Chapter VII: Front Matter (7)

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael
JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11
March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament,
candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to
serve as government ministers
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as
prime minister by the governor general
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12
from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland
territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years
by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members
are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150
seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms
of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no
later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9
October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor
Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor
Party 60, independents 3

Judicial branch:
High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed
by the governor general)

Political parties and leaders:
Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN];
Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen
CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John
Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE]

International organization participation:
ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,
BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris
Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS,
UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New
York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as
the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of
the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for
each of the six original states and one representing all of
Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a
representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one
small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars

Economy Australia

Economy - overview:
Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a
per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business
and consumer confidence, and rising exports of raw materials and
agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis
on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key
factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak
foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up
from $8 billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in
2004, and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked
in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would be
raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal policies
have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$635.5 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$612.8 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$31,600 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 26.2%
services: 70% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
10.42 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 21.2%
services: 75.2% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.2 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $249.8 billion
expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
16.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
chemicals, steel

Industrial production growth rate:
1.1% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
237 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 8.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.9% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
221 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
530,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
875,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
523,400 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
530,800 bbl/day (2001)

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

Natural gas - production:
35.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
25.08 billion cu m (2003 est.)

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-42.09 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$103 billion (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment

Exports - partners:
Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India
5% (2005)

Imports:
$119.6 billion (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$43.26 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$323.4 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004),
1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Australia

Telephones - main lines in use:
11.46 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
18.42 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10
Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian
and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
25.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
104 (1997)

Televisions:
10.15 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.au

Internet hosts:
7,772,888 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
571 (2002)

Internet users:
14,663,622 (2006)

Transportation Australia

Airports:
455 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 311
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 133
914 to 1,523 m: 143
under 914 m: 13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 144
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 111
under 914 m: 15 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km;
oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 47,738 km
broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified)
dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 810,641 km
paved: 336,962 km
unpaved: 473,679 km (2004)

Waterways:
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling
river systems) (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3)
registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2,
Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2,
Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK
3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,
Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

Military Australia

Military branches:
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian
Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in
Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,943,676
females age 18-49: 4,821,264

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,092,717
females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 142,158
females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$17.84 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Australia

Disputes - international:
East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed
portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon
revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered
by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of
a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and
Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over
Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime
identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to
Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims
to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to
extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic
claims

Illicit drugs:
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate
products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium
poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Austria

Introduction Austria

Background:
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent
occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status
remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended
the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade
unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year
declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for
Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in
1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some
Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous,
democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union
in 1999.

Geography Austria

Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 83,870 sq km
land: 82,444 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366
km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330
km, Switzerland 164 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and
some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with
occasional showers

Terrain:
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern
and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

Natural resources:
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony,
magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 16.59%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 82.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil
pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air
pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power
stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria
between northern and southern Europe

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river
is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

People Austria

Population:
8,192,880 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.9 years
male: 39.8 years
female: 42 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.09% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
8.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
9.76 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.07 years
male: 76.17 years
female: 82.11 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.36 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian

Ethnic groups:
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes,
Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified
2.4% (2001 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%,
unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Languages:
German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia),
Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA

Government Austria

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
name: Vienna
geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,
Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg,
Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Independence:
17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804
(Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State
Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and
the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4
February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held
25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally
chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National
Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of
the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%
note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the
states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least 3 representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and
the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by
direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be
held in the fall of 2010)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe
35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by
party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative
Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or
Verfassungsgerichtshof

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian
People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of
Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party
of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN
DER BELLEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but
primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other
non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human
rights

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU
(observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0
FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

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

Economy Austria

Economy - overview:
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard
of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially
Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong
commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance
sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy
features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a
small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the
EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's
access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU
economies. The current government has successfully pursued a
comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining
government, creating a more competitive business environment,
further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment
location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing effective
pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe
have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003,
2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from
both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU
members, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing
knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater
labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging
population.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$265.8 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$293.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$32,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.49 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 27%
services: 70% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
5.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31 (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $148.6 billion
expenditures: $154.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
65.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle,
pigs, poultry; lumber

Industries:
construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals,
chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,
communications equipment, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
63.69 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.3%
hydro: 67.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 3.5% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
64.78 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
13.53 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
16.63 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
17,810 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
249,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
30,140 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
152,600 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:
84.3 million bbl (2004)

Natural gas - production:
1.96 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.01 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004)

Natural gas - imports:
7.05 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
23.2 billion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$1.467 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and
paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2%
(2005)

Imports:
$118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods,
oil and oil products; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.83 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$510.6 billion (30 June 2005 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $681 million (2004)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003),
1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Austria

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.705 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.16 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber
optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet
services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in
addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals)
(2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
6.08 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
4.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.at

Internet hosts:
2,062,035 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
37 (2000)

Internet users:
4.65 million (2005)

Transportation Austria

Airports:
55 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 15 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 26 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 6,011 km
standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km
electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 133,718 km
paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways:
358 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT
by type: cargo 6, container 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Military Austria

Military branches:
Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age
for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory
military service obligation will be reduced from eight months to six
(2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,914,800
females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,550,441
females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 48,967
females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.497 billion (FY01/02)

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

Transnational Issues Austria

Disputes - international:
Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the
Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear
power plant in the Czech Republic

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American
cocaine destined for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Azerbaijan

Introduction Azerbaijan

Background:
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population
- was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its
independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite
a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with
Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely
Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and
must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result
of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of
widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.

Geography Azerbaijan

Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800
km est.)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe

Terrain:
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below
sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag
Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi
(Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Land use:
arable land: 20.62%
permanent crops: 2.61%
other: 76.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:
14,550 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
droughts

Environment - current issues:
local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron
Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be
the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe
air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil
spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic
defoliants used in the production of cotton

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

Geography - note:
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are
landlocked

People Azerbaijan

Population:
7,961,619 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 26.3 years
female: 29.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.66% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.85 years
male: 59.78 years
female: 68.13 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,400 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri

Ethnic groups:
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other
3.9% (1999 census)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region

Religions:
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other
1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Languages:
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995
est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.5%
female: 98.2% (2003 est.)

Government Azerbaijan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: Azarbaycan
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Baku (Baki, Baky)
geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar
- singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)
rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,
Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda
Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,
Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,
Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,
Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,
Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,
Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax
Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,
Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi
Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,
Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar
Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab
Rayonu
cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran
Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit
Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari
autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

Independence:
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

Constitution:
adopted 12 November 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003
(next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy
prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the
National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote -
Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other
parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform"
faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic
Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party
[Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz
AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for
Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas
ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA];
Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan
Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar
MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP
[Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani
Forces (UPAF)

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV
chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911
Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE
embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007
mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050
Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050
telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337
FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a
crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

Economy Azerbaijan

Economy - overview:
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production
declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year
since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with
foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to
long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to
spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first
of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company,
began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies is
scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large
offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built
from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists
estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the
country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems
of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a
command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources
brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun
making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and
structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede
Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign
investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive
corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics
is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and
the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil
prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and
Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$42.99 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
26.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,400 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.1%
industry: 45.7%
services: 40.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
5.45 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 41%
industry: 7%
services: 52% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
1.1% official rate (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
49% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.5 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.6% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
54.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.18 billion
expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
11.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco;
cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
40% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
20 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 89.7%
hydro: 10.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
20.25 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
700 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
2.35 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
123,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

Natural gas - production:
5.13 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.2 billion cu m (2003 est.)

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$167.3 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$6.117 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan
6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005)

Imports:
$4.656 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%,
Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.192 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.873 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $140 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
Azerbaijani manat (AZM)

Currency code:
AZM

Exchange rates:
Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004),
4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001)
note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000
old manats equal to 1 new manat

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Azerbaijan

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,091,400 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.242 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and
modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low
(2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable
and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2
(2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
175,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)

Televisions:
170,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.az

Internet hosts:
880 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
678,800 (2005)

Transportation Azerbaijan

Airports:
36 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,957 km
broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 27,016 km
paved: 12,698 km (including 128 km of expressways)
unpaved: 14,318 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT
by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker
43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3
registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Baku (Baki)

Military Azerbaijan

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military service age and obligation:
men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of
age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18
months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,961,973
females age 18-49: 2,033,186 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,314,955
females age 18-49: 1,676,408 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 82,358
females age 18-49: 78,067 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$121 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Azerbaijan

Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh
and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan;
over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the
occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were
driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks
transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave;
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues
to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify
Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while
Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and
challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters;
bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed
and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and
Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at
certain crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 8,367 (Russia)
IDPs: 528,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point
for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent
the rest of Europe

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Bahamas, The

Introduction Bahamas, The

Background:
Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus
first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British
settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony
in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The
Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and
investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments
to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.

Geography Bahamas, The

Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida, northeast of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
3,542 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 0.58%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 99.13% (2005)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind
damage

Environment - current issues:
coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, 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:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
of which 30 are inhabited

People Bahamas, The

Population:
303,770
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
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.8 years
male: 27.1 years
female: 28.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.64% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.6 years
male: 62.24 years
female: 69.03 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions:
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal
8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%,
none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages:
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 94.7%
female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

Government Bahamas, The

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas

Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Nassau
geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island,
Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay,
Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh
Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands,
Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence:
10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution:
10 July 1973

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February
2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002)
and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the
prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body
appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime
minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the
House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote
to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the
Parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%,
independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4

Judicial branch:
Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court;
magistrates courts

Political parties and leaders:
Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive
Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM,
IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: vacant
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197,
Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC
20521-3370
telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)
FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and
aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Economy Bahamas, The

Economy - overview:
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily
dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with
tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for
approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of
the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and
a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had
led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US
economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in
these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a
period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private
sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the
second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for
about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government
enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international
businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture
together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little
growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.
Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US,
the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$6.105 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.783 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$20,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
176,300 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005
est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
9.3% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: 27%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.2% ( 2004)

Budget:
revenues: $1.03 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130
million (FY04/05)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables; poultry

Industries:
tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite,
pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
1.81 billion kWh (2003)

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

Electricity - consumption:
1.683 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
23,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Exports:
$469.3 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit
and vegetables

Exports - partners:
US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1%
(2005)

Imports:
$1.82 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral
fuels; food and live animals

Imports - partners:
US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%,
Germany 5.4% (2005)

Debt - external:
$342.6 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$5 million (2004)

Currency (code):
Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code:
BSD

Exchange rates:
Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1
(2002), 1 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Bahamas, The

Telephones - main lines in use:
139,900 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
186,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and
submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 2 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:
215,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (2006)

Televisions:
67,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bs

Internet hosts:
591 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)

Internet users:
93,000 (2005)

Transportation Bahamas, The

Airports:
64 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 22 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1999)