Chapter XXXIV: Front Matter (34)

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA
chancery: 1732 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 338-5141
FAX: [1] (202) 338-5139
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen M. YOUNG
embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217
FAX: [996] (312) 551-264

Flag description:
red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays
representing the 40 Kyrgyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run
counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the
sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized
representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt

Economy Kyrgyzstan

Economy - overview:
Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly
agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main
agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported
in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium,
and natural gas and electricity. Kyrgyzstan has been fairly
progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved
regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first CIS
country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. With fits
and starts, inflation has been lowered to an estimated 7% in 2001,
2.1% in 2002, 4% in 2003, and 3.2% in 2004. Much of the government's
stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been
severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but
by mid-1995 production began to recover and exports began to
increase. Kyrgyzstan has distinguished itself by adopting relatively
liberal economic policies. The drop in output at the Kumtor gold
mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002, but GDP growth bounced
back to 6% in 2003 and 2004. The government has made steady strides
in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit and aims to reduce the
deficit to 3% of GDP in 2004. The government and the international
financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive
medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy. Further
restructuring of domestic industry and success in attracting foreign
investment are keys to future growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.495 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38.5%
industry: 22.8%
services: 38.7% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.7 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 55%, industry 15%, services 30% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
18% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 23.3% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (2001)

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

Investment (gross fixed):
17% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $431.3 million
expenditures: $445.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries;
sheep, goats, cattle, wool

Industries:
small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn
logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth
metals

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
11.72 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 7.6%
hydro: 92.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
10.21 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
1.062 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
375 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-87.92 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$646.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas,
hydropower; machinery; shoes

Exports - partners:
UAE 28.2%, Russia 19.1%, China 12%, Kazakhstan 11.1%, Switzerland
6.3% (2004)

Imports:
$775.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
China 26.3%, Russia 22.3%, Kazakhstan 17.1%, Turkey 5.4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$498.7 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.97 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$50 million from the US (2001)

Currency (code):

Currency code:
KGS

Exchange rates:
soms per US dollar - 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003), 46.937 (2002),
48.378 (2001), 47.704 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Kyrgyzstan

Telephones - main lines in use:
394,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
53,100 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000 unsatisfied
applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider,
probably limited to Bishkek region
international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS
countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other
countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway
switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik
and 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic line

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
520,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
NA (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from
Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997)

Televisions:
210,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.kg

Internet hosts:
12,299 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
152,000 (2002)

Transportation Kyrgyzstan

Railways:
total: 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 18,500 km
paved: 16,854 km (including 140 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,646 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
600 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 367 km; oil 13 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)

Airports:
52 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.)

Military Kyrgyzstan

Military branches:
Army, Air Force, National Guard (2004)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,193,529 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 871,493 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 61,091 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$19.2 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Kyrgyzstan

Disputes - international:
delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in Isfara Valley
delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation is
underway with Uzbekistan but serious disputes around enclaves and
elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border

Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS
markets; 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

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

@Laos

Introduction Laos

Background:
Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th
century until the late 19th century when it became part of French
Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao
border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control
of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer
ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual
return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment
laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.

Geography Laos

Location:
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:
18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Utah

Land boundaries:
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km,
Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April)

Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use:
arable land: 3.8%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 95.85% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,640 sq km
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation -
750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
floods, droughts

Environment - current issues:
unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the
population does not have access to potable water

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly
forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western
boundary with Thailand

People Laos

Population:
6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.74 years
male: 18.42 years
female: 19.08 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.42% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 95.04 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 75.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.08 years
male: 53.07 years
female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,700 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic groups:
Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung
(highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic
Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Religions:
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian
denominations 1.5%)

Languages:
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.4%
male: 77.4%
female: 55.5% (2002)

Government Laos

Country name:
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none

Government type:
Communist state

Capital:
Vientiane

Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality*
(kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone**
(khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai,
Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang,
Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*,
Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

Independence:
19 July 1949 (from France)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

Constitution:
promulgated 14 August 1991

Legal system:
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures,
and socialist practice

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (since 26 February
1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27
March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27
March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since
3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since
May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March
2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26
February 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held
in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the
approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term
election results: KHAMTAI Siphadon elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats
increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election)
elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109

Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court
is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)

Political parties and leaders:
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party
president]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:
noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders
fled the country in 1975

International organization participation:
ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585
FAX: [856] (21) 212584

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red
with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy Laos

Economy - overview:
The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official
Communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging
private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely
low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except
during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis
beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a
country with a primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a
rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal
telecommunications. The government has sponsored major improvements
in the road system. Electricity is available in only a few urban
areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides
80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from
aid from the IMF and other international sources and from new
foreign investment in food processing and mining. In late 2004, Laos
gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing
Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this
may help spur growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.28 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 49.5%
industry: 27.5%
services: 23% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.6 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.7% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.3% (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $284.3 million
expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco,
cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Industries:
tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural
processing, construction, garments, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
9.7% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.56 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.4%
hydro: 98.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.036 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
400 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
125 million kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-80.76 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$365.5 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin

Exports - partners:
Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)

Imports:
$579.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$193.1 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.49 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
$243 million (2001 est.)

Currency (code):
kip (LAK)

Currency code:
LAK

Exchange rates:
kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002),
8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Laos

Telephones - main lines in use:
61,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
55,200 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving
with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional
48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone
network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (1999)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.la

Internet hosts:
937 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
15,000 (2002)

Transportation Laos

Highways:
total: 21,716 km
paved: 9,664 km
unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)

Pipelines:
refined products 540 km (2004)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2005)

Airports:
44 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Military Laos

Military branches:
Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,500,625 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 954,816 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 73,167 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$10.7 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.5% (2004)

Military - note:
Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao
People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively
resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding
to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely
to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry
centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics
transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on
the Lao-Burma border (2005)

Transnational Issues Laos

Disputes - international:
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check
the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to complete
demarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes over
squatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including Mekong
River islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commission
agrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces;
concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of
dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels

Illicit drugs:
estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease
from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons,
a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Latvia

Introduction Latvia

Background:
After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars,
Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its
independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the
Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to
Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography Latvia

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and
Lithuania

Geographic coordinates:
57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 64,589 sq km
land: 63,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,150 km
border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km,
Russia 217 km

Coastline:
531 km

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

Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain:
low plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m

Natural resources:
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 29.67%
permanent crops: 0.47%
other: 69.86% (2001)

Irrigated land:
200 sq km
note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not
irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land
has been improved by drainage (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service
industries after the country regained independence; the main
environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality
and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as
well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU
accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full
enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with
some hills in the east

People Latvia

Population:
2,290,237 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 169,284/female 161,648)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 770,839/female 819,309)
65 years and over: 16.1% (male 120,306/female 248,851) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.12 years
male: 35.95 years
female: 42.15 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.69% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.05 years
male: 65.78 years
female: 76.6 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,600 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups:
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%,
Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)

Religions:
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Languages:
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3%
(2000 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2003 est.)

Government Latvia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
conventional short form: Latvia
local long form: Latvijas Republika
local short form: Latvija
former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Riga

Administrative divisions:
26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles
Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons,
Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons,
Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas
Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons,
Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons,
Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu
Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*,
Ventspils Rajons

Independence:
21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is
the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4
May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August
1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human
Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented
the constitution

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
appointed by the Parliament
elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president;
parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - JL 23.9%, PCTVL 18.9%,
TP 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%; seats by party - JL
26, PCTVL 24, TP 21, ZZS 12, First Party 10, LNNK 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)

Political parties and leaders:
First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a
United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the
Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or
TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS];
Latvian Green Party or LZP [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS,
Raimonds VEJONIS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts
BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social
Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP
[Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS]; New Democrats
or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's
Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis
SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)
[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member),
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB,
NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU,
WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS
chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214
FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine TODD-BAILEY
embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510
mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE
09723
telephone: [371] 703-6200
FAX: [371] 782-0047

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and
maroon

Economy Latvia

Economy - overview:
Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian
financial crisis, largely due to the government's budget stringency
and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries,
lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of
companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the
state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia
officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU
membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current
account and internal government deficits remain major concerns, but
the government's efforts to increase efficiency in revenue
collection may lessen the budget deficit. A growing perception that
many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the
country's vibrant financial sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.53 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.4%
industry: 24.8%
services: 70.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.17 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
26.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.231 billion
expenditures: $4.504 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
11.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs;
fish

Industries:
buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers,
agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios,
electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note -
dependent on imports for energy and raw materials

Industrial production growth rate:
8.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.547 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.1%
hydro: 70.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.829 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
1.1 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
2.7 billion kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
44,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-1.251 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$3.569 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles,
foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
UK 12.8%, Germany 12%, Sweden 10%, Lithuania 9.1%, Estonia 8%,
Russia 6.4%, Denmark 5.4% (2004)

Imports:
$5.97 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Imports - partners:
Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 12.2%, Russia 8.7%, Estonia 7%, Finland
6.3%, Sweden 6.1%, Poland 5.4%, Belarus 4.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.65 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$7.368 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$96.2 million (1995)

Currency (code):
Latvian lat (LVL)

Currency code:
LVL

Exchange rates:
lati per US dollar - 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002),
0.6279 (2001), 0.6065 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Latvia

Telephones - main lines in use:
653,900 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,219,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide
an international capability independent of the Moscow international
switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,
rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied
subscriber applications
international: country code - 371; international connections are now
available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling
direct connections for most calls (1998)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.76 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lv

Internet hosts:
51,758 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
41 (2001)

Internet users:
936,000 (2003)

Transportation Latvia

Railways:
total: 2,303 km
broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 60,472 km
paved: 57,206 km
unpaved: 3,265 km (2002)

Waterways:
300 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 1,097 km; oil 409 km; refined products 415 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Riga, Ventspils

Merchant marine:
total: 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 53,153 GRT/37,414 DWT
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 86 (2005)

Airports:
50 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Military Latvia

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard
(Zemessardze)

Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service
obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; Latvia plans
to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional
force by 2007 (August 2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 517,713 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 361,098 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 19,137 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$87 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Latvia

Disputes - international:
the Latvian-Russian boundary treaty of 1997 remains unsigned and
unratified with Russia linking it to better Latvian treatment of
ethnic Russians and Latvian politicians demanding Russian agreement
to a declaration that admits Soviet aggression during the Second
World War and other issues; the Latvian parliament has not ratified
its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to
concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms
part of the EU's external border, Latvia must implement the strict
Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and
Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American
cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; vulnerable
to money laundering despite improved legislation due to nascent
enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of
offshore companies and the gaming industry; organized crime
(including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and
prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Lebanon

Introduction Lebanon

Background:
Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political
institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil
war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national
reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable
political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in
the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions
in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have
conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have
been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have
extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the
country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization, retains its
weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in
the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000
based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus
justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing
Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to
implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord.
Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however,
encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its
forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a
resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its
interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese
groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. Syria finally
withdrew the remainder of its forces from Lebanon in April of 2005.

Geography Lebanon

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and
Syria

Geographic coordinates:
33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Coastline:
225 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Natural resources:
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit
region, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 16.62%
permanent crops: 13.98%
other: 69.4% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,200 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in
Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes;
pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills

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

Geography - note:
Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an
international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate,
protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion,
clan, and ethnicity

People Lebanon

Population:
3,826,018 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 520,270/female 499,609)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 1,216,738/female 1,324,031)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 120,176/female 145,194) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.34 years
male: 26.28 years
female: 28.43 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.26% (2005 est.)

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

Death rate:
6.24 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.63 years
male: 70.17 years
female: 75.21 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,800 (2003 est.)

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

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

Ethnic groups:
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Religions:
Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri),
Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic,
Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant),
other 1.3%
note: seventeen religious sects recognized

Languages:
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Government Lebanon

Country name:
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Beirut

Administrative divisions:
6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa,
Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye

Independence:
22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution:
23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of
Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Legal system:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June
2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA);
note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to
extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime
minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in
consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president
is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and
the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim
election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected
president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against,
10 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005
(next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group -
Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and
Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic
Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4;
Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2;
Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal
Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th
Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5

Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial
cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council
(called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws);
Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime
minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders:
Ba'th Party [leader NA]; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUNBLATT];
Democratic Left [leader NA]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih
BARRI, Amal leader/speaker]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN];
Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [leader NA];
Kataeb Reform Movement [leader NA]; Lebanese Forces [leader NA];
Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Nasserite Popular
Movement [leader NA]; Popular Bloc [leader NA]; Qornet Shewan
[leader NA]; Syrian National Socialist Party [leader NA]; Tripoli
Independent Bloc [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box
2, FPO AE 09836-0002
telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136

Flag description:
three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle,
double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in
the white band

Economy Lebanon

Economy - overview:
The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In
the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical
and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from
domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national
debt, the HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in
government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and
privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met
with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek
bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at
lower rates of interest. Substantial receipts from donor nations
stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the
debt, which stood at nearly 180% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI
government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt,
and the KARAMI government has continued this practice. However,
privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end
of 2004, as promised during the Paris II conference.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.83 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 21%
services: 67% (2000)

Labor force:
2.6 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(2001 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
18% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
28% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
26% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.895 billion
expenditures: $6.642 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
177.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives,
tobacco; sheep, goats

Industries:
banking, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and
chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal
fabricating

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
8.066 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 97.2%
hydro: 2.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
8.591 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
1.09 billion kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
107,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-2.389 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$1.783 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer
goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power
machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners:
Syria 24.9%, UAE 10%, Turkey 6.9%, Switzerland 6.7%, Saudi Arabia
5.3% (2004)

Imports:
$8.162 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and
live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco

Imports - partners:
Italy 11.2%, France 10.3%, Syria 9.8%, Germany 8.6%, China 5.8%, US
5.5%, UK 4.6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$16.3 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$15.84 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans
pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference

Currency (code):
Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code:
LBP

Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003),
1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Lebanon

Telephones - main lines in use:
678,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
775,100 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by
civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations);
coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but
inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
2.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.18 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lb

Internet hosts:
6,998 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
400,000 (2002)

Transportation Lebanon

Railways:
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m
note: rail system became unusable because of damage during the civil
war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2004)

Highways:
total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,198 km
unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
oil 209 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli

Merchant marine:
total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 26, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 6 (Austria 1, Greece 5)
registered in other countries: 40 (2005)

Airports:
8 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Lebanon

Military branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 974,363 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 821,762 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$540.6 million (2002) (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.1% (FY99) (2004)

Transnational Issues Lebanon

Disputes - international:
intense international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops
and intelligence personnel from Lebanon; Lebanese Government claims
Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly
2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place
since 1978

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 394,532 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 300,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in
2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin
American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way
to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Lesotho

Introduction Lesotho

Background:
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence
from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but
returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional
government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule. In
1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious
election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African
and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern
African Development Community. Constitutional reforms have since
restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were
held in 2002.

Geography Lesotho

Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:
29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain:
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay,
building stone

Land use:
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89% (2001)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in
overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion;
desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and
redirects water to South Africa

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

Geography - note:
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous,
more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level

People Lesotho

Population:
1,867,035
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: 36.9% (male 346,930/female 342,459)
15-64 years: 57.6% (male 526,642/female 548,096)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 42,003/female 60,905) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.19 years
male: 19.68 years
female: 20.74 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.08% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.74 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 79.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 34.47 years
male: 35.49 years
female: 33.42 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
28.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
320,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
29,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions:
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8%
male: 74.5%
female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

Government Lesotho

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland

Government type:
parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Maseru

Administrative divisions:
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru,
Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence:
4 October 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution:
2 April 1993

Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of
legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note -
King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to
February 1995, while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the
majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister;
the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution,
which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is
a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as
regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may
even depose the monarch

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22
principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120
in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC
7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18

Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court;
customary or traditional court