Exports - commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners: Russia 22.6%, Turkey 6.2%, Italy 5.1%, Germany (2001 est.)
Imports: $17.1 billion (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners: Russia 36.9%, Turkmenistan 10.5%, Germany 8.7%, US (2001 est.)
Debt - external: $11.8 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended FundsFacility $2.2 billion (1998)
Currency: hryvnia (UAH)
Currency code: UAH
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US dollar - 5.3126 (January 2002), 5.3722 (2001), 5.4402 (2000), 4.1304 (1999), 2.4495 (1998), 1.8617 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Ukraine
Telephones - main lines in use: 9.45 million (April 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 236,000 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate international: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project which connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
Radio broadcast stations: AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 45.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Televisions: 18.05 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ua
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 260 (2001)
Internet users: 750,000 (2001)
Transportation Ukraine
Railways: total: 22,510 km broad gauge: 21,951 km 1.524-m gauge (8,927 km electrified) standard gauge: 49 km 1.435-m gauge note: these data do not include railroads dedicated to serving industry and not in common carrier service (2001) narrow gauge: 510 km 0.750-m gauge
Highways: total: 273,700 km paved: 236,400 km (including 1,770 km of expressways and a substantial amount of all-weather roads with gravel surfaces) unpaved: 37,300 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Waterways: 4,499 km note: 1,672 km are on the Pryp'yat' and Dniester(Dnister) (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km (1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch,Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni,Sevastopol', Yalta, Yuzhnyy
Merchant marine: total: 138 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 669,303 GRT/707,857 DWT ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 100, container 3, liquefied gas 2, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 12, railcar carrier 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 1, Greece 1, Panama 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 718 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: 50 1,524 to 2,437 m: Airports - with unpaved runways: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: Military Ukraine
Military branches: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Air DefenseForces, Interior Troops, Border Troops
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 12,263,178 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 9,616,864 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 390,823 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $500 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Ukraine
Disputes - international: Ukraine and Romania have yet to resolve claims over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and delimitation of Black Sea maritime boundary, despite 1997 bilateral treaty to find a solution in two years and numerous talks; Russia and Ukraine have successfully delimited land boundary in 2001, but disagree on delimitation of maritime boundary in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea; Moldovan difficulties with break-away Transnistria region inhibit establishment of a joint customs regime with Ukraine to curtail smuggling, arms transfers, and other illegal activities
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey, and to Europe and Russia; drug-related money laundering a minor, but growing, problem
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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United States
Introduction
United States
Background: Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation-state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Geography United States
Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 38 00 N, 97 00 W
Map references: North America
Area: 470,131 sq km note: Area - comparative: about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; about two and a half times the size of Western Europe
Land boundaries: total: 12,034 km border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba; the base boundary is 29 km
Coastline: 19,924 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: not specified exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point:Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 19% other: 81% (1998 est.) permanent crops: NEGL%
Irrigated land: 214,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environment - current issues: air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear TestBan, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: AirPollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile OrganicCompounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note: world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
People United States
Population: 280,562,489 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (male 30,116,782; female 28,765,183) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 92,391,120; female 93,986,468) 65 years and over: 12.6% (male 14,748,522; female 20,554,414) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.89% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 14.1 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.4 years male: 74.5 years female: 80.2 years (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.61% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 850,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 20,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: American(s) adjective: American
Ethnic groups: white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000) note: Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write male: 97% female: 97% (1979 est.) total population: 97%
People - note: note: data for the US are based on projections that do not take into consideration the results of the 2000 census
Government United States
Country name: United States of America conventional short form:Government type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital: Washington, DC
Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska,Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Districtof Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, NorthDakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, SouthCarolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986)
Independence: 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: George W. BUSH elected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 48%, Albert A. GORE, Jr. (Democratic Party) 48%, Ralph NADER (Green Party) 3%, other 1%
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 50, Republican Party 49, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 221, Democratic Party 211, independent 2, vacant 1 elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 4 November 2002); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 4 November 2002)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for life by the president with confirmation by the Senate); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Terence McAULIFFE, national committee chairman]; Green Party [leader NA]; Republican Party [Governor Marc RACICOT, national committee chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF(dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC,ESCAP, FAO, G- 8, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW,OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIKOM, UNITAR,UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU,WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Flag description: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
Economy United States
Economy - overview: The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $36,300. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. The year 2001 witnessed the end of the boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising substantially. The response to the terrorist attacks of September 11 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. Moderate recovery is expected in 2002, with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.5% or more. A major short-term problem in first half 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.082 trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $36,300 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 18% services: 80% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 12.7% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 30.5% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.8 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2001)
Labor force: 141.8 million (includes unemployed) (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: managerial and professional 31%, technical, sales and administrative support 28.9%, services 13.6%, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts 24.1%, farming, forestry, and fishing 2.4% (2001) note: Unemployment rate: 5% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $1.828 trillion expenditures: $1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
Industrial production growth rate: -3.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 3,799.944 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 70.76% hydro: 7.19% other: 2.21% (2000) nuclear: 19.84%
Electricity - consumption: 3.613 trillion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 14.829 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 48.879 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish
Exports: $723 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Exports - partners: Canada 22.4%, Mexico 13.9%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.6%,Germany 4.1%, France, Netherlands (2001)
Imports: $1.148 trillion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
Imports - partners: Canada 19%, Mexico 11.5%, Japan 11.1%, China 8.9%,Germany 5.2%, UK, Taiwan (2001)
Debt - external: $862 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.6003 (January 2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997); Italian lire per US dollar - 1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997); Japanese yen per US dollar - 132.66 (January 2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997); German deutsche marks per US dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997); euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999) note: financial institutions in France, Italy, and Germany and eight other European countries started using the euro on 1 January 1999 with the euro replacing the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications United States
Telephones - main lines in use: 194 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 69.209 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: a very large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998)
Radios: 575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)
Televisions: 219 million (1997)
Internet country code: .us
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7,800 (2000 est.)
Internet users: 166 million (2001)
Transportation United States
Railways: total: 212,433 km mainline routes standard gauge: 212,433 km 1.435-m gauge note: represents the aggregate length of roadway of all line-haul railroads including an estimate for Class II and III railroads (1998)
Highways: total: 6,370,031 km paved: 5,733,028 km (including 74,091 km of expressways) unpaved: 637,003 km (1997)
Waterways: 41,009 km note: navigable inland channels, exclusive of theGreat Lakes
Pipelines: petroleum products 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago,Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles,New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon),Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo
Merchant marine: total: 264 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,911,641 GRT/9,985,660 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 11, cargo 14, chemical tanker 16, collier 1, combination bulk 4, combination tanker 11, container 86, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 81, roll on/roll off 28, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Canada 4, Denmark 15, France 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 7, Puerto Rico 4, Singapore 11, Sweden 1, United Kingdom 3 (2002 est.)
Airports: 14,695 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: 222 914 to 1,523 m: Airports - with unpaved runways: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: Heliports: 132 (2001)
Military United States
Military branches: Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (includes Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force note: the Coast Guard is normally subordinate to the Department of Transportation, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 70,819,436 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: NA (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 2,053,179 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $276.7 billion (FY99 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (FY99 est.)
Military - note: note: 2002 estimates for military manpower are based on projections that do not take into consideration the results of the 2000 census
Transnational Issues United States
Disputes - international: maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island); US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
Illicit drugs: consumer of cocaine shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamine from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Burkina Faso
Introduction
Burkina Faso
Background: Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.
Geography Burkina Faso
Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 274,200 sq km water: 400 sq km land: 273,800 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado
Land boundaries: total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 0% other: 87% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 250 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts
Environment - current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine LifeConservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas
People Burkina Faso
Population: 12,603,185 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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.3% (male 3,007,675; female 2,960,697) 15-64 years: 49.8% (male 3,000,411; female 3,271,594) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 151,976; female 210,832) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.64% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 44.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 17.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 105.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 46.78 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 6.26 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.44% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 43,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe
Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly RomanCatholic) 10%
Languages: French (official), native African languages belonging toSudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 36% (2001) male: NA% female: NA%
Government Burkina Faso
Country name: Burkina Faso former: Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Ouagadougou
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou,Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe,Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan,Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa,Yatenga, Zoundweogo note: 1997; the number of administrative provinceswas increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba,Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba,Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga,Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel,Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili,Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo),however, this change has not yet been confirmed by the US Board onGeographic Names
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Republic Day, 11 December (1958)
Constitution: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote note: recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) election results: PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17 elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally-Alliance forDemocracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation forFederation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress forDemocracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movementfor Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party forAfrican Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy andProgress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Developmentof Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber),ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy J. KOLKER embassy: 2440 Ouagadougou 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01 telephone: Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy Burkina Faso
Economy - overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.8 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31% industry: 28% services: 41% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 45% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 39.5% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 48.2 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 5 million (1999) note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $316 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold
Industrial production growth rate: 14% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 282 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 70.92% hydro: 29.08% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 262.26 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock
Exports: $265 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, animal products, gold
Exports - partners: Venezuela 14.7%, Benelux 12.2%, Italy 9.6%, France 7.0% (2000)
Imports: $580 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, food products, petroleum
Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire 25.1%, Venezuela 23.4%, France 17.0% (2000)
Debt - external: $1.5 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $484.1 million (1995)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Burkina Faso
Telephones - main lines in use: 53,200 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 25,200 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002)
Radios: 394,020 (2000)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)
Televisions: 131,340 (2002)
Internet country code: .bf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2001)
Internet users: 10,000 (2001)
Transportation Burkina Faso
Railways: total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya) narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways: total: 12,506 km paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 33 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 16 (2001)
Military Burkina Faso
Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, NationalPolice, People's Militia
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,688,072 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,379,010 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $40.1 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Burkina Faso
Disputes - international: two villages are in dispute with Benin
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Uruguay
Introduction
Uruguay
Background: A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By the end of the year the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.
Geography Uruguay
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 S, 56 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of Washington
Land boundaries: total: 1,564 km border countries: Argentina 579 km,Brazil 985 km
Coastline: 660 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point:Cerro Catedral 514 m
Natural resources: arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts
Environment - current issues: water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising
People Uruguay
Population: 3,386,575 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.4% (male 422,826; female 402,324) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,047,740; female 1,072,032) 65 years and over: 13% (male 181,522; female 260,131) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.79% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 17.28 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 79.17 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 2.35 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.33% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan
Ethnic groups: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, practically nonexistent
Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%
Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.3% male: 96.9% female: 97.7% (1995 est.)
Government Uruguay
Country name: conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay
Government type: constitutional republic
Capital: Montevideo
Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular -departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores,Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera,Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres
Independence: 25 August 1825 (from Brazil)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1825)
Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997
Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 31 October 1999, with runoff election on 28 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Jorge BATLLE Ibanez elected president; percent of vote - Jorge BATLLE Ibanez 52% in a runoff against Tabare VAZQUEZ 44%
Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Encuentro Progresista 12, Colorado Party 10, Blanco 7, New Sector/Space Coalition 1; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 40, Colorado Party 33, Blanco 22, New Sector/Space Coalition 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez];National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera]; New Sector/SpaceCoalition or Nuevo Espacio [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/BroadFront Coalition or Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio [Tabare VAZQUEZ]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB,IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM(observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo FERNANDEZ-FAINGOLD consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 410-0022
Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy
Economy Uruguay
Economy - overview: Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-98, in 1999-2001 the economy suffered from lower demand in Argentina and Brazil, which together account for nearly half of Uruguay's exports. Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbors, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating - one of only two in South America. Challenges for the government of President Jorge BATLLE include reducing the budget deficit, expanding Uruguay's trade ties beyond its Mercosur trade partners, and reducing the costs of public services. GDP fell by 1.3% in 2000 and by 1.5% in 2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 29% services: 65% (2001)
Population below poverty line: 6% (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 25.8% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 42.3 (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2001)
Labor force: 1.2 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70%
Unemployment rate: 15.2% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $3.7 billion expenditures: $4.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2000)
Industries: food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: -2.4% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.527 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 6.64% hydro: 92.83% other: 0.53% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 7.35 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 950 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 1.3 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish
Exports: $2.24 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: meat, rice, leather products, wool, vehicles, dairy products
Exports - partners: Mercosur partners 40%, EU 20%, US 8% (2001 est.)
Imports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum
Imports - partners: Mercosur partners 44%, EU 18%, US 9% (2001 est.)
Debt - external: $7.7 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: Uruguayan peso (UYU)
Currency code: UYU
Exchange rates: Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 14.3325 (January 2002), 13.3191 (2001), 12.0996 (2000), 11.3393 (1999), 10.4719 (1998), 9.4418 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Uruguay
Telephones - main lines in use: 929,141 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 350,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001)
Radios: 1.97 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (2001)
Televisions: 782,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .uy
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2001)
Internet users: 370,000 (2001)
Transportation Uruguay
Railways: total: 2,993 km standard gauge: 2,993 km 1.435-m gauge note: of the total route length, 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in only partial use; moreover, not all lines offer passenger service (2001)
Highways: total: 8,764 km paved: 7,800 km unpaved: 964 km (2001)
Waterways: 1,600 km (used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft)
Ports and harbors: Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma,Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,752 GRT/5,228 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 4, Greece 1 (2002 est.) ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
Airports: 64 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: 5 914 to 1,523 m: Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 49 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 31 (2001)
Military Uruguay
Military branches: Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard,Marines), Air Force, Police (Coracero Guard, Grenadier Guard)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 824,395 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 666,880 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $250 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (2000)
Transnational Issues Uruguay
Disputes - international: uncontested dispute with Brazil over islands in the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada)
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Uzbekistan
Introduction
Uzbekistan
Background: Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include insurgency by Islamic militants based in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, a nonconvertible currency, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.
Geography Uzbekistan
Location: Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 447,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km land: 425,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 6,221 km border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km
Coastline: 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline
Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked)
Climate: mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
Terrain: mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m highest point:Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum
Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% other: 88% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 42,810 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of theselected agreements
Geography - note: along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world
People Uzbekistan
Population: 25,563,441 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 4,617,110; female 4,457,065) 15-64 years: 59.8% (male 7,567,510; female 7,726,753) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 482,137; female 712,866) (2002 est.)