Chapter M: Major infectious diseases (40)
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050
Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 3 March 2009) and Deputy Prime Ministers Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) and Serik AKHMETOV (since 3 March 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president, with Mazhilis approval; note - constitutional amendments of May 2007 shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years and established a two-consecutive-term limit; changes will take effect after NAZARBAYEV's term ends; he, and only he, is allowed to run for president indefinitely
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held October 2008; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members)
Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, Serik ABDRAHMANOV, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Block or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Alga [Vladimir KOZLOV] (unregistered); Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; Azat Party (formerly True Ak Zhol Party) [Bolat ABILOV]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social Democratic Party (NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
International organization participation:
ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00
FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90
Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
Economy ::Kazakhstan
Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 and 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and increased foreign investment; growth slowed to 2.4% in 2008, however, as a result of declining oil prices and a softening world economy. Inflation reached 10% in 2007 and 17% in 2008. In the energy sector, the opening of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. In 2006, Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy changed the corporate tax code to favor domestic industry as a means to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements, most recently, with regard to the Kashagan project in 2007-08. Since 2007, Astana has provided financial support to the banking sector which has been struggling with poor asset quality and large foreign loans.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$176.2 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $172.1 billion (2007 est.)
$158.6 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$135.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 8.5% (2007 est.)
10.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $11,300 (2007 est.)
$10,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 40.9%
services: 53.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
8.412 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 31.5%
industry: 18.4%
services: 50% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
6.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
13.8% (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.4 (2005) country comparison to the world: 112 31.5 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
27.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Budget:
revenues: $33.47 billion
expenditures: $36.23 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
8.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114 13.7% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199 10.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 31 11% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$16.12 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 36 $12.74 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$35.76 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 34 $25.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$44.53 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $43.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$31.08 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 60 $41.38 billion (31 December 2007)
$43.69 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Electricity - production:
72.41 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - consumption:
64.69 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - exports:
3.617 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
3.27 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
1.429 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Oil - consumption:
239,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Oil - exports:
1.313 million bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Oil - imports:
164,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - proved reserves:
30 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Natural gas - production:
33.38 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - consumption:
33.68 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - exports:
9.221 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 21
Natural gas - imports:
9.517 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Current account balance:
$6.978 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 29 -$8.226 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$71.97 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $48.35 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners:
China 13.5%, Russia 12%, Germany 10.6%, Italy 6.9%, Romania 6.6%, France 5.7%, Ukraine 5.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$38.45 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $33.26 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Russia 35.9%, China 24.3%, Germany 6%, Ukraine 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$19.87 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 $17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$107.8 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 35 $96.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$55.63 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $41.08 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$4.617 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 58 $3.97 billion (September 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 120.25 (2008 est.), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004)
Communications ::Kazakhstan
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.41 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 45
Telephones - mobile cellular:
14.911 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 43
Telephone system:
general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity now exceeds 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and the subscriber base now is roughly 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 18, shortwave 9 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Internet country code:
.kz
Internet hosts:
48,873 (2009) country comparison to the world: 84
Internet users:
2.3 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 66
Transportation ::Kazakhstan
Airports:
99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 61
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 67
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 13 (2009)
Heliports:
4 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 658 km; gas 11,146 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km; water 1,465 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 13,700 km country comparison to the world: 19 broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 91,563 km country comparison to the world: 53 paved: 83,717 km
unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)
Waterways:
4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2008) country comparison to the world: 26
Merchant marine:
total: 5 country comparison to the world: 132 by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Military ::Kazakhstan
Military branches:
Kazakh Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Mobile Forces, Air Defense Forces (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,176,731
females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,888,931
females age 16-49: 3,550,014 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 139,262
female: 133,047 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) country comparison to the world: 145
Transnational Issues ::Kazakhstan
Disputes - international:
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kenya (Africa)
Introduction ::Kenya
Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.
Geography ::Kenya
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 580,367 sq km country comparison to the world: 48 land: 569,140 sq km
water: 11,227 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
536 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources:
limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 8.01%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other: 91.02% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,030 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
30.2 cu km (1990)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%)
per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
People ::Kenya
Population:
39,002,772 country comparison to the world: 33 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 8,300,393/female 8,181,898)
15-64 years: 55.1% (male 10,784,119/female 10,702,999)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 470,218/female 563,145) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18.6 years
female: 18.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.691% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Birth rate:
36.64 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Death rate:
9.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 77
Urbanization:
urban population: 22% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 54.7 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 44 male: 57.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.86 years country comparison to the world: 188 male: 57.49 years
female: 58.24 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.56 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 8
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and Rift Valley fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely
Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 9 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 27
Government ::Kenya
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya
local short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Nairobi
geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005
Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008);
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008); note - the roles of the president and prime minister are not well defined at this juncture; constitutionally, the president remains chief of state and head of government, but the prime minister is charged with coordinating government business
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and headed by the prime minister, who is the leader of the largest party in parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge usually referred to as Parliament (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 nominated members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODM 99, PNU 46, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 35; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - ODM 6, PNU 3, ODM-K 2, KANU 1
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court
Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Reuben OYONDI]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Martha KARUA]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI]; Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA]; National Muslim Leaders Forum or NAMLEF [Abdullahi ABDI]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]
other: labor unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606 Village Market, Nairobi 00621
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000
FAX: [254] (20) 363-410
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Economy ::Kenya
Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the government on corruption. The international financial institutions and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the government's part to deal with corruption. Post-election violence in early 2008, coupled with the effects of the global financial crisis on remittance and exports, reduced GDP growth to 2.2% in 2008, down from 7% the previous year.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$61.65 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 84 $60.62 billion (2007 est.)
$56.68 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$29.56 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 7% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 193 $1,600 (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.8%
industry: 16.7%
services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
17.37 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 188 40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 37.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.5 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 44.9 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Budget:
revenues: $6.648 billion
expenditures: $8.167 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
60.1% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
26.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 216 9.7% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.02% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 56 13.34% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.068 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 52 $5.912 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$5.468 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 66 $6.464 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.83 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 69 $10.67 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$10.92 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $13.39 billion (31 December 2007)
$11.38 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Electricity - production:
5.223 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - consumption:
4.863 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Electricity - exports:
58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 150
Oil - consumption:
75,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Oil - exports:
7,270 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Oil - imports:
80,530 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 193
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 158
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Current account balance:
-$1.978 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 -$1.102 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.04 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $4.123 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners:
UK 10%, Netherlands 9.2%, Uganda 9%, Tanzania 8.7%, US 6.3%, Pakistan 5.6% (2008)
Imports:
$10.69 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 $8.381 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
India 14.1%, UAE 11.5%, China 10%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa 5.7%, Japan 5.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.879 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94 $3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.855 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.541 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $1.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$12.4 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $31.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.358 (2008 est.), 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004)
Communications ::Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
252,300 (2008) country comparison to the world: 119
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.234 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 41
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 82, shortwave 6 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2008)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
32,913 (2009) country comparison to the world: 90
Internet users:
3.36 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
Transportation ::Kenya
Airports:
181 (2009) country comparison to the world: 33
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 105
under 914 m: 50 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km country comparison to the world: 59 narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 63,574 km (interurban roads) country comparison to the world: 70 paved: 9,273 km
unpaved: 54,301 km
note: there also are 114,226 km of unclassified roads, 2,000 km paved and 112,226 unpaved, for a national total of 177,800 km (2008)
Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 160 by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mombasa
Military ::Kenya
Military branches:
Kenyan Armed Forces: Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,044,685
females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,935,480
females age 16-49: 5,662,755 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412,656
female: 408,657 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 56
Transnational Issues ::Kenya
Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan); 16,428 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kiribati (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Kiribati
Background:
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Geography ::Kiribati
Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction were on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 811 sq km country comparison to the world: 186 land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
People ::Kiribati
Population:
112,850 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.6% (male 21,488/female 20,899)
15-64 years: 59% (male 32,871/female 33,690)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1,656/female 2,246) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 21.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.235% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Birth rate:
30.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Death rate:
7.85 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 44% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.48 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 61 male: 48.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.22 years country comparison to the world: 174 male: 60.14 years
female: 66.45 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.04 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of God) 8% (1999)
Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
17.8% of GDP (2002) country comparison to the world: 1
Government ::Kiribati
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence:
12 July 1979 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local, customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (representing Banaba Island); serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
Flag description:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy ::Kiribati
Economy - overview:
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from the EU, UK, US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UN agencies, and Taiwan accounts for 20-25% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$580.8 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 $561.7 million (2007 est.)
$564.6 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$137 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 -0.5% (2007 est.)
3.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 $5,200 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 210
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1992 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Industries:
fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
14 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
Electricity - consumption:
13.02 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Oil - imports:
260.8 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 201
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 191
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 156
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Current account balance:
-$21 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Exports:
$17 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Imports:
$62 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 212
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.) country comparison to the world: 197
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 216
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 218
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally good quality national and international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999
international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (may be inactive) (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (possibly inactive) (2002)
Internet country code:
.ki
Internet hosts:
41 (2009) country comparison to the world: 212
Internet users:
2,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 209
Transportation ::Kiribati
Airports:
19 (2009) country comparison to the world: 137
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 670 km (2000) country comparison to the world: 189
Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007) country comparison to the world: 109
Merchant marine:
total: 43 country comparison to the world: 76 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 14
foreign-owned: 31 (China 15, Hong Kong 4, South Korea 2, Singapore 4, Taiwan 5, Turkey 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Betio
Military ::Kiribati
Military branches:
no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,129
females age 16-49: 20,643 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,264
female: 1,242 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues ::Kiribati
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Korea, North (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Korea, North
Background:
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range missile development, WMD programs including nuclear weapons test in 2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.
Geography ::Korea, North
Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 120,538 sq km country comparison to the world: 98 land: 120,408 sq km
water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries:
total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline:
2,495 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Climate:
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Natural resources:
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)
Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
77.1 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues:
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
People ::Korea, North
Population:
22,665,345 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.5 years
male: 32.1 years
female: 34.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.42% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Birth rate:
14.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Death rate:
10.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Net migration rate:
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Urbanization:
urban population: 63% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.34 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 49 male: 58.64 deaths/1,000 live births
Comments
Log in to leave a comment.
The 2009 CIA World FactbookChapter M: Major infectious diseases (40)
0%34 min left in chapter