Chapter LXII: Front Matter (62)

Economy - overview:
Global output rose by 3.7% in 2003, led by China (9.1%), India
(7.6%), and Russia (7.3%). The other 14 successor nations of the
USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely
divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong
performers, in the 5%-7% range of growth. Growth results posted by
the major industrial countries varied from a loss by Germany (-0.1%)
to a strong gain by the United States (3.1%). The developing nations
also varied in their growth results, with many countries facing
population increases that erode gains in output. Externally, the
nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is
steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods,
funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often
finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional
movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in
many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the
former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada.
Externally, the central government is losing decision-making powers
to international bodies. In Western Europe, governments face the
difficult political problem of channeling resources away from
welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen
incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people
each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the
problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics,
and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities,
the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal
effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from
the economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The
introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western
Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated
economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels
of income and cultural and political differences among the
participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11
September 2001 accentuate a further growing risk to global
prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of
resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The
opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq
added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the
coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high
economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major
global problems that continue into 2004.

GDP:
GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $51.48
trillion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $8,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 32%
services: 64% (2004 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to
60% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual
cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in several
Third World countries (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA

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

Unemployment rate:
30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many
non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12%
unemployment

Industries:
dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers,
robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment;
most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small
portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to
these technological forces; the accelerated development of new
industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already
grim environmental problems

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
14.93 trillion kWh (2001 est.)

Electricity - consumption:
13.94 trillion kWh (2001 est.)

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

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

Oil - proved reserves:
1.025 trillion bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
2.555 trillion cu m (2001 est.)

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
161.2 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:
$6.421 trillion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services

Exports - partners:
US 16.4%, Germany 7.9%, UK 5.2%, France 5.1%, China 5%, Japan 4.6%
(2003)

Imports:
$6.531 trillion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services

Imports - partners:
US 9.9%, Germany 9.4%, China 7.9%, Japan 6.7%, France 4.7% (2003)

Debt - external:
$2 trillion for less developed countries (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
official development assistance (ODA) $50 billion

Communications World

Telephones - main lines in use:
843,923,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA

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

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
NA

Televisions:
NA

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10,350 (2000 est.)

Internet users:
604,111,719 (2002 est.)

Transportation World

Railways:
total: 1,115,205 km
broad gauge: 257,481 km
narrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003)
standard gauge: 671,413 km

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors:
Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi
(Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama

Military World

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide in 1999 remained at
approximately the 1998 level, about three-quarters of a trillion
dollars (1999 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
roughly 2% of gross world product (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues World

Disputes - international:
stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 325 international land
boundaries separate the 192 independent states and 72 dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities;
ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states
into separate political entities as much as history, physical
terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes
arbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimed
limits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and
joint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide
for national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, and
territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to
violent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment of
political boundaries are confined to short segments and are today
less common and less hostile than borderland, resource, and
territorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and
unmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-border
activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial
disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they
may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic clashes continue
to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation around
the world; disputes over islands at sea or in rivers frequently form
the source of territorial and boundary conflict; other sources of
contention include access to water and mineral (especially
petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable land; nonetheless, most
nations cooperate to clarify their international boundaries and to
resolve territorial and resource disputes peacefully; regional
discord directly affects the sustenance and welfare of local
populations, often leaving the world community to cope with
resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, deforestation,
and desertification

Illicit drugs:
cocaine: worldwide, coca is grown on an estimated 173,450
hectares-almost exclusively in South America with 70% in Colombia;
potential cocaine production during 2003 is estimated at 728 metric
tons (or 835 metric tons of export quality cocaine); coca
eradication programs continue in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru; 376
metric tons of export quality cocaine are documented to have been
seized in 2003, and 26 metric tons disrupted (jettisoned or
destroyed); consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to
have been 800 metric tons
opiates: cultivation of opium poppy occurred on an estimated 137,944
hectares in 2003-mostly in Southwest and Southeast Asia-with 44% in
Afghanistan, potentially produced 3,775 metric tons of opium - which
conceivably could be converted to the equivalent of 429 metric tons
of pure heroin; opium eradication programs have been undertaken in
Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Yemen

Introduction Yemen

Background:
North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The
British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port
of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South
Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist
orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis
from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility
between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the
Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994
was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a
delimitation of their border.

Geography Yemen

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea,
between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 48 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR
or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of
Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:
total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Coastline:
1,906 km

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

Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western
mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry,
harsh desert in east

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the
desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold,
lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

Land use:
arable land: 2.78%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 96.98% (2001)

Irrigated land:
4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues:
very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of
potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

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

Geography - note:
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea
and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes

People Yemen

Population:
20,024,867 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.6% (male 4,751,776; female 4,582,277)
15-64 years: 50.6% (male 5,166,437; female 4,973,543)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 273,199; female 277,635) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.5 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.44% (2004 est.)

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

Death rate:
8.78 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 68.12 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.36 years
male: 59.53 years
female: 63.29 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,900 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni

Ethnic groups:
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

Religions:
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of
Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Languages:
Arabic

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2%
male: 70.5%
female: 30% (2003 est.)

Government Yemen

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local short form: Al Yaman
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Sanaa

Administrative divisions:
19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad
Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit,
'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah,
San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz
note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of
Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate

Independence:
22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the
Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the
Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen
(Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become
independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South
Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

National holiday:
Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Constitution:
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Legal system:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local
tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990,
the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger
of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab
Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4
April 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
advice of the prime minister
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of
vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%
elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a
seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by
constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September 1999
(next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the
president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by
the president

Legislative branch:
a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created
a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats;
members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives
(301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab
Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14
elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA April 2009)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
there are more than 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of
the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President
Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh
Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party
[Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik
al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL]
note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or GPC won a
landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no
longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn
al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah - the two parties had
been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a
loyal opposition party, represents the remnants of the former South
Yemeni leadership; leaders of the 1994 secessionist movement have
been pardoned by President SALIH and some are now returning to Yemen
from exile

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760
chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI
embassy: Saawan Street, Sanaa
mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
telephone: [967] (1) 303-151 through 159
FAX: [967] (1) 303-160/161/162/164/165

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars and of Iraq
which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a
horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag
of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy Yemen

Economy - overview:
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported
strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production. It
has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices, but now benefits
from current high prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported
structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline
the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and
restructuring. International donors, meeting in Paris in October
2002, agreed on a further $2.3 billion economic support package.
Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and to
implement additional components of the IMF program. A markedly high
population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate
the government's task. Plans include a diversification of the
economy, encouragement of tourism, and more efficient use of scarce
water resources.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $15.09 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.8% (2003 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 45%
services: 39.7% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
29.1% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
15.7% (2001)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
5.79 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services,
construction, industry, and commerce account for less than
one-fourth of the labor force

Unemployment rate:
35% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.729 billion
expenditures: $4.107 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
39.5% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub),
coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle,
camels), poultry; fish

Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production
of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts;
small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
438,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
74,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$157 million (2003)

Exports:
$3.92 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners:
China 31.7%, Thailand 20.3%, India 15.6%, South Korea 4.9%,
Malaysia 4.3% (2003)

Imports:
$3.042 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:
UAE 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 10.2%, China 8.9%, US 4.9%, Kuwait 4.4%,
France 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$5.009 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$6.044 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements)

Currency:
Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code:
YER

Exchange rates:
Yemeni rials per US dollar - NA (2003), 175.625 (2002), 168.672
(2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Yemen

Telephones - main lines in use:
542,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
411,100 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been
made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone
systems
international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
1.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
470,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ye

Internet hosts:
138 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
100,000 (2002)

Transportation Yemen

Highways:
total: 67,000 km
paved: 7,705 km
unpaved: 59,295 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
gas 88 km; oil 1,174 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,766 GRT/24,794 DWT
by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: Hong Kong 2, Lebanon 1
registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports:
44 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Military Yemen

Military branches:
Army (including Special Forces), Naval Forces and Coastal Defenses
(including Marines), Air Force (including Air Defense Forces),
Republican Guard

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 4,617,064 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,590,720 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 255,426 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$885.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
7.9% (2003)

Military - note:
establishment of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been
delayed

Transnational Issues Yemen

Disputes - international:
Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to
Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border region with Saudi
Arabia resist demarcation of boundary in accordance wih 2000 Jeddah
Treaty; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a
security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in
sections of the boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 60,901 (Somalia) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Zambia

Introduction Zambia

Background:
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the South
Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923.
During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development
and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in
1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a
prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end
to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant
harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by
administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition
challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA.
The new president launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign
in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President
Frederick CHILUBA and many of his supporters in late 2003.
Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the
National Assembly.

Geography Zambia

Location:
Southern Africa, east of Angola

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 752,614 sq km
water: 11,890 sq km
land: 740,724 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,664 km
border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania
338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Terrain:
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium,
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 7.08%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 92.9% (2001)

Irrigated land:
460 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)

Environment - current issues:
air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and
refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously
threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations;
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water
treatment presents human health risks

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with
Zimbabwe

People Zambia

Population:
10,462,436
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 2,419,361; female 2,401,538)
15-64 years: 51.1% (male 2,684,001; female 2,667,528)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 132,166; female 157,842) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.6 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 98.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 105.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 35.18 years
male: 35.19 years
female: 35.17 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
16.5% (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
170,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian

Ethnic groups:
African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Religions:
Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages:
English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda,
Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 80.6%
male: 86.8%
female: 74.8% (2003 est.)

Government Zambia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Lusaka

Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka,
Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

Independence:
24 October 1964 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Constitution:
24 August 1991

Legal system:
based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of
legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002);
Vice President Lupando MWAPE (since 4 October 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002);
Vice President Lupando MWAPE (since 4 October 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA December
2006); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Levy MWANAWASA elected president; percent of vote
- Levy MWANAWASA 29%, Anderson MAZOKA 27%, Christon TEMBO 13%,
Tilyenji KAUNDA 10%, Godfrey MIYANDA 8%, Benjamin MWILA 5%, Michael
SATA 3%, other 5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA December
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%,
UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%;
seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP
1, independents 1; seats not determined 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by
the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil
and criminal cases)

Political parties and leaders:
Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for
Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or
HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger
CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Levy
MWANAWASA, acting president]; National Leadership for Development or
NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU];
Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Zambian Republican Party or
ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline
KONIE]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA,
president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson
MAZOKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719
chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Martin George BRENNAN
embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues
mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka
telephone: [260] (1) 250-955
FAX: [260] (1) 252-225

Flag description:
green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side),
black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of
the flag

Economy Zambia

Economy - overview:
Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's
economic growth remains below the 5% to 7% necessary to reduce
poverty significantly. Privatization of government-owned copper
mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated
by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining
to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output
increased in 2003 and is expected to increase again in 2004, due to
higher copper prices. The maize harvest doubled in 2003, helping
boost GDP by 4.0%. Cooperation continues with international bodies
on programs to reduce poverty, including a new lending arrangement
with the IMF expected in the second quarter, 2004. A tighter
monetary policy will help cut inflation, but Zambia still has a
serious problem with fiscal discipline.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $8.596 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2003 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.3%
industry: 27.9%
services: 56.9% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
45.2% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
86% (1993)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 41% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52.6 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
21.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
4.59 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9%

Unemployment rate:
50% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $896.7 million
expenditures: $1.142 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
133.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers,
tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs,
poultry, milk, eggs, hides; coffee

Industries:
copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages,
chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture

Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.751 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.458 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.75 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
11,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-340 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.039 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
copper 55%, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers, cotton

Exports - partners:
UK 26.7%, South Africa 21.6%, Tanzania 13.9%, Switzerland 8.1%
(2003)

Imports:
$1.128 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products,
electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:
South Africa 48.3%, Zimbabwe 12.8%, UK 5.9%, UAE 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$247.7 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$5.281 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$651 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
Zambian kwacha (ZMK)

Currency code:
ZMK

Exchange rates:
Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 4,733.77 (2003), 4,398.59 (2002),
3,610.93 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Zambia

Telephones - main lines in use:
88,400 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
241,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best
in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger
towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;
Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:
1.2 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
9 (2002)

Televisions:
277,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.zm

Internet hosts:
1,880 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
68,200 (2003)

Transportation Zambia

Railways:
total: 2,173 km
narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
(TAZARA) (2003)

Highways:
total: 66,781 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
2,250 km
note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers
(2003)

Pipelines:
oil 771 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Mpulungu

Airports:
109 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 99
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 62
under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.)

Military Zambia

Military branches:
Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Army, Air Force, Police,
National Service

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,477,494 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,310,814 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$42.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2003)

Transnational Issues Zambia

Disputes - international:
the Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundary convergence is
not clearly defined or delimited

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 158,894 (Angola), 58,405 (Democratic
Republic of the Congo), 5,767 (Rwanda) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small
amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and
possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled
with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it
an unattractive venue for money launderers

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Zimbabwe

Introduction Zimbabwe

Background:
The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in
1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in
power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its
independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more
complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country
(then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising
finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe)
in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been
the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated
the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land
redistribution campaign begun in 2000 caused an exodus of white
farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages
of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE
rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection.
Opposition and labor groups launched general strikes in 2003 to
pressure MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their
brutal repression of regime opponents.

Geography Zimbabwe

Location:
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 390,580 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km
land: 386,670 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 3,066 km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa
225 km, Zambia 797 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain:
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld);
mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

Natural resources:
coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore,
vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use:
arable land: 8.32%
permanent crops: 0.34%
other: 91.34% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,170 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water
pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest
concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly
reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste
and heavy metal pollution

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:
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with
Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on
the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

People Zimbabwe

Population:
12,671,860
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.4% (male 2,520,082; female 2,472,641)
15-64 years: 57% (male 3,649,400; female 3,571,631)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 230,272; female 227,834) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.1 years
female: 19.1 years (2004 est.)
male: 19.1 years

Population growth rate:
0.68% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
negligible migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa
and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 67.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 69.74 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 37.82 years
male: 38.63 years
female: 36.99 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
33.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2.3 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
200,000 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups:
African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%,
white less than 1%

Religions:
syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian
25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Languages:
English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele,
sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 90.7%
male: 94.2%
female: 87.2% (2003 est.)

Government Zimbabwe

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form: Zimbabwe
former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Harare

Administrative divisions:
8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*,
Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East,
Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South,
Midlands

Independence:
18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution:
21 December 1979

Legal system:
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31
December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004;
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since
31 December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December
2004; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the
House of Assembly
elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper
signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each
province) and elected by popular vote; election last held 9-11 March
2002 (next to be held NA March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed
by the president
election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent
of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular
vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied
by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by
provincial governors appointed by the president)
elections: last held 24-25 June 2000 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 48.6%, MDC
47.0%, other 4.4%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 62, MDC 57, ZANU-Ndonga 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders:
Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; National
Alliance for Good Governance or NAGG [Shakespeare MAYA]; United
Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or
ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National
Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe
African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition [Brian KAGORO]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Simbi Veke MUBAKO
FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326
telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100
chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph G. SULLIVAN
embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare
telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594
FAX: [263] (4) 796488

Flag description:
seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red,
yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black
with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing
the long history of the country is superimposed on a red
five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes
peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red -
blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native
people

Economy Zimbabwe

Economy - overview:
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult
economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal
deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare
shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of
dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been
suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals.
Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 383% in 2003,
and is expected to reach 700% in 2004. The government's land reform
program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the
commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and
foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $24.03 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-13.6% (2003 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.3%
industry: 24.5%
services: 58.3% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
8.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
70% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.97%
highest 10%: 40.42% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.1 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
384.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
4.17 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 66%, industry 10%, services 24% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
70% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.568 billion
expenditures: $2.004 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
41.3% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
corn, cotton, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

Industries:
mining (coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic
and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals,
fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
-14.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.735 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
9.813 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
3.55 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-346 million (2003)

Exports:
$1.261 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

Exports - partners:
Zambia 6.3%, South Africa 6.1%, China 5.3%, Germany 4.6%, Japan
4.4% (2003)

Imports:
$1.691 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals,
fuels

Imports - partners:
South Africa 51.3%, Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.1%, Germany
2.8% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$78 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$3.404 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on
humanitarian grounds (2000 est.)

Currency:
Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)

Currency code:
ZWD

Exchange rates:
Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 55.0358 (2002),
55.0521 (2001), 44.4179 (2000), 38.3012 (1999); note - these are
official exchange rates, non-official rates vary significantly

Fiscal year:
1 January - 31 December

Communications Zimbabwe

Telephones - main lines in use:
300,900 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
379,100 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but
now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding
requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed
but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet
connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
and for some of the smaller ones
international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and
Gweru)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.14 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
16 (1997)

Televisions:
370,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.zw

Internet hosts:
4,501 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
500,000 (2002)

Transportation Zimbabwe

Railways:
total: 3,077 km
narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 18,338 km
paved: 8,692 km
unpaved: 9,646 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
on Lake Kariba, length small (2003)

Pipelines:
refined products 261 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Binga, Kariba

Airports:
404 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 387
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 186
under 914 m: 196 (2004 est.)

Military Zimbabwe

Military branches:
Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic
Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 3,285,007 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,033,978 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$105 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2003)

Transnational Issues Zimbabwe

Disputes - international:
the Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundary convergence is
not clearly defined or delimited

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 100,000-150,000 (Mugabe-led political violence, human rights
violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax,
and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European
markets

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@2001 GDP

Afghanistan
purchasing power parity - $20 billion (2003 est.)

Albania
purchasing power parity - $16.13 billion (2003 est.)

Algeria
purchasing power parity - $196 billion (2003 est.)

American Samoa
purchasing power parity - $500 million (2000 est.)

Andorra
purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (2000 est.)

Angola
purchasing power parity - $20.42 billion (2003 est.)

Anguilla
purchasing power parity - $104 million (2001 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda
purchasing power parity - $750 million (2002
est.)

Argentina
purchasing power parity - $435.5 billion (2003 est.)

Armenia
purchasing power parity - $11.79 billion (2003 est.)

Aruba
purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.)

Australia
purchasing power parity - $571.4 billion (2003 est.)

Austria
purchasing power parity - $245.3 billion (2003 est.)

Azerbaijan
purchasing power parity - $26.65 billion (2003 est.)

Bahamas, The
purchasing power parity - $5.049 billion (2003 est.)

Bahrain
purchasing power parity - $11.29 billion (2003 est.)

Bangladesh
purchasing power parity - $258.8 billion (2003 est.)

Barbados
purchasing power parity - $4.355 billion (2003 est.)

Belarus
purchasing power parity - $62.56 billion (2003 est.)

Belgium
purchasing power parity - $299.1 billion (2003 est.)

Belize
purchasing power parity - $1.28 billion (2002 est.)

Benin
purchasing power parity - $7.742 billion (2003 est.)

Bermuda
purchasing power parity - $2.33 billion (2003 est.)

Bhutan
purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2002 est.)

Bolivia
purchasing power parity - $21.01 billion (2003 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
purchasing power parity - $24.31 billion
(2003 est.)

Botswana
purchasing power parity - $14.2 billion (2003 est.)

Brazil
purchasing power parity - $1.375 trillion (2003 est.)

British Virgin Islands
purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002
est.)

Brunei
purchasing power parity - $6.5 billion (2002 est.)

Bulgaria
purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion (2003 est.)

Burkina Faso
purchasing power parity - $14.55 billion (2003 est.)

Burma
purchasing power parity - $74.53 billion (2003 est.)

Burundi
purchasing power parity - $3.78 billion (2003 est.)

Cambodia
purchasing power parity - $25.02 billion (2003 est.)

Cameroon
purchasing power parity - $27.75 billion (2003 est.)

Canada
purchasing power parity - $958.7 billion (2003 est.)

Cape Verde
purchasing power parity - $600 million (2002 est.)

Cayman Islands
purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.)

Central African Republic
purchasing power parity - $4.183 billion
(2003 est.)

Chad
purchasing power parity - $10.67 billion (2003 est.)

Chile
purchasing power parity - $154.7 billion (2003 est.)

China
purchasing power parity - $6.449 trillion (2003 est.)

Christmas Island
purchasing power parity - NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
purchasing power parity - NA

Colombia
purchasing power parity - $263.2 billion (2003 est.)

Comoros
purchasing power parity - $441 million (2002 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
purchasing power parity - $40.05
billion (2003 est.)

Congo, Republic of the
purchasing power parity - $2.148 billion
(2003 est.)

Cook Islands
purchasing power parity - $105 million (2001 est.)

Costa Rica
purchasing power parity - $35.34 billion (2003 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire
purchasing power parity - $24.51 billion (2003 est.)

Croatia
purchasing power parity - $47.05 billion (2003 est.)

Cuba
purchasing power parity - $32.13 billion (2003 est.)

Cyprus
Republic of Cyprus: purchasing power parity - $14.82 billion
(2003 est.); north Cyprus: purchasing power parity - $1.217 billion
(2003 est.)

Czech Republic
purchasing power parity - $161.1 billion (2003 est.)

Denmark
purchasing power parity - $167.2 billion (2003 est.)

Djibouti
purchasing power parity - $619 million (2002 est.)

Dominica
purchasing power parity - $380 million (2002 est.)

Dominican Republic
purchasing power parity - $52.71 billion (2003
est.)

East Timor
purchasing power parity - $440 million (2001 est.)

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

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

El Salvador
purchasing power parity - $30.99 billion (2003 est.)

Equatorial Guinea
purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.)

Eritrea
purchasing power parity - $3.3 billion (2002 est.)

Estonia
purchasing power parity - $17.35 billion (2003 est.)

Ethiopia
purchasing power parity - $46.81 billion (2003 est.)

European Union
purchasing power parity - $11.05 trillion (2004 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
purchasing power parity - $75
million (2002 est.)

Faroe Islands
purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2001 est.)

Fiji
purchasing power parity - $5.012 billion (2003 est.)

Finland
purchasing power parity - $142.2 billion (2003 est.)

France
purchasing power parity - $1.661 trillion (2003 est.)

French Guiana
purchasing power parity - $1.551 billion (2003 est.)

French Polynesia
purchasing power parity - $4.58 billion (2003 est.)

Gabon
purchasing power parity - $7.301 billion (2003 est.)

Gambia, The
purchasing power parity - $2.56 billion (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip
purchasing power parity - $768 million (2003 est.)

Georgia
purchasing power parity - $12.18 billion (2003 est.)

Germany
purchasing power parity - $2.271 trillion (2003 est.)

Ghana
purchasing power parity - $44.44 billion (2003 est.)

Gibraltar
purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.)

Greece
purchasing power parity - $213.6 billion (2003 est.)

Greenland
purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2001 est.)

Grenada
purchasing power parity - $440 million (2002 est.)

Guadeloupe
purchasing power parity - $3.513 billion (2003 est.)

Guam
purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2000 est.)

Guatemala
purchasing power parity - $56.5 billion (2003 est.)

Guernsey
purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.)

Guinea
purchasing power parity - $19.02 billion (2003 est.)

Guinea-Bissau
purchasing power parity - $1.063 billion (2003 est.)

Guyana
purchasing power parity - $2.797 billion (2003 est.)