Chapter XV: Front Matter (15)

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Chad

Introduction Chad

Background:
Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three
decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a
semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government
eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed
presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke
out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite several
peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new
rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks
into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority.
In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully
removing constitutional term limits.

Geography Chad

Location:
Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 19 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 5,968 km
border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197
km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain:
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in
northwest, lowlands in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m
highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold,
limestone, sand and gravel, salt

Land use:
arable land: 2.8%
permanent crops: 0.02%
other: 97.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:
300 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts;
locust plagues

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in
rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the
Sahel

People Chad

Population:
9,944,201 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,396,393/female 2,369,261)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 2,355,940/female 2,550,535)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 107,665/female 164,407) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 16 years
male: 15.3 years
female: 16.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.93% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 91.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 100.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.52 years
male: 45.88 years
female: 49.21 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
18,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

Nationality:
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups:
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

Religions:
Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%

Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than
120 different languages and dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
total population: 47.5%
male: 56%
female: 39.3% (2003 est.)

Government Chad

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad
local short form: Tchad/Tshad

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: N'Djamena
geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 15 03 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture); Batha,
Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac,
Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari,
Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile
note: instead of 14 prefectures, there may be a new administrative
structure of 28 departments (departments, singular - department) and
1 city*; Assongha, Baguirmi, Bahr El Gazal, Bahr Koh, Batha
Oriental, Batha Occidental, Biltine, Borkou, Dababa, Ennedi, Guera,
Hadjer Lamis, Kabia, Kanem, Lac, Lac Iro, Logone Occidental, Logone
Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Boneye, Mayo-Dallah, Monts de Lam,
N'Djamena*, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile Oriental, Tandjile
Occidental, Tibesti

Independence:
11 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Constitution:
passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed
constitutional term limits

Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4
December 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Pascal YOADIMNADJI (since 3
February 2005)
cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year
term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the
two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second
round of voting; last held 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president;
percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire
COUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%,
Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum
altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and
permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection

Legislative branch:
bicameral according to constitution, consists of a National
Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms) and a Senate (not yet created and size unspecified,
members to serve six-year terms, one-third of membership renewable
every two years)
elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be
held by April 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, URD 5, UNDR 3, other 11

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:
Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR];
National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire
COUMAKOYE]; National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh
KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar
Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh
AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol
Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [Jean
ALINGUE]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal
Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR
chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marc M. WALL
embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena
telephone: [235] 516-211
FAX: [235] 515-654

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra
and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in
the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

Economy Chad

Economy - overview:
Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted
by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that
began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence
farming and livestock raising for its livelihood. Chad's economy has
long been handicapped by its landlocked position, high energy costs,
and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and
foreign capital for most public and private sector investment
projects. A consortium led by two US companies has been investing
$3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1 billion
barrels - in southern Chad. The nation's total oil reserves has been
estimated to be 2 billion barrels. Oil production came on stream in
late 2003. Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum
arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.26 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.255 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.5%
industry: 26.6%
services: 40.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.719 million (1993)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
industry and services: 20%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
80% (2001 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
9.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $617.3 million
expenditures: $877.6 million; including capital expenditures of $146
million (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca);
cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Industries:
oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium
carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (1995)

Electricity - production:
94 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
87.42 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1,460 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
2 billion bbl (2005)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$-324.1 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$4.342 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil

Exports - partners:
US 78.1%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005)

Imports:
$823.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods,
foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:
France 21.2%, Cameroon 15.5%, US 12.1%, Belgium 6.8%, Portugal
4.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$352.8 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.5 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$238.3 million received; note - $125 million committed by Taiwan
(August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank;
ODA $246.9 million (2003 est.)

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

Currency code:
XAF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar -
508.494 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99
(2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Chad

Telephones - main lines in use:
13,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
210,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002)

Radios:
1.67 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
10,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.td

Internet hosts:
9 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
35,000 (2005)

Transportation Chad

Airports:
52 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 10 (2006)

Pipelines:
oil 205 km (2006)

Roadways:
total: 33,400 km
paved: 267 km
unpaved: 33,133 km (1999)

Waterways:
Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002)

Military Chad

Military branches:
Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Air Force,
Gendarmerie (2004)

Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for conscripts, with three-year service obligation;
18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for
volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to one
year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 1,527,580
females age 20-49: 1,629,510 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 794,988
females age 20-49: 849,500 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 94,536
females age 20-49: 93,521 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$68.95 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Chad

Disputes - international:
since the expulsions of residents from Darfur in 2003 by Janjawid
armed militia and Sudanese military, about 200,000 refugees remain
in eastern Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese
civil conflict, reducing tensions with Sudan arising from
cross-border banditry; Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern
Libya; 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan), 41,246 (Central
African Republic)
IDPs: 100,000 (2006)

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Chile

Introduction Chile

Background:
Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern
Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central
and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated by
Spain until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its
independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not
achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile
defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A
three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown
in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET,
who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990.
Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s,
have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the
country's commitment to democratic and representative government.
Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership
roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Geography Chile

Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between
Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates:
30 00 S, 71 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 6,339 km
border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km

Coastline:
6,435 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200/350 nm

Climate:
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool
and damp in south

Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m

Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum,
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005)

Irrigated land:
19,000 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:
widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution
from raw sewage

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

Geography - note:
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage);
Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

People Chile

Population:
16,134,219 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497)
65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.4 years
male: 29.5 years
female: 31.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.94% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 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 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.77 years
male: 73.49 years
female: 80.21 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
26,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,400 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean

Ethnic groups:
white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL%

Languages:
Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.4%
female: 96.1% (2003 est.)

Government Chile

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Santiago
geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends
second Sunday in March

Administrative divisions:
13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos
Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio,
Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos,
Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana
(Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence:
18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Constitution:
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991,
1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005

Legal system:
based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes
influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of
its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March
2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11
March 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year
term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held
15 January 2006 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent
of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique
46.5%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate or Senado (38 seats elected by popular vote; members serve
eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held
December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005
(next to be held December 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8),
independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI
34, RN 20), independent 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the
president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates
provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is
elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional
Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or APC (including National Renewal
or RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI
[Hernan LARRAIN Fernandez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy
("Concertacion") or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Soledad ALVEAR], Socialist Party or PS [Camilo ESCALONA], Party for
Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR Chacra], Radical Social Democratic
Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC
[Guillermo TEILLIER]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
revitalized university student federations at all major
universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT
includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor
confederations

International organization participation:
APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA,
Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ
chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 530-4104, 530-4106, 530-4107
FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Craig A. KELLY
embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago
mailing address: APO AA 34033
telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600
FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue
square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of
the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the
center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes
the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the
blood spilled to achieve independence; design was influenced by the
US flag

Economy Chile

Economy - overview:
Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level
of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a
role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic
government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in
1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military
government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell
to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies
implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because
of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global
financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in
1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and
electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic
growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects
of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong
financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the
strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of
1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth
rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1%
in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation
of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in
2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to about 5% per year in 2004-06,
while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited
from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly
forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct
investment. Unemployment has exhibited a downward trend over the
past year, but remains fairly high. Chile deepened its longstanding
commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade
agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile
signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it
already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs,
including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico.
Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 6 1/2-year
high, as of December 2006, and added investment in the mining sector
will boost GDP in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$203 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$100.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.9%
industry: 49.3%
services: 44.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
6.94 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 13.6%
industry: 23.4%
services: 63% (2003)

Unemployment rate:
8.3% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
18.2% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 47% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
57.1 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $36.71 billion
expenditures: $26.68 billion; including capital expenditures of
$3.33 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
3.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic,
asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber

Industries:
copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and
steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
50.91 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 47%
hydro: 51.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
49.09 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
1.744 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
15,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption:
238,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:
222,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:
150 million bbl (1 January 2006)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
8.29 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
7.2 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
7.2 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
97.98 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$5.063 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$58.21 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine

Exports - partners:
US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea
5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2005)

Imports:
$35.37 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and
telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles,
natural gas

Imports - partners:
Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea
4.8%, Yemen 4.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$17.16 billion (November 2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$47.6 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$0 (2002)

Currency (code):
Chilean peso (CLP)

Currency code:
CLP

Exchange rates:
Chilean pesos per US dollar - 532.115 (2006), 560.09 (2005), 609.37
(2004), 691.43 (2003), 688.94 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Chile

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,435,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.57 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave
radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite
system with three earth stations
international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998)

Radios:
5.18 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
3.15 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.cl

Internet hosts:
506,055 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
7 (2000)

Internet users:
6.7 million (2005)

Transportation Chile

Airports:
363 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 73
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 17 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 290
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 58
under 914 m: 216 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 2,567 km; gas/lpg 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,003
km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 6,585 km
broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 79,605 km
paved: 16,080 km (including 407 km of expressways)
unpaved: 63,525 km (2001)

Merchant marine:
total: 46 ships (1000 GRT or over) 649,091 GRT/898,110 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, container 1,
liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7,
roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 1 (Argentina 1)
registered in other countries: 17 (Argentina 6, Brazil 1, Marshall
Islands 1, Panama 9) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Antofagasta, Arica, Huasco, Iquique, Lirquen, San Antonio, San
Vicente, Valparaiso

Military Chile

Military branches:
Army of the Nation, National Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval
air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine
Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile,
FACh), Chilean Carabineros (National Police) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
all male citizens 18-45 are obligated to perform military service;
conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for
Navy and Air Force (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,815,761
females age 18-49: 3,780,864 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,123,281
females age 18-49: 3,128,277 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 140,084
females age 18-49: 134,518 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.91 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.5% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Chile

Disputes - international:
Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama
corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but
not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and
other commodities; Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime
boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern
axis; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory)
partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; action by the joint
boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for
mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern
Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending

Illicit drugs:
important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe;
economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more
attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits,
especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new
anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors
passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@China

Introduction China

Background:
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the
rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major
famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War
II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic
socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed
strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of
millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and
other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by
2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living
standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal
choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

Geography China

Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea,
and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries:
total: 22,117 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,
India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km,
Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km,
Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40
km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km

Coastline:
14,500 km

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

Climate:
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Terrain:
mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas,
and hills in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum,
lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Land use:
arable land: 14.86%
permanent crops: 1.27%
other: 83.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:
545,960 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern
coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land
subsidence

Environment - current issues:
air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from
reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly
in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation;
estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil
erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in
endangered species

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US);
Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

People China

Population:
1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489)
65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902) (2006
est.)

Median age:
total: 32.7 years
male: 32.3 years
female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.59% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.58 years
male: 70.89 years
female: 74.46 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
840,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
44,000 (2003 est.)

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

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

Religions:
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Languages:
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing
dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan
(Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages
(see Ethnic groups entry)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.9%
male: 95.1%
female: 86.5% (2002)

Government China

Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhongguo
abbreviation: PRC

Government type:
Communist state

Capital:
name: Beijing
geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 116 24 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone

Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions
(zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular
and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei,
Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan,
Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang
(Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries
for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Independence:
221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912
(Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's
Republic established)

National holiday:
Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1
October (1949)

Constitution:
most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Legal system:
based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental
civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret
statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice
President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003);
Executive Vice Premier HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premiers
WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI
Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress
(NPC)
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March
2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National
People's Congress
election results: HU Jintao elected president by the 10th National
People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted
against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong
elected vice president by the 10th National People's Congress with a
total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190
abstained, and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant

Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and
provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held
late 2007-February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA

Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's
Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and
local courts); Special People's Courts (primarily military,
maritime, and railway transport courts)

Political parties and leaders:
Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small
parties controlled by CCP

Political pressure groups and leaders:
no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the
government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the
China Democracy Party as subversive groups

International organization participation:
AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS,
CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC
(observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831
FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau,
Shanghai, Shenyang

Flag description:
red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow
five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of
the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy China

Economy - overview:
China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a
centrally planned system that was largely closed to international
trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing
private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms
started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized
agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of
prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state
enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the
development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state
sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has
generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion,
including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to
foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond
markets in 2005. The restructuring of the economy and resulting
efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in
GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis,
China in 2006 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after
the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower
middle-income and 130 million Chinese fall below international
poverty lines. Economic development has generally been more rapid in
coastal provinces than in the interior, and there are large
disparities in per capita income between regions. The government has
struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions
of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new
entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic
crimes; and (c) contain environmental damage and social strife
related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150
million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and
the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. One
demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is
now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another
long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment -
notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the
water table, especially in the north. China continues to lose arable
land because of erosion and economic development. China has
benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with more
than 100 million users at the end of 2005. Foreign investment
remains a strong element in China's remarkable expansion in world
trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs.
In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US
dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket
of currencies. In 2006 China had the largest current account surplus
- nearly $180 billion - in the world. More power generating capacity
came on line in 2006 as large scale investments were completed.
Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense
Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River was essentially completed
in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in
the area. The 11th Five-Year Program (2006-10), approved by the
National People's Congress in March 2006, calls for a 20% reduction
in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45%
increase in GDP by 2010. The plan states that conserving resources
and protecting the environment are basic goals, but it lacks details
on the policies and reforms necessary to achieve these goals.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$10 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.512 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
10.5% (official data) (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.9%
industry: 48.1%
services: 40%
note: industry includes construction (2006 est.)

Labor force:
798 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 24%
services: 31% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.2% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2005;
substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas

Population below poverty line:
10% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 33.1% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44 (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
44.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $446.6 billion
expenditures: $489.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
22.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples,
cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Industries:
mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals,
coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum;
cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including
footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation
equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships,
and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch
vehicles, satellites

Industrial production growth rate:
22.9% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.5 trillion kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 80.2%
hydro: 18.5%
nuclear: 1.2%
other: 0.1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.494 trillion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:
11.2 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:
5 billion kWh (2005)

Oil - production:
3.631 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - consumption:
6.534 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - exports:
443,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:
3.181 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
16.1 billion bbl (2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:
52.88 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - consumption:
47.91 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - exports:
2.79 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.35 trillion cu m (2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$179.1 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$974 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment,
iron and steel

Exports - partners:
US 21.4%, Hong Kong 16.3%, Japan 11%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany
4.3% (2005)

Imports:
$777.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical
and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel

Imports - partners:
Japan 15.2%, South Korea 11.6%, Taiwan 11.2%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.6%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.034 trillion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$305.6 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency (code):
yuan (CNY); note - also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)

Currency code:
CNY

Exchange rates:
yuan per US dollar - 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004),
8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications China

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
437.48 million (2006)

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic and international services are
increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and
many towns; China continues to develop its telecommunications
infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand
its global reach; three of China's six major telecommunications
operators are part of an international consortium which, in December
2006, signed an agreement with Verizon Business to build the first
next-generation optical cable system directly linking the US
mainland and China
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; mobile cellular
subscribership is increasing rapidly; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South
Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)

Radios:
417 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31
are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city
stations) (1997)

Televisions:
400 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.cn

Internet hosts:
232,780 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
123 million (2006)

Transportation China

Airports:
486 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 403
over 3,047 m: 56
2,438 to 3,047 m: 127
1,524 to 2,437 m: 138
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 60 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 39 (2006)

Heliports:
32 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 22,664 km; oil 15,256 km; refined products 6,106 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 74,408 km
standard gauge: 74,408 km 1.435-m gauge (19,303 km electrified)
(2004)

Roadways:
total: 1,870,661 km
paved: 1,515,797 km (with at least 34,288 km of expressways)
unpaved: 354,864 km (2004)

Waterways:
123,964 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 1,723 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,405,633 GRT/32,411,260 DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 387, cargo 695, chemical
tanker 45, combination ore/oil 1, container 152, liquefied gas 31,
passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 261, refrigerated
cargo 30, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier
14
foreign-owned: 13 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 3, South Korea 2, Norway 1)
registered in other countries: 1,191 (Bahamas 3, Bangladesh 1,
Belize 103, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 128, Cyprus 11, Georgia 2, Honduras
3, Hong Kong 274, India 2, North Korea 1, Liberia 35, Malaysia 1,
Malta 14, Mongolia 4, Norway 3, Panama 420, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 103, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 23, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 23,
unknown 33) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai

Military China

Military branches:
People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes
marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces),
and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed
Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month
service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all
officers are volunteers); 18-22 years of age for women who meet
requirements for specific military jobs (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 342,956,265
females age 18-49: 324,701,244 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 281,240,272
females age 18-49: 269,025,517 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 13,186,433
females age 18-49: 12,298,149 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$81.48 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues China

Disputes - international:
in 2005, China and India began drafting principles to resolve all
aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes
together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate
discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation,
and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures
have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, 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); India does
not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in
1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India
as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the
Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the
Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by
some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of
facilities in the Spratlys and in March 2005, the national oil
companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint
accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China
occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and
Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both
Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu
Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East
China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain
islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute
with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is
considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens
of thousands of North Koreans; China and Russia prepare to demarcate
the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the long-disputed
islands at the Amur and Ussuri; 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; environmentalists in Burma and
Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of
hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan
Province

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam) estimated
30,000-50,000 (North Korea)
IDPs: 90,000 (2006)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination
country for women, men, and children trafficked for purposes of
sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in
China is internal, but there is also international trafficking of
Chinese citizens; women are lured through false promises of
legitimate employment into commercial sexual exploitation in Taiwan,
Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan; Chinese men and women are smuggled to
countries throughout the world at enormous personal expense and then
forced into commercial sexual exploitation or exploitative labor to
repay debts to traffickers; women and children are trafficked into
China from Mongolia, Burma, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for
forced labor, marriage, and sexual slavery; most North Koreans enter
northeastern China voluntarily, but others reportedly are trafficked
into China from North Korea; domestic trafficking remains the most
significant problem in China, with an estimated minimum of
10,000-20,000 victims trafficked each year; the actual number of
victims could be much greater; some experts believe that the serious
and prolonged imbalance in the male-female birth ratio may now be
contributing to Chinese and foreign girls and women being trafficked
as potential brides
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China failed to show evidence of
increasing efforts to address transnational trafficking; while the
government provides reasonable protection to internal victims of
trafficking, protection for Chinese and foreign victims of
transnational trafficking remain inadequate

Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden
Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for
chemical precursors and methamphetamine

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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