Chapter XXXII: Front Matter (32)

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the
Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55
seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories
of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis
al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special
electoral panel if no women are elected)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next
to be held NA 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic Action Front (IAF)
10.4%; seats by party - independents and others 92, Islamic Action
Front 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female
IAF candidate
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties
were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003

Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Political parties and leaders:
Al-Ajyal [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Al-Umma (Nation)
Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr.
Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive
Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary general]; Communist Party [Munir
HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Constitutional National Party [Ahmad
al-SHUNNAQ, secretary general; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement
[Yusuf ABU BAKR, president]; Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH,
secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Hazma MANSOUR, secretary
general]; Islamic al-Walsat Party [Marwan al-FAURI], secretary
general; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary
general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali
MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic (Hashd)
Party [Ahmad YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party
[Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general]; Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman
Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Muslim Centrist Party [leader NA];
National Action (Haqq) Party [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary general];
National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary
general]; National Movement for Direct Democracy [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI,
secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud
al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir
al-HIMSI, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice
chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI, president];
Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim
Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB,
OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David M.
HALE
embassy: Abdoun, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box
5, APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 592-0101
FAX: [962] (6) 592-4102

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the
Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and
green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle
on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and
bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven
verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven
points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national
spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is
based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Economy Jordan

Economy - overview:
Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water
and other natural resources such as oil. Debt, poverty, and
unemployment are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH, since
assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic
reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Amman in
the past three years has worked closely with the IMF, practiced
careful monetary policy, and made substantial headway with
privatization. The government also has liberalized the trade regime
sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTO (2000), a free
trade accord with the US (2001), and an association agreement with
the EU (2001). These measures have helped improve productivity and
have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. Jordan imported most
of its oil from Iraq, but the US-led war in Iraq in 2003 made Jordan
more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations forcing the Jordanian
government to raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales
tax base. Jordan's export market, which is heavily dependent on
exports to Iraq, was also affected by the war but recovered quickly
while contributing to the Iraq recovery effort. The main challenges
facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing
the budget deficit, and creating investment incentives to promote
job creation.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$25.5 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 26%
services: 71.5% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.41 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 12.5%, services 82.5% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
30% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.4 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
11.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.483 billion
expenditures: $3.616 billion, including capital expenditures of $782
million (2004 est.)

Public debt:
85.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats,
poultry

Industries:
phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement,
potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.307 billion kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
7.094 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
2 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
40 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
103,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - imports:
100,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:
445,000 bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$203.2 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$3.2 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables,
manufactures, pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners:
US 28.9%, Iraq 17.6%, India 7.1%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2004)

Imports:
$7.6 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment,
manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 19.8%, China 8.4%, Germany 6.8%, US 6.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.457 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$7.32 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $500 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code:
JOD

Exchange rates:
Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709
(2002), 0.709 (2001), 0.709 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Jordan

Telephones - main lines in use:
622,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,325,300 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service has improved recently with increased
use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the
telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to
pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of
mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals;
fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link
with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable
FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL;
international links total about 4,000

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios:
1.66 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
500,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.jo

Internet hosts:
3,160 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)

Internet users:
457,000 (2003)

Transportation Jordan

Railways:
total: 505 km
narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 7,301 km
paved: 7,301 km
unpaved: 0 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 10 km; oil 743 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Al 'Aqabah

Merchant marine:
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 78,814 GRT/92,695 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, container 2, passenger/cargo 5,
roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 12 (Greece 3, UAE 9)
registered in other countries: 14 (2005)

Airports:
17 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Jordan

Military branches:
Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal
Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force, and Special Operations
Command (SOCOM); note - Public Security Directorate normally falls
under Ministry of Interior but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis
situations

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age
18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are
required to register (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,573,995 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,348,076 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 60,625 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.46 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
14.6% (2004)

Transnational Issues Jordan

Disputes - international:
2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,740,170 (Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA))
IDPs: 800,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Juan de Nova Island

Introduction Juan de Nova Island

Background:
Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer,
the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been
exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military
garrison oversees a meteorological station.

Geography Juan de Nova Island

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third
of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
17 03 S, 42 45 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 4.4 sq km
land: 4.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
24.1 km

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

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
low and flat

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 10 m

Natural resources:
guano deposits and other fertilizers

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (90% forest) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic cyclones

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
wildlife sanctuary

People Juan de Nova Island

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison along with a few
meteorologists; occasionally visited by scientists (July 2005 est.)

Government Juan de Nova Island

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Juan de Nova

Dependency status:
possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur
of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (possession of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (possession of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Juan de Nova Island

Economy - overview:
Up to 12,000 tons of guano are mined per year.

Communications Juan de Nova Island

Communications - note:
1 meteorological station

Transportation Juan de Nova Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Airports:
1 (2004 est.)

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

Military Juan de Nova Island

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Juan de Nova Island

Disputes - international:
claimed by Madagascar

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kazakhstan

Introduction Kazakhstan

Background:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who
migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as
a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th
century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the
1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens
were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures.
This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other
deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled
non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many
of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a
cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the
country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets;
achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and
mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states
and other foreign powers.

Geography Kazakhstan

Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural
River in eastern-most Europe

Geographic coordinates:
48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 2,717,300 sq km
land: 2,669,800 sq km
water: 47,500 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846
km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now
split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea
(1,894 km)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain:
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains
in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore,
manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead,
zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:
arable land: 7.98%
permanent crops: 0.05%
other: 91.97% (2001)

Irrigated land:
23,320 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense
industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose
health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe
in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the
Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and
leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural
salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown
into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil
pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from
poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and
Russia extended the lease to 2050

People Kazakhstan

Population:
15,185,844 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.7% (male 1,834,535/female 1,758,988)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 5,075,243/female 5,312,536)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 424,341/female 780,201) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.52 years
male: 26.92 years
female: 30.25 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.3% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 24.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.55 years
male: 61.21 years
female: 72.2 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,500 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,
German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)

Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in
everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (1999 est.)

Government Kazakhstan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

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

Capital:
Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in
December 1998

Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala,
singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy
(Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy
(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,
Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy
(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr
(Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the
lease to 2050

Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new
constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Akhmetzhan YESIMOV (since 14 May
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously
scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's
previous term was extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held
30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president;
percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 81.7%, Serikbolsyn
ABDILDIN 12.1%, Gani KASYMOV 4.7%, Engels GABBASSOV 1.5%
note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that
expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate
constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government,
dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint
administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators
are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected,
two from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city
of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47
seats) and the Majilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Majilis members
are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly
elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to
be held December 2005); Majilis - last held 19 September and 3
October 2004 (next to be held September 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11,
ASAR (All Together) 4, Ak Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1,
independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated
with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV]; Ak Zhol Party "Bright Path" [Bulat
ABILOV, Uraz ZHANDOSOV, Lyudmila ZHULANOVA, Alikhan BAYMENOV,
Altynbek SARSENBAYEV, co-chairs]; ASAR "All Together" [Dariga
NAZARBAYEVA, chairwoman]; AUL "Village" [Gani KALIYEV]; Civic Party
[Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK
[Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of
Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan
[Maksut NARIKBAEV]; Otan "Fatherland" [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, acting
chairman]; Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash
JAGANOVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];
Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; Kazakhstan
International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive
director]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA,
chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos
KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM
(observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY
embassy: 99/97A Fumanova, Samal-2, Almaty, 480099
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (3272) 50-48-02
FAX: [7] (3272) 50-48-84

Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun
with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on
the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold

Economy Kazakhstan

Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in
territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves
as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also
has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a growing
machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for
Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a
short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan
enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - and a solid 9.5% in 2002 -
thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic
reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. Growth remained at
the high 9% level in 2003 and 2004. The opening of the Caspian
Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz
oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. The
country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify
the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector, by
developing light industry. Additionally, the policy aims to reduce
the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel; the
government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil
companies over the terms of production agreements, and tensions
continue.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$118.4 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 37.8%
services: 54.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
7.95 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
19% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.5 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.9% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $8.67 billion
expenditures: $8.968 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
13.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock

Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper,
titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel;
tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors,
construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
10.6% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
66.82 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 84.3%
hydro: 15.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
62.21 billion kWh (203)

Electricity - exports:
4.975 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
2.506 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
1.2 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
189,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
890,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
47,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves:
26 billion bbl (1 January 2004)

Natural gas - production:
11.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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

Natural gas - exports:
11.01 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
8.696 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2004)

Current account balance:
$-39.02 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$18.47 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%,
machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)

Exports - partners:
Russia 15.1%, Bermuda 13.8%, Germany 11%, China 9.9%, France 6.6%,
Italy 4% (2004)

Imports:
$13.07 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8%
(2001)

Imports - partners:
Russia 34.6%, China 15.4%, Germany 8.2%, France 5.7%, Ukraine 4.6%
(2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$14.35 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$26.03 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004)

Currency (code):
tenge (KZT)

Currency code:
KZT

Exchange rates:
tenge per US dollar - 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002),
146.74 (2001), 142.13 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Kazakhstan

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,081,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.027 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other
former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave
radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
6.47 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
3.88 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.kz

Internet hosts:
21,984 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (with their own international channels) (2001)

Internet users:
250,000 (2002)

Transportation Kazakhstan

Railways:
total: 13,700 km
broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 82,980 km
paved: 77,918 km
unpaved: 5,062 km (2002)

Waterways:
4,000 km
note: on the Syr Darya (Syrdariya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate 18 km; gas 10,370 km; oil 10,158 km; refined products
1,187 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),
Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,064 GRT/646 DWT
by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 2 (United Kingdom 2) (2005)

Airports:
314 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 67
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 247
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 197 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Kazakhstan

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican
Guard

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,758,255 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,473,529 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 173,129 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Transnational Issues Kazakhstan

Disputes - international:
in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitation
with Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary with
Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistant
seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the
Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water
column among any of the littoral states

Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as
well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit
point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of
Europe

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kenya

Introduction Kenya

Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led
Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when President
Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession.
The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when
the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole
legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure
for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured
opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992
and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as
having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President
MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful
elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic,
united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated
KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a
campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Geography Kenya

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and
Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline:
536 km

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

Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley;
fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources:
limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite,
gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 8.08%
permanent crops: 0.98%
other: 90.94% (2001)

Irrigated land:
670 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of
water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;
water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil
erosion; desertification; poaching

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

Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful
agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on
Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography
supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic
value

People Kenya

Population:
33,829,590
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: 42.5% (male 7,252,075/female 7,124,034)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 9,378,428/female 9,295,471)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 356,116/female 423,466) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.19 years
male: 18.08 years
female: 18.3 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.56% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to
220,000 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia
145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 61.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 64.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.99 years
male: 48.87 years
female: 47.09 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab)
1%

Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim
10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely

Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Government Kenya

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Nairobi

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*,
North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution:
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001

Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,
tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and
Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002)
and Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute
terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the
vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to
avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held
December 2007); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote -
Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called
"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected
by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2
ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed
by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High
Court

Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People
[Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU
[Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] -
the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National
Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of
political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA];
Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava
MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme
Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB,
OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK,
UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606
Village Market Nairobi
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (20) 537-800
FAX: [254] (20) 537-810

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the
red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering
crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Economy Kenya

Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has
been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary
goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended
Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the
government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A
severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,
causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.
As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had
resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again
halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute
several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains
in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low
investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at
1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,
meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.
In the key 27 December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old
reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable
economic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made in
rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, with GDP
growth edging up to 1.7%. GDP grew a moderate 2.2% in 2004.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$34.68 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.3%
industry: 18.5%
services: 62.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
11.4 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 75% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.9 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.89 billion
expenditures: $3.443 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries,
textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products; oil
refining, aluminum, steel, lead, cement; commercial ship repair,
tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
2.6% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.475 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 17.7%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 11.3% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
4.337 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
175 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
57,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-459.2 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$2.589 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,
cement

Exports - partners:
Uganda 13.3%, UK 11.4%, US 10.6%, Netherlands 8.2%, Egypt 4.9%,
Tanzania 4.5%, Pakistan 4.3% (2004)

Imports:
$4.19 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor
vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners:
UAE 12.6%, Saudi Arabia 9.1%, South Africa 8.8%, US 7.7%, India
7.2%, UK 6.7%, China 6.4%, Japan 5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.5 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$6.792 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$453 million (1997)

Currency (code):
Kenyan shilling (KES)

Currency code:
KES

Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003),
78.749 (2002), 78.563 (2001), 76.176 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Kenya

Telephones - main lines in use:
328,400 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,590,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except
for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (2002)

Televisions:
730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ke

Internet hosts:
8,325 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
65 (2001)

Internet users:
400,000 (2002)

Transportation Kenya

Railways:
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 63,942 km
paved: 7,737 km
unpaved: 56,205 km (2000)

Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2004)

Pipelines:
refined products 752 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Mombasa

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT
by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (2005)

Airports:
221 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 206
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 110
under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.)

Military Kenya

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,303,153 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,963,532 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$177.1 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (2004)

Transnational Issues Kenya

Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's
north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to
approximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans who
flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya's administrative limits extend
beyond the treaty border into the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 154,272 (Somalia) 11,139 (Ethiopia)
63,197 (Sudan)
IDPs: 350,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country
for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant
potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status
as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively
high levels of narcotics-associated activities

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kingman Reef

Introduction Kingman Reef

Background:
The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a
way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights
during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef,
which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse
marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out
to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge.

Geography Kingman Reef

Location:
Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and American Samoa

Geographic coordinates:
6 24 N, 162 24 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 1 sq km
land: 1 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
3 km

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

Climate:
tropical; moderated by prevailing winds

Terrain:
low and nearly level

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 1 m

Natural resources:
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter
makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:
none

Geography - note:
barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public

People Kingman Reef

Population:
uninhabited (July 2005 est.)

Government Kingman Reef

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the
Interior
note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted
restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef
from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18
January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be
administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this
refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of
Kingman Reef out to the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea limit

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

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Kingman Reef

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Kingman Reef

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Airports:
lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American
Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
(2004 est.)

Military Kingman Reef

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Kingman Reef

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kiribati

Introduction Kiribati

Background:
The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and
complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US
relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line
Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography Kiribati

Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from
Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed
that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert
Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line
Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the
International Date Line

Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 811 sq km
land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,143 km

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

Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

Land use:
arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 50.68%
other: 46.58% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
very sensitive to changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy
migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines
and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk

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

Geography - note:
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in
Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru

People Kiribati

Population:
103,092 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 20,342/female 19,806)
15-64 years: 57.7% (male 29,362/female 30,136)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,477/female 1,969) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.05 years
male: 19.61 years
female: 20.58 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.25% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 48.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 53.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.71 years
male: 58.71 years
female: 64.86 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church
of God (1999)

Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)

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

Government Kiribati

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Tarawa

Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in
addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line
Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island
councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama,
Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati,
Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea,
Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)

Independence:
12 July 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Constitution:
12 July 1979

Legal system:
NA

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential
candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete
in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not
later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA
9.1%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats;
39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney
general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members
serve four-year terms)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second
round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
note: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP
[leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu

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