Radio broadcast stations: AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 320,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ni
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Transportation Nicaragua
Railways: total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge note: carries mostly passengers from Chichigalpa to Ingenio San Antonio (2001)
Highways: total: 16,382 km paved: 1,818 km unpaved: 14,564 km (1998)
Waterways: 2,220 km (including 2 large lakes)
Pipelines: crude oil 56 km
Ports and harbors: Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas,Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 182 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: 3 914 to 1,523 m: Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 171 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 145 (2001)
Military Nicaragua
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,308,430 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 802,779 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 58,232 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $26 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY98)
Transnational Issues Nicaragua
Disputes - international: territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; with respect to the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
New Zealand
Introduction New Zealand
Background: The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years the government has sought to address longstanding native Maori grievances.
Geography New Zealand
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast ofAustralia
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 268,680 sq km note: includes Antipodes Islands, AucklandIslands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and KermadecIslands water: NA sq km land: NA sq km
Area - comparative: about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 15,134 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:Mount Cook 3,764 m
Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 6% other: 88% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,850 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-EnvironmentalProtocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, butnot ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, MarineLife Conservation
Geography - note: about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
People New Zealand
Population: 3,908,037 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.2% (male 443,921; female 422,804) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,299,973; female 1,290,097) 65 years and over: 11.5% (male 196,640; female 254,602) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 14.23 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 81.27 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand
Ethnic groups: New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%
Religions: Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)
Languages: English (official), Maori (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Government New Zealand
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:New Zealand abbreviation: NZ
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Wellington
Administrative divisions: 93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 towndistricts**; Akaroa, Amuri, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller,Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont,Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay,Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay,Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt,Inangahua, Inglewood, Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie,Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton,Matamata, Mount Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*,Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*,Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks,Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui,Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke,Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West,Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa,Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace, Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland,Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa, Woodville note: there may be anew administrative structure of 16 regions (Auckland, Bay of Plenty,Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago,Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wanganui-Manawatu, Wellington,West Coast) that are subdivided into 57 districts and 16 cities*(Ashburton, Auckland*, Banks Peninsula, Buller, Carterton, CentralHawke's Bay, Central Otago, Christchurch*, Clutha, Dunedin*, Far North,Franklin, Gisborne, Gore, Grey, Hamilton*, Hastings, Hauraki, Horowhenua,Hurunui, Hutt*, Invercargill*, Kaikoura, Kaipara, Kapiti Coast, Kawerau,Mackenzie, Manawatu, Manukau*, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata Piako,Napier*, Nelson*, New Plymouth, North Shore*, Opotiki, Otorohanga,Palmerston North*, Papakura*, Porirua*, Queenstown Lakes, Rangitikei,Rodney, Rotorua, Ruapehu, Selwyn, Southland, South Taranaki, SouthWaikato, South Wairarapa, Stratford, Tararua, Tasman, Taupo, Tauranga,Thames Coromandel, Timaru, Upper Hutt*, Waikato, Waimakariri, Waimate,Waipa, Wairoa, Waitakere*, Waitaki, Waitomo, Wanganui, Wellington*,Western Bay of Plenty, Westland, Whakatane, Whangarei)
Dependent areas: Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Independence: 26 September 1907 (from UK)
National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
Constitution: consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter
Legal system: based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister James (Jim) ANDERTON (since 10 December 1999) cabinet: of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 1999 (next must be called by November 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 49, NP 39, Alliance 10, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 7, NZFP 5, UNZ 1 note: NZLP and Alliance formed the government coalition; the National Party is the opposition party
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: ACT, New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE];Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, NewZealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; GreenParty [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [William(Bill) English]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; NewZealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United New Zealand or UNZ[Peter DUNNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorL. John WOOD chancery: 37 Observatory Circle[1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general:Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorCharles J. SWINDELLS embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon,Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1,FPO AP 96531-1001 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 478-1701consulate(s) general: Auckland
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation
Economy New Zealand
Economy - overview: Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring, transforming New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. While per capita incomes have been rising, however, they remain below the level of the four largest EU economies, and there is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient, achieving about 3% growth in 2001, but the New Zealand business cycle tends to lag the US cycle by about six months, so the worst of the downturn may not hit until mid-2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $75.4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8% industry: 23% services: 69% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.92 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 65%, industry 25%, agriculture 10% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $16.7 billion expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01)
Industries: food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 35.823 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 26.55% hydro: 66.45% other: 7% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 33.315 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish
Exports: $14.2 billion (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Exports - partners: Australia 20.4%, US 14.5%, Japan 13.5%, UK 5.4%,South Korea, China (2000)
Imports: $12.5 billion (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
Imports - partners: Australia 22.5%, US 17.5%, Japan 11%, UK 4%, China,Germany (2000)
Debt - external: $31.1 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $99.7 million (FY00/01)
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code: NZD
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications New Zealand
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.92 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.2 million (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 3.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.926 million (1997)
Internet country code: .nz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 36 (2000)
Internet users: 1.78 million (2001)
Transportation New Zealand
Railways: total: 3,908 km narrow gauge: 3,908 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2001)
Highways: total: 92,200 km paved: 53,568 km (including at least 144 km of expressways) unpaved: 38,632 km (1996)
Waterways: 1,609 km note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation requirements
Pipelines: petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 150 km
Ports and harbors: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington
Merchant marine: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 68,427 GRT/106,627 DWT note: Australia 1 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
Airports: 106 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 44 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 3 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 62 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 37 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military New Zealand
Military branches: New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal NewZealand Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,010,316 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 850,185 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 26,480 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $515.6 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY2001/02)
Transnational Issues New Zealand
Disputes - international: territorial claim in Antarctica (RossDependency)
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Southern Ocean
Introduction
Southern Ocean
Background: A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).
Geography Southern Ocean
Location: body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Geographic coordinates: 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica, and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total: 20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of the US
Coastline: 17,968 km
Climate: sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Terrain: the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep - its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of theSouth Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes
Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Environment - current issues: increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
Geography - note: the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
People Southern Ocean
Population growth rate: NA%
Economy Southern Ocean
Economy - overview: Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year.
Transportation Southern Ocean
Ports and harbors: McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7)
Transportation - note: Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Transnational Issues Southern Ocean
Disputes - international: Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Paraguay
Introduction
Paraguay
Background: In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then.
Geography Paraguay
Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Geographic coordinates: 23 00 S, 58 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 406,750 sq km water: 9,450 sq km land: 397,300 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: total: 3,920 km border countries: Argentina 1,880 km,Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Elevation extremes: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% other: 94% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, andBrazil; population concentrated in southern part of country
People Paraguay
Population: 5,884,491 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,156,366; female 1,119,558) 15-64 years: 56.6% (male 1,671,721; female 1,658,683) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 128,137; female 150,026) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.57% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 30.5 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 76.77 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 4.07 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.11% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 220 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant
Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.1% male: 93.5% female: 90.6% (1995 est.)
Government Paraguay
Country name: Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay
Government type: constitutional republic
Capital: Asuncion
Administrative divisions: 17 departments (departamentos, singular -departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay,Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion,Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, PresidenteHayes, San Pedro
Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1811)
Constitution: promulgated 20 June 1992
Legal system: based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Executive branch: chief of state: President Luis Angel GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); Vice President Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luis Angel GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); Vice President Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003) note: President Luis Angel GONZALEZ MACCHI, formerly president of the Chamber of Senators, constitutionally succeeded President Raul CUBAS Grau, who resigned after being impeached soon after the assassination of Vice President Luis Maria ARGANA; the successor to ARGANA was decided in an election held in August 2000 election results: Raul CUBAS Grau elected president; percent of vote - 55.3%; resigned 28 March 1999
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 25, PLRA 13, PEN 7; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 45, PLRA 26, PEN 9 elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Counsel of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders: Authentic Radical Liberal Party or PLRA[Miguel Abdon SAGUIER]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Luis MiguelANDRADA Nogues]; Febrerista Revolutionary Party or PRF [Oscar ACUNATORRES]; National Encounter Party or PEN [Mario PAZ CASTAING]; NationalRepublican Association - Colorado Party [Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Ahorristas Estafados or AE;National Workers Central or CNT; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT;Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT
International organization participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB,IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: AmbassadorLeila Teresa RACHID COWLES chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW,Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: 234-4508 telephone: [1](202) 483-6960 through 6962
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David N. GREENLEE embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 213-728
Flag description: three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)
Economy Paraguay
Economy - overview: Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. The informal sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derives their living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but GDP declined slightly in 1998, 1999, and 2000. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, lack of progress on structural reform, substantial internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 29% industry: 26% services: 45% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 36% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.8% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 57.7 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.2% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 2 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 45%
Unemployment rate: 17.8% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.3 billion expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (1999 est.)
Industries: sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products
Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 53.056 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.04% hydro: 99.85% other: 0.11% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.95 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 47.392 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: electricity, soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils
Exports - partners: Brazil 39%, Uruguay 14%, Argentina 11% (2000)
Imports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery
Imports - partners: Argentina 25.4%, Brazil 24.5%, Uruguay 3.8% (2000)
Debt - external: $2.9 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: guarani (PYG)
Currency code: PYG
Exchange rates: guarani per US dollar - 4,783.0 (January 2002), 4,107.7 (2001), 3,486.4 (2000), 3,119.1 (1999), 2,726.5 (1998), 2,177.9 (1997); note - since early 1998, the exchange rate has operated as a managed float; prior to that, the exchange rate was determined freely in the market
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Paraguay
Telephones - main lines in use: 290,475 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 510,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center fair microwave radio relay network international: Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998)
Radios: 925,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (2001)
Televisions: 990,000 (2001)
Internet country code: .py
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
Transportation Paraguay
Railways: total: 971 km standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge note: there are 470 km of various gauges that are privately owned narrow gauge: 60 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 25,901 km paved: 3,067 km unpaved: 22,834 km (2001)
Waterways: 3,100 km
Ports and harbors: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion
Merchant marine: total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,623 GRT/36,821 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 2, Japan 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 899 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 888 1,524 to 2,437 m: 28 914 to 1,523 m: 332 under 914 m: 528 (2001)
Military Paraguay
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,427,160 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,028,935 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 58,359 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $125 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY98)
Transnational Issues Paraguay
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in South America; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, Europe, and US
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Pitcairn Islands
Introduction
Pitcairn Islands
Background: Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.
Geography Pitcairn Islands
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 47 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 51 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical, hot, humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain: rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources: miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons (especially November to March)
Environment - current issues: deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Geography - note: Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore
People Pitcairn Islands
Population: 47 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate: -1.32% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio: NA
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Ethnic groups: descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
Religions: Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Languages: English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th centuryEnglish dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Literacy: NA
Government Pitcairn Islands
Country name: conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Adamstown
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution: 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964
Legal system: local island by-laws
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Martin WILLIAMS (since NA May 1998); Commissioner (nonresident) Leon SALT (since NA); serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council election results: elected mayor; percent of vote - NA% elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island magistrate elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held NA December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2002) head of government: Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Steve CHRISTIAN (since NA) cabinet: NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 6 elected by popular vote, 1 appointed by the 6 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor, and 1 seat for the Island Secretary; members serve one-year terms) elections: results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Judicial branch: Island Court (island magistrate presides over the court and is elected every three years)
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: none
International organization participation: SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
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 Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor
Economy Pitcairn Islands
Economy - overview: The inhabitants of this tiny economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $NA
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): NA%
Labor force: 12 able-bodied men (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $729,884 expenditures: $878,119, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: postage stamps, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: wide variety of fruits and vegetables, goats, chickens
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps
Exports - partners: NA
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: NA
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code: NZD
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5083 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Pitcairn Islands
Telephones - main lines in use: 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line) (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: only party line telephone service is available for this small, closely related community domestic: party line service only international: radiotelephone
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .pn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: NA
Transportation Pitcairn Islands
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 6.4 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 6.4 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: none (2001)
Military Pitcairn Islands
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Peru
Introduction
Peru
Background: Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadores in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime. FUJIMORI won reelection to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international pressure and corruption scandals led to his ouster by Congress in November of that year. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government.
Geography Peru
Location: Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 76 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 1,285,220 sq km water: 5,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries: total: 5,536 km border countries: Bolivia 900 km,Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,414 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% other: 97% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 11,950 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-EnvironmentalProtocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; remote Lake McIntyre is the ultimate source of the Amazon River
People Peru
Population: 27,949,639 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (male 4,820,892; female 4,671,205) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 8,598,328; female 8,492,830) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 627,601; female 738,783) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.66% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 23.36 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5.74 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 38.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 73.12 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 2.89 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.35% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 48,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian
Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%
Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.3% male: 94.5% female: 83% (1995 est.)
Government Peru
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru
Government type: constitutional republic
Capital: Lima
Administrative divisions: 24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali note: the 1979 constitution mandated the creation of regions (regiones, singular - region) to function eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12 regions have been constituted from 23 of the 24 departments - Amazonas (from Loreto), Andres Avelino Caceres (from Huanuco, Pasco, Junin), Arequipa (from Arequipa), Chavin (from Ancash), Grau (from Tumbes, Piura), Inca (from Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac), La Libertad (from La Libertad), Los Libertadores-Huari (from Ica, Ayacucho, Huancavelica), Mariategui (from Moquegua, Tacna, Puno), Nor Oriental del Maranon (from Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas), San Martin (from San Martin), Ucayali (from Ucayali); formation of another region has been delayed by the reluctance of the constitutional province of Callao to merge with the department of Lima; because of inadequate funding from the central government and organizational and political difficulties, the regions have yet to assume major responsibilities; the 1993 constitution retains the regions but limits their authority; the 1993 constitution also reaffirms the roles of departmental and municipal governments
Independence: 28 July 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Constitution: 31 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the constitution, First Vice President Raul DIEZ Canseco (since 28 July 2001) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN (since 28 July 2001) head of government: the president is both the chief of state and head of government; additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the constitution, First Vice President Raul DIEZ Canseco (since 28 July 2001) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN (since 28 July 2001) note: Prime Minister Roberto DANINO (since 28 July 2001) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special presidential and congressional elections held 8 April 2001, with runoff election held 3 June 2001; next to be held 9 April 2006 election results: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique 53.1%, Alan GARCIA 46.9% cabinet: Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congresso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - Peru Posible 26.3%, APRA 19.7%, Unidad Nacional 13.8%, FIM 11.0%, others 29.2%; seats by party - Peru Posible 47, APRA 28, Unidad Nacional 17, FIM 11, others 17 elections: last held 8 April 2001 (next to be held 9 April 2006)