Chapter LXXXIX: Section 3: , Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: 886 (2) 2162-2000, FAX (20)

India
since China and India launched a security and foreign policy
dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute
over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear
proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to
Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and
confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse
tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005
earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of
the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with
portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),
India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern
Areas); in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in
Kashmir and in 2005, restored bus service across the highly
militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the
impact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the
Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration;
UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has
maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not
recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964;
disputes persist with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing; to
defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary,
in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed
boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch;
Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat
State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small
section of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in
both countries, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal
cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists
through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to
fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute with
Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay
of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks
cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam
separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint
Border Committee with Nepal continues to demarcate minor disputed
boundary sections; India maintains a strict border regime to keep
out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities
from Nepal

Indian Ocean
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Indonesia
East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet,
survey, and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the
boundary remain unresolved; many East Timorese refugees who left in
2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Indonesia
and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral
island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a
northern maritime boundary; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and
Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but
outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan
islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime boundary in the
hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile
confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil
block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to
and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia
and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime
boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam
Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants
create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a
problem in the Malacca Strait

Iran
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries
to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a
maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the
mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute
Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran
stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of
the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Iraq
coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security;
Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction
disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf;
Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq

Ireland
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that
the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Isle of Man
none

Israel
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier
along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel
withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four
settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region

Italy
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of
thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and
northern Africa

Jamaica
none

Jan Mayen
none

Japan
the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu,
Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as
the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril
Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by
Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to
signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities;
Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do)
occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both
Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto
(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic
zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon
prospecting

Jarvis Island
none

Jersey
none

Johnston Atoll
none

Jordan
2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending
demarcation

Juan de Nova Island
claimed by Madagascar

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

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

Kingman Reef
none

Kiribati
none

Korea, North
China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of
thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and
political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty
of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of
boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military
Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has
separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime
disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea
supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima)

Korea, South
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide
Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;
periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit
Line; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954

Kuwait
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime
boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the
Persian Gulf

Kyrgyzstan
delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in
Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan;
delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by
serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Laos
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to
check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of
demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas
along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong
Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong
River will affect water levels

Latvia
Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to
Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration
referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses;
Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in
Latvia; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime
boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil
exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's
external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border
rules

Lebanon
Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978

Lesotho
none

Liberia
although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel
groups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil
unrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in
Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000
in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in
Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia;
the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian
rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Libya
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern
Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant
disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in
southern Libya

Liechtenstein
in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the
restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech
Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property

Lithuania
Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their
boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty
ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania
operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling
from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still
conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has
not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania,
primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons

Luxembourg
none

Macau
none

Macedonia
ethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of the
boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia
and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to reject
the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

Madagascar
claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,
and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)

Malawi
disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake
Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Malaysia
Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands
together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly
Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is
not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;
Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the
national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on
conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands;
disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,
Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritime
boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but parties
agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ
awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and
Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary in the
hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile
confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil
block; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim
southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with
Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a now
dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003,
Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed
offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated
prompting consideration of international adjudication; Malaysia's
land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracy
remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Maldives
none

Mali
none

Malta
none

Marshall Islands
claims US territory of Wake Island

Martinique
none

Mauritania
Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in
recent years

Mauritius
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered
British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who
reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no
right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin
Island

Mayotte
claimed by Comoros

Mexico
prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices
and infrastructure in the border region have strained water-sharing
arrangements with the US; the US has stepped up efforts to stem
nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world
from illegally crossing the border with Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of
none

Midway Islands
none

Moldova
Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to
monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region
which remains under OSCE supervision

Monaco
none

Mongolia
none

Montenegro
ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the
boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia
and Montenegro delimitation agreement, which includes a section of
boundary with Montenegro

Montserrat
none

Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty
remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in
effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have
failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals;
Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta,
Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de
Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions
have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation setting
limits on exploration and refugee interdiction since Morocco's 2002
rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from
the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching
areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa

Mozambique
none

Namibia
border commission has yet to resolve small residual disputes
with Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu
marshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest
Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on
Popa Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of
the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported and in 2004
Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to
build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing
a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the
river

Nauru
none

Navassa Island
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing

Nepal
joint border commission continues to work on small disputed
sections of boundary with India; India has instituted a stricter
border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal
cross-border activities

Netherlands
none

Netherlands Antilles
none

New Caledonia
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia
claimed by France and Vanuatu

New Zealand
asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross
Dependency) [see Antarctica]

Nicaragua
Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and
against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary
involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the
Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; the
1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite
resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca,
which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over
navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica

Niger
Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant
dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with
Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded
the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation
treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria
boundaries

Nigeria
ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and
maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission
to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with
demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in
Lake Chad in the north; following the UN-brokered Greentree
Agreement of 12 June 2006, Nigeria, in completion of the 2002 ICJ
decision on the Cameroon-Nigerian land boundary, handed sovereignty
of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon on 14 August; all Nigerian
military forces have reportedly withdrawn from the region but
Nigeria will continue to maintain a police and administrative
presence in the southeastern "transition zone" for a period of up to
two years; Nigeria pledges to provide for the resettlement of those
Bakassi residents who wish to remain Nigerian citizens; the ICJ
ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial
Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but
imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a
sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an
island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in
implementation; a joint task force was established in 2004 that
resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land
boundary with Benin on the Okpara River; only Nigeria and Cameroon
have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the
delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and
Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Niue
none

Norfolk Island
none

Northern Mariana Islands
none

Norway
Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud
Land and its continental shelf); despite recent discussions, Russia
and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents
Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits
within the Svalbard Treaty zone

Oman
boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in
2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al
Madhah exclave, but details have not been made public

Pacific Ocean
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Pakistan
various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously
have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the
October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains
the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial
dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China
(Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir
and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and
Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers
since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic
Kashmir lands to China in 1964; in 2004, India and Pakistan
instituted a cease-fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus
service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has
taken its dispute on the impact of India's building the Baglihar Dam
on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for
arbitration and in general the two states still dispute Indus River
water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare discussions on a
maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion
of the disputed the Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of
Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's
Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, had
repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and had undertaken a census
to count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their
own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to
control the border with Afghanistan and stem organized terrorist or
other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan
and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary
encroachments

Palau
border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines,
Indonesia

Palmyra Atoll
none

Panama
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate
within the border region with Panama

Papua New Guinea
relies on assistance from Australia to keep out
illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including
goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and
secessionists

Paracel Islands
occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam

Paraguay
unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay
borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal
narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations

Peru
Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral law
to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundary
along the parallel of latitude to an equidistance line which favors
Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have
penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru does not support Bolivia's
claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor
through Chile along the Peruvian border

Philippines
Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the
Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands,
also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has
eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally
binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in
March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines,
and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic
activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant
claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the
Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of
attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf

Pitcairn Islands
none

Poland
as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, Poland must implement the strict Schengen border rules

Portugal
Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the
territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the
1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Puerto Rico
increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the
Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year
looking for work

Qatar
none

Reunion
none

Romania
Romania and Ukraine have taken their dispute over
Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea
maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposes
Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border
through Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status law
extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians
in Romania, to which Romania had objected

Russia
in 2005, China and Russia ratified the treaty to divide up
the islands in the Amur, Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, representing the
final portion of their centuries-long border disputes; the
sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri,
Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern
Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the
Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by
Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty
formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agree
on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the land boundary
and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas
such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge
in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed equidistance
boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the littoral states have no
consensus on dividing the water column; Russia and Norway dispute
their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights
beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty
zone; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia
(Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following the
Second World War but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial
demands; in May 2005, Russia recalled its signatures to the 1996
border agreements with Estonia (1996) and Latvia (1997), when the
two Baltic states announced issuance of unilateral declarations
referencing Soviet occupation and ensuing territorial losses; Russia
demands better treatment of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia;
Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the
boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the
now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within
Estonia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their
boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty
ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania
operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling
from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still
conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, to strict Schengen border rules; delimitation of land
boundary with Ukraine is complete, but states have renewed
discussions on demarcation; the dispute over the maritime boundary
between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov
remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and
on-going expert-level discussions; discussions toward economic and
political union with Belarus advance slowly; Kazakhstan and Russia
boundary delimitation ratified November 2005 and demarcation is
underway; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Maritime Boundary
Agreement with the US in the Bering Sea

Rwanda
Tutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnic
groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various
government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region,
transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and
natural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, but
localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; DROC
and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 to
address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels
and the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means
and bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugees
lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia

Saint Helena
none

Saint Kitts and Nevis
joins other Caribbean states to counter
Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a
criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea

Saint Lucia
joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's
claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under
UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf
over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
none

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
joins other Caribbean states to
counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human
habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to
extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the
Caribbean Sea

Samoa
none

San Marino
none

Sao Tome and Principe
none

Saudi Arabia
despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation
of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah
Treaty is almost complete; Saudi Arabia still maintains the
concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the
border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities;
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary
with Iran; the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and
text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated
in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the
agreement was not formally ratified

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

Serbia
the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo remains
unresolved and several thousand peacekeepers from the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have administered the
region 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 delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and
Herzegovina, but sections with Serbia along the Drina River remain
in dispute

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

Sierra Leone
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

Singapore
disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh
water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works,
bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca
Island/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island
dispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005
to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining
unresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in
the Malacca Strait

Slovakia
Hungary amended its status law extending special social and
cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which
Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and
Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the
Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a
member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia
must implement the strict Schengen border rules

Slovenia
the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement,
which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to
Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in
dispute; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, Slovenia must implement the strict Schengen border rules to
curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe
while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia

Solomon Islands
Australian Defense Force leads the Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation
of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political
order and reinforce regional security

Somalia
"Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities to
landlocked Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regional
states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek support from
neighboring states in their secessionist aspirations and in
conflicts with each other; Ethiopia has only an administrative line
with the Oromo region of southern Somalia and maintains alliances
with local Somali clans opposed to the unrecognized Somali Interim
Government, which plans eventual relocation from Kenya to Mogadishu;
rival militia and clan fighting in southern Somalia periodically
spills over into Kenya

South Africa
South Africa has placed military along the border to
stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape
political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over the
location of the boundary in the Orange River

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Argentina, which claims
the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by
force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force

Southern Ocean
Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica
entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK
assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in
the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in
extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea
ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or
maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves
(the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal
claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and
150 degrees west

Spain
in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared
sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks
between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant
Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over
the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de
Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and
surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of
illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not
recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based
on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and
the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Spratly Islands
all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China,
Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the
Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone
that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has
not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,"
which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code
of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the
Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine
seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Sri Lanka
none

Sudan
the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel
militia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated all
of its border states that provide shelter for fleeing refugees and
cover to disparate domestic and foreign conflicting elements; since
2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about
200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; large numbers of
Sudanese refugees have also fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the
Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
southern Sudan provides shelter to Ugandans seeking periodic
protection from soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army; Sudan
accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to
demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by
civil and ethnic fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary
extends into the southern Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle";
Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer triangular areas that
extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd
Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is
economically developing the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty
Line; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water
and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations from
the Central African Republic along the border

Suriname
area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and
Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a
triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a
historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration
to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of
the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Svalbard
despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their
maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights
beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone

Swaziland
none

Sweden
none

Switzerland
none

Syria
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong
UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone
since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights;
international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and
intelligence personnel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; 2004
Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan

Taiwan
involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands;
the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China
Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code
of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands
are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003,
China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims
to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and
Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East
China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting

Tajikistan
boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of
Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing
claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has
published maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced;
talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove
minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with
Kyrgyzstan

Tanzania
disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake
Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Thailand
separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim
southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia
to stem terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhanced
border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue
on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over
several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; despite
continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain
with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic
rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia and
Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers;
Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and
obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia
by ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailand
- to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops -
resulting in Thailand sheltering about 120,000 Burmese refugees in
2005; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric
dam construction on the Salween River near the border;
environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about
China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the
Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province

Togo
in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint
commission continues to resurvey the boundary

Tokelau
none

Tonga
none

Trinidad and Tobago
Barbados will assert its claim before the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of
Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into
its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge
this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well

Tromelin Island
claimed by Mauritius

Tunisia
none

Turkey
complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece
in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria
and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper
Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of
Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over
Nagorno-Karabakh

Turkmenistan
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states;
bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and
contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of
land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed
delimitation remains stalled

Turks and Caicos Islands
have received Haitians fleeing economic and
civil disorder

Tuvalu
none

Uganda
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic
groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government
forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
LRA forces have attacked Kenyan villages across the border

Ukraine
1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to
unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing
border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is
complete and parties have renewed discussions on demarcation; the
dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine
through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite
a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level
discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs
posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria
Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; in 2004 Ukraine and
Romania took their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy
(Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for
adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation
canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

United Arab Emirates
the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published
a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as
stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds
that the agreement was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was
signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including
Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of
the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been
published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island,
which Iran occupies

United Kingdom
in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between
the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal
participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves
of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and
Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean
Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965;
most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK
citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; UK rejects
sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic
Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean
claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the
Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

United States
prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded
practices and infrastructure in the border region strain
water-sharing arrangements with Mexico; the US has stepped up
efforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other
parts of the world from crossing illegally into the US from Mexico;
illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, notably Haiti and the
Dominican Republic, attempt to enter the US through Florida by sea;
1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits
Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with
Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and
around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; US and
Canada seek greater cooperation in monitoring people and commodities
crossing the border; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree
on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased
from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area
can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa
Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has
reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of
any other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
none

Uruguay
uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the
Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with
Argentina

Uzbekistan
prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan
and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya
river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation
underway; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is
hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Vanuatu
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by
Vanuatu and France

Venezuela
claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in
Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has
expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that
Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into
their waters; dispute with Colombia over Los Monjes islands and
maritime boundary near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized
illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's
shared border region resulting in several thousand residents
migrating away from the border; US, France, and the Netherlands
recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island,
which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a
large portion of the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest
Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation and
other states' recognition of it

Vietnam
southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to
check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese
squatters and armed encroachments along border; after years of
Cambodia claiming Vietnam had moved or destroyed boundary markers,
in 2005, after much domestic debate, Cambodia ratified an agreement
with Vietnam that settled all but a small portion of the land
boundary; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is
hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; in 2004,
Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commission agrees to erect missing
markers in two adjoining provinces; demarcation of the China-Vietnam
boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary
delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004,
implementation has been delayed; China occupies Paracel Islands also
claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with
China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the
Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally
binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants;
Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the
Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China,
the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine
seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Virgin Islands
none

Wake Island
claimed by Marshall Islands

Wallis and Futuna
none

West Bank
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier
along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel
withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August
2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem,
monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region

Western Sahara
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose
sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has
remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN
Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts
to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected
all brokered proposals

World
stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 329 international land
boundaries separate the 193 independent states and 73 dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities;
ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states
into separate political entities as much as history, physical
terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes
arbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimed
limits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and
joint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide
for national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, and
territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to
violent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment of
political boundaries are confined to short segments and are today
less common and less hostile than borderland, resource, and
territorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and
unmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-border
activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial
disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they
may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural
clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial
fragmentation around the world; disputes over islands at sea or in
rivers frequently form the source of territorial and boundary
conflict; other sources of contention include access to water and
mineral (especially petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable
land; nonetheless, most nations cooperate to clarify their
international boundaries and to resolve territorial and resource
disputes peacefully; regional discord today prevails not so much
between the armed forces of independent states as between stateless
armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local
populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant
refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental
degradation

Yemen
Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands
awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; Saudi Arabia still maintains
the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the
border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities;
Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a
security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in
sections of the boundary

Zambia
in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana
and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de
facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited,
Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

Zimbabwe
Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has
placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of
Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution;
Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to
plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi
River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly
delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@2075 Ethnic groups (%)

Afghanistan
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%,
Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

Albania
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,
Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Algeria
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the
minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the
mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also
Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural
heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for
autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has
offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools

American Samoa
native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white
1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census)

Andorra
Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other
6% (1998)

Angola
Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed
European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%

Anguilla
black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%,
other 1.5% (2001 Census)

Antigua and Barbuda
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian

Argentina
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed
white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white
groups 3%

Armenia
Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3%
(2001 census)

Aruba
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%

Australia
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%

Austria
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)

Azerbaijan
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

Bahamas, The
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Bahrain
Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Bangladesh
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)

Barbados
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

Belarus
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian
2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)

Belgium
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Belize
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other
9.7%

Benin
African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja,
Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

Bermuda
black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%,
unspecified 0.4% (2000 census)

Bhutan
Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of
several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Bolivia
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry)
30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other
0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid
confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam

Botswana
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other,
including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Brazil
white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black
6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified
0.7% (2000 census)

British Virgin Islands
black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed

Brunei
Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%

Bulgaria
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including
Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)

Burkina Faso
Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande,
Fulani

Burma
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian
2%, Mon 2%, other 5%

Burundi
Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%,
Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Cambodia
Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%

Cameroon
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%,
Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other
African 13%, non-African less than 1%

Canada
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European
15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed
background 26%

Cape Verde
Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Cayman Islands
mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of
various ethnic groups 20%

Central African Republic
Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%,
Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

Chad
200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane
(Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi,
Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are
Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang,
Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000
French citizens live in Chad

Chile
white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%

China
Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao,
Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%

Christmas Island
Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Europeans, Cocos Malays

Colombia
mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed
black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Comoros
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
over 200 African ethnic groups of
which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba,
Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about
45% of the population

Congo, Republic of the
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%,
Europeans and other 3%

Cook Islands
Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island
Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)

Costa Rica
white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%,
Chinese 1%, other 1%

Cote d'Ivoire
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes
16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000
Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)

Croatia
Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak,
Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)

Cuba
mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%

Cyprus
Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)

Czech Republic
Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4%
(2001 census)

Denmark
Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian,
Somali

Djibouti
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian
5%

Dominica
black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib
Amerindian

Dominican Republic
mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

East Timor
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese
minority

Ecuador
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%,
Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Egypt
Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek,
Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%

El Salvador
mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

Equatorial Guinea
Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni
(primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Eritrea
Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea
coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%

Estonia
Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian
1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)

Ethiopia
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%,
Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
British

Faroe Islands
Scandinavian

Fiji
Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian
admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas
Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)