Chapter LI: Front Matter (51)

Political parties and leaders:
African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as
PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE, secretary general]; African Party of
Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP
[Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also
known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor
Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for
Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde
Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party
or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier
DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition (a
coalition led by the PDS) [Abdoulaye WADE]; Union for Democratic
Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC,
UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Alan ROTH
embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar
telephone: [221] 823-4296
FAX: [221] 822-2991

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Senegal

Economy - overview:
In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic
reform program with the support of the international donor
community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's
currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the
French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been
steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in
1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
program, with real growth in GDP averaging 5% annually during
1995-2003. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single
digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
(WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with
a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. Senegal
still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance, however. Under
the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries debt relief program,
Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its
bilateral, multilateral, and private sector debt.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.36 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2004 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.9%
industry: 21.4%
services: 62.7% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
4.65 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%

Unemployment rate:
48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.8% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.572 billion
expenditures: $1.627 billion, including capital expenditures of $357
million (2004 est.)

Public debt:
55.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green
vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Industries:
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer
production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship
construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.737 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.615 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
31,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-518.8 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$1.374 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners:
India 14.4%, Mali 13.1%, France 9.8%, Italy 7.3%, Spain 6.6%,
Guinea-Bissau 5.6%, Gambia, The 4.8% (2004)

Imports:
$2.128 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners:
France 24.8%, Nigeria 11.9%, Thailand 6.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$820 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$3.476 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$362.6 million (2002 est.)

Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:
XOF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29
(2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Senegal

Telephones - main lines in use:
228,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
575,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)

Televisions:
361,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sn

Internet hosts:
672 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
225,000 (2003)

Transportation Senegal

Railways:
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km including 7 km of expressways
unpaved: 10,305 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 564 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Dakar

Airports:
20 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Senegal

Military branches:
Army, Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Air Force (2005)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,183,343 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,300,502 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 124,096 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$107.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2004)

Transnational Issues Senegal

Disputes - international:
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalese citizens
from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence, cross border
raids, and arms smuggling

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in
Casamance region) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and
South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit
cultivator of cannabis

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Serbia and Montenegro

Introduction Serbia and Montenegro

Background:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its
name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany
in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each
other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal TITO took
full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his
new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer
their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the
next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO
Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia,
Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent
states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro
declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992
and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military
intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics
into a "Greater Serbia." All of these efforts were ultimately
unsuccessful and led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992.
In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries
of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international
response, including the NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of
a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of
2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav
KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for
his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against
humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted,
and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by
the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June
1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244,
pending a determination by the international community of its future
status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of
Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship. These
talks became a reality in February 2003 when lawmakers restructured
the country into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia
and Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro
includes a provision that allows either republic to hold a
referendum after three years that would allow for their independence
from the state union.

Geography Serbia and Montenegro

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Albania
and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 102,350 sq km
land: 102,136 sq km
water: 214 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kentucky

Land boundaries:
total: 2,246 km
border countries: Albania 287 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 527 km,
Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia (north) 241 km, Croatia (south) 25 km,
Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km, Romania 476 km

Coastline:
199 km

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid
summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion,
continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic
climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively
cold winters with heavy snowfall inland

Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east,
limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and
hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands
off the coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Daravica 2,656 m

Natural resources:
oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, antimony,
chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone,
marble, salt, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.35%
permanent crops: 3.2%
other: 63.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
570 sq km

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade
and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes
dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube

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

Geography - note:
controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey
and the Near East; strategic location along the Adriatic coast

People Serbia and Montenegro

Population:
10,829,175 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.1% (male 1,014,443/female 943,702)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 3,610,646/female 3,632,365)
65 years and over: 15% (male 699,446/female 928,573) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 36.79 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 38.29 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.03% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.73 years
male: 72.15 years
female: 77.51 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Serb(s); Montenegrin(s)
adjective: Serbian; Montenegrin

Ethnic groups:
Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%, other
12.6% (1991)

Religions:
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other
11%

Languages:
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.4%
male: 98.9%
female: 94.1% (2002 est.)

Government Serbia and Montenegro

Country name:
conventional long form: Serbia and Montenegro
conventional short form: none
local long form: Srbija i Crna Gora
local short form: none
former: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
abbreviation: SCG

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Belgrade

Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republike, singular - republika); and 2 nominally
autonomous provinces* (autonomn pokrajine, singular - autonomna
pokrajina); Kosovo* (temporarily under UN administration, per UN
Security Council Resolution 1244), Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina*

Independence:
27 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or FRY - now Serbia
and Montenegro - formed as self-proclaimed successor to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)

National holiday:
National Day, 27 April

Constitution:
4 February 2003

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Svetozar MAROVIC (since 7 March 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Federal Ministries act as Cabinet
elections: president elected by the parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 7 March 2003 (next to be held 2007)
election results: Svetozar MAROVIC elected president by the
parliament; vote was Svetozar MAROVIC 65, other 47

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian, 35 Montenegrin -
filled by nominees of the two state parliaments for the first two
years, after which the Constitutional Charter calls for direct
elections
elections: last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Serbian parties: SRS 30, DSS 20, DS 13, G17 Plus 12, SPO-NS 8, SPS
8; Montenegrin parties: DPS 15, SNP 9, SDP 4, DSS 3, NS 2, LSCG 2

Judicial branch:
The Court of Serbia and Montenegro; judges are elected by the
Serbia and Montenegro Parliament for six-year terms
note: since the promulgation of the 2003 Constitution, the Federal
Court has constitutional and administrative functions; it has an
equal number of judges from each republic

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; Democratic Party of Serbia or
DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party of Socialists of
Montenegro or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Democratic Serbian Party of
Montenegro or DSS [Bozidar BOJOVIC]; G17 Plus [Miroljub LABUS]; New
Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LSCG
[Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Dragan SOC];
Power of Serbia Movement or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]; Serbian Radical
Party or SRS [Tomislav NIKOLIC]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO
[Vuk DRASKOVIC]; Serbian Socialist Party or SPS (former Communist
Party and party of Slobodan MILOSEVIC) [Ivica DACIC, president of
Main Board]; Social Democratic Party of Montenegro or SDP [Ranko
KRIVOKAPIC]; Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Predrag
BULATOVIC]
note: the following political parties participate in elections and
institutions only in Kosovo, which has been governed by the UN under
UNSCR 1244 since 1999: Albanian Christian Democratic Party or PSHDK
[Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush
HARADINAJ]; Citizens' Initiative of Serbia or GIS [Slavisa
PETKOVIC]; Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit
RRAHMANI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Ibrahim RUGOVA];
Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Justice Party of
PD [Sylejman CERKEZI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP
[Mahir YAGCILAR]; Liberal Party of Kosovo or PLK [Gjergj DEDAJ]; Ora
[Veton SURROI]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Bislim
HOTI]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Popular
Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Prizren-Dragas
Initiative or PDI [Ismajl KARADOLAMI]; Serb List for Kosovo and
Metohija or SLKM [Oliver IVANOVIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or
PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi MERXHA]; Vakat [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Political Council for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac or PCPMB
[leader NA]; Group for Changes of Montenegro or GZP [Nebojsa
MEDOJEVIC]

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC
chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333
FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933
consulate(s) general: Chicago

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael C. POLT
embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade
mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070
telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344
FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230
consulate(s): Podgorica
note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38000
Pristina, Kosovo; telephone: [381](38)549-516; FAX: [381](38)549-890

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and red

Economy Serbia and Montenegro

Economy - overview:
MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of
economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure
and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy
only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of former
Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government implemented
stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive market reform
program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000,
a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the
international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World
Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June
2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. An agreement
rescheduling the country's $4.5 billion Paris Club government debts
was concluded in November 2001 - it wrote off 66% of the debt - and
the London Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt,
just over half the total owed, in July 2004. The smaller republic of
Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia
during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to maintain its own central
bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official
currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages its own budget.
Kosovo's economy continues to transition to a market-based system,
and is largely dependent on the international community and the
diaspora for financial and technical assistance. The euro and the
Yugoslav dinar are both accepted currencies in Kosovo. While
maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the
European Union and Kosovo's local provisional government to
accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign
investment to help Kosovo integrate into regional economic
structures. The complexity of Serbia and Montenegro political
relationships, slow progress in privatization, legal uncertainty
over property rights, scarcity of foreign-investment and a
substantial foreign trade deficit are holding back the economy.
Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal
discipline, are an important element in policy formation. Severe
unemployment remains a key political economic problem for this
entire region.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.27 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.5%
industry: 27.6%
services: 56.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.2 million (2004 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
30%
note: unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
30% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.8% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $9.773 billion
expenditures: $10.46 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
80% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:
machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and
weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy
(steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth,
cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore,
limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs,
appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and
pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:
1.7% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
31.64 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 62.9%
hydro: 37.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
32.33 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
400 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
3.3 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
15,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
64,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
602 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:
24.07 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-3.008 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$3.245 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials

Exports - partners:
Italy 29%, Germany 16.6%, Austria 7%, Greece 6.7%, France 4.9%,
Slovenia 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
$9.538 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants,
manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials

Imports - partners:
Germany 18.5%, Italy 16.5%, Austria 8.3%, Slovenia 6.7%, Bulgaria
4.7%, France 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.55 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$12.97 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2 billion pledged in 2001 (disbursements to follow for several
years)

Currency (code):
new Yugoslav dinar (YUM); note - in Montenegro the euro is legal
tender; in Kosovo both the euro and the Yugoslav dinar are legal

Currency code:
CSD, EUR

Exchange rates:
new Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - 64.1915 (official rate: 65)
(2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Serbia and Montenegro

Telephones - main lines in use:
2,611,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,634,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 381; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
more than 771 (including 86 strong stations and 685 low-power
stations, plus 20 repeaters in the principal networks; also numerous
local or private stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)

Televisions:
2.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.cs

Internet hosts:
20,207 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2000)

Internet users:
847,000 (2003)

Transportation Serbia and Montenegro

Railways:
total: 4,380 km
standard gauge: 4,380 km 1.435-m gauge (1,364 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 45,290 km
paved: 28,261 km (including 374 km of expressways)
unpaved: 17,029 km (2002)

Waterways:
587 km
note: Danube River traffic delayed by pontoon bridge at Novi Sad;
plan to replace by summer of 2005 (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bar

Merchant marine:
total: 2
by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Finland 1, Turkey 1)
registered in other countries: 3 (2005)

Airports:
44 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
4 (2004 est.)

Military Serbia and Montenegro

Military branches:
Serbian and Montenegrin Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije i Crne Gore,
VSCG): Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age (nine months compulsory service) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 2,389,729 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 1,959,166 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 81,033 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$654 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Serbia and Montenegro

Disputes - international:
Kosovo remains unresolved administered by several thousand
peacekeepers from the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) since 1999, with Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly supporting
and Serbian officials opposing Kosovo independence; the
international community had agreed to begin a process to determine
final status but contingency of solidifying multi-ethnic democracy
in Kosovo has not been satisfied; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse
demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the
2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Serbia
and Montenegro have delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia
and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 99,170 (Bosnia) 188,656 (Croatia)
IDPs: 225,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western
Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Seychelles

Introduction Seychelles

Background:
A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands
ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came
in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new
constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent
presidential elections were held in 2001; President RENE, who had
served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down
and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president.

Geography Seychelles

Location:
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 455 sq km
land: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
491 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon
(late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon
(March to May)

Terrain:
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others
are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources:
fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use:
arable land: 2.22%
permanent crops: 13.33%
other: 84.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short
droughts possible

Environment - current issues:
water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater

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

Geography - note:
41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

People Seychelles

Population:
81,188 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 10,839/female 10,601)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 26,709/female 28,025)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,622/female 3,392) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 26.62 years
female: 28.76 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.43% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-5.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.82 years
male: 66.41 years
female: 77.4 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.75 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: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychellois

Ethnic groups:
mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab

Religions:
Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%,
other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian
1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)

Languages:
Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2%
(2002 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.9%
male: 91.4%
female: 92.3% (2003 est.)

Government Seychelles

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Victoria

Administrative divisions:
23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse
Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau
Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe),
Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont
Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint
Louis, Takamaka

Independence:
29 June 1976 (from UK)

National holiday:
Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)

Constitution:
18 June 1993

Legal system:
based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA
2006)
election results: France Albert RENE re-elected president; percent
of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO)
44.95%, Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that
presidential elections have been held separately from legislative
elections; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice
President James MICHEL was sworn in as president

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25
elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to
parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held by 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%,
DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the
percentage that each party won of the total vote

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement
Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National
Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel
RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France
Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Roman Catholic Church; trade unions

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786

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

Flag description:
five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and
green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Economy Seychelles

Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean
archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old
near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector,
which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than
70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years
the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade
hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has
moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the
development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. A
sharp drop illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in
1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war, and once again following the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Growth slowed in
1998-2002, and fell in 2003, due to sluggish tourist and tuna
sectors, but resumed in 2004, erasing a persistent budget deficit.
Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign
exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects. The black
market value of the Seychelles rupee is half the official exchange
rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector may
remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as
Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$626 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 28.7%
services: 68.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
30,900 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989)

Unemployment rate:
NA

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
39.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $318.3 million
expenditures: $298.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
122.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish

Industries:
fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut
fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
218 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
202.8 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-98.42 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$256.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(reexports)

Exports - partners:
UK 27.7%, France 15.8%, Spain 12.6%, Japan 8.6%, Italy 7.5%,
Germany 5.6% (2004)

Imports:
$393.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 15.5%, Spain 13.3%, France 10.3%, Singapore 7%, South
Africa 6.8%, Italy 6.7%, UK 4.7% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$70.94 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$218.1 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$16.4 million (1995)

Currency (code):
Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Currency code:
SCR

Exchange rates:
Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003), 5.48
(2002), 5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Seychelles

Telephones - main lines in use:
21,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
54,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

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

Radios:
42,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
11,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sc

Internet hosts:
264 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
11,700 (2002)

Transportation Seychelles

Highways:
total: 373 km
paved: 315 km
unpaved: 58 km (1997 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Victoria

Merchant marine:
total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT
by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) (2005)

Airports:
15 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Military Seychelles

Military branches:
Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Navy Wing,
Air Wing), National Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 21,612 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 16,122 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2004)

Transnational Issues Seychelles

Disputes - international:
together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago
(UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Sierra Leone

Introduction Sierra Leone

Background:
The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of
deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about
one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in
neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force
and contributions from the World Bank and international community,
demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces
(CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in
May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its
authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in
Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005,
deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the
tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present
challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability.

Geography Sierra Leone

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea
and Liberia

Geographic coordinates:
8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Coastline:
402 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter
dry season (December to April)

Terrain:
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Natural resources:
diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use:
arable land: 6.98%
permanent crops: 0.89%
other: 92.13% (2001)

Irrigated land:
290 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to
February); sandstorms, dust storms

Environment - current issues:
rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting
of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn
agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion;
civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing

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

Geography - note:
rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year,
making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

People Sierra Leone

Population:
6,017,643 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 1,318,508/female 1,371,164)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,068/female 1,637,276)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 93,047/female 103,580) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.53 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.84 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.22% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly
returning (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 143.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 161.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 125.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 39.87 years
male: 37.74 years
female: 42.06 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
170,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
11,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups:
20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%),
Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were
settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees
from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Religions:
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

Languages:
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende
(principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in
the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of
freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a
lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but
understood by 95%)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 29.6%
male: 39.8%
female: 20.5% (2000 est.)

Government Sierra Leone

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone

Government type:
constitutional democracy

Capital:
Freetown

Administrative divisions:
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Independence:
27 April 1961 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

Constitution:
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

Legal system:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996,
reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March
1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007); note -
president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms
election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of
vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12
filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC
22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders:
All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party
or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone
People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others

Political pressure groups and leaders:
trade unions and student unions

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485
FAX: [232] (22) 225471

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light
blue

Economy Sierra Leone

Economy - overview:
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous
inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial
mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and
social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social
disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds
of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture.
Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and
of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Plans to reopen
bauxite and rutile mines shut down during an 11 year civil war have
not been implemented due to lack of foreign investment. Alluvial
diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings.
The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic
peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad,
which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and
supplement government revenues. International financial institutions
contributed over $600 million in development aid and budgetary
support in 2003.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.335 billion (2004 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $600 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 49%
industry: 30%
services: 21% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
1.369 million (1981 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
NA

Population below poverty line:
68% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
62.9 (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry,
cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries:
diamonds mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles,
cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship
repair

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
255.3 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
237.4 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$49 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999)

Exports - partners:
Belgium 61.6%, Germany 11.8%, US 5.4% (2004)

Imports:
$264 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants,
chemicals (1995)

Imports - partners:
Germany 14%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.7%, UK 9.1%, US 8.4%, China 5.6%,
Netherlands 5%, South Africa 4.1% (2004)

Debt - external:
$1.5 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$103 million (2001 est.)

Currency (code):
leone (SLL)

Currency code:
SLL

Exchange rates:
leones per US dollar - 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099
(2002), 1,986.2 (2001), 2,092.1 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Sierra Leone

Telephones - main lines in use:
24,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
67,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects
Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios:
1.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1999)

Televisions:
53,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sl

Internet hosts:
277 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2001)

Internet users:
8,000 (2002)

Transportation Sierra Leone

Highways:
total: 11,300 km
paved: 904 km
unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)

Waterways:
800 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT
by type: petroleum tanker 2 (2005)

Airports:
10 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2004 est.)

Military Sierra Leone

Military branches:
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air
Wing, Maritime Wing)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,110,077 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 552,785 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$13.2 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2004)

Transnational Issues Sierra Leone

Disputes - international:
domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth
gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate
insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic
conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone
(UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone
since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from
the town of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 67,000 (Liberia) (2004)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Singapore

Introduction Singapore

Background:
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It
joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years
later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the
world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading
links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage
handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading
nations of Western Europe.

Geography Singapore

Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:
1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 692.7 sq km
land: 682.7 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
193 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as
defined in treaties and practice

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons -
Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon
from June to September; inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early
evening thunderstorms

Terrain:
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment
area and nature preserve

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports

Land use:
arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98.36% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources;
limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal
smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

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

Geography - note:
focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

People Singapore

Population:
4,425,720 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 366,971/female 342,295)
15-64 years: 75.9% (male 1,639,842/female 1,719,829)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 157,636/female 199,147) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 36.76 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 37.07 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.56% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.62 years
male: 79.05 years
female: 84.39 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,100 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups:
Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)

Religions:
Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%,
other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)

Languages:
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese
5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other
0.9% (2000 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.6%
female: 88.6% (2002)

Government Singapore

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
Singapore

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National holiday:
National Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution:
3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of
Singapore Constitution)

Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal and compulsory