Chapter XXVII: Front Matter (27)

Population:
765,283
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
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 103,054/female 99,279)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 263,953/female 260,000)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,801/female 22,196) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.91 years
male: 26.44 years
female: 27.4 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.26% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
18.45 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-7.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 33.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.5 years
male: 62.86 years
female: 68.28 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.5% (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2003 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and
mixed 7%

Religions:
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%

Languages:
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

Government Guyana

Country name:
conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana

Government type:
republic within the Commonwealth

Capital:
Georgetown

Administrative divisions:
10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East
Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice,
Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper
Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Independence:
26 May 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution:
6 October 1980

Legal system:
based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999);
note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN
head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since December 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature
elections: president elected by the majority party in the National
Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at
least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to
be held by March 2006); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of
legislative vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected by popular vote,
1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting members
appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and
Working People's Alliance or WPA) [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana
Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader
NA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Robert Herman Orlando
CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO];
Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or
TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert
ROOPNARAINE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian
Organizations or GCIO; Trades Union Congress or TUC
note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well
organized

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roland BULLEN
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown
telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909
FAX: [592] 225-8497

Flag description:
green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black
border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border
between the yellow and the green

Economy Guyana

Economy - overview:
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02,
based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more
favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic
exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of
international organizations. Growth then slowed in 2003 and came
back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings.
Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient
infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt
against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite
mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and
partial privatization.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.899 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38.3%
industry: 19.9%
services: 41.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
418,000 (2001 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
9.1% (understated) (2000)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
34.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $287.6 million
expenditures: $371.6 million, including capital expenditures of
$93.4 million (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy
products; fish, shrimp

Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate:
7.1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
808 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.4%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
751.4 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-129.4 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$570.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber

Exports - partners:
Canada 23.2%, US 19.2%, UK 10.9%, Portugal 9%, Belgium 6.4%,
Jamaica 5.2% (2004)

Imports:
$650.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Imports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 24.8%, US 24.5%, Cuba 6.8%, UK 5.4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$280.6 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC)
$253 million (1997)

Currency (code):
Guyanese dollar (GYD)

Currency code:
GYD

Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 198.33 (2004), 193.88 (2003),
190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001), 182.43 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use:
80,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
87,300 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US
satellite services) (1997)

Televisions:
46,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gy

Internet hosts:
613 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
125,000 (2002)

Transportation Guyana

Railways:
total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge
note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)

Highways:
total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,077 km
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by
oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Georgetown

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT
by type: cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (2005)

Airports:
49 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 41
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.)

Military Guyana

Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps, Guyana
People's Militia

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 206,098 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 137,964 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$6.5 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2004)

Transnational Issues Guyana

Disputes - international:
all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by
Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana
has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims
before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with
Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of
land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute
over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks UNCLOS
arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over
the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich
waters

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily
Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Haiti

Introduction Haiti

Background:
The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of
Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were
virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the
early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola,
and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the
island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and
sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the
Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves
and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th
century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint
L'OUVERTURE and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black
republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti has been plagued
by political violence for most of its history. It is the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere.

Geography Haiti

Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the
Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline:
1,771 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 28.3%
permanent crops: 11.61%
other: 60.09% (2001)

Irrigated land:
750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes;
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is
being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion;
inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes

Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western
one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

People Haiti

Population:
8,121,622
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
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.6% (male 1,741,622/female 1,721,436)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 2,137,225/female 2,242,639)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 124,383/female 154,317) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.03 years
male: 17.63 years
female: 18.44 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.26% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
36.59 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
12.34 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 73.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 79.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 66.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.92 years
male: 51.58 years
female: 54.31 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
280,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
24,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%,
Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo

Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 54.8%
female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Government Haiti

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti

Government type:
elected government

Capital:
Port-au-Prince

Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite,
Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution:
approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles
reinstated March 1989; in October 1991 government claimed to be
observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in
October 1994

Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Interim President Boniface ALEXANDRE (since 29
February 2004)
note: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE resigned as president on 29 February
2004; ALEXANDRE, as Chief of the Supreme Court, constitutionally
succeeded Aristide
head of government: Interim Prime Minister Gerald LATORTUE (since 12
March 2004), chosen by extraconstitutional Council of Eminent
Persons representing cross-section of political and civic interests
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in November
2005); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the
National Assembly
election results: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent
of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the
Senate (27 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - the National Assembly stopped functioning
in January 2004 when the terms of all Deputies and two-thirds of
sitting Senators expired; no replacements have been elected; the
President is currently ruling by decree
elections: Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000
with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; seven seats
still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November
2000 (next to be held in 2005); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21
May 2000 with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one
vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next to be held in November 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, MOCHRENA 3, PLB 2, OPL 1,
vacant 1, other minor parties and independents 3

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH
[Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or
RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Ayiti Kapab [Ernst VERDIEU]; Convention for
Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; National Congress of
Democratic Movements or KONAKOM [Victor BENOIT]; Nationalist
Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA [Serge GILLES]; Democratic
Movement for the Liberation of Haiti or MODELH [Francois LATORTUE];
Grand Center Right Front coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH)
[Hubert de RONCERAY, Jean BUTEAU, Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise
CLAUDE]; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and
Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or PADEMH [Clark
PARENT]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany
TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together [Dr. Gerard
BLOT]; Lavalas Family or FL [leader NA]; Liberal Party of Haiti or
PLH [Michael MADSEN]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN
[Hubert DE RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN
[Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in
Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of
Haiti or FRON [Guy PHILIPPE]; National Progressive Democratic Party
or PNDPH [Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or
MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party (Parti Louvri Bayre) or
PLB [leader NA]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti, or
Generation 2000 [Claude ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling
People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; MNP28 [Dejean
BELIZAIRE]; KOMBA [Evans LESCOUFLAIR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole
ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of
Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Group of 184 Civil Society
Organization, or G-184 [Andy APAID]; National Popular Assembly or
APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE];
Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic
Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, Caricom (suspended), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Raymond JOSEPH (as of November
2004)
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan
(Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James B. FOLEY
embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 222-0327
FAX: [509] 223-1641 or 222-0200 ext 460

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered
white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree
flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto
L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

Economy Haiti

Economy - overview:
In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the
population lives in abject poverty, and natural disasters frequently
sweep the nation. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the
agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence
farming. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with
irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU -
suspended almost all aid to Haiti. The economy shrank an estimated
1.2% in 2001, 0.9% in 2002, grew 0.4% in 2003, and shrank by 3.5% in
2004. Suspended aid and loan disbursements totaled more than $500
million at the start of 2003. Haiti also suffers from rampant
inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In
early 2005 Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way
to reengagement with the Bank. The resumption of aid flows from all
donors is alleviating but not ending the nation's bitter economic
problems. Civil strife in 2004 combined with extensive damage from
flooding in southern Haiti in May 2004 and Tropical Storm Jeanne in
northwestern Haiti in September 2004 further impoverished Haiti.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.05 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-3.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 20%
services: 50% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
3.6 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 66%, industry 9%, services 25%

Unemployment rate:
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds
of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
22% (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $330.2 million
expenditures: $529.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, wood

Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly
industries based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
618 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60.3%
hydro: 39.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
574.7 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-27.63 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$338.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes

Exports - partners:
US 81.2%, Dominican Republic 7.3%, Canada 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
$1.085 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels,
raw materials

Imports - partners:
US 34.8%, Netherlands Antilles 18%, Malaysia 5.1%, Colombia 4.7%
(2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$80.64 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$150 million (FY04 est.)

Currency (code):
gourde (HTG)

Currency code:
HTG

Exchange rates:
gourdes per US dollar - 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251
(2002), 24.429 (2001), 21.171 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Haiti

Telephones - main lines in use:
130,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
140,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;
international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Radios:
415,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Televisions:
38,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ht

Internet hosts:
NA

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
80,000 (2002)

Transportation Haiti

Highways:
total: 4,160 km
paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Cap-Haitien

Airports:
13 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Military Haiti

Military branches:
the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force
- have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless
they are constitutionally abolished

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force
(2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,626,491 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 948,320 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 98,554 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$26 million (2003)

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

Transnational Issues Haiti

Disputes - international:
since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite
efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic
privation and civil unrest continue to cross into Dominican Republic
and to sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered
Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:
major Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US
and Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian
narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial
transactions; pervasive corruption

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Introduction Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Background:
These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred
from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal
and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.

Geography Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Location:
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from
Madagascar to Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:
53 06 S, 72 31 E

Map references:
Antarctic Region

Area:
total: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
101.9 km

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

Climate:
antarctic

Terrain:
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by
a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak);
McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m

Natural resources:
fish

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km

Natural hazards:
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Environment - current issues:
NA

People Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Population:
uninhabited (July 2005 est.)

Government Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald
Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the
Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment
and Heritage

Legal system:
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used

Economy Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Economy - overview:
No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government
allows limited fishing around the islands.

Communications Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Internet country code:
.hm

Transportation Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Military Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts
fisheries patrols

Transnational Issues Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Holy See (Vatican City)

Introduction Holy See (Vatican City)

Background:
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula
for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many
of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of
Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when
Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner"
popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties,
which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted
Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat
between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier
treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the
Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include
religious freedom, international development, the Middle East,
terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the
application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and
globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic
faith.

Geography Holy See (Vatican City)

Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Geographic coordinates:
41 54 N, 12 27 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 0.44 sq km
land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry
summers (May to September)

Terrain:
low hill

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Natural resources:
none

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
urban; landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state;
outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo
(the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights

People Holy See (Vatican City)

Population:
921 (July 2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.01% (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: none
adjective: none

Ethnic groups:
Italians, Swiss, other

Religions:
Roman Catholic

Languages:
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%

Government Holy See (Vatican City)

Country name:
conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Government type:
ecclesiastical

Capital:
Vatican City

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed
with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the
full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial
extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the
years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the
8th century

National holiday:
Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)

Constitution:
new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November
2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law
of 1929)

Legal system:
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it

Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Executive branch:
chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since
1 December 1990)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals;
election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of
the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI

Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission

Judicial branch:
there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal
matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues
pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pius
XII on 1 May 1946

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)

International organization participation:
CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO,
WToO (observer), WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriel MONTALVO
chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121
FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428
FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346

Flag description:
two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the
crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the
white band

Economy Holy See (Vatican City)

Economy - overview:
This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an
annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the
world (known as Peter's Pence); by the sale of postage stamps,
coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to
museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real
estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The
incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those
of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
essentially services with a small amount of industry; note -
dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live
outside the Vatican

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Budget:
revenues: $245.2 million
expenditures: $260.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2002)

Industries:
printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small
amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and
financial activities

Electricity - production:
NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh

Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy

Economic aid - recipient:
none

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Holy See (Vatican City)

Telephones - main lines in use:
NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1996)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.va

Internet hosts:
9 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Holy See (Vatican City)

Highways:
none; all city streets

Airports:
none (2004 est.)

Military Holy See (Vatican City)

Military branches:
Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited
security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard

Transnational Issues Holy See (Vatican City)

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Honduras

Introduction Honduras

Background:
Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became
an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of
mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to
power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for
anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government
and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist
guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998,
which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion
in damage.

Geography Honduras

Location:
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean),
between El Salvador and Nicaragua

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 86 30 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 112,090 sq km
land: 111,890 sq km
water: 200 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:
total: 1,520 km
border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua
922 km

Coastline:
820 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

Climate:
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain:
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

Natural resources:
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal,
fish, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 9.55%
permanent crops: 3.22%
other: 87.23% (2001)

Irrigated land:
760 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to
damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

Environment - current issues:
urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land
degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development
and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands;
mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest
source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with
heavy metals

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline,
including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

People Honduras

Population:
6,975,204
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
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.8% (male 1,452,646/female 1,393,271)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,921,432/female 1,948,656)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 122,146/female 137,053) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.15 years
male: 18.75 years
female: 19.56 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.16% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
30.38 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.87 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-1.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.3 years
male: 67.71 years
female: 70.97 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
63,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Honduran(s)
adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black
2%, white 1%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Languages:
Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 76.1%
female: 76.3% (2003 est.)

Government Honduras

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
conventional short form: Honduras
local long form: Republica de Honduras
local short form: Honduras

Government type:
democratic constitutional republic

Capital:
Tegucigalpa

Administrative divisions:
18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida,
Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco
Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz,
Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

Legal system:
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of
English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning
Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system;
accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27 January
2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since 27
January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE LOPEZ
Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President Alberto DIAZ
Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (since 27
January 2002); First Vice President Vicente WILLIAMS Agasse (since
27 January 2002); Second Vice President Armida Villela Maria DE
LOPEZ Contreras (since 27 January 2002); Third Vice President
Alberto DIAZ Lobo (since 27 January 2002); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held 27 November
2005)
election results: Ricardo (Joest) MADURO (PN) elected president -
52.2%, Raphael PINEDA Ponce (PL) 44.3%, others 3.5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats;
members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their
party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held 27 November
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PN 61, PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are
elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Juan Ramon VELAZQUEZ Nassar];
Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Matias FUNES]; Liberal Party or
PL [Roberto MICHELETTI Bain]; National Innovation and Unity
Party-Social Democratic Party or PINU-SD [Olban F. VALLADARES];
National Party of Honduras or PN [Jose Celin DISCUA Elvir]; United
Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH;
Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of
Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT;
Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National
Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of
Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Federation of Honduran
Workers or FUTH

International organization participation:
ABEDA, BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco
honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Leon PALMER
embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa
mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa
telephone: [504] 238-5114, 236-9320
FAX: [504] 236-9037

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in
the white band; the stars represent the members of the former
Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El
Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words
REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white
band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a
triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and
AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

Economy Honduras

Economy - overview:
Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere
with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive
unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the U.S.-Central
America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has
met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in February
2004. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest
trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on
reduction of the high crime rate.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.79 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12.7%
industry: 32.1%
services: 55.3% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.47 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 34%, industry 21%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
28.5% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
53% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.6%
highest 10%: 42.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.3 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
24.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.467 billion
expenditures: $1.722 billion, including capital expenditures of $106
million (2004 est.)

Public debt:
74.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp

Industries:
sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

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

Electricity - production:
3.626 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 50.2%
hydro: 49.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.771 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
16 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
415 million kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$258.3 million (2003 est.)

Exports:
$1.457 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber

Exports - partners:
US 54.4%, El Salvador 8.1%, Germany 5.9%, Guatemala 5.4% (2004)

Imports:
$3.332 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials,
chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000)

Imports - partners:
US 37.5%, Guatemala 6.9%, Mexico 5.4%, Costa Rica 4.3%, El Salvador
4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.464 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$5.365 billion (September 2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$557.8 million (1999)

Currency (code):
lempira (HNL)

Currency code:
HNL

Exchange rates:
lempiras per US dollar - 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433
(2002), 15.474 (2001), 14.839 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Honduras

Telephones - main lines in use:
322,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
326,500 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)

Radios:
2.45 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
570,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.hn

Internet hosts:
1,944 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)

Internet users:
168,600 (2002)

Transportation Honduras

Railways:
total: 699 km
narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 13,603 km
paved: 2,775 km
unpaved: 10,828 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Merchant marine:
total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 598,600 GRT/616,158 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 67, chemical tanker 6, container 2,
liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo
5, petroleum tanker 30, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 44 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 1, Greece 4, Hong Kong
2, Israel 1, Japan 4, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Singapore 12, South Korea
6, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1, United States 2, Vanuatu 1,
Vietnam 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
115 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 104
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.)

Military Honduras

Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary 2-3 year military service (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,448,369 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 955,019 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 77,399 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$100.6 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2004)

Transnational Issues Honduras

Disputes - international:
in 1992, ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed
areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but despite OAS
intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of
the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite
resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with
consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador
continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ
ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims
Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize, but agreed to creation of a
joint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in
the failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS is
attempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in
1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex dispute
over islands and maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of
cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local
consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering
activity

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Hong Kong

Introduction Hong Kong

Background:
Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China
the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the
19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on
19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this
agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two
systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be
imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of
autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the
next 50 years.

Geography Hong Kong

Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates:
22 15 N, 114 10 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
water: 50 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km

Coastline:
733 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:
tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from
spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Terrain:
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

Natural resources:
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Land use:
arable land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 93.94% (2001)

Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Marine Dumping (associate member)

Geography - note:
more than 200 islands

People Hong Kong

Population:
6,898,686 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 498,771/female 454,252)
15-64 years: 73.5% (male 2,479,656/female 2,591,170)
65 years and over: 12.7% (male 404,308/female 470,529) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.4 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 39.6 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.65% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
7.23 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
5.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.5 years
male: 78.81 years
female: 84.41 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
0.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Ethnic groups:
Chinese 95%, other 5%

Religions:
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Languages:
Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002)

Government Hong Kong

Country name:
conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
local short form: Xianggang
abbreviation: HK

Dependency status:
special administrative region of China

Government type:
limited democracy

Administrative divisions:
none (special administrative region of China)

Independence:
none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday:
National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic
of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution:
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's
Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents
living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years;
indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional
constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad
regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government
bodies

Executive branch:
chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of seven non-official members
and 14 official members
elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to
second five-year term in March 2002 by 800-member election committee
dominated by pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005;
Donald TSANG acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25
May 2005; Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25 May 2005
and 24 June 2005; last election 16 June 2005 to fill final two years
of TUNG's term (next to be held in June 2007)

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats
indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by
popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group
62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10,
independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11,
Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1; other 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region