Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted 8 December 1992

Legal system:
evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial
system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when
he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet)
head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV (since 11
December 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with
approval of the Supreme Assembly
election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote
- Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional
amendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be
held NA December 2007); prime minister and deputy ministers
appointed by the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an Upper
House or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional
governing councils to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by
the president) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats;
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9,
unaffiliated 10
note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV
elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be
held December 2009)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed
by the Supreme Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TOSHMUHAMMADOVA,
chairman]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or
MTP [Xurshid DOSTMUHAMMADOV, chief]; Liberal Democratic Party of
Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHODMONOV, chairman]; People's Democratic
Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV, first
secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic
Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, chief]; note - Fatherland Progress Party
merged with Self-Sacrificers Party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity)
Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic
Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Ezgulik
Human Rights Society [Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party or
Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of
Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights
Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum [leader
NA]

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV
FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: [1] (202) 293-6803
chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL
embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450
FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green
separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12
white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant

Economy Uzbekistan

Economy - overview:
Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of
intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its
population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan
is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter, a large producer
of gold and oil, and a regionally significant producer of chemicals
and machinery. Following independence in December 1991, the
government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with
subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Uzbekistan
responded to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian
and Russian financial crises by emphasizing import substitute
industrialization and by tightening export and currency controls
within its already largely closed economy. The government, while
aware of the need to improve the investment climate, sponsors
measures that often increase, not decrease, the government's control
over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of
income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since
independence. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of
Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing
for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls
and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of
convertibility and have also lead to some shortages which have
further stifled economic activity.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $43.99 billion (2003 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38%
industry: 26.3%
services: 35.7% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13.1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
14.2 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
0.5% plus another 20% underemployed (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $2.176 billion
expenditures: $2.207 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
42.3% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Industries:
textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural
gas, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:
6.2% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
44.49 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
47.07 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
3.998 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
9.7 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
142,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
142,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$462 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.83 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers,
ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.)

Exports - partners:
Russia 22.4%, China 9.3%, Ukraine 7.5%, Tajikistan 6.2%, Bangladesh
4.7%, Turkey 4.6%, Japan 4.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2%, US 4.1% (2003)

Imports:
$2.31 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals
(1998 est.)

Imports - partners:
Russia 22.3%, US 11.4%, South Korea 11%, Germany 9.5%, China 6.5%,
Kazakhstan 6.1%, Turkey 6.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.286 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$4.384 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$87.4 million from the US (2003)

Currency:
Uzbekistani sum (UZS)

Currency code:
UZS

Exchange rates:
Uzbekistani sums per US dollar - 115.9 (2003), 125.3 (2002), NA
(2001), 236.608 (2000), 124.625 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Uzbekistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,717,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
320,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of
modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and
technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and
Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in
industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks
had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System
for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile
Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave
radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased
connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the
completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)
fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian
facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides
an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite
earth stations - NA (1998)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998)

Radios:
10.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable
rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional
capitals (2003)

Televisions:
6.4 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.uz

Internet hosts:
1,040 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
42 (2000)

Internet users:
492,000 (2003)

Transportation Uzbekistan

Railways:
total: 3,950 km
broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 81,600 km
paved: 71,237 km
unpaved: 10,363 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,100 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 9,149 km; oil 869 km; refined products 33 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Termiz (Amu Darya)

Airports:
247 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 214
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 200 (2003 est.)

Military Uzbekistan

Military branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 12 months (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 7,126,325 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,783,740 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 321,886 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$200 million (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (FY97)

Transnational Issues Uzbekistan

Disputes - international:
prolonged drought and cotton monoculture creates water-sharing
difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with
Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; delimitation is
underway with Kyrgyzstan but serious disputes around enclaves and
elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border; talks
continue with Tajikistan to determine and delimit border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 3,000 (forced population transfers by government from
villages near Tajikistan border) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a
lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation
of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic
consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop
eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals
bound for Afghanistan

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Vanuatu

Introduction Vanuatu

Background:
The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th
century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which
administered the islands until independence in 1980.

Geography Vanuatu

Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates:
16 00 S, 167 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
2,528 km

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

Climate:
tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October;
moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by
cyclones from December to April

Terrain:
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m

Natural resources:
manganese, hardwood forests, fish

Land use:
arable land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38%
other: 90.16% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes
minor earthquakes; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:
a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and
reliable supply of water; deforestation

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

Geography - note:
a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands;
several of the islands have active volcanoes

People Vanuatu

Population:
202,609 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.1% (male 35,281; female 33,785)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 64,669; female 61,829)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 3,740; female 3,305) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 22.3 years
male: 22.3 years
female: 22.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.57% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 59.25 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.1 years
male: 60.64 years
female: 63.63 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.87 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: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu

Ethnic groups:
indigenous Melanesian 98%, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, other
Pacific Islanders

Religions:
Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 15%, indigenous
beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%,
other 15.7% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult)

Languages:
three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama
or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53%
male: 57%
female: 48% (1979 est.)

Government Vanuatu

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu
former: New Hebrides

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
Port-Vila (Efate)

Administrative divisions:
6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Independence:
30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 July (1980)

Constitution:
30 July 1980

Legal system:
unified system being created from former dual French and British
systems

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August
2004)
elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral
college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional
councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to
be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime
minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime
minister last held 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general
elections in 2008)
election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49
votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
responsible to Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December
2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004);
Prime Minister Serge VOHOR ousted in no-confidence vote on 11
December 2004

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UMP 8, VP 8, NUP 10, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16;
note - political party associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture
and language

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after
consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the
opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on
the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders:
Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or
MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [NA]; Union of
Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land
Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP
[Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Greens (Vanuatu) [Moana CARCASSES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, PIF, Sparteca, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have
a Permanent Mission to the UN

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua
New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black
isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a
black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two
points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle);
centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed
namele leaves, all in yellow

Economy Vanuatu

Economy - overview:
This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale
agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population.
Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000
visitors in 1997, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral
deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum
deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market.
Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is
hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports,
vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main
markets and between constituent islands. A severe earthquake in
November 1999 followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the
northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. Another
powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the
capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by
a tsunami. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In
response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten
regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the
government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Agriculture,
especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth.
Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and
foreign aid. Growth expanded moderately in 2003.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $563 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-0.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA

Budget:
revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4
million (1996 est.)

Agriculture - products:
copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits,
vegetables; fish, beef

Industries:
food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Industrial production growth rate:
1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
43.46 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
40.42 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$79 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee

Exports - partners:
India 32.8%, Thailand 25.5%, Indonesia 9.6%, Japan 7.6%, Australia
4%, Poland 4% (2003)

Imports:
$138 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels

Imports - partners:
Australia 15.3%, Japan 10.6%, Singapore 7.4%, New Zealand 6%, Fiji
5.1% (2003)

Debt - external:
$65.8 million (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$45.8 million (1995)

Currency:
vatu (VUV)

Currency code:
VUV

Exchange rates:
vatu per US dollar - 122.189 (2003), 139.198 (2002), 145.312
(2001), 137.643 (2000), 129.075 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Vanuatu

Telephones - main lines in use:
6,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2002)

Radios:
67,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
2,300 (1999)

Internet country code:
.vu

Internet hosts:
512 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
7,500 (2003)

Transportation Vanuatu

Highways:
total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km
unpaved: 814 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)

Merchant marine:
total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,192,474 GRT/1,560,828 DWT
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 1, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Japan
25, Monaco 4, New Zealand 2, Panama 1, Poland 7, Switzerland 3,
United Kingdom 5, United States 2
by type: bulk 28, cargo 2, combination bulk 3, container 2,
liquefied gas 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1, refrigerated
cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5

Airports:
30 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1524 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)

Military Vanuatu

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; including
the paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Vanuatu

Disputes - international:
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu
and France

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Venezuela

Introduction Venezuela

Background:
Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse
of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador).
For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled
by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil
industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected
governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a
polarized political environment, a divided military, drug-related
conflicts along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug
consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price
fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are
endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.

Geography Venezuela

Location:
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 66 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 912,050 sq km
water: 30,000 sq km
land: 882,050 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 4,993 km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Coastline:
2,800 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 15 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains
(llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals,
hydropower, diamonds

Land use:
arable land: 2.95%
other: 96.13% (2001)
permanent crops: 0.92%

Irrigated land:
540 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of
Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and
industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat
to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

Geography - note:
on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel
Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

People Venezuela

Population:
25,017,387 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.5% (male 3,930,413; female 3,687,744)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 8,107,382; female 8,034,905)
65 years and over: 5% (male 571,289; female 685,654) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.2 years
male: 24.6 years
female: 25.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.44% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.04 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 22.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 26.18 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.06 years
male: 71.02 years
female: 77.32 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
62,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups:
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous
people

Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%

Languages:
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.4%
male: 93.8%
female: 93.1% (2003 est.)

Government Venezuela

Country name:
conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Caracas

Administrative divisions:
23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 federal district*
(distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia
federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar,
Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito
Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva
Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled
island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence:
5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution:
30 December 1999

Legal system:
based on organic laws as of July 1999; open, adversarial court
system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February
1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February
1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of
vote - 60%
note: a special presidential recall vote on 15 August 2004 resulted
in a victory for CHAVEZ; percent of vote - 58% in favor of CHAVEZ
fulfilling the remaining two years of his term, 42% in favor of
terminating his presidency immediately
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (165 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three
seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
pro-government 108 (MVR 92, MAS 6, indigenous 3, other 7),
opposition 57 (AD 33, COPEI 6, Justice First 5, other 13)
elections: last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held July 2005)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia
(magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single
12-year term)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup]; Fifth Republic
Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Homeland for All or PPT [Jose
ALBORNOZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism
or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan
Jose CALDERA]; Radical Cause or La Causa R [Andres VELASQUEZ];
Social Christian Party or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Venezuela
Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups;
Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization
dominated by the Democratic Action)

International organization participation:
CAN, CDB, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ
chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans,
New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD
embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle
Arriba, Caracas 1080
mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037
telephone: [58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411
FAX: [58] (212) 975-8991

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with
the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of
seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Economy Venezuela

Economy - overview:
Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector,
which accounts for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export
earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues.
Despite higher oil prices at the end of 2002 and into 2003, domestic
political instability, culminating in a disastrous two-month
national oil strike from December 2002 to February 2003, temporarily
halted economic activity. The economy remained in depression in
2003, declining by 9.2% after an 8.9% fall in 2002. In late 2003,
President CHAVEZ committed himself to $1 billion in new social
programs, money the government does not have.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $117.9 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-9.2% (2003 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 50%
services: 45% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
12.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
47% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 36.5% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
49.5 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
31.1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
11.38 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 13%, industry 23%, services 64% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
18% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $19.33 billion
expenditures: $24.34 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.6
billion (2003)

Public debt:
38.8% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef,
pork, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:
petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food
processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly

Industrial production growth rate:
-15.4% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
87.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
81.47 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
505,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
31.71 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:
4.202 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$9.659 billion (2003)

Exports:
$25.86 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural
products, basic manufactures

Exports - partners:
US 52.9%, Netherlands Antilles 5%, Dominican Republic 3% (2003)

Imports:
$10.71 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment,
construction materials

Imports - partners:
US 28.8%, Colombia 7%, Brazil 6.6%, Mexico 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$20.67 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$32.51 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$74 million (2000)

Currency:
bolivar (VEB)

Currency code:
VEB

Exchange rates:
bolivares per US dollar - 1,607.79 (2003), 1,160.95 (2002), 723.666
(2001), 679.96 (2000), 605.717 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Venezuela

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,841,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,463,600 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent
substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;
substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;
installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of
digital multimedia services
international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1
PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in
the construction of an international fiber-optic network

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:
10.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
4.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ve

Internet hosts:
35,301 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
1,274,400 (2002)

Transportation Venezuela

Railways:
total: 682 km
standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 96,155 km
paved: 32,308 km
unpaved: 63,847 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
7,100 km
note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing
vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2004)

Pipelines:
extra heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,262 km; oil 7,360 km; refined
products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina, Maracaibo,
Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz,
Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon

Merchant marine:
total: 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 740,919 GRT/1,191,483 DWT
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Belgium 1, Denmark 2, Greece 2, Spain 1, United
States 2
by type: bulk 6, cargo 7, container 2, liquefied gas 5,
multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 16, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1

Airports:
368 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 127
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 61
under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 242
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 88
under 914 m: 144 (2004 est.)

Military Venezuela

Military branches:
National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN) includes
Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces
(Fuerzas Navales or Armada - including marines and Coast Guard), Air
Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or
National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,886,775 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,953,803 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 250,730 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1,125.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (2003)

Transnational Issues Venezuela

Disputes - international:
claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River, preventing any
discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its
intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that
the Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends
into their waters; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the
Gulf of Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea; US, France and the
Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves
Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending
over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest
Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation and
other states' recognition of it

Illicit drugs:
small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing
of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of
cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia
bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related
money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia
and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily
targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by
Colombian insurgents on border

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Vietnam

Introduction Vietnam

Background:
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed
by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence
was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule
until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi
Minh, who took control of the North. US economic and military aid to
South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the
government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a
cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese
forces overran the South. Despite the return of peace, for over two
decades the country experienced little economic growth because of
conservative leadership policies. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities
have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural
reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more
competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to
experience protests from the Montagnard ethnic minority population
of the Central Highlands over loss of land to Vietnamese settlers
and religious persecution.

Geography Vietnam

Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin,
and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates:
16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 329,560 sq km
land: 325,360 sq km
water: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 4,639 km
border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline:
3,444 km (excludes islands)

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

Climate:
tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season
(mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to
mid-March)

Terrain:
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly,
mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and
gas deposits, forests, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 19.97%
permanent crops: 5.95%
other: 74.08% (2001)

Irrigated land:
30,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding,
especially in the Mekong River delta

Environment - current issues:
logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to
deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing
threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits
potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population
migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City

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: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across
at its narrowest point

People Vietnam

Population:
82,689,518 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.4% (male 12,524,098; female 11,807,763)
15-64 years: 65% (male 26,475,156; female 27,239,543)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,928,568; female 2,714,390) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 24.9 years
male: 24 years
female: 25.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.3% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 33.71 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.35 years
male: 67.86 years
female: 73.02 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2003 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain
groups

Religions:
Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman
Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim

Languages:
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second
language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages
(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.3%
male: 93.9%
female: 86.9% (2002)

Government Vietnam

Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV
local short form: Viet Nam

Government type:
Communist state

Capital:
Hanoi

Administrative divisions:
59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thu
do, singular and plural)
: provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba
Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh
Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai,
Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh,
Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai
Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh
Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang
Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh,
Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen
Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai
: municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh

Independence:
2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution:
15 April 1992

Legal system:
based on communist legal theory and French civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Tran Duc Luong (since 24 September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Phan Van Khai (since 25 September
1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (since 29
September 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Vu Khoan (8 August 2002) and
Pham Gia Khiem (since 29 September 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the
prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly
election results: Tran Duc Luong elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - NA
elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its
members for a five-year term; election last held 25 July 2002 (next
to be held when National Assembly meets following legislative
elections in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from
among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers
appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the
10% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for
election); seats by party - CPV 447, CPV-approved 51
elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007)