Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
Industrial production growth rate: 9.3% (FY98/99)
Electricity - production: 792 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.88% hydro: 99.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 622 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 115 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Exports: $471 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea; electrical products, iron and steel
Exports - partners: EU 51% (Netherlands 6%, Switzerland 6%, Germany 5%, Belgium 4%), Kenya 5% (1998)
Imports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Imports - partners: Kenya 12%, UK 6%, Japan 4%, India 4%, South Africa (1998)
Debt - external: $3.1 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $839.9 million (1997)
Currency: 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 - 1,525.8 (January 2000), 1,454.8 (1999), 1,240.2 (1998), 1,083.0 (1997), 1,046.1 (1996), 968.9 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Uganda:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 54,074 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,000 (1998)
Telephone system: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short range traffic international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 4, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 2.6 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)
Televisions: 315,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999)
@Uganda:Transportation
Railways: total: 1,241 km narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge note: a program to rehabilitate the railroad is underway (1995)
Highways: total: 27,000 km paved: 1,800 km unpaved: 25,200 km (of which about 4,800 km are all-weather roads) (1990 est.)
Waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, LakeEdward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT ships by type: roll-on/roll-off 3 (1999 est.)
Airports: 26 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 22 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Uganda:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Wing
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,952,945 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,687,924 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $95 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY98/99)
@Uganda:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Ugandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
______________________________________________________________________
@Ukraine:Introduction
Background: Richly endowed in natural resources, Ukraine has been fought over and subjugated for centuries; its 20th-century struggle for liberty is not yet complete. A short-lived independence from Russia (1917-1920) was followed by brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died, and World War II, in which German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 million more deaths. Although independence was attained in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive as many of the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civic liberties.
@Ukraine:Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland andRussia
Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 603,700 sq km land: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,558 km border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 58% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 13% forests and woodland: 18% other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
@Ukraine:People
Population: 49,153,027 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 4,482,754; female 4,296,206) 15-64 years: 68% (male 16,018,331; female 17,509,078) 65 years and over: 14% (male 2,243,266; female 4,603,392) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.83% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 9.03 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 16.48 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.98 years male: 60.39 years female: 71.85 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.26 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%
Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate, UkrainianOrthodox - Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox,Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 100% female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Ukraine:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UP
Government type: republic
Capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka (Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv), Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr) note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union, by voter approval)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YUSHCHENKO (since 22 December 1999), First Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy YEKHANUROV (since 30 December 1999), and three deputy prime ministers cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kyyiv (Kiev) and Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the People's Council election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote - Leonid KUCHMA 56.21%, Petro SYMONENKO 37.77%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, half of the Rada's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party (for parties clearing 4% hurdle on 29 March 1998) - Communist 24.7%, Rukh (combined) 9.4%, Socialist/Peasant 8.6%, Green 5.3%, People's Democratic Party 5.0%, Hromada 4.7%, Progressive Socialist 4.0%, United Social Democratic Party 4.0%; seats by faction (as of 25 February 2000) - Communist 115, PRVU 36, Fatherland Party 35, United Social Democratic 34, People's Democratic Party 27, Trudova Ukrayina 27, Rukh (K) 27, left-center 23, Green 18, Rukh (U) 17, Peasant Party 15, Hromada 14, Reforms Congress 12, independents 14, unaffiliated 31, vacant 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party of Ukraine or APU; Communist Party of Ukraine [PetroSYMONENKO]; Fatherland (Motherland) All Ukrainian Party [YuliyaTYMOSHENKO, chairperson]; Green Party of Ukraine or PZU [VitaliyKONONOV, chairman]; Hromada ; Liberal Party ofUkraine or LPU ; Party of Regional Revival ofUkraine or PRVU ; Peasant Party of Ukraine or SelPU; People's Democratic Party [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO,chairman]; People's Movement of Ukraine or Rukh U [Hennadiy UDOVENKO,chairman]; Progressive Socialist Party ; ReformsCongress ; Reforms and Order Party ; SoborParty ; Social Democratic Party ofUkraine (United) ; Socialist Party ofUkraine or SPU ; Trudova Ukrayina/WorkingUkraine ; Ukrainian Popular Movement or Rukh K; United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine; Yabluko Partynote: and numerous smaller parties
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Konstantin Ivanovych HRYSHCHENKO chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (202) 333-0606 FAX: (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Steven Karl PIFER embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254053 Kiev 53 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (44) 246-9750 FAX: (44) 244-7350
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
@Ukraine:Economy
Economy - overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied equipment and raw materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas. Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output in 1992-99 fell to less than 40% the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has pushed economic reforms, maintained financial discipline, and tried to remove almost all remaining controls over prices and foreign trade. The onset of the financial crisis in Russia dashed Ukraine's hopes for its first year of economic growth in 1998 due to a sharp fall in export revenue and reduced domestic demand. Output continued to drop, slightly, in 1999. The government has also not been able to significantly decrease its huge backlog of wage and pension arrears. Despite increasing pressure from the IMF to accelerate reform, substantial economic restructuring remains unlikely in 2000, largely because of resistance in the communist-dominated legislature to further privatization.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $109.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -0.4% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12% industry: 26% services: 62% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 20.8% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 22.8 million (yearend 1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 24%, health, education, and culture 17%, trade and distribution 8%, transport and communication 7%, other 12% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 4.3% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1999)
Budget: revenues: $8.3 billion expenditures: $8.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing (especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 171 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 52% hydro: 5.9% nuclear: 42.1% other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 144.011 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 7 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 4.15 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Exports: $11.6 billion (1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners: Russia 20%, EU 17%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, US 4% (1999)
Imports: $11.8 billion (1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners: Russia 48%, EU 23%, US 3% (1999)
Debt - external: $12.6 billion (January 2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended FundsFacility $2.2 billion (1998)
Currency: 1 hryvna = 100 kopiykas
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1 - 5.59 (February 2000), 5.3811 (January 2000), 4.1304 (1999), 2.4495 (1998), 1.8617 (1997), 1.8295 (1996), 1.4731 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Ukraine:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 9.45 million (April 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 236,000 (1998)
Telephone system: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines and international connections, and developing a mobile cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; from a small base, the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate international: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project which connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
Radio broadcast stations: AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 45.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: at least 33 (plus 21 repeater stations that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Televisions: 18.05 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 35 (1999)
@Ukraine:Transportation
Railways: total: 23,350 km broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways: total: 176,310 km paved: 170,139 km (including 1,770 km of expressways); note - these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel-surfaced unpaved: 6,171 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on thePryp'yat' and Dnistr (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km (1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson,Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni
Merchant marine: total: 156 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 862,690 GRT/963,550 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 105, container 4, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, rail car carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off 5, short-sea passenger 3 (1999 est.)
Airports: 706 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 163 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 57 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 543 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
@Ukraine:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, InternalTroops, National Guard, Border Troops
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 12,311,052 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 9,645,925 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 373,595 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $500 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY99)
@Ukraine:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute with Romania over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the ICJ; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey, and to Europe and Russia; drug-related money laundering a minor, but growing, problem
______________________________________________________________________
@United Arab Emirates:Introduction
Background: The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the UAE. They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is not far below the GDPs of the leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed it to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.
@United Arab Emirates:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the PersianGulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements: party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location along southern approaches toStrait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
@United Arab Emirates:People
Population: 2,369,153 note: includes 1,576,472 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30% (male 359,134; female 345,518) 15-64 years: 68% (male 1,029,898; female 582,783) 65 years and over: 2% (male 35,928; female 15,892) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.61% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 3.68 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.26 male(s)/female total population: 1.51 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.06 years male: 71.64 years female: 76.61 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.29 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Emirian(s) adjective: Emirian
Ethnic groups: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial States abbreviation: UAE
Data code: TC
Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); AbuZaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy(Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) which is composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI chancery: Suite 700, 1255 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: (202) 955-7999
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Theodore H. KATTOUF embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch); note - work week is Saturday through Wednesday telephone: (2) 436691, 436692 FAX: (2) 434771 consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
@United Arab Emirates:Economy
Economy - overview: The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for over 100 years. Despite higher oil revenues in 1999, the government has not drawn back from the economic reforms implemented during the 1998 oil price depression. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private-sector involvement.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $41.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,700 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 52% services: 45% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.38 million (1998 est.) note: 75% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 60%, industry 32%, agriculture 8% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $5.5 billion expenditures: $6.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate: 0% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 20.11 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 18.702 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Exports: $34 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners: Japan 30%, South Korea 10%, India 6%, Singapore 4.5%, Oman 3%, Iran (1998)
Imports: $27.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners: US 10%, Japan 9%, UK 9%, Germany 6%, South Korea 5%, Italy (1998)
Debt - external: $15.5 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 - central bank mid-point rate: 3.6725 (from 1998); 3.6711 (1997), 3.6710 (1995-96)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@United Arab Emirates:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 915,223 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1 million (1999)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 820,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1997)
Televisions: 310,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@United Arab Emirates:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,088 km paved: 1,088 km unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km
Ports and harbors: 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan,Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid,Umm al Qaywayn
Merchant marine: total: 68 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,107,442 GRT/1,795,235 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, container 8, liquified gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 27, roll-on/roll-off 7, specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 40 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 785,253 note: includes non-nationals (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 422,826 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 24,506 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.1 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.8% (FY99)
@United Arab Emirates:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions
Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center due to its proximity to southwest Asian producing countries and the bustling free trade zone in Dubai
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@United Kingdom:Introduction
Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. The UK currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside of the EMU for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. Regional assemblies with varying degrees of power opened in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 1999.
@United Kingdom:Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over theNorth Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fenland -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land
Land use: arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 10% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,080 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes; and coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at sea
Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, MarineLife Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
@United Kingdom:People
Population: 59,511,464 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 5,816,313; female 5,519,479) 15-64 years: 65% (male 19,622,152; female 19,228,938) 65 years and over: 16% (male 3,864,612; female 5,459,970) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.25% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 11.76 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 10.38 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.66 years male: 74.97 years female: 80.49 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%,Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales),Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% (1978 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@United Kingdom:Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK
Data code: UK
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas; England - 39 counties, 7metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, Buckingham,Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon,Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*,Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Hertford,Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln,Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North Yorkshire,Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford,Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*, West Sussex,West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire; Northern Ireland - 26 districts; Antrim,Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast,Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down,Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry,Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh,Strabane; Scotland - 9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central,Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*,Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*; Wales - 8 counties;Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan,West Glamorgannote: England may now have 35 counties and Wales 9 counties
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, SaintHelena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and CaicosIslands
Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (secondSaturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by European Union courts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony C. L. (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons (assuming there is no majority party, a prime minister would have a majority coalition or at least a coalition that was not rejected by the majority)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (the old House of Lords has been disbanded, and the new one is still being formed; the most likely plan calls for 500 members, one-fifth elected and the rest appointed) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections; note - the newly-forming House of Lords may call for some elected seats; House of Commons - last held 1 May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002); note - in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and was rescinded in February 2000); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 45%, Conservative and Unionist 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7%; seats by party - Labor 418, Conservative and Unionist 165, Liberal Democrat 46, other 30 note: in 1999, the government ended the right of most hereditary members, except for life members and 92 hereditary members, to sit in the House of Lords; they will sit until final reforms are made
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life
Political parties and leaders: Alliance Party (Northern Ireland); Conservative and Unionist Party ;Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) ; LaborParty ; Liberal Democrats ;Scottish National Party ; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland); Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (NorthernIreland) ; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [DavidTRIMBLE]; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru)
Political pressure groups and leaders: Campaign for NuclearDisarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers'Union; Trades Union Congress
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA(associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10,IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA,UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Christopher J. R. MEYER chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 588-6500 FAX: (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Philip LADER embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: (171) 499-9000 FAX: (171) 409-1637 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories
@United Kingdom:Economy
Economy - overview: The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, deploys an essentially capitalistic economy, one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. Economic growth has been slowed in 1999; recovery to 3% is in prospect for 2000, based on a rise in exports and domestic demand. The BLAIR government has put off the question of participation in the euro system until after the next election, not expected until 2001; Chancellor of the Exchequer BROWN has identified some key economic tests to determine whether the UK should join the common currency system.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.29 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.7% industry: 25.3% services: 73% (1998)
Population below poverty line: 17%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 24.7% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1999)
Labor force: 29.2 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 68.9%, manufacturing and construction 17.5%, government 11.3%, energy 1.2%, agriculture 1.1% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 6% (1999)
Budget: revenues: $541 billion expenditures: $507.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $35.1 billion (FY98/99)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1999)
Electricity - production: 343.099 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 68.24% hydro: 1.49% nuclear: 28.48% other: 1.79% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 331.482 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 200 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 12.6 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports: $271 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners: EU 58% (Germany 12%, France 10%, Netherlands 8%),US 13% (1998)
Imports: $305.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: EU 53% (Germany 13%, France 9%, Netherlands 7%,Italy 5%), US 14% (1998)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $3.4 billion (1997)
Currency: 1 British pound = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds per US$1 - 0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@United Kingdom:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 29.41 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 13 million (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 84.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 78 (plus 869 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 30.5 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 364 (1999)
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railways: total: 16,878 km broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note - all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, and is in Northern Ireland standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)
Highways: total: 371,603 km paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 3,200 km
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover,Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool,London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow,Southampton, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine: total: 173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,917,708 GRT/3,063,113 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 33, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, container 39, liquified gas 2, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 50, roll-on/roll-off 18, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 498 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 357 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 166 914 to 1,523 m: 93 under 914 m: 55 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 141 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 117 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1999 est.)
@United Kingdom:Military
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), RoyalAir Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 14,574,955 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,134,272 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $36.884 billion (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY97/98)
@United Kingdom:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Northern Ireland issue with Ireland (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Gibraltar issue with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory); Seychelles claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian Ocean Territory
Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; producer and major consumer of synthetic drugs, synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center
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