permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Tonga: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 43%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago: arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 28% (1993 est.)
Tromelin Island: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (scattered bushes)
Tunisia: arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 44% (1993 est.)
Turkey: arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Turkmenistan: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 63%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Tuvalu: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Uganda: arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 29% (1993 est.)
Ukraine: arable land: 58%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 9% (1993 est.)
United Arab Emirates: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
United Kingdom: arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 10%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
United States: arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Uruguay: arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 77%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 10% (1997 est.)
Uzbekistan: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Vanuatu: arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Venezuela: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Vietnam: arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 48% (1993 est.)
Virgin Islands: arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 47% (1993 est.)
Wake Island: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Wallis and Futuna: arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 20%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 75% (1993 est.)
West Bank: arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 32%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 40%
Western Sahara: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 19%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 81%
World: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Yemen: arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 33.5%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 46.5% (1999)
Yugoslavia: arable land: 40%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 20.7%
forests and woodland: 17.3%
other: 22% (1998 est.)
Zambia: arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Zimbabwe: arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 57% (1993 est.)
Taiwan: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 55%
other: 15%
======================================================================
@Languages
Afghanistan:Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarilyBalochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Albania:Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Algeria:Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
American Samoa:Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and otherPolynesian languages), English
note: most people are bilingual
Andorra:Catalan (official), French, Castilian
Angola:Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Anguilla:English (official)
Antigua and Barbuda:English (official), local dialects
Argentina:Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Armenia:Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Aruba:Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Australia:English, native languages
Austria:German
Azerbaijan:Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other6% (1995 est.)
Bahamas, The:English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Bahrain:Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Bangladesh:Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Barbados:English
Belarus:Byelorussian, Russian, other
Belgium:Dutch 58%, French 32%, German 10%, legally bilingual (Dutchand French)
Belize:English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Benin:French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars insouth), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Bermuda:English (official), Portuguese
Bhutan:Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects,Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Bolivia:Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Bosnia and Herzegovina:Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Botswana:English (official), Setswana
Brazil:Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
British Virgin Islands:English (official)
Brunei:Malay (official), English, Chinese
Bulgaria:Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond toethnic breakdown
Burkina Faso:French (official), native African languages belongingto Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
Burma:Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Burundi:Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along LakeTanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Cambodia:Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Cameroon:24 major African language groups, English (official),French (official)
Canada:English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other17.5%
Cape Verde:Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and WestAfrican words)
Cayman Islands:English
Central African Republic:French (official), Sangho (lingua francaand national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Chad:French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango (insouth), more than 100 different languages and dialects
Chile:Spanish
China:Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijingdialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan(Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages(see Ethnic groups entry)
Christmas Island:English, Chinese, Malay
Cocos (Keeling) Islands:English, Malay
Colombia:Spanish
Comoros:Arabic (official), French (official), Comoran (a blend ofSwahili and Arabic)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the:French (official), Lingala (alingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili orSwahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Congo, Republic of the:French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba(lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects(of which Kikongo has the most users)
Cook Islands:English (official), Maori
Costa Rica:Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon
Cote d'Ivoire:French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula themost widely spoken
Croatia:Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian,Czech, Slovak, and German)
Cuba:Spanish
Cyprus:Greek, Turkish, English
Czech Republic:Czech
Denmark:Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German(small minority)
note: English is the predominant second language
Djibouti:French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Dominica:English (official), French patois
Dominican Republic:Spanish
Ecuador:Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especiallyQuechua)
Egypt:Arabic (official), English and French widely understood byeducated classes
El Salvador:Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Equatorial Guinea:Spanish (official), French (official), pidginEnglish, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Eritrea:Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, otherCushitic languages
Estonia:Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, English, Finnish,other
Ethiopia:Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic,other local languages, English (major foreign language taught inschools)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):English
Faroe Islands:Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
Fiji:English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Finland:Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), smallLapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
France:French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects andlanguages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,Flemish)
French Guiana:French
French Polynesia:French (official), Tahitian (official)
Gabon:French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira,Bandjabi
Gambia, The:English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, otherindigenous vernaculars
Gaza Strip:Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
Georgia:Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
Germany:German
Ghana:English (official), African languages (including Akan,Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Gibraltar:English (used in schools and for official purposes),Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
Greece:Greek 99% (official), English, French
Greenland:Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Grenada:English (official), French patois
Guadeloupe:French (official) 99%, Creole patois
Guam:English, Chamorro, Japanese
Guatemala:Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam,Garifuna, and Xinca)
Guernsey:English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in countrydistricts
Guinea:French (official), each ethnic group has its own language
Guinea-Bissau:Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
Guyana:English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Haiti:French (official), Creole (official)
Holy See (Vatican City):Italian, Latin, French, various otherlanguages
Honduras:Spanish, Amerindian dialects
Hong Kong:Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official
Hungary:Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%
Iceland:Icelandic
India:English enjoys associate status but is the most importantlanguage for national, political, and commercial communication,Hindi the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people,Bengali (official), Telugu (official), Marathi (official), Tamil(official), Urdu (official), Gujarati (official), Malayalam(official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official), Punjabi(official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi(official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani (a popular variant ofHindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India)
note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons;numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutuallyunintelligible
Indonesia:Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which isJavanese
Iran:Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Iraq:Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian,Armenian
Ireland:English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic)spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Israel:Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,English most commonly used foreign language
Italy:Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adigeregion are predominantly German speaking), French (smallFrench-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Jamaica:English, Creole
Japan:Japanese
Jersey:English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialectspoken in country districts
Jordan:Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper andmiddle classes
Kazakhstan:Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 40%, Russian (official,used in everyday business) 66%
Kenya:English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenouslanguages
Kiribati:English (official), I-Kiribati
Korea, North:Korean
Korea, South:Korean, English widely taught in junior high and highschool
Kuwait:Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Kyrgyzstan:Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian - officiallanguage
note: in May 2000, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian anofficial language, equal in status to Kirghiz
Laos:Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Latvia:Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Lebanon:Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Lesotho:Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Liberia:English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, ofwhich a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Libya:Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in themajor cities
Liechtenstein:German (official), Alemannic dialect
Lithuania:Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian
Luxembourg:Luxembourgish (national language), German(administrative language), French (administrative language)
Macau:Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:Macedonian 70%, Albanian21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%
Madagascar:French (official), Malagasy (official)
Malawi:English (official), Chichewa (official), other languagesimportant regionally
Malaysia:Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects(Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in EastMalaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest ofwhich are Iban and Kadazan
Maldives:Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived fromArabic), English spoken by most government officials
Mali:French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Malta:Maltese (official), English (official)
Man, Isle of:English, Manx Gaelic
Marshall Islands:English (universally spoken and is the officiallanguage), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesianfamily, Japanese
Martinique:French, Creole patois
Mauritania:Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof(official), French
Mauritius:English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka,Bojpoori
Mayotte:Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)spoken by 35% of the population
Mexico:Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regionalindigenous languages
Micronesia, Federated States of:English (official and commonlanguage), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean
Moldova:Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanianlanguage), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Monaco:French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque
Mongolia:Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)
Montserrat:English
Morocco:Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often thelanguage of business, government, and diplomacy
Mozambique:Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects
Namibia:English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most ofthe population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Nauru:Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language),English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government andcommercial purposes
Nepal:Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about adozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many ingovernment and business also speak English (1995)
Netherlands:Dutch
Netherlands Antilles:Dutch (official), Papiamento (aSpanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, Englishwidely spoken, Spanish
New Caledonia:French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
New Zealand:English (official), Maori
Nicaragua:Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Niger:French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Nigeria:English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
Niue:Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English
Norfolk Island:English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18thcentury English and ancient Tahitian
Northern Mariana Islands:English, Chamorro, Carolinian
note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
Norway:Norwegian (official)
note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Oman:Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Pakistan:Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and mostgovernment ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%
Palau:English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral(Sonsorolese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English areofficial), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)
Panama:Spanish (official), English 14%
note: many Panamanians bilingual
Papua New Guinea: English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages
Paraguay:Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Peru:Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara
Philippines:two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog)and English, eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan,Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense
Pitcairn Islands:English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Poland:Polish
Portugal:Portuguese
Puerto Rico:Spanish, English
Qatar:Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language
Reunion:French (official), Creole widely used
Romania:Romanian, Hungarian, German
Russia:Russian, other
Rwanda:Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Saint Helena:English
Saint Kitts and Nevis:English
Saint Lucia:English (official), French patois
Saint Pierre and Miquelon:French
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:English, French patois
Samoa:Samoan (Polynesian), English
San Marino:Italian
Sao Tome and Principe:Portuguese (official)
Saudi Arabia:Arabic
Senegal:French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Seychelles:English (official), French (official), Creole
Sierra Leone:English (official, regular use limited to literateminority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole,spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settledin the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10%of the population but understood by 95%)
Singapore:Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil(official), English (official)
Slovakia:Slovak (official), Hungarian
Slovenia:Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3%
Solomon Islands:Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is linguafranca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population
note: 120 indigenous languages
Somalia:Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
South Africa:11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English,Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Spain:Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,Basque 2%
Sri Lanka:Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil(national language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spokencompetently by about 10% of the population
Sudan:Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects ofNilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process
Suriname:Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language ofCreoles and much of the younger population and is lingua francaamong others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Svalbard:Russian, Norwegian
Swaziland:English (official, government business conducted inEnglish), siSwati (official)
Sweden:Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Switzerland:German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%,Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%
Syria:Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassianwidely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Tajikistan:Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government andbusiness
Tanzania:Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name forSwahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language ofcommerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widelyspoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Thailand:Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnicand regional dialects
Togo:French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina(the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimesspelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in thenorth)
Tokelau:Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English
Tonga:Tongan, English
Trinidad and Tobago:English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish,Chinese
Tunisia:Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),French (commerce)
Turkey:Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Turkmenistan:Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Turks and Caicos Islands:English (official)
Tuvalu:Tuvaluan, English
Uganda:English (official national language, taught in gradeschools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radiobroadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congolanguages, preferred for native language publications in the capitaland may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages,Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
Ukraine:Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
United Arab Emirates:Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi,Urdu
United Kingdom:English, Welsh (about 26% of the population ofWales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
United States:English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Uruguay:Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix onthe Brazilian frontier)
Uzbekistan:Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Vanuatu:English (official), French (official), pidgin (known asBislama or Bichelama)
Venezuela:Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Vietnam:Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as asecond language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain arealanguages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Virgin Islands:English (official), Spanish, Creole
Wallis and Futuna:French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
West Bank:Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
Western Sahara:Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Yemen:Arabic
Yugoslavia:Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%
Zambia:English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi,Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Zimbabwe:English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of theNdebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribaldialects
Taiwan:Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
======================================================================
@Legal system
Afghanistan:a new legal system has not been adopted but allfactions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)
Albania:has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Algeria:socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial reviewof legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed ofvarious public officials, including several Supreme Court justices;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
American Samoa:NA
Andorra:based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial reviewof legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Angola:based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increaseduse of free markets
Anguilla:based on English common law
Antarctica:Antarctica is administered through meetings of theconsultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings arecarried out by these member nations (within their areas) inaccordance with their own national laws. US law, including certaincriminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, mayapply extra-territorially. Some US laws directly apply toAntarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C.section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for thefollowing activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute:the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction ofnonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protectedareas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importationinto the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of theAntarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 infines and one year in prison. The National Science Foundation andDepartment of Justice share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, inadvance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, Room 5801,Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plansto other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For moreinformation, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs,National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone:(703) 292-8030, or see their website at www.nsf.gov.
Antigua and Barbuda:based on English common law
Argentina:mixture of US and West European legal systems; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Armenia:based on civil law system
Aruba:based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common lawinfluence
Ashmore and Cartier Islands:the laws of the Northern Territory ofAustralia, where applicable, apply
Australia:based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Austria:civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review oflegislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separateadministrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Azerbaijan:based on civil law system
Bahamas, The:based on English common law
Bahrain:based on Islamic law and English common law
Baker Island:the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Bangladesh:based on English common law
Barbados:English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
Bassas da India:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Belarus:based on civil law system
Belgium:civil law system influenced by English constitutionaltheory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Belize:English law
Benin:based on French civil law and customary law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bermuda:English law
Bhutan:based on Indian law and English common law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bolivia:based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bosnia and Herzegovina:based on civil law system
Botswana:based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicialreview limited to matters of interpretation; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Bouvet Island:the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Brazil:based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
British Indian Ocean Territory:the laws of the UK, whereapplicable, apply
British Virgin Islands:English law
Brunei:based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'alaw supersedes civil law in a number of areas
Bulgaria:civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Burkina Faso:based on French civil law system and customary law
Burma:has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Burundi:based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cambodia:primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codesfrom the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influencesof customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasinginfluence of common law in recent years
Cameroon:based on French civil law system, with common lawinfluence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Canada:based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civillaw system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Cape Verde:derived from the legal system of Portugal
Cayman Islands:British common law and local statutes
Central African Republic:based on French law
Chad:based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Chile:based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequentcodes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review oflegislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
China:a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminallaw; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; newlegal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts arebeing made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, andcommercial law
Christmas Island:under the authority of the governor general ofAustralia and Australian law
Clipperton Island:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Cocos (Keeling) Islands:based upon the laws of Australia and locallaws
Colombia:based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after USprocedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive andlegislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
Comoros:French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code
Congo, Democratic Republic of the:based on Belgian civil law systemand tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Congo, Republic of the:based on French civil law system andcustomary law
Cook Islands:based on New Zealand law and English common law
Coral Sea Islands:the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Costa Rica:based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review oflegislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Cote d'Ivoire:based on French civil law system and customary law;judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Croatia:based on civil law system
Cuba:based on Spanish and American law, with large elements ofCommunist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Cyprus:based on common law, with civil law modifications
Czech Republic:civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified tobring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation inEurope (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legaltheory
Denmark:civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Djibouti:based on French civil law system, traditional practices,and Islamic law
Dominica:based on English common law
Dominican Republic:based on French civil codes
Ecuador:based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Egypt:based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleoniccodes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
El Salvador:based on civil and Roman law, with traces of commonlaw; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Equatorial Guinea:partly based on Spanish civil law and tribalcustom
Eritrea:operates on the basis of transitional laws that incorporatepre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front,revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post independenceenacted laws
Estonia:based on civil law system; no judicial review oflegislative acts
Ethiopia:currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Europa Island:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):English common law
Faroe Islands:Danish
Fiji:based on British system
Finland:civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court mayrequest legislation interpreting or modifying laws; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
France:civil law system with indigenous concepts; review ofadministrative but not legislative acts
French Guiana:French legal system
French Polynesia:based on French system
French Southern and Antarctic Lands:the laws of France, whereapplicable, apply
Gabon:based on French civil law system and customary law; judicialreview of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the SupremeCourt; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Gambia, The:based on a composite of English common law, Koraniclaw, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
Georgia:based on civil law system
Germany:civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial reviewof legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Ghana:based on English common law and customary law; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Gibraltar:English law
Glorioso Islands:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Greece:based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,criminal, and administrative courts
Greenland:Danish
Grenada:based on English common law
Guadeloupe:French legal system
Guam:modeled on US; US federal laws apply
Guatemala:civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Guernsey:English law and local statute; justice is administered bythe Royal Court
Guinea:based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Guinea-Bissau:NA
Guyana:based on English common law with certain admixtures ofRoman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Haiti:based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Heard Island and McDonald Islands:the laws of Australia, whereapplicable, apply
Holy See (Vatican City):NA
Honduras:rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasinginfluence of English common law; recent judicial reforms includeabandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarialsystem; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Hong Kong:based on English common law
Howland Island:the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Hungary:rule of law based on Western model
Iceland:civil law system based on Danish law; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
India:based on English common law; limited judicial review oflegislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
Indonesia:based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified byindigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Iran:the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Iraq:based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil lawsystem elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Ireland:based on English common law, substantially modified byindigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in SupremeCourt; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Israel:mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legalsystems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat thatit would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Italy:based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Jamaica:based on English common law; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Jan Mayen:the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Japan:modeled after European civil law system with English-Americaninfluence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Jarvis Island:the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Jersey:English law and local statute
Johnston Atoll:the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Jordan:based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review oflegislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Juan de Nova Island:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Kazakhstan:based on civil law system
Kenya:based on 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 ade jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Kingman Reef:the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Kiribati:NA
Korea, North:based on German civil law system with Japaneseinfluences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review oflegislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Korea, South:combines elements of continental European civil lawsystems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Kuwait:civil law system with Islamic law significant in personalmatters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kyrgyzstan:based on civil law system
Laos:based on traditional customs, French legal norms andprocedures, and Socialist practice
Latvia:based on civil law system
Lebanon:mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, andcivil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Lesotho:based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicialreview of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; hasnot accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Liberia:dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American commonlaw for the modern sector and customary law based on unwrittentribal practices for indigenous sector
Libya:based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separatereligious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review oflegislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Liechtenstein:local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Lithuania:based on civil law system; no judicial review oflegislative acts
Luxembourg:based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Macau:based on Portuguese civil law system
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:based on civil lawsystem; judicial review of legislative acts