Electricity - imports: 1.1 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep
Exports: $11.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear 26%, metals and metal products 15%, machinery and equipment 11%, minerals and fuels 6% (1999)
Exports - partners: Italy 23%, Germany 18%, France 6%, Turkey 5%, US (1999)
Imports: $11.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 23%, fuels and minerals 12%, chemicals 9%, textile and products 19% (1999)
Imports - partners: Italy 20%, Germany 19%, France 7%, Russia 6% (1999)
Debt - external: $9.3 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: leu (ROL)
Currency code: ROL
Exchange rates: lei per US dollar - 26,243.0 (January 2001), 21,708.7 (2000), 15,332.8 (1999), 8,875.6 (1998), 7,167.9 (1997), 3,084.2 (1996); note - lei is the plural form of leu
Fiscal year: calendar year
Romania Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.777 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 645,500 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several international telecommunication network projects (1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 7.2 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 5.25 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ro
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 38 (2000)
Internet users: 600,000 (2000)
Romania Transportation
Railways: total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km
narrow gauge: 487 km (1996)
Highways: total: 153,359 km
paved: 103,671 km (including 133 km of expressways)
unpaved: 49,688 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina,Tulcea
Merchant marine: total: 95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 695,227 GRT/931,598 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 71, container 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 62 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 25
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Romania Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,899,536 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,962,807 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 179,951 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY00)
Romania Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe
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@Russia
Russia Introduction
Background: The defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I led to the seizure of power by the communists and the formation of the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1924-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the communist period.
Russia Geography
Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 17,075,200 sq km
land: 16,995,800 sq km
water: 79,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 19,961 km
border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km
Coastline: 37,653 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m
Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber
note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources
Land use: arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 42% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; ground water contamination from toxic waste
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture
Russia People
Population: 145,470,197 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.41% (male 12,915,026; female 12,405,341)
15-64 years: 69.78% (male 49,183,000; female 52,320,962)
65 years and over: 12.81% (male 5,941,944; female 12,703,924) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.35% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 9.35 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 13.85 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.98 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.34 years
male: 62.12 years
female: 72.83 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.18% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 850 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%
Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages: Russian, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 100%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
Russia Government
Country name: conventional long form: Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
local short form: Rossiya
former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Government type: federation
Capital: Moscow
Administrative divisions: 49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast),21 republics* (respublik, singular - respublika), 10 autonomousokrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6krays*** (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular -gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast');Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay(Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya(Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan(Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya(Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**,Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy(Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya,Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya(Elista)*, Kaluzhskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy),Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*,Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*,Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi(Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***,Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya,Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*,Moskovskaya, Moskva (Moscow)****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy(Nar'yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya,Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya,Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***,Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutsk)*,Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg(Saint Petersburg)****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya[North Ossetia] (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***,Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*,Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya,Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-OrdynskiyBuryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya,Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**,Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name withan adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' orAvonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name
note: the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetiya were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Russia Day, 12 June (1990)
Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Vladimir VladimirovichPUTIN (acting president since 31 December 1999, president since 7May 2000)
head of government: Premier Mikhail Mikhaylovich KASYANOV (since 7May 2000); First Deputy Premier Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 18May 2000), Deputy Premiers Aleksey Vasilyevich GORDEYEV (since 20May 2000), Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 31 May 1999), IlyaIosifovich KLEBANOV (since 31 May 1999), Valentina IvanovnaMATVIYENKO (since 22 September 1998)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and other agency heads; all are appointed by the president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma
election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN elected president; percent of vote - PUTIN 52.9%, Gennadiy Aadreyevich ZYUGANOV 29.2%, Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY 5.8%
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; half elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 5% of the vote, and half from single-member constituencies; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: State Duma - last held 19 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2003)
election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - KPRF 24.29%, Unity 23.32%, OVR 13.33%, Union of Right Forces 8.52%, LDPR 5.98%, Yabloko 5.93%; seats by party - KPRF 113, Unity 72, OVR 67, Union of Rightist Forces 29, LDPR 17, Yabloko 21, other 16, independents 106, repeat election required 8, vacant 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party [Mikhail IvanovichLAPSHIN]; Communist Party of the Russian Federation or KPRF[Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Fatherland-All Russia or OVR [YuriyMikhailovich LUZHKOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR[Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Union of Right Forces [AnatoliyBorisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR, Irina MutsuovnaKHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV]; Unity [Sergey KuzhugetovichSHOYGU]; Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]
note: some 150 political parties, blocs, and movements registered with the Justice Ministry as of the 19 December 1998 deadline to be eligible to participate in the 19 December 1999 Duma elections; of these, 36 political organizations actually qualified to run slates of candidates on the Duma party list ballot, 6 parties cleared the 5% threshold to win a proportional share of the 225 party seats in the Duma, 9 other organizations hold seats in the Duma: Bloc of Nikolayev and Academician Fedorov, Congress of Russian Communities, Movement in Support of the Army, Our Home Is Russia, Party of Pensioners, Power to the People, Russian All-People's Union, Russian Socialist Party, and Spiritual Heritage; primary political blocs include pro-market democrats - (Yabloko Bloc and Union of Right Forces), anti-market and/or ultranationalist (Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia)
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ASEAN (dialoguepartner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC,EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM(guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN SecurityCouncil, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorYuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorJames F. COLLINS
embassy: Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, 121099 Moscow
mailing address: APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000
consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
Russia Economy
Economy - overview: A decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia is still struggling to establish a modern market economy and achieve strong economic growth. In contrast to its trading partners in Central Europe - which were able to overcome the initial production declines that accompanied the launch of market reforms within three to five years - Russia saw its economy contract for five years, as the executive and legislature dithered over the implementation of many of the basic foundations of a market economy. Russia achieved a slight recovery in 1997, but the government's stubborn budget deficits and the country's poor business climate made it vulnerable when the global financial crisis swept through in 1998. The crisis culminated in the August depreciation of the ruble, a debt default by the government, and a sharp deterioration in living standards for most of the population. The economy rebounded in 1999 and 2000, buoyed by the competitive boost from the weak ruble and a surging trade surplus fueled by rising world oil prices. This recovery, along with a renewed government effort in 2000 to advance lagging structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence over Russia's prospects in its second decade of transition. Yet serious problems persist. Russia remains heavily dependent on exports of commodities, particularly oil, natural gas, metals, and timber, which account for over 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's agricultural sector remains beset by uncertainty over land ownership rights, which has discouraged needed investment and restructuring. Another threat is negative demographic trends, fueled by low birth rates and a deteriorating health situation - including an alarming rise in AIDS cases - that have contributed to a nearly 2% drop in the population since 1992. Russia's industrial base is increasingly dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve sustainable economic growth. Other problems include widespread corruption, capital flight, and brain drain.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.12 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%
industry: 34%
services: 59% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 40% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 38.7% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20.6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 66 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 15%, industry 30%, services 55% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10.5% (2000 est.), plus considerable underemployment
Budget: revenues: $40 billion
expenditures: $33.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 8.8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 798.065 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 66.31%
hydro: 19.79%
nuclear: 13.9%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 728.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 20 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 6 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk
Exports: $105.1 billion (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures
Exports - partners: US 8.8%, Germany 8.5%, Ukraine 6.5%, Belarus 5.1%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 4.8% (1999)
Imports: $44.2 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products
Imports - partners: Germany 13.8%, Belarus 10.7%, Ukraine 8.3%, US 7.9%, Kazakhstan 4.6%, Italy 3.8% (1999)
Debt - external: $163 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $8.523 billion (1995)
Currency: Russian ruble (RUR)
Currency code: RUR
Exchange rates: Russian rubles per US dollar - 28.3592 (January 2001), 28.1292 (2000), 24.6199 (1999), 9.7051 (1998), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996)
note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1 January 1998 rubles
Fiscal year: calendar year
Russia Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 30 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.5 million (October 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system has undergone significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems
Radio broadcast stations: AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)
Radios: 61.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7,306 (1998)
Televisions: 60.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ru
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 35 (2000)
Internet users: 9.2 million (2000)
Russia Transportation
Railways: total: 149,000 km
note: 86,000 km are in common carrier service; 63,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use; 40,000 km of the railway in common carrier use are electrified
broad gauge: 149,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1998)
Highways: total: 952,000 km
paved: 752,000 km (including, in addition to about 336,000 km of conventionally paved roads, about 416,000 km of roads, the surfaces of which have been stabilized with gravel or other coarse aggregates, making them trafficable in wet weather)
unpaved: 200,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
Waterways: 95,900 km (total routes in general use)
note: routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet-95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids-60,400 km; man-made navigable routes-16,900 km (Jan 1994)
Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (June 1993 est.)
Ports and harbors: Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan',Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Saint Petersburg,Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine: total: 878 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,314,485 GRT/5,344,958 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 20, cargo 543, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 7, container 31, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 35, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 164, refrigerated cargo 24, roll on/roll off 17, short-sea passenger 7
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Reunion 1 (2000 est.)
Airports: 2,743 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 471
over 3,047 m: 56
2,438 to 3,047 m: 178
1,524 to 2,437 m: 76
914 to 1,523 m: 69
under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2,272
over 3,047 m: 28
2,438 to 3,047 m: 118
1,524 to 2,437 m: 204
914 to 1,523 m: 324
under 914 m: 1,598 (2000 est.)
Russia Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Strategic RocketForces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 38,866,147 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 30,337,743 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 1,242,778 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Russia Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute over at least two small sections of the boundary with China remains to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996, which has not been signed or ratified by Russia as of February 2001; draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; 1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; 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; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of amphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to the US, and growing domestic market; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are major concerns; heroin an increasing threat in domestic drug market
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@Rwanda
Rwanda Introduction
Background: In 1959, three years before independence, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC). Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.
Rwanda Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 26,338 sq km
land: 24,948 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Land use: arable land: 35%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment - current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; predominantly rural population
Rwanda People
Population: 7,312,756
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,555,878; female 1,544,942)
15-64 years: 54.73% (male 1,989,501; female 2,013,012)
65 years and over: 2.87% (male 83,769; female 125,654) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.16% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 33.97 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 21.13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 118.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 38.99 years
male: 38.35 years
female: 39.65 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.89 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.21% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 40,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups: Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 24%, Adventist 10.4%,Muslim 1.9%, indigenous beliefs and other 6.5%, none 4.5% (1996)
Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48%
male: 52%
female: 45% (1995 est.)
Rwanda Government
Country name: conventional long form: Rwandese Republic
conventional short form: Rwanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form: Rwanda
former: Ruanda
Government type: republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital: Kigali
Administrative divisions: 12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted as Fundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda Patriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME(FPR) (since 22 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: normally the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special election for new president by deputies of the National Assembly and governmental ministers held 17 April 2000 (next national election to be held NA 2003); prime minister is appointed by the president
election results: Paul KAGAME (FPR) elected president in a special parliamentary/ministerial ballot receiving 81 of a possible 86 votes
Legislative branch: unicameral Transitional National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale de Transition (a power-sharing body with 70 seats established on 12 December 1994 following a multiparty protocol of understanding; members were named by their parties, number of seats per party predetermined by the Arusha peace accord)
note: four additional seats, two for women and two for youth, added in 2001
elections: the last national legislative elections were held 16 December 1988 for the National Development Council (the legislature prior to the advent of the Transitional National Assembly); no elections have been held for the Transitional National Assembly as the distribution of seats was predetermined by the Arusha peace accord
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FPR 13, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, RPA 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, UDPR 2; note - the distribution of seats was predetermined, four additional seats (two for women and two for youth) added in 2001
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
Political parties and leaders: Centrist Democratic Party or PDC[Jean-Nipomuscene NAYINZIRA]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD[Charles NTAKIRUTINKA, Vincent BIRUTA, Augusin IYAMUREMYE];Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA];Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA, EmileNTWARABAKIGA, Christian MARARA]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI[Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Pie MUGABO, Enock KABERA,Prosper MUGIRANEZA]; Rwanda Patriotic Army or RPA [Maj. Gen. PaulKAGAME, commander]; Rwanda Patriotic Front or FPR [Maj. Gen. PaulKAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [Medard RUTIJANWA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: IBUKA - association of genocide survivors
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorRichard SEZIBERA
chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorGeorge M. STAPLES
embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali
mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali
telephone: [250] 756 01 through 03, 721 26, 771 47
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band
Rwanda Economy
Economy - overview: Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa; is landlocked; and has few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary exports are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made significant progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has been curbed. In June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) with the IMF. Rwanda has also embarked upon an ambitious privatization program with the World Bank. Continued growth in 2001 depends on the maintenance of international aid levels and the strengthening of world prices of coffee and tea.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 20%
services: 40% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 24.2% (1983-85)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2000)
Labor force: 3.6 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $198 million
expenditures: $411 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate: 8.7% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 132 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.03%
hydro: 96.97%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 191.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 70 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Exports: $68.4 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners: Germany, Belgium, Pakistan, Italy, Kenya
Imports: $245.9 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - partners: Kenya, Tanzania, US, Benelux, France, India
Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $591.5 million (1997); note - in summer 1998, Rwanda presented its policy objectives and development priorities to donor governments resulting in multiyear pledges in the amount of $250 million
Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
Currency code: RWF
Exchange rates: Rwandan francs per US dollar - 432.24 (January 2001), 389.70 (2000), 333.94 (1999) 312.31 (1998), 301.53 (1997), 306.82 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Rwanda Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 15,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
note: however, Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone
international: international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 601,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .rw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Rwanda Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 12,000 km
paved: 1,000 km
unpaved: 11,000 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: note: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Ports and harbors: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports: 8 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Rwanda Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,815,633 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 924,544 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $58 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (FY01)
Rwanda Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Rwandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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@Saint Helena
Saint Helena Introduction
Background: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, St. Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Saint Helena Geography
Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way betweenSouth America and Africa
Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 410 sq km
land: 410 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes St. Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
Area - comparative: slightly more than two times the size ofWashington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 60 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Terrain: Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 82% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Saint Helena People
Population: 7,266 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.08% (male 699; female 687)
15-64 years: 71.72% (male 2,711; female 2,500)
65 years and over: 9.2% (male 286; female 383) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.72% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.49 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 6.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.01 years
male: 74.13 years
female: 80.04 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.53 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: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian
Ethnic groups: African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist,Roman Catholic
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.)
Saint Helena Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Jamestown
Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*;Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday inJune (1926)
Constitution: 1 January 1989
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: NA years of age
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY (since NA June 1999)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (15 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 July 1997 (next to be held NA August 2001)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small DebtsCourt; Juvenile Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: ICFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of theUK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
Saint Helena Economy
Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 3,500 (1998 est.)
note: 1,200 of whom are working offshore
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)