Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the president
elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; the number of terms is not restricted; election last held 26 September 1996 (next to be held NA October 2001)
election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH elected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 55.8%, Ousainou DARBOE 35.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (49 seats; 45 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last popular election held 2 January 1997 (next to be held NA January 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - APRC 33, UDP 7, NRP 2, PDOIS 1, independents 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Patriotic Reorientationand Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; NationalReconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's DemocraticOrganization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA];United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]
note: in August 1996 the government banned the following from participation in the elections of 1996: People's Progressive Party or PPP [former President Dawda K. JAWARA (in exile)], and two opposition parties - the National Convention Party or NCP [former Vice President Sheriff DIBBA] and the Gambian People's Party or GPP [Hassan Musa CAMARA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU,WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorJohn P. BOJANG
chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1399
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorGeorge W. B. HALEY
embassy: Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul
mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391970, 391971
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green
Gambia, The Economy
Economy - overview: The Gambia has no important mineral or other natural resources and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, instability of the Gambian dalasi, and the stable political situation in Senegal have drawn some of the reexport trade away from Banjul. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts; the following two marketing seasons have seen significantly lower prices and sales. A decline in tourism from 1999 to 2000 has also held back growth. Unemployment and underemployment rates are extremely high. Shortrun economic progress remains highly dependent on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management as forwarded by IMF technical help and advice, and on expected growth in the construction sector.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21%
industry: 12%
services: 67% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 400,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 6%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $90.5 million
expenditures: $80.9 million, including capital expenditures of $4.1 million (2001 est.)
Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 75 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 69.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited
Exports: $125.8 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels
Exports - partners: Benelux 59%, Japan 20%, UK 7%, Spain 2% (1999)
Imports: $202.5 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment
Imports - partners: China (including Hong Kong) 49%, UK 15%,Netherlands 11.6%, Brazil 10%, Senegal 10% (1997)
Debt - external: $440 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $45.4 million (1995)
Currency: dalasi (GMD)
Currency code: GMD
Exchange rates: dalasi per US dollar - 15.000 (January 2001), 12.729 (3d quarter 1999), 11.395 (1999), 10.643 (1998), 10.200 (1997), 9.789 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Gambia, The Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,900 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 5,624 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2000)
Radios: 196,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (government-owned) (1997)
Televisions: 5,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .gm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2001)
Internet users: 5,000 (2001)
Gambia, The Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1996)
Waterways: 400 km
Ports and harbors: Banjul
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Gambia, The Military
Military branches: Army (includes marine unit), National Police,Presidential Guard
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 316,873 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 159,764 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.6 million (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY96/97)
Gambia, The Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
======================================================================
@Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip Introduction
Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations, which resumed in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus. An intifadah broke out in September 2000; the resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability in the Palestinian Authority are undermining progress toward a permanent settlement.
Gaza Strip Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, betweenEgypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 360 sq km
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,DC
Land boundaries: total: 62 km
border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
Natural resources: arable land, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 39%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts
Environment - current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation
Geography - note: there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 2000 est.)
Gaza Strip People
Population: 1,178,119 (July 2001 est.)
note: in addition, there are some 6,900 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 49.89% (male 301,288; female 286,481)
15-64 years: 47.32% (male 283,274; female 274,189)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 14,121; female 18,766) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.01% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 42.48 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.01 years
male: 69.76 years
female: 72.32 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.42 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%
Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,Jewish 0.6%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Gaza Strip Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah
Gaza Strip Economy
Economy - overview: Economic output in the Gaza Strip - which comes under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo Agreement of May 1994 - declined perhaps one-third between 1992 and 1996. The downturn was largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of generalized border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS (West Bank and Gaza Strip). The most serious negative social effect of this downturn was the emergence of high unemployment; unemployment in the WBGS during the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of Palestinian violence, which triggered tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and a severe disruption of trade and labor movements.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.11 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -7.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9%
industry: 28%
services: 63% (1999 est., includes West Bank)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (includes West Bank) (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 40% (includes West Bank) (yearend 2000)
Budget: revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
note: includes West Bank (1999 est.)
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied byIsrael
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel
Agriculture - products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Exports: $682 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.) (includes West Bank)
Exports - commodities: citrus, flowers
Exports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Imports: $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.) (includes West Bank)
Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Debt - external: $108 million (1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Economic aid - recipient: $121 million disbursed (2000) (includesWest Bank)
Currency: new Israeli shekel (ILS)
Currency code: ILS
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December 2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Gaza Strip Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 95,729 (total for Gaza Strip andWest Bank) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open wire system
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (operated by the PalestinianBroadcasting Corporation) (1997)
Televisions: NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999)
Internet users: 23,520 (1999) (includes West Bank)
Gaza Strip Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains
Highways: total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Gaza
Airports: 2
note: includes Gaza International Airport that opened on 24 November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995 Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Gaza Strip Military
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Gaza Strip Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip areIsraeli-occupied with current status subject to theIsraeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to bedetermined through further negotiation
======================================================================
@Georgia
Georgia Introduction
Background: Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Russian troops remain garrisoned at four military bases and as peacekeepers in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (but are scheduled to withdraw from two of the bases by July 2001). Despite a badly degraded transportation network - brought on by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages - the country continues to move toward a market economy and greater integration with Western institutions.
Georgia Geography
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 69,700 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km
Coastline: 310 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Mqinvartsveri (Gora Kazbek) 5,048 m
Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth
Land use: arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes
Environment - current issues: air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of theSea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Georgia People
Population: 4,989,285 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.59% (male 498,575; female 478,663)
15-64 years: 67.91% (male 1,632,338; female 1,755,910)
65 years and over: 12.5% (male 241,824; female 381,975) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.59% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 11.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 14.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.57 years
male: 61.04 years
female: 68.28 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian
Ethnic groups: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions: Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%,Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 100%
female: 98% (1989 est.)
Georgia Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local long form: none
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: T'bilisi
Administrative divisions: 53 rayons (raionebi, singular - raioni), 9cities* (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomousrepublics** (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika);Abashis, Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika**(Sokhumi), Adigenis, Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika**(Bat'umi), Akhalgoris, Akhalk'alak'is, Akhalts'ikhis, Akhmetis,Ambrolauris, Aspindzis, Baghdat'is, Bolnisis, Borjomis, Chiat'ura*,Ch'khorotsqus, Ch'okhatauris, Dedop'listsqaros, Dmanisis, Dushet'is,Gardabanis, Gori*, Goris, Gurjaanis, Javis, K'arelis, Kaspis,Kharagaulis, Khashuris, Khobis, Khonis, K'ut'aisi*, Lagodekhis,Lanch'khut'is, Lentekhis, Marneulis, Martvilis, Mestiis,Mts'khet'is, Ninotsmindis, Onis, Ozurget'is, P'ot'i*, Qazbegis,Qvarlis, Rust'avi*, Sach'kheris, Sagarejos, Samtrediis, Senakis,Sighnaghis, T'bilisi*, T'elavis, T'erjolis, T'et'ritsqaros,T'ianet'is, Tqibuli*, Ts'ageris, Tsalenjikhis, Tsalkis, Tsqaltubo*,Vanis, Zestap'onis, Zugdidi*, Zugdidis
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: adopted 17 October 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March 1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March 1992; Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE reelected president; percent of vote - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 80%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - CUG 41.85%, AGUR 25.65%, IWSG 7.8%, all other parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - CUG 130, AGUR 58, IWSG 15, Abkhaz deputies 12, independents 17, other 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges elected by the SupremeCouncil on the president's recommendation); Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG[Eduard SHEVARDNADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG[Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman]; Industry Will Save Georgia orIWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; National Democratic Party or NDP [IrinaSARISHVILI-CHANTURIA]; Socialist Party or SPG [Temur GAMTSEMLIDZE];Union for "Revival" Party or AGUR [Alsan ABASHIDZE]; UnitedRepublican Party or URP [Nodar NATADZE, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Georgian refugees from Abkhazia (Abkhaz faction in Georgian Parliament); separatist elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia; supporters of the late ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA remain a source of opposition
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC,EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OPCW, OSCE,PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorTedo JAPARIDZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorKenneth S. YALOWITZ
embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [995] (32) 989-967/68
Flag description: maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below
Georgia Economy
Economy - overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 1995, increasing GDP growth and slashing inflation. The Georgian economy continues to experience large budget deficits due to a failure to collect tax revenues. Georgia also still suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the distribution network in 1998, and deliveries are steadily improving. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term recovery on the development of an international transportation corridor through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi. The growing trade deficit, continuing problems with tax evasion and corruption, and political uncertainties cloud the short-term economic picture.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32%
industry: 23%
services: 45% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 3.08 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 20%, agriculture 40%, services 40% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14.9% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $437 million
expenditures: $626 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (1999)
Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electric locomotives, trucks, tractors, textiles, shoes, chemicals, wood products, wine
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.975 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 20.38%
hydro: 79.62%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 7.117 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 850 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 550 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes; livestock
Exports: $372 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types of machinery and metals; chemicals; fuel reexports; textiles
Exports - partners: Russia 19%, Turkey 16%, Azerbaijan 8%, Armenia 6% (1999)
Imports: $898 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment
Imports - partners: EU 22%, Russia 19%, Turkey 12%, US 12% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.9 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $212.7 million (1995)
Currency: lari (GEL)
Currency code: GEL
Exchange rates: lari per US dollar - 1.9798 (December 2000), 1.9762 (2000), 2.0245 (1999), 1.3898 (1998), 1.2975 (1997), 1.2628 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Georgia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 620,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 30,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 2.57 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ge
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Georgia Transportation
Railways: total: 1,583 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge: 1,583 km 1.520-m gauge (1993)
Highways: total: 33,900 km
paved: 29,500 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)
unpaved: 4,400 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Merchant marine: total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 131,316 GRT/190,289 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 2, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 31 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Transportation - note: transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair
Georgia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air DefenseForces, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,296,199 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,024,574 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 41,561 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.59% (FY00)
Military - note: a CIS peacekeeping force consisting of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia
Georgia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia
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@Germany
Germany Introduction
Background: As Western Europe's richest and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed the country in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries formed a common European currency, the euro.
Germany Geography
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the NorthSea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 357,021 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 3,618 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 135 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 2,389 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm foehn wind
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land
Land use: arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 20% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government currently attempting to define mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, AirPollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea
Germany People
Population: 83,029,536 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.57% (male 6,635,328; female 6,289,994)
15-64 years: 67.82% (male 28,619,237; female 27,691,698)
65 years and over: 16.61% (male 5,336,664; female 8,456,615) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.27% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.61 years
male: 74.47 years
female: 80.92 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 37,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: German(s)
adjective: German
Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, unaffiliated or other 26.3%
Languages: German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Germany Government
Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Berlin
Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular - Land);Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen
Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday: Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Johannes RAU (since 1July 1999)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 1999 (next to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held in the fall of 2002)
election results: Johannes RAU elected president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly - 52.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for the 1998 term; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by the fall of 2002); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - SPD 40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%; seats by party - SPD 298, Alliance '90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43, PDS 36; Federal Council - current composition - votes by party - SPD-led states 26, CDU-led states 28, grand coalitions 15
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court orBundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by theBundestag and half by the Bundesrat)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance '90/Greens [Renate KUENASTand Fritz KUHN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL];Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; FreeDemocratic Party or FDP [Wolfgang GERHARDT, chairman]; note -Wolfgang GERHARDT will probably be replaced by Guido WESTERWELLE inMay 2001; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS [Gabi ZIMMER]; SocialDemocratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, AustraliaGroup, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC,EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, 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, ISO, ITU, MONUC,NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG,UPU, WADB (nonregional), WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorJuergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8141
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s): Wellington (America Samoa)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorJohn C. KORNBLUM (was due to resign on 20 January 2001)
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (30) 238-5174
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
Germany Economy
Economy - overview: Germany possesses the world's third most technologically powerful economy after the US and Japan, but structural market rigidities - including the substantial non-wage costs of hiring new workers - have made unemployment a long-term, not just a cyclical, problem. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy remains a costly long-term problem, with annual transfers from western Germany amounting to roughly $70 billion. Growth picked up to 3% in 2000, largely due to recovering global demand; newly passed business and income tax cuts are expected to keep growth strong in 2001. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are transforming the German economy to meet the challenges of European economic integration and globalization in general.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.936 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 30.4%
services: 68.4% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 40.5 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 33.4%, agriculture 2.8%, services 63.8% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $996 billion
expenditures: $1.036 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries: among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; shipbuilding; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 4.7% (2000)
Electricity - production: 531.377 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 63.29%
hydro: 3.59%
nuclear: 30.3%
other: 2.82% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 495.181 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 39.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 40.5 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports: $578 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: EU 55.3% (France 11.3%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.3%, Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.1%), US 10.1%, Japan 2.0% (1999)
Imports: $505 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Imports - partners: EU 52.2% (France 10.5%, Netherlands 7.6%, Italy 7.4%, UK 6.9%, Belgium/Luxembourg 5.6%), US 8.1%, Japan 4.9% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)
Currency: deutsche mark (DEM); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Germany at a fixed rate of 1.95583 deutsche marks per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: DEM; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Germany Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 45.2 million (1997)
note: 46.5 million main lines were installed by yearend 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular: 15.318 million (April 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available and includes roaming service to many foreign countries