Chapter LIII: Front Matter (53)

Executive branch:
chief of state: Cochiefs of State Captain Regent Antonio CARATTONI
and Captain Regent Roberto GIORGETTI (for the period 1 October
2006-31 March 2007)
head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political
Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006)
cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council
for a five-year term
elections: cochiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great
and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in
September 2006 (next to be held March 2007); secretary of state for
foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General
Council for a five-year term; election last held 27 July 2006 (next
to be held NA)
election results: Antonio CARATTONI and Roberto GIORGETTI elected
captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fiorenzo STOLFI
elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs;
percent of legislative vote - NA
note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council)
selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent
(co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over
meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress
of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and
General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of
state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some
prime ministerial roles

Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale
(60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 32.9%, Party of
Socialists and Democrats 31.9%, APDS 11.9%, United Left 8.7%, New
Socialist Party 5.4%; seats by party - PDCS 21, Party of Socialists
and Democrats 20, APDS 7, United Left 5, New Socialist Party 3,
other 4

Judicial branch:
Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM
[Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN [Glauco SANSOVINI]; New
Socialist Party [Augusto CASALI]; Party of Socialists and Democrats
[Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS
[Pier Marino MENICUCCI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or
APDS [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto
CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; United Left

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
San Marino does not have an embassy in the US
honorary consulate(s) general: New York, Washington, DC
honorary consulate(s): Detroit, Honolulu

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in San Marino, but the ambassador
to Italy is accredited to San Marino

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the
national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms
has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a
wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS
(Liberty)

Economy San Marino

Economy - overview:
The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006 more than
2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are
banking, wearing apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main
agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of
output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most
prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$940 million (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$880 million (2002)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$34,600 (2001 est.)

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

Labor force:
19,970 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 42%
services: 57% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.6% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-1.7% (2001)

Budget:
revenues: $400 million
expenditures: $400 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese,
hides

Industries:
tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (1997 est.)

Exports:
trade data are included with the statistics for Italy

Exports - commodities:
building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods,
hides, ceramics

Imports:
trade data are included with the statistics for Italy

Imports - commodities:
wide variety of consumer manufactures, food

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

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 San Marino

Telephones - main lines in use:
20,600 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
16,800 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into
Italian system
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian
international network

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
16,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997)

Televisions:
9,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sm

Internet hosts:
3,140 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
14,300 (2002)

Transportation San Marino

Roadways:
total: 104 km
paved: 104 km (2003)

Military San Marino

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi
Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police
functions (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 6,331 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 5,107 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 135 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$700,000 (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy

Transnational Issues San Marino

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Sao Tome and Principe

Introduction Sao Tome and Principe

Background:
Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the
islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the
19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of
which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was
achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the
late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the
political environment has been one of continued instability with
frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003.
The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have
a significant impact on the country's economy.

Geography Sao Tome and Principe

Location:
Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the
Equator, west of Gabon

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 7 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,001 sq km
land: 1,001 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
209 km

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m

Natural resources:
fish, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 8.33%
permanent crops: 48.96%
other: 42.71% (2005)

Irrigated land:
100 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

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

Geography - note:
the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a
chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous

People Sao Tome and Principe

Population:
193,413 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.5% (male 46,478/female 45,302)
15-64 years: 48.8% (male 45,631/female 48,661)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 3,368/female 3,973) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.2 years
male: 15.6 years
female: 16.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.15% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 41.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 43.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.31 years
male: 65.73 years
female: 68.95 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)

Nationality:
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean

Ethnic groups:
mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros
(descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from
Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais
born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)

Religions:
Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%,
other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)

Languages:
Portuguese (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.3%
male: 85%
female: 62% (1991 est.)

Government Sao Tome and Principe

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe
local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
local short form: Sao Tome e Principe

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Sao Tome
geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995

Independence:
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

Constitution:
approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990

Legal system:
based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September
2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ (since
21 April 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
proposal of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next
to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National
Assembly and approved by the president
election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of
vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP
28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, other 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23,
MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change
Democratic Movement or MDFM; Independent Democratic Action or ADI
[Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and
Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da
COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA];
Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,
ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA
chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580
FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348
consulate(s): Atlanta

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the
Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a
nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and
green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the
center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the
hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Sao Tome and Principe

Economy - overview:
This small, poor island economy has become increasingly dependent
on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has
substantially declined in recent years because of drought and
mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings
in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods,
consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it
has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied
heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome
benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under
the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, which helped
bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005,
Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. Considerable potential
exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has
taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government
also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome
is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its
territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being
jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first
production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over
licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20
million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth
exceeded 4% in 2006, as a result of increases in public expenditures
and oil-related capital investment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$214 million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$71.38 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 15.3%
services: 68.1% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
35,050 (1991)

Labor force - by occupation:
note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and
fishing; shortages of skilled workers

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
54% (2004 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
35.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $102.1 million
expenditures: $61.43 million; including capital expenditures of $54
million (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee,
bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Industries:
light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
18 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 41.2%
hydro: 58.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
16.74 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
660 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:
$-24.4 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$9.773 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Exports - partners:
Netherlands 61.9%, Belgium 9.3%, Turkey 5.6%, South Korea 4.1%
(2005)

Imports:
$48.87 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
Portugal 47.5%, US 17.3%, Malaysia 6.2%, Belgium 5.3% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$25.47 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$318 million (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program

Currency (code):
dobra (STD)

Currency code:
STD

Exchange rates:
dobras per US dollar - 12,134 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), NA (2004),
9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Sao Tome and Principe

Telephones - main lines in use:
7,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
12,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system
international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)

Radios:
38,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (2002)

Televisions:
23,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.st

Internet hosts:
735 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
20,000 (2005)

Transportation Sao Tome and Principe

Airports:
2 (2006)

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

Roadways:
total: 320 km
paved: 218 km
unpaved: 102 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,527 GRT/29,823 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 7
foreign-owned: 3 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Sao Tome

Military Sao Tome and Principe

Military branches:
Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard,
Presidential Guard (2004)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 33,438
females age 18-49: 35,279 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 25,950
females age 18-49: 28,660 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$581,729 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.8% (2005 est.)

Military - note:
Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no
resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating
unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and
maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years
in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in
the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as
reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being
addressed with foreign assistance as initial steps towards the
improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security
concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the
Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

Transnational Issues Sao Tome and Principe

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Saudi Arabia

Introduction Saudi Arabia

Background:
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two
holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, and the king's official title
is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was
founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud)
after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. A
male descendent of Ibn Saud, his son ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz, rules
the country today as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law.
Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted
the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western
and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait
the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on
Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension
between the royal family and the public until all operational US
troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and
November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign against domestic
terrorism and extremism. King ABDALLAH has continued the cautious
reform program begun when he was crown prince. To promote increased
political participation, the government held elections nationwide
from February through April 2005 - for half the members of 179
municipal councils. In December 2005, King ABDALLAH completed the
process by appointing the remaining members of the advisory
municipal councils. The country remains a leading producer of oil
and natural gas and holds approximately 25% of the world's proven
oil reserves. The government continues to pursue economic reform and
diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the
WTO in December 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the
kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy
largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing
governmental concerns.

Geography Saudi Arabia

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of
Yemen

Geographic coordinates:
25 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 2,149,690 sq km
land: 2,149,690 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 4,431 km
border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman
676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km

Coastline:
2,640 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified

Climate:
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Terrain:
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Land use:
arable land: 1.67%
permanent crops: 0.09%
other: 98.24% (2005)

Irrigated land:
16,200 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:
desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack
of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the
development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal
pollution from oil spills

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

Geography - note:
extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great
leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and
Suez Canal

People Saudi Arabia

Population:
27,019,731
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,261,530/female 5,059,041)
15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,159,519/female 6,895,616)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 342,020/female 302,005) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.4 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 19.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.18% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-4.94 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: 1.33 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.2 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.67 years
male: 73.66 years
female: 77.78 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Religions:
Muslim 100%

Languages:
Arabic

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.7%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.)

Government Saudi Arabia

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Government type:
monarchy

Capital:
name: Riyadh
geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud
ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash
Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran,
Tabuk

Independence:
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)

National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Constitution:
governed according to Shari'a law; the Basic Law that articulates
the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993

Legal system:
based on Shari'a law, several secular codes have been introduced;
commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
adult male citizens age 21 or older
note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial
municipal council elections held nationwide from February through
April 2005

Executive branch:
chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin
Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January
1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz
Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin
Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January
1928)
cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch every four
years and includes many royal family members
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; note - a new Allegiance
Commission created by royal decree in October 2006 established a
committee of Saudi princes that will play a role in selecting future
Saudi kings, but the new system will not take effect until after
Crown Prince Sultan becomes king

Legislative branch:
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman
appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note - in October
2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce
elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies
and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or
Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years;
in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs
initiated voter registration for partial municipal council elections
held nationwide from February through April 2005

Judicial branch:
Supreme Council of Justice

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Ambassador Designate Adil
al-Ahmed al-JUBAYR
chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800
FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James C. OBERWETTER
embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307;
International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693
telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800
FAX: [966] (1) 488-3989
consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

Flag description:
green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or
Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is
no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white
horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to
the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al
Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932

Economy Saudi Arabia

Economy - overview:
This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over
major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's
proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of
petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector
accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of
export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector.
Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the
Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors. The
government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the
kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities
for the swelling Saudi population. The government is promoting
private sector and foreign participation in the power generation,
telecom, natural gas, and petrochemical industries. As part of its
effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy,
Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in December 2005 after many years of
negotiations. With high oil revenues enabling the government to post
large budget surpluses, Riyadh has been able to substantially boost
spending on job training and education, infrastructure development,
and government salaries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$374 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$286.2 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$13,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 67%
services: 29.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
7.125 million
note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is
non-national (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 25%
services: 63% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates
range as high as 25%) (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.9% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
16.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $189.2 billion
expenditures: $107.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
32.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens,
eggs, milk

Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals;
ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement,
fertilizer, plastics; metals, commercial ship repair, commercial
aircraft repair, construction

Industrial production growth rate:
1.9% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
155.2 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
144.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
9.475 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.845 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports:
7.92 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2003)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.654 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$103.8 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$204.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Exports - partners:
US 16.8%, Japan 16.5%, South Korea 9.3%, China 7.1%, Singapore
5.2%, Taiwan 4.3% (2005)

Imports:
$64.16 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles,
textiles

Imports - partners:
US 14.8%, Japan 9%, Germany 8.2%, China 7.4%, UK 4.7% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$31.63 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$47.39 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon;
since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance
to the Palestinians; pledged $230 million to development in
Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans
to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in
concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan
earthquake relief

Currency (code):
Saudi riyal (SAR)

Currency code:
SAR

Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2006), 3.747 (2005), 3.75
(2004), 3.75 (2003), 3.75 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 March - 28 February

Communications Saudi Arabia

Telephones - main lines in use:
4.5 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
13.3 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and
fiber-optic cable systems
international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain,
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to
Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian
Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
6.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
117 (1997)

Televisions:
5.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.sa

Internet hosts:
10,931 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2003)

Internet users:
3.2 million (2006)

Transportation Saudi Arabia

Airports:
208 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 73
over 3,047 m: 32
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 135
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 75
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 12 (2006)

Heliports:
6 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil
4,531 km; refined products 1,150 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 152,044 km
paved: 45,461 km
unpaved: 106,583 km (2000)

Merchant marine:
total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 837,272 GRT/1,064,377 DWT
by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 15, container 4, passenger/cargo
8, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9
foreign-owned: 9 (Egypt 2, Kuwait 5, Sudan 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 55 (Bahamas 12, Comoros 3, Dominica
3, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Liberia 24, Marshall
Islands 1, Norway 3, Panama 8) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah

Military Saudi Arabia

Military branches:
Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National
Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,648,999
females age 18-49: 5,417,922 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 6,592,709
females age 18-49: 4,659,347 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 247,334
females age 18-49: 234,500 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (2002)

Transnational Issues Saudi Arabia

Disputes - international:
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier
along sections of the now fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem
illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue
discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 240,015 (Palestinian Territories)
(2006)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination country for
workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to
conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being
subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages,
confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their
movement; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some
are confined to the house in which they work, unable to seek help;
Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni,
Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked
for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some
Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for
commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not
making significant efforts to do so

Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin,
cocaine, and hashish; improving anti-money-laundering legislation
and enforcement

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Senegal

Introduction Senegal

Background:
Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the Socialist
Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was
elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal
confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration
of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was
dissolved in 1989. A southern separatist group sporadically has
clashed with government forces since 1982, but Senegal remains one
of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history
of participating in international peacekeeping.

Geography Senegal

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries:
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau
338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km

Coastline:
531 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; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong
southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot,
dry, harmattan wind

Terrain:
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

Natural resources:
fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 12.51%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 87.25% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,200 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note:
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost
an enclave within Senegal

People Senegal

Population:
11,987,121 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,467,021/female 2,422,385)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 3,346,756/female 3,378,518)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 174,399/female 198,042) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.1 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 19.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.34% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 52.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 56.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 49.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.25 years
male: 57.7 years
female: 60.85 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
44,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever,
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high
risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

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

Ethnic groups:
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%,
Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous
beliefs 1%

Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.2%
male: 50%
female: 30.7% (2003 est.)

Government Senegal

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal
local short form: Senegal
former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia); Mali Federation

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies,
Ziguinchor

Independence:
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved
upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted 7 January 2001

Legal system:
based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the
government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last
held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19
March 2000 (next to be held 25 February 2007); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote
in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.5%, Abdou
DIOUF (PS) 41.5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
note: the former National Assembly had 120 seats, but deputies in
late 2006 voted to expand the number of seats to 140
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held 25 February
2007) note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to
postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they
will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or
Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Economy Senegal

Economy - overview:
In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic
reform program with the support of the international donor
community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's
currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the
French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been
steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in
1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during
1995-2006. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single
digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
(WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with
a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High
unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee
Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was
also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in
2006. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance.
Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief
program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its
bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$22.01 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$8.562 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18.3%
industry: 19.2%
services: 62.5% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
4.749 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 77%
industry and services: 23% (1990 est.)

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

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

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

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
41% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.023 billion
expenditures: $2.377 billion; including capital expenditures of $357
million (2006 est.)

Public debt:
17.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.453 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
1.351 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
31,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-895.2 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$1.478 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Mali 16.9%, India 13.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 6.1%, Italy 5.5%,
Gambia, The 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$2.98 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
France 22.8%, Nigeria 11.4%, Brazil 4.5%, Thailand 4.3%, US 4.2%,
UK 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.18 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.628 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$449.6 million (2003 est.)

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

Currency code:
XOF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
522.592 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99
(2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Senegal

Telephones - main lines in use:
266,600 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.73 million (2005)

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

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

Radios:
1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)

Televisions:
361,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.sn

Internet hosts:
412 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
540,000 (2005)

Transportation Senegal

Airports:
20 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 43 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 13,576 km
paved: 3,972 km (including 7 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

Waterways:
1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Dakar

Military Senegal

Military branches:
Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force
(Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2006)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,443,840
females age 18-49: 2,461,939 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,558,175
females age 18-49: 1,642,533 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 129,331
females age 18-49: 129,398 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$117.3 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Senegal

Disputes - international:
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence,
cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from
Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000
and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500
Guinea-Bissau residents have fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape
armed confrontations along the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 19,712 (Mauritania)
IDPs: 22,400 (approximately 65 percent of the IDP population
returned in 2005 but new displacement is occurring due to clashes
between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2006)

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

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Serbia

Introduction Serbia

Background:
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its
name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands
resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from
1941 to 1945, but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as
the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip
TITO (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and
Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although
Communist, Tito's new government and his successors (he died in
1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact
nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989,
Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Serbian Republic and his
ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent
breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia,
Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in
1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a
new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under
MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to
unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia."
These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992,
but Serbia continued its - ultimately unsuccesful - campaign until
signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC kept tight
control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in
1997. In 1998, a small-scale ethnic Albanian insurgency in the
formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian
counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive
expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo by FRY forces and
Serb paramilitaries. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a
proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in
the spring of 1999 and to the eventual withdrawal of Serbian
military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UNSC Resolution
1244 in June 1999 authorized the stationing of a NATO-led force
(KFOR) in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the
region's ethnic communities, created a UN Administration Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) to foster self-governing institutions, and reserved
the issue of Kosovo's final status for an unspecified date in the
future. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a constitutional framework that
allowed Kosovo to establish institutions of self-government and led
to Kosovo's first parliamentary election. FRY elections in September
2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA
as president. A broad coalition of democratic reformist parties
known as DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was subsequently
elected to parliament in December 2000 and took control of the
government. The arrest of MILOSEVIC by DOS in 2001 allowed for his
subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the
Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against
humanity. (MILOSEVIC died at The Hague in March 2006 before the
completion of his trial.) In 2001, the country's suspension from the
UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations.
In 2003, the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of
the two republics with a federal level parliament. Violent rioting
in Kosovo in 2004 caused the international community to open
negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In May
2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter
of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from
the state union. The referendum was successful and Montenegro
declared itself an independent nation on 3 June 2006. Two days
later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union
of Serbia and Montenegro. In October 2006, the Serbian parliament
unanimously approved - and a referendum confirmed - a new
constitution for the country.

Geography Serbia

Location:
Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary

Geographic coordinates:
44 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 88,361 sq km
land: 88,361 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 2,027 km
border countries: Albania 115 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km,
Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia 241 km, Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km,
Montenegro 203 km, Romania 476 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid
summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental
and Mediterranean climate (hot, dry summers and autumns and
relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall)

Terrain:
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east,
limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and
hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: NA
highest point: Daravica 2,656 m

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

Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes