Chapter LVI: Front Matter (56)

Government - note:
although an interim government was created in 2004, other regional
and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various
cities and regions of the country, including the self-declared
Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia, the semi-autonomous
State of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, and traditional clan and
faction strongholds

Economy Somalia

Economy - overview:
Somalia's economic fortunes are driven by its deep political
divisions. The northwestern area has declared its independence as
the "Republic of Somaliland"; the northeastern region of Puntland is
a semi-autonomous state; and the remaining southern portion is
riddled with the struggles of rival factions. Economic life
continues, in part because much activity is local and relatively
easily protected. Agriculture is the most important sector, with
livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of
export earnings, but Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali livestock, due to
Rift Valley Fever concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads
and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their
livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock,
hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports,
while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the
principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the
processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and
sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's service
sector has managed to survive and grow. Telecommunication firms
provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest
international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a
formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted
throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion
in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of
goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. The SCIC has
opened Mogadishu's main port and airport - closed for 15 years - and
now controls most of the ports and airfields in southern Somalia.
Hotels continue to operate, and militias provide security. The
ongoing civil disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have
interfered with any broad-based economic development and
international aid arrangements. Somalia's arrears to the IMF
continued to grow in 2006. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per
capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically. In late
December 2004, a major tsunami caused an estimated 150 deaths and
resulted in destruction of property in coastal areas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.023 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.483 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.6% (2006 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 65%
industry: 10%
services: 25% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
3.7 million (very few skilled laborers)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 71%
industry and services: 29%

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):
NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates
cannot be easily determined

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA

Agriculture - products:
bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame
seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Industries:
a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles,
wireless communication

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
269 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
250.2 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

Exports:
$241 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

Exports - partners:
UAE 48.5%, Yemen 20.9%, Oman 5.8% (2005)

Imports:
$576 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction
materials, qat

Imports - partners:
Djibouti 29.7%, Kenya 14.4%, India 7.9%, Brazil 7.4%, Oman 5.2%,
UAE 4.9%, Yemen 4.8% (2005)

Debt - external:
$3 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$60 million (1999 est.)

Currency (code):
Somali shilling (SOS)

Currency code:
SOS

Exchange rates:
Somali shillings per US dollar - 11,000 (November 2000), 2,620
(January 1999), 7,500 (November 1997 est.), 7,000 (January 1996
est.), 5,000 (1 January 1995), note, the Republic of Somaliland, a
self-declared independent country not recognized by any foreign
government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling

Fiscal year:
NA

Communications Somalia

Telephones - main lines in use:
100,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
500,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost
completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions;
private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and
charge the lowest international rates on the continent
domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in
Mogadishu and in several other population centers
international: country code - 252; international connections are
available from Mogadishu by satellite

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 11, shortwave 1 in Mogadishu; 1 FM in Puntland, 1 FM in
Somaliland (2001)

Radios:
470,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4; note - two in Mogadishu; two in Hargeisa (2001)

Televisions:
135,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.so

Internet hosts:
3 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (one each in Boosaaso, Hargeisa, and Mogadishu) (2000)

Internet users:
90,000 (2005)

Transportation Somalia

Airports:
65 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 58
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 22,100 km
paved: 2,608 km
unpaved: 19,492 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,659 GRT/2,540 DWT
by type: cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Boosaaso, Berbera, Kismaayo, Merca, Mogadishu

Military Somalia

Military branches:
a Somali National Army was attempted under the interim government;
numerous factions and clans maintain independent militias, and the
Somaliland and Puntland regional governments maintain their own
security and police forces

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,787,727
females age 18-49: 1,714,792 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,022,360
females age 18-49: 1,038,697 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$22.34 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Somalia

Disputes - international:
Ethiopian forces invade southern Somalia and rout Islamist courts
from Moghadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide
port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have
established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland"
and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their
secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the
undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning
as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden
and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the
clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the
border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for
resources) (2006)

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@South Africa

Introduction South Africa

Background:
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many
of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own
republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred
wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native
inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were
defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South
Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate
development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid
politically and ushered in black majority rule.

Geography South Africa

Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Geographic coordinates:
29 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,219,912 sq km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island)

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491
km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

Coastline:
2,798 km

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

Climate:
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool
nights

Terrain:
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal
plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m

Natural resources:
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium,
salt, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 12.1%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.11% (2005)

Irrigated land:
14,980 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
prolonged droughts

Environment - current issues:
lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water
conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing
supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban
discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion;
desertification

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

Geography - note:
South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely
surrounds Swaziland

People South Africa

Population:
44,187,637
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.7% (male 6,603,220/female 6,525,810)
15-64 years: 65% (male 13,955,950/female 14,766,843)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 905,870/female 1,429,944) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.1 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 25 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.4% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa
and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 60.66 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 64.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.73 years
male: 43.25 years
female: 42.19 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
21.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5.3 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African

Ethnic groups:
black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5%
(2001 census)

Religions:
Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%,
Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian
36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001
census)

Languages:
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%,
English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%
(2001 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.)

Government South Africa

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Pretoria (administrative capital)
geographic coordinates: 29 12 S, 28 10 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Johannesburg(judicial capital)

Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape

Independence:
31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in
1961 following an October 1960 referendum

National holiday:
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Constitution:
10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the
Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then
President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3
February 1997; it is being implemented in phases

Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June
2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June
2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24
April 2004 (next to be held April 2009)
election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National
Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400
seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the
National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each
of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special
powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of
cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note -
following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February
1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National
Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and
party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities
have been changed somewhat by the new constitution
elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces -
last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC
69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%;
seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other
21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts;
Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE,
president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI,
president]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Anthony LEON, president];
Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER, president]; Inkatha
Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president];
Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO, president]; United
Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI,
general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade
NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics
Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note
- COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW,
PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA
chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eric BOST
embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria
mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048
FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Flag description:
two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by
a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of
which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black
isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow
yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green
band and its arms by narrow white stripes

Economy South Africa

Economy - overview:
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant
supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal,
communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that
ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure
supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers
throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to
lower South Africa's high unemployment rate, and daunting economic
problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty and lack
of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South
African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic,
focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to
increase job growth and household income.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$576.4 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$200.5 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$13,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 30.3%
services: 67.1% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
16.09 million economically active (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 25%
services: 45% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
25.5% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 45.9% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $72.15 billion
expenditures: $75.93 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
32.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton,
wool, dairy products

Industries:
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium),
automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and
steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:
7.1% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
227.2 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1%
nuclear: 5.5%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
207 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
12.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
8.026 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
229,900 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
502,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
398,000 bbl/day (2006)

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
2.23 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:
28.32 million cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$-12.69 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$59.15 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and
equipment

Exports - partners:
Japan 9.9%, UK 9.7%, US 9.5%, Germany 6.5%, Netherlands 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$61.53 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific
instruments, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Germany 14.2%, China 9.1%, US 7.9%, Japan 6.8%, Canada 6.3%, UK
5.6%, France 4.5%, Iran 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$23.74 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$55.47 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$487.5 million (2000)

Currency (code):
rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
ZAR

Exchange rates:
rand per US dollar - 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004),
7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications South Africa

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
33.96 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the system is the best developed and most
modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial
cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable,
radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key
centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port
Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
17 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
6 million (2000)

Internet country code:
.za

Internet hosts:
645,179 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
150 (2001)

Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)

Transportation South Africa

Airports:
731 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 146
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 67
under 914 m: 13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 585
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 302
under 914 m: 249 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 100 km; gas 1,062 km; oil 966 km; refined products 1,354
km (2006)

Railways:
total: 20,872 km
narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,868 km electrified); 436 km
0.610-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 362,099 km
paved: 73,506 km (including 239 km of expressways)
unpaved: 288,593 km (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,815 GRT/39,295 DWT
by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, UK 5) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay,
Saldanha Bay

Military South Africa

Military branches:
South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army,
South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint
Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence,
Military Health Service (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long
history of military service in noncombat roles, dating back to World
War I (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 10,354,769
females age 18-49: 10,626,550 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,927,757
females age 18-49: 4,609,071 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 512,407
females age 18-49: 506,078 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.55 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2005 est.)

Military - note:
with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule,
former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces
were integrated into the South African National Defense Force
(SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete

Transnational Issues South Africa

Disputes - international:
South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the
thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political
persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large
numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500) and other
states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the
location of the boundary in the Orange River

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 10,609 (Democratic Republic of
Congo), 7,548 (Somalia), 5,764 (Angola) (2006)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: South Africa is a source, transit, and
destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for
forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked
internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for
sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are
trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe
for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from
neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and
Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for
debt-bonded sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is placed on the Tier
2 Watch List for its failure to show increasing efforts to address
trafficking in 2005

Illicit drugs:
transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine;
cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit
methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various
east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive
venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized
criminal and narcotics activity in the region

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Southern Ocean

Background:
A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows
from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global
ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet
and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct
border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the
seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique
ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which
promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater
abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International
Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the
Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by
combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean,
and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of
Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with
the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the
Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth
largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean,
Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).
It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not
imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary
oceans by the US Government.

Geography Southern Ocean

Location:
body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:
60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique
distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally
encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies
between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and
encompasses 360 degrees of longitude

Map references:
Antarctic Region

Area:
total: 20.327 million sq km
note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake
Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and
other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of the US

Coastline:
17,968 km

Climate:
sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees
Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and
frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between
ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to
the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere
on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south
latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the
Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees
Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds
from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Terrain:
the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its
extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic
continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge
lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133
meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6
million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square
kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves
perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current,
transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100
times the flow of all the world's rivers

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich
Trench
highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:
probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the
continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits,
sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals -
none exploited; krill, fishes

Natural hazards:
huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller
bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter
thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large
annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by
glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and
large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October;
most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Environment - current issues:
increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic
ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity
(phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish;
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years,
especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more
Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to
affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental
mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong
comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Environment - international agreements:
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements
regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these
agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling
Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south
[south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees
west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits
sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (regulates fishing)
note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource
exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front
(Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic
Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very
cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the
north

Geography - note:
the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and
Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best
natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it
is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar
Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the
south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current
extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees
south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South
Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds

Economy Southern Ocean

Economy - overview:
Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87%
(118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish,
compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was
krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing
from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly
beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were
adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376
metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05
Antarctic summer 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne
(approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica,
compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000.

Transportation Southern Ocean

Ports and terminals:
McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica
note: few ports or harbors exist on southern side of Southern Ocean;
ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even
then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most
Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and,
except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private
vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject
to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7); The
Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic
commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is
responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters
in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision
of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in
support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open
to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the
Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO
Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia,
Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway,
Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the UK (2005)

Transportation - note:
Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal

Transnational Issues Southern Ocean

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

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich

Introduction South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Background:
The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie
approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been
under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period
in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia,
was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer
Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated
attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months
later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a
successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the
Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and
is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from
the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of
preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993,
extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each
island.

Geography South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Location:
Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east
of the tip of South America

Geographic coordinates:
54 30 S, 37 00 W

Map references:
Antarctic Region

Area:
total: 3,903 sq km
land: 3,903 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia
Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist
of eleven islands

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
NA km

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

Climate:
variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year
interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as
snow

Terrain:
most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep,
glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of
volcanic origin with some active volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Natural resources:
fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km

Natural hazards:
the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that
generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also
subject to active volcanism

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which
provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th
century, live on South Georgia

People South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March
2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the
British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on
Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2006
est.)

Government South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: SGSSI

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina;
administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is
concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen
ELIZABETH II; Grytviken - formerly a whaling station on South
Georgia - is a scientific base

Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate
from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms
centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a
shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur
seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears
above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM
PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)

Economy South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Economy - overview:
Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential
source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands
receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of
fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels.
Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.

Communications South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken

Radio broadcast stations:
0 (2003)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (2003)

Internet country code:
.gs

Internet hosts:
271 (2006)

Transportation South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Ports and terminals:
Grytviken

Military South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Disputes - international:
Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly
occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer
seek settlement by force

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Spain

Introduction Spain

Background:
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries
ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent
failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused
the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic
and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II,
but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful
transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco
FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the
EU in 1986), have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in
Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing
challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and
relatively high unemployment.

Geography Spain

Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean
Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of
France

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 504,782 sq km
land: 499,542 sq km
water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 2 autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17
autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary
Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of
Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez
de la Gomera

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 1,917.8 km
border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline:
4,964 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

Climate:
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy
along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and
cool along coast

Terrain:
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources:
coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten,
mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin,
potash, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 27.18%
permanent crops: 9.85%
other: 62.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:
37,800 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents
from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and
quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:
strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People Spain

Population:
40,397,842 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,000,686/female 2,821,325)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,751,963/female 13,653,426)
65 years and over: 17.7% (male 2,993,496/female 4,176,946) (2006
est.)

Median age:
total: 39.9 years
male: 38.6 years
female: 41.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.13% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.65 years
male: 76.32 years
female: 83.2 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups:
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions:
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%

Languages:
Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note -
Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages
are official regionally

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.7%
female: 97.2% (2003 est.)

Government Spain

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local long form: Reino de Espana
local short form: Espana

Government type:
parliamentary monarchy

Capital:
name: Madrid
geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W
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
note: Spain is divided into two time zones, including the Canary
Islands

Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular -
comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas,
singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares
(Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana,
Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra,
Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small
islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez
de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central
government, are all located along the coast of Morocco and are
collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de
Soberania)

Independence:
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent
kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th
century AD and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian
redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately,
culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed
the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered
the forging of present-day Spain

National holiday:
National Day, 12 October

Constitution:
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system:
civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir
Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968
head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister
equivalent) Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004);
First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the
Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004)
and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance)
Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are
non-binding
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004
(next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the
monarch on the proposal of the president
election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected
president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%

Legislative branch:
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members
directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the
regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of
Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March
2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE
37.98%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC
2.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress
12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%,
CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU
5, CC 3, other 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders:
Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist Party or
PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona ERRAZTI];
Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino
RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a
coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur
MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep
Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate
coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA);
Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA Gonzalez];
Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta];
Navarra yes or Na Bai (a coalition of four Navarran parties) [Uxue
BARKOS Berruezo]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey];
Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA];
Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ
ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the
PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES Trigo]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor
unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of
Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or
USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers'
Commissions or CC.OO.

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNRWA,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP
chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr.
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

Economy Spain

Economy - overview:
The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging 5% annual
growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the
Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's
mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis
is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. The
center-right government of former President AZNAR successfully
worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching
the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR
administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization,
and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to
that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration
but remains high at 8.7%. Growth averaging 3% annually during
2003-06 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering
European economy. The Socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has
made mixed progress in carrying out key structural reforms, which
need to be accelerated and deepened to sustain Spain's strong
economic growth. Despite the economy's relative solid footing
significant downside risks remain, including Spain's continued loss
of competitiveness, the potential for a housing market collapse, the
country's changing demographic profile and a decline in EU
structural funds.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.07 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.081 trillion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.6% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$27,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 29.4%
services: 66.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
21.77 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 30.1%
services: 64.6% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.7% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
19.8%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.5 (1990)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
29.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $488.2 billion
expenditures: $475.3 billion; including capital expenditures of
$12.8 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
39.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef,
pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Industries:
textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages,
metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles,
machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear,
pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate:
0.6% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
263.3 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 50.4%
hydro: 18.2%
nuclear: 27.2%
other: 4.1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
241.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
11.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
8.3 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
31,250 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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

Oil - exports:
135,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
1.582 million bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-98.6 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$222.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines,
other consumer goods

Exports - partners:
France 19.3%, Germany 11.4%, Portugal 9.6%, UK 8.4%, Italy 8.4%, US
4.1% (2005)

Imports:
$324.4 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments

Imports - partners:
Germany 15.3%, France 14.7%, Italy 8.6%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 5%,
China 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$17 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.591 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)

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

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 Spain

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
41.328 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;
teledensity is 45 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
13.1 million (1997)