GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $870 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24% industry: 25% services: 51% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 86% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 41% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.6 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 21.5% (2001)
Labor force: 3.4 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9%
Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.2 billion expenditures: $1.25 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture
Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.822 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.51% hydro: 99.49% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 5.838 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 1.536 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides; coffee
Exports: $876 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: copper 55%, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers, cotton
Exports - partners: UK 25.2%, South Africa 24.5%, Switzerland 9.4%,Malawi 7.5% (2000)
Imports: $12.05 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners: South Africa 67.1%, UK 9.8%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, US 5.9% (2000)
Debt - external: $5.8 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $651 million (2000 est.)
Currency: Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Currency code: ZMK
Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 3,848.65 (January 2002), 3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998), 1,314.50 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Zambia
Telephones - main lines in use: 130,000 (including more than 40,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 75,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 1.2 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 9 (2002)
Televisions: 277,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .zm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)
Internet users: 15,000 (2000)
Transportation Zambia
Railways: total: 2,157 km narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double-track) note: the total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of the Zambia Railways system; Zambia Railways assets are scheduled for concessioning (2002)
Highways: total: 66,781 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 2,250 km note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi andLuapula rivers
Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km
Ports and harbors: Mpulungu
Airports: 111 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: 3 914 to 1,523 m: Military Zambia
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary forces
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,313,567 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,228,385 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Zambia
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and possibly Europe; regional money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Atlantic Ocean
Introduction
Atlantic Ocean
Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways.
Geography Atlantic Ocean
Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 76.762 million sq km note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea,Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage,Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost allof the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 111,866 km
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto RicoTrench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
Geography - note: major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
People Atlantic Ocean
Population growth rate: NA%
Economy Atlantic Ocean
Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Transportation Atlantic Ocean
Ports and harbors: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp(Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca(Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal),Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas(Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London(UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada),Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo(Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil),Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US
Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Zimbabwe
Introduction
Zimbabwe
Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.
Geography Zimbabwe
Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 390,580 sq km water: 3,910 sq km land: 386,670 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km,Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Elevation extremes: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m highest point: Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops: 1% other: 91% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,170 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water
People Zimbabwe
Population: 11,376,676 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: 37.9% (male 2,178,073; female 2,128,287) 15-64 years: 58.4% (male 3,376,850; female 3,268,315) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 213,286; female 211,865) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.05% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 24.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 24.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa in search of better paid employment (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 62.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 35.1 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 3.21 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 25.06% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.5 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 160,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean
Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%
Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of theNdebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write English total population:Government Zimbabwe
Country name: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Harare
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincialstatus; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, MashonalandEast, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South,Midlands
Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Constitution: 21 December 1979
Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joseph MSIKA (since 23 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joseph MSIKA (since 23 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote; election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%
Legislative branch: unicameral parliament, called House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president) elections: last held 24-25 June 2000 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 47.2%, MDC 45.6%, ZANU-Ndonga 0.7%, United Parties 0.7%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 63, MDC 56, ZANU-Ndonga 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders: Movement for Democratic Change or MDC[Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe AfricanNational Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [leader NA]; Zimbabwe AfricanNational Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE];Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Paul SIWELA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA,SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Simbi Veke MUBAKO FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph G. SULLIVAN embassy: 172 Herbert P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle
Economy Zimbabwe
Economy - overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier moves to develop a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 59% in 1999, to 60% in 2000, and to 100% by yearend 2001. The economy is being steadily weakened by excessive government deficits, AIDS, and rampant inflation. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has derailed the commercial sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs. Distribution of income is extremely unequal.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $28 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -6.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11% industry: 14% services: 75% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 46.9% (1990)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 56.8 (1990-91)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 100% (2001)
Labor force: 5.5 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 24%, industry 10% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 60% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.5 billion expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: mining (coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: -10% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.425 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 53.31% hydro: 46.69% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 10.475 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 4.5 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: tobacco 30%, gold 11%, ferroalloys 9%, textile/clothing 3% (2000)
Exports - partners: South Africa 12.1%, UK 8.5%, Japan 7.7%, Germany 6.1%, China 5.4% (2000)
Imports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 34%, other manufactures 18%, chemicals 17%, fuels 11% (1999)
Imports - partners: South Africa 46.3%, UK 7.2%, Germany 2.5%, US 2.8%,Japan 2.5% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $200 million (2000 est.)
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)
Currency code: ZWD
Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 54.9451 (December 2001), 54.9451 (2001), 43.2900 (2000), 38.3142 (1999), 21.4133 (1998), 11.8906 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 January - 31 December
Communications Zimbabwe
Telephones - main lines in use: 212,000 (in addition, there are about 20,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 111,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 1.14 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 16 (1997)
Televisions: 370,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .zw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (1999)
Transportation Zimbabwe
Railways: total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double-tracked) note: includes the 318 km Bulawaya-Beitbridge Railway Company line (2001)
Highways: total: 18,338 km paved: 8,692 km unpaved: 9,646 km (2002)
Waterways: chrome ore is transported from Harare - by way of the MazoeRiver - to the Zambezi River in Mozambique
Pipelines: petroleum products 212 km
Ports and harbors: Binga, Kariba
Airports: 454 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 437 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 209 under 914 m: 224 (2001)
Military Zimbabwe
Military branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe,Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, ParamilitaryPolice)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,057,381 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,898,383 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $350.6 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Zimbabwe
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Pacific Ocean
Introduction
Pacific Ocean
Background: The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans(followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and ArcticOcean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse,Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits.
Geography Pacific Ocean
Location: body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world
Coastline: 135,663 km
Climate: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December
Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
Geography - note: the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
People Pacific Ocean
Population growth rate: NA%
Economy Pacific Ocean
Economy - overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.
Transportation Pacific Ocean
Ports and harbors: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan),Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco(US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia),Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
Transportation - note: Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)
Transnational Issues Pacific Ocean
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
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CIA - The World Factbook 2002 - Appendixes
Appendix A: Abbreviations
Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups
Appendix C: Selected International Environmental Agreements
Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes
Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
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Appendix A - Abbreviations
ABEDA : Arab Bank for Economic Development inAfrica
ACC : Arab Cooperation Council
ACCT : Agency for the French-Speaking Community
ACP Group : African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group ofStates
AfDB : African Development Bank
AFESD : Arab Fund for Economic and SocialDevelopment
Air Pollution : Convention on Long-Range TransboundaryAir Pollution
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides : Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air PollutionConcerning the Control of Emissions ofNitrogen Oxides or Control of Emissionsof Nitrogen Oxides or TheirTransboundary Fluxes
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-
Pollutants : Range Transboundary Air Pollution onPersistent Organic Pollutants
Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 : Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on theReduction of Sulphur Emissions or TheirTransboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 : Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution onFurther Reduction of Sulphur Emissions
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic : Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-
Compounds : Range Transboundary Air PollutionConcerning the Control of Emissions ofVolatile Organic Compounds or TheirTransboundary Fluxes
AL : Arab League
AMF : Arab Monetary Fund
AMU : Arab Maghreb Union
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol: Protocol on Environmental Protection tothe Antarctic Treaty
ANZUS : Australia-New Zealand-United StatesSecurity Treaty
APEC : Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Arabsat : Arab Satellite CommunicationsOrganization
AsDB : Asian Development Bank
ASEAN : Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Autodin : Automatic Digital Network
Benelux : Benelux Economic Union
Biodiversity : Convention on Biological Diversity
BIS : Bank for International Settlements
BSEC : Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone
C : Commonwealth
CACM : Central American Common Market
CAEU : Council of Arab Economic Unity
CAN : Andean Community of Nations
Caricom : Caribbean Community and Common Market
CB : citizen's band mobile radio communications
CBSS : Council of the Baltic Sea States
CCC : Customs Cooperation Council
CDB : Caribbean Development Bank
CE : Council of Europe
CEI : Central European Initiative
CEMA : Council for Mutual Economic Assistance;also known as CMEA or Comecon
CEPGL : Economic Community of the Great LakesCountries
CERN : European Organization for NuclearResearch
c.i.f. : cost, insurance, and freight
CIS : Commonwealth of Independent States
CITES : see Endangered Species
Climate Change : United Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol : Kyoto Protocol to the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change
COCOM : Coordinating Committee on ExportControls
Comsat : Communications Satellite Corporation
CP : Colombo Plan
CY : calendar year
DC : developed country
Desertification : United Nations Convention to CombatDesertification in Those CountriesExperiencing Serious Drought and/orDesertification, Particularly in Africa
DSN : Defense Switched Network
DWT : deadweight ton
EADB : East African Development Bank
EAPC : Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
EBRD : European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment
EC : European Community
ECA : Economic Commission for Africa
ECE : Economic Commission for Europe
ECLAC : Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
ECO : Economic Cooperation Organization
ECOSOC : Economic and Social Council
ECOWAS : Economic Community of West AfricanStates
ECS : European Coal and Steel Community
EEC : European Economic Community
EFTA : European Free Trade Association
EIB : European Investment Bank
EMU : European Monetary Union
Endangered Species : Convention on the International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Flora andFauna (CITES)
Entente : Council of the Entente
Environmental Modification : Convention on the Prohibition ofMilitary or Any Other Hostile Use ofEnvironmental Modification Techniques
ESA : European Space Agency
ESCAP : Economic and Social Commission for Asiaand the Pacific
ESCWA : Economic and Social Commission forWestern Asia
est. : estimate
EU : European Union
Euratom : European Atomic Energy Community
Eutelsat : European Telecommunications SatelliteOrganization
Ex-Im : Export-Import Bank of the United States
FAO : Food and Agriculture Organization
FAX : facsimile
f.o.b. : free on board
FLS : Front Line States
FRG : Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91
FSU : former Soviet Union
FY : fiscal year
FYROM : The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia
FZ : Franc Zone
G-2 : Group of 2
G-3 : Group of 3
G-5 : Group of 5
G-6 : Group of 6
G-7 : Group of 7
G-8 : Group of 8
G-9 : Group of 9
G-10 : Group of 10
G-11 : Group of 11
G-15 : Group of 15
G-19 : Group of 19
G-24 : Group of 24
G-30 : Group of 30
G-33 : Group of 33
G-77 : Group of 77
GATT : General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTrO
GCC : Gulf Cooperation Council
GDP : gross domestic product
GDR : German Democratic Republic (East Germany); used for information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91
GNP : gross national product
GRT : gross register ton
GWP : gross world product
Hazardous Wastes : Basel Convention on the Control ofTransboundary Movements of HazardousWastes and Their Disposal
HF : high-frequency
IADB : Inter-American Development Bank
IAEA : International Atomic Energy Agency
IBEC : International Bank for EconomicCooperation
IBRD : International Bank for Reconstructionand Development (World Bank)
ICAO : International Civil AviationOrganization
ICC : International Chamber of Commerce
ICJ : International Court of Justice (WorldCourt)
ICRC : International Committee of the Red Cross
ICRM : International Red Cross and Red CrescentMovement
IDA : International Development Association
IDB : Islamic Development Bank
IEA : International Energy Agency
IFAD : International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment
IFC : International Finance Corporation
IFCTU : International Federation of ChristianTrade Unions
IFRCS : International Federation of Red Crossand Red Crescent Societies
IGAD : Inter-Governmental Authority onDevelopment
IGADD : Inter-Governmental Authority on Droughtand Development
IHO : International Hydrographic Organization
IIB : International Investment Bank
ILO : International Labor Organization
IMF : International Monetary Fund
IMO : International Maritime Organization
Inmarsat : International Mobile SatelliteOrganization
InOC : Indian Ocean Commission
Intelsat : International TelecommunicationsSatellite Organization
Interpol : International Criminal PoliceOrganization
Intersputnik : International Organization of SpaceCommunications
IOC : International Olympic Committee
IOM : International Organization for Migration
ISO : International Organization forStandardization
ITU : International Telecommunication Union
kHz : kilohertz
km : kilometer
kW : kilowatt
kWh : kilowatt hour
LAES : Latin American Economic System
LAIA : Latin American Integration Association
Law of the Sea : United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)
LDC : less developed country
LLDC : least developed country
London Convention : see Marine Dumping
LOS : see Law of the Sea
m : meter
Marecs : Maritime European CommunicationsSatellite
Marine Dumping : Convention on the Prevention of MarinePollution by Dumping Wastes and OtherMatter
Marine Life Conservation : Convention on Fishing and Conservationof Living Resources of the High Seas
MARPOL : see Ship Pollution
Medarabtel : Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union
Mercosur : Southern Cone Common Market
MHz : megahertz
MINURSO : United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara
MONUC : United Nations Organization Mission inthe Democratic Republic of the Congo
NA : not available
NAM : Nonaligned Movement
NATO : North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NC : Nordic Council
NEA : Nuclear Energy Agency
NEGL : negligible
NIB : Nordic Investment Bank
NIC : newly industrializing country
NIE : newly industrializing economy
NM : nautical mile
NMT : Nordic Mobile Telephone
NSG : Nuclear Suppliers Group
Nuclear Test Ban : Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water
NZ : New Zealand
OAPEC : Organization of Arab Petroleum ExportingCountries
OAS : Organization of American States
OAU : Organization of African Unity
ODA : official development assistance
OECD : Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OECS : Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
OIC : Organization of the Islamic Conference
OOF : other official flows
OPCW : Organization for the Prohibition ofChemical Weapons
OPEC : Organization of Petroleum ExportingCountries
OSCE : Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe
Ozone Layer Protection : Montreal Protocol on Substances ThatDeplete the Ozone Layer
PCA : Permanent Court of Arbitration
PDRY : People's Democratic Republic of Yemen[Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; used forinformation dated before 22 May 1990 orCY91
PFP : Partnership for Peace
Ramsar : see Wetlands
RG : Rio Group
SAARC : South Asian Association for RegionalCooperation
SACU : Southern African Customs Union
SADC : Southern African Development Community
SFRY : Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
SHF : super-high-frequency
Ship Pollution : Protocol of 1978 Relating to theInternational Convention for thePrevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973(MARPOL)
Sparteca : South Pacific Regional Trade andEconomic Cooperation Agreement
SPC : South Pacific Commission
SPF : South Pacific Forum
sq km : square kilometer
sq mi : square mile
TAT : Trans-Atlantic Telephone
Tropical Timber 83 : International Tropical Timber Agreement,1983
Tropical Timber 94 : International Tropical Timber Agreement,1994
UAE : United Arab Emirates
UDEAC : Central African Customs and EconomicUnion
UHF : ultra-high-frequency
UK : United Kingdom
UN : United Nations
UNAMIR : United Nations Assistance Mission forRwanda
UNAMSIL : United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
UNAVEM III : United Nations Angola VerificationMission III
UNCRO : United Nations Confidence RestorationOperation in Croatia
UNCTAD : United Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment
UNDOF : United Nations Disengagement ObserverForce
UNDP : United Nations Development Program
UNEP : United Nations Environment Program
UNESCO : United Nations Educational, Scientific,and Cultural Organization
UNFICYP : United Nations Peace-keeping Force inCyprus
UNHCR : United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees
UNICEF : United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDO : United Nations Industrial DevelopmentOrganization
UNIFIL : United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNIKOM : United Nations Iraq-Kuwait ObservationMission
UNITAR : United Nations Institute for Trainingand Research
UNMIBH : United Nations Mission in Bosnia andHerzegovina
UNMIK : United Nations Interim AdministrationMission in Kosovo