Chapter LII: Front Matter (52)

Administrative divisions:
14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point,
Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James
Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary
Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter
Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island,
Trinity Palmetto Point

Independence:
19 September 1983 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 19 September (1983)

Constitution:
19 September 1983

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Cuthbert Montraville SEBASTIAN
(since 1 January 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July
1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation
with the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is
usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11
popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of
the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Political parties and leaders:
Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation
Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action Movement or PAM
[Lindsay GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr.
Denzil DOUGLAS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636
FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US
Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis

Flag description:
divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band
bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in
yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red

Economy Saint Kitts and Nevis

Economy - overview:
Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until
the 1970s. The government closed the sugar industry following the
2005 harvest after decades of losses at the state-run sugar company.
To compensate, the government has embarked on a program to diversify
the agricultural sector and to stimulate other sectors of the
economy. Activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing,
and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy.
Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign
exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. Additional
tourist facilities, including a second cruise ship pier, hotels, and
golf courses are under construction.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$339 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$453 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8%
services: 70.7% (2001)

Labor force:
18,170 (June 1995)

Unemployment rate:
4.5% (1997)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.7% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million; including capital expenditures of
$19.5 million (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish

Industries:
sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear,
beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
125 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
116.3 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
800 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$70 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners:
US 61.3%, Canada 8.1%, UK 5.6% (2005)

Imports:
$405 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, manufactures, food, fuels

Imports - partners:
US 46.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, UK 5.4%, France 4.5%, Japan
4.2% (2005)

Debt - external:
$314 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$-110,000 (2004)

Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Saint Kitts and Nevis

Telephones - main lines in use:
25,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
10,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good inter-island and international connections
domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic
cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in
November 2004
international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried
by submarine cable or Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
28,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus three repeaters) (2004)

Televisions:
10,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.kn

Internet hosts:
50 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
10,000 (2002)

Transportation Saint Kitts and Nevis

Airports:
2 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)

Railways:
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane
plantations during harvest season and for tourists (2005)

Roadways:
total: 320 km
paved: 138 km
unpaved: 182 km (1999 est)

Merchant marine:
total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 261,556 GRT/381,593 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 36, chemical tanker 5,
passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 41 (Greece 1, Monaco 1, Russia 5, Spain 2, Syria 3,
Tanzania 1, Turkey 6, UAE 19, Ukraine 3) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Basseterre, Charlestown

Military Saint Kitts and Nevis

Military branches:
Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal
Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 9,196
females age 18-49: 9,236 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,119
females age 18-49: 7,645 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 357
females age 18-49: 347 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Saint Kitts and Nevis

Disputes - international:
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 eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
and Europe; some money-laundering activity

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Saint Lucia

Introduction Saint Lucia

Background:
The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested
between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th
centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to
the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its
plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island,
dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was
granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Geography Saint Lucia

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
13 53 N, 60 58 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 616 sq km
land: 606 sq km
water: 10 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
158 km

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

Climate:
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to
April, rainy season May to August

Terrain:
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Natural resources:
forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs,
geothermal potential

Land use:
arable land: 6.45%
permanent crops: 22.58%
other: 70.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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:
the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped
peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights
of the Caribbean

People Saint Lucia

Population:
168,458 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.8% (male 25,941/female 24,319)
15-64 years: 65% (male 53,916/female 55,582)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,186/female 5,514) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.2 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 26.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.29% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.17 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.84 years
male: 70.29 years
female: 77.65 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups:
black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%,
Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%,
other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census)

Languages:
English (official), French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 90.1%
male: 89.5%
female: 90.6% (2001 est.)

Government Saint Lucia

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Castries
geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery,
Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Independence:
22 February 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution:
22 February 1979

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since
September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir John COMPTON (since 15
December 2006) and Deputy Prime Minister Leonard MONTOUTE (since 15
December 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members
appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of
the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with
religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly
(17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member
constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to
be held in December 2011)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP
50%, SLP 46.9%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla,
Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada,
Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders:
National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party
or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth
ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE];
United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador
to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Flag description:
blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the
upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

Economy Saint Lucia

Economy - overview:
Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased
competition from Latin American bananas have made economic
diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island
nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment,
especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. Tourism
is the main source of foreign exchange, with more than 700,000
arrivals in 2005. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in
the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to
revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid,
even though unemployment needs to be cut.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$866 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$825 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 15%
services: 80% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
43,800 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
20% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.9% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million; including capital expenditures of
$25.1 million (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Industries:
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated
cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate:
-8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
290 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
269.7 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Exports:
$82 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Exports - partners:
France 31.4%, US 18.7%, China 18.2%, UK 14% (2005)

Imports:
$410 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation
equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners:
US 22.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Netherlands 13.6%, Argentina
6.6%, Venezuela 5.2%, UK 5.2%, France 4.5% (2005)

Debt - external:
$257 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$-21.5 million (2004)

Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Saint Lucia

Telephones - main lines in use:
51,100 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
93,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched
international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay
link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these
countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
111,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a
community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004)

Televisions:
32,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.lc

Internet hosts:
21 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
15 (2000)

Internet users:
55,000 (2005)

Transportation Saint Lucia

Airports:
2 (2006)

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

Roadways:
total: 910 km
paved: 48 km
unpaved: 862 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:
Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Military Saint Lucia

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force
(includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 42,742 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 33,539 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 1,651 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Saint Lucia

Disputes - international:
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 eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Introduction Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Background:
First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands
represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North
American possessions.

Geography Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Location:
Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south
of Newfoundland (Canada)

Geographic coordinates:
46 50 N, 56 20 W

Map references:
North America

Area:
total: 242 sq km
land: 242 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the
Miquelon groups

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
120 km

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

Climate:
cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy

Terrain:
mostly barren rock

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports

Land use:
arable land: 12.5%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:
recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and
Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the
environment

Geography - note:
vegetation scanty

People Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Population:
7,026 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.5% (male 843/female 807)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,342/female 2,272)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 348/female 414) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.1 years
male: 33.7 years
female: 34.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.17% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.61 years
male: 76.27 years
female: 81.06 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French

Ethnic groups:
Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 99%

Languages:
French (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1982 est.)

Government Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Country name:
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre
and Miquelon
conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon
local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

Dependency status:
self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
name: Saint-Pierre
geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends
first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France); note - there
are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at
the second order

Independence:
none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French
control since 1763)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as
housing and taxation

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Yves FAUQUEUR (since 28 August 2006)
head of government: President of the General Council Marc
PLANTAGENEST (since NA)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held, 21 April 2002 (first round) and 5 May 2002
(second round) (next to be held in 2007); prefect appointed by the
French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior;
president of the General Council is elected by the members of the
council

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from
Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held
in April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate;
elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September
2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP
1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French
National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002,
second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1

Judicial branch:
Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR
(now UMP); Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise
or UDF

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:
a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue
background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; on the hoist side,
a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called
ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the
corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four
sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine
pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized
yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three
heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque
Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the flag of France is used
for official occasions

Economy Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Economy - overview:
The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by
fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of
Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of
disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the
number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration
panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km
to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although
it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are
heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living
standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost
economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way
for development of the energy sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$48.3 million
note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60
million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
NA

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Labor force:
3,261 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 41%
services: 41% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.3% (1999)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (1991-96 average)

Budget:
revenues: $70 million
expenditures: $60 million; including capital expenditures of $24
million (1996 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries:
fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
50 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
46.5 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$5.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and
crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

Exports - partners:
Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2005)

Imports:
$68.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building
materials

Imports - partners:
France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2005)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
approximately $60 million in annual grants from France

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Telephones - main lines in use:
4,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with
most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic
satellite system

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs
from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)

Televisions:
4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.pm

Internet hosts:
0 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Airports:
2 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Saint-Pierre

Military Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Introduction Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Background:
Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent
until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most
of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783.
Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a
separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies.
Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geography Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
84 km

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

Climate:
tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May
to November)

Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, cropland

Land use:
arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a
constant threat

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by
pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is
severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is
divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

People Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Population:
117,848 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,007/female 15,426)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 40,676/female 38,155)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,315/female 4,269) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.9 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 27.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.26% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-7.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.85 years
male: 71.99 years
female: 75.77 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups:
black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7%

Religions:
Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu, Seventh-Day
Adventist, other Protestant

Languages:
English, French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96%
male: 96%
female: 96% (1970 est.)

Government Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Kingstown
geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint
George, Saint Patrick

Independence:
27 October 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Constitution:
27 October 1979

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE
(since 2 September 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29
March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by
the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives
and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular
vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.26%, NDP 44.68%;
seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of
the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders:
New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or
ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent
Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description:
three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and
green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V
pattern

Economy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Economy - overview:
Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon
seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors.
Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994,
1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean suffered low
arrivals in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001. The
islands had more than 160,000 tourist arrivals in 2005, mostly to
the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking
sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards.
Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a
transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$342 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$428 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,600 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
41,680 (1991 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 17%
services: 57% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle,
sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Industries:
food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
114 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 69.3%
hydro: 30.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
106 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1,400 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$37 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis
racquets

Exports - partners:
UK 26.7%, Barbados 12.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, Saint Lucia
10.9%, US 9.2%, Dominica 7.2%, Grenada 6.8%, Antigua and Barbuda
6.2% (2005)

Imports:
$225 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers,
minerals and fuels

Imports - partners:
US 33.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.6%, UK 9.4%, Japan 4.2% (2005)

Debt - external:
$223 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$10.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2004)

Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Telephones - main lines in use:
22,500 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
70,600 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the
Grenadines
international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from
Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to
Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through
Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
77,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus three repeaters) (2004)

Televisions:
18,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.vc

Internet hosts:
94 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
15 (2000)

Internet users:
8,000 (2005)

Transportation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Airports:
6 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 829 km
paved: 580 km
unpaved: 249 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 589 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,449,699 GRT/8,051,250 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 106, cargo 351, chemical tanker 5, container
20, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5,
passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 38, roll
on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 3
foreign-owned: 529 (Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 3, Bulgaria
17, Canada 6, China 103, Croatia 9, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic
registered in other countries: 1 (Comoros 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Kingstown

Military Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 31,489 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 25,787 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 1,204 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Disputes - international:
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 eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Samoa

Introduction Samoa

Background:
New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at
the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the
islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when
the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish
independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western"
from its name in 1997.

Geography Samoa

Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:
13 35 S, 172 20 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
403 km

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

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to
October)

Terrain:
two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and
uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,
rugged mountains in interior

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m

Natural resources:
hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 21.13%
permanent crops: 24.3%
other: 54.57% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

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

Geography - note:
occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

People Samoa

Population:
176,908 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 23,492/female 22,653)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 74,202/female 44,894)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 5,299/female 6,368) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.2 years
male: 28.1 years
female: 22 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.2% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-11.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.65 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71 years
male: 68.2 years
female: 73.94 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3

Nationality:
noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups:
Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian
blood), Europeans 0.4%

Religions:
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%,
Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist
3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%,
unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Languages:
Samoan (Polynesian), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

Government Samoa

Country name:
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa
local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa
local short form: Samoa
former: Western Samoa

Government type:
mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Capital:
name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 45W
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga,
Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga,
Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Independence:
1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:
Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962
is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN
trusteeship, however it is observed in June

Constitution:
1 January 1962

Legal system:
based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of
legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (cochief of state from 1
January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA
(since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from
1992 and assumed the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when
former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health;
TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after
TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of
state on the prime minister's advice
elections: upon the death of Malietoa TANUMAFILI II, a new chief of
state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a
five-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister
by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by
voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral
districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or
part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a
village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to
the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be
held not later than March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles
Court

Political parties and leaders:
Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi
TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA];
Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party
or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or
SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to
Samoa
embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor,
Beach Road, Apia
mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815
telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696
FAX: [685] 22030

Flag description:
red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing
five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation

Economy Samoa

Economy - overview:
The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on
development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and
fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms.
Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90%
of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The
fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03, but returned to
normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes
agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs
3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly
plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for
25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. The
Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial
sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal
discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment.
Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic
strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a
relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation
is low.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1 billion (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$399 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.4%
industry: 58.4%
services: 30.2% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
90,000 (2000 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2005)

Budget:
revenues: $171.3 million
expenditures: $78.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY04/05 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

Industries:
food processing, building materials, auto parts

Industrial production growth rate:
2.8% (2000)

Electricity - production:
108 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 58%
hydro: 42%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
100.5 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Current account balance:
$-2.428 million (FY03/04)

Exports:
$94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts,
garments, beer

Exports - partners:
Australia 75.9%, American Samoa 13.6%, US 6.5% (2005)

Imports:
$285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
NZ 31%, Australia 22.6%, US 13.5%, Japan 7.5%, Fiji 6%, China 4.6%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$70.15 million (FY03/04)

Debt - external:
$177 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$30.8 million (2004)

Currency (code):
tala (SAT)

Currency code:
SAT (former WST code is still in wide use)

Exchange rates:
tala per US dollar - 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003),
3.3763 (2002)

Fiscal year:
June 1 - May 31

Communications Samoa

Telephones - main lines in use:
13,300 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
24,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
174,849 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (2002)

Televisions:
8,634 (1999)

Internet country code:
.ws

Internet hosts:
10,680 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
6,000 (2004)

Transportation Samoa

Airports:
4 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 2,337 km
paved: 332 km
unpaved: 2,005 km (2004)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
by type: cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Apia

Military Samoa

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 58,722 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 45,294 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 2,306 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces;
informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider
any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship

Transnational Issues Samoa

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@San Marino

Introduction San Marino

Background:
The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco),
San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According
to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino
in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of
Italy; social and political trends in the republic also track
closely with those of its larger neighbor.

Geography San Marino

Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy

Geographic coordinates:
43 46 N, 12 25 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 61.2 sq km
land: 61.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 39 km
border countries: Italy 39 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Terrain:
rugged mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m
highest point: Monte Titano 755 m

Natural resources:
building stone

Land use:
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 83.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution

Geography - note:
landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See
and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

People San Marino

Population:
29,251 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.8% (male 2,534/female 2,372)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 9,316/female 10,055)
65 years and over: 17% (male 2,149/female 2,825) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.6 years
male: 40.3 years
female: 41 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.26% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.71 years
male: 78.23 years
female: 85.5 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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

Ethnic groups:
Sammarinese, Italian

Religions:
Roman Catholic

Languages:
Italian

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 97%
female: 95% (1976 est.)

Government San Marino

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of San Marino
conventional short form: San Marino
local long form: Repubblica di San Marino
local short form: San Marino

Government type:
independent republic

Capital:
name: San Marino
geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo
Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino,
Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle

Independence:
3 September AD 301

National holiday:
Founding of the Republic, 3 September (AD 301)

Constitution:
8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions
of a constitution

Legal system:
based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal