Icelandgeneral assessment: extensive domestic servicedomestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-opticcables and microwave radio relay linksinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordiccountries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
Indiageneral assessment: mediocre service; local and long distanceservice provided throughout all regions of the country, withservices primarily concentrated in the urban areas; major objectiveis to continue to expand and modernize long-distance network to keeppace with rapidly growing number of local subscriber lines; steadyimprovement is taking place with the recent admission of private andprivate-public investors, but, with telephone density at about twofor each 100 persons and a waiting list of over 2 million, demandfor main line telephone service will not be satisfied for a verylong timedomestic: local service is provided by microwave radio relay andcoaxial cable, with open wire and obsolete electromechanical andmanual switchboard systems still in use in rural areas; starting inthe 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch gear has beenintroduced for local and long-distance service; long-distancetraffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and low-capacitymicrowave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity hasbeen added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellitesystem with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is providedin four metropolitan citiesinternational: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchangesoperating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta),Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad, andErnakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) toPenang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah,UAE; India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin andMumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) withlanding site at Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)
Indonesiageneral assessment: domestic service fair, internationalservice gooddomestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;domestic satellite communications systeminternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Pacific Ocean)
Irangeneral assessment: inadequate but currently being modernizedand expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency andincreasing the volume of the urban service but also bringingtelephone service to several thousand villages, not presentlyconnecteddomestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone systemsince 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwaveradio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have beenbrought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systemshas approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellularsubscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of thesystem has been raised by the installation of thousands of digitalswitchesinternational: HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey,Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait,Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE withaccess to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijanthrough the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansionto Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and4 Inmarsat
Iraqgeneral assessment: an unknown number of telecommunicationfacilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 wardomestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radiorelay linksinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region),and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relayto Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probablynonoperational
Irelandgeneral assessment: modern digital system using cable andmicrowave radio relaydomestic: microwave radio relayinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Israelgeneral assessment: most highly developed system in theMiddle East although not the largestdomestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;all systems are digitalinternational: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Italygeneral assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fullyautomated telephone, telex, and data servicesdomestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunksinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a totalof 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarinecables
Jamaicageneral assessment: fully automatic domestic telephonenetworkdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Japangeneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservicedomestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service ofevery kindinternational: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 PacificOcean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables toChina, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Jerseygeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: 3 submarine cables
Johnston Atollgeneral assessment: 33 commercial lines, 15 incomingand 18 outgoing; adequate telecommunicationsdomestic: 60-channel submarine cable (broken in January 2002), 24DSN circuits by satellite, Automated Digital Network (AUTODIN) withstandard remote terminal, digital telephone switch, MilitaryAffiliated Radio System (MARS) station (scheduled fordecommissioning March 2003), UHF/VHF air-ground radio, a link to thePacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satelliteinternational: NA (2002)
Jordangeneral assessment: service has improved recently with theincreased use of digital switching equipment, but better access tothe telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier accessto pay telephones is needed by the urban publicdomestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial andfiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use ofmobile cellular systems; Internet service is availableinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to SaudiArabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria;connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic LinkAround the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international linkstotal about 4,000
Kazakhstangeneral assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquateddomestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobilecellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstaninternational: international traffic with other former Sovietrepublics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relayand with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe(TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
Kenyageneral assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernizeexcept for service to businessdomestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business datacommonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systeminternational: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Kiribatigeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean CooperativeTelecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Korea, Northgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connectionsthrough Moscow and Beijing
Korea, Southgeneral assessment: excellent domestic andinternational servicesdomestic: NAinternational: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; theRussia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat(Pacific Ocean region)
Kuwaitgeneral assessment: the quality of service is excellentdomestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for newsubscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellulartelephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is wellsupplied with pay telephonesinternational: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to SaudiArabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG)cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
Kyrgyzstangeneral assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000unsatisfied applications for household telephonesdomestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider,probably limited to Bishkek regioninternational: connections with other CIS countries by landline ormicrowave radio relay and with other countries by leased connectionswith Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satelliteearth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connectedinternationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Laosgeneral assessment: service to general public is poor butimproving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and anadditional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on aradiotelephone network to communicate with remote areasdomestic: radiotelephone communicationsinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (IndianOcean region)
Latviageneral assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized toprovide an international capability independent of the Moscowinternational switch; more facilities are being installed forindividual usedomestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfiedsubscriber applicationsinternational: international connections are now available via cableand a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connectionsfor most calls (1998)
Lebanongeneral assessment: telecommunications system severelydamaged by civil war; rebuilding well underwaydomestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cableinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria;microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria toJordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Lesothogeneral assessment: rudimentary systemdomestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relaysystem, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellularmobile telephone system is growinginternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Liberiageneral assessment: telephone and telegraph service viamicrowave radio relay network; main center is Monroviadomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Libyageneral assessment: telecommunications system is beingmodernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in1996domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earthstationsinternational: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat,and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwaveradio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece;participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Liechtensteingeneral assessment: automatic telephone systemdomestic: NAinternational: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radiorelay
Lithuaniageneral assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized toprovide an improved international capability and better residentialaccessdomestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system isnearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded;mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internetis available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriberapplicationsinternational: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; majorinternational connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway bysubmarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Luxembourggeneral assessment: highly developed, completelyautomated and efficient system, mainly buried cablesdomestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cableinternational: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable(Europe to North America)
Macaugeneral assessment: fairly modern communication facilitiesmaintained for domestic and international servicesdomestic: NAinternational: HF radiotelephone communication facility; access tointernational communications carriers provided via Hong Kong andChina; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
Madagascargeneral assessment: system is above average for the regiondomestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay,and tropospheric scatter links connect regionsinternational: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Oceanregion)
Malawigeneral assessment: NAdomestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relaylinks, and radiotelephone communications stationsinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Malaysiageneral assessment: modern system; international serviceexcellentdomestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysiamainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radiorelay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domesticsatellite system with 2 earth stationsinternational: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 PacificOcean) (2001)
Maldivesgeneral assessment: minimal domestic and internationalfacilitiesdomestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; allinhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax serviceinternational: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Maligeneral assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;provides only minimal servicedomestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, andradiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radiorelay in progressinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Maltageneral assessment: automatic system satisfies normalrequirementsdomestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islandsinternational: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Man, Isle ofgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone systeminternational: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satelliteearth station, submarine cable
Marshall Islandsgeneral assessment: digital switching equipment;modern services include telex, cellular, internet, internationalcalling, caller ID, and leased data circuitsdomestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected byshortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (PacificOcean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein(2001)
Martiniquegeneral assessment: domestic facilities are adequatedomestic: NAinternational: microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, andSaint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Mauritaniageneral assessment: limited system of cable and open-wirelines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephonecommunications stations (improvements being made)domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completeddomestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott withregional capitalsinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 2 Arabsat
Mauritiusgeneral assessment: small system with good servicedomestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk systeminternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to severalcountries
Mayottegeneral assessment: small system administered by FrenchDepartment of Posts and Telecommunicationsdomestic: NAinternational: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephonecommunications to Comoros (2001)
Mexicogeneral assessment: low telephone density with about 12 mainlines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening tocompetition in January 1997 improved prospects for developmentdomestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobilecellular serviceinternational: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad(giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America,and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications),numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central AmericanMicrowave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands,Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Micronesia, Federated States of general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)
Moldovageneral assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor serviceoutside Chisinau; some effort to modernize is under waydomestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobilecellular telephone service being introducedinternational: service through Romania and Russia via landline;satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik
Monacogeneral assessment: modern automatic telephone systemdomestic: NAinternational: no satellite earth stations; connected by cable intothe French communications system
Mongoliageneral assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephonesfor each thousand personsdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (IndianOcean Region)
Montserratgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
Moroccogeneral assessment: modern system with all importantcapabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main linesavailable for each 100 personsdomestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, andmicrowave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; nationalnetwork nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved ruralservice employs microwave radio relayinternational: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay toGibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwaveradio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cablelink from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)
Mozambiquegeneral assessment: fair system but not availablegenerally (telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000persons)domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunkconnection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatterinternational: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 AtlanticOcean and 3 Indian Ocean)
Namibiageneral assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each100 personsdomestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radiorelay links major towns; connections to other populated places areby open wire; 100% digitalinternational: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radiorelay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries;connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarinecables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat(2002)
Naurugeneral assessment: adequate local and internationalradiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilitiesdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nepalgeneral assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fairradiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephonenetworkdomestic: NAinternational: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline toIndia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Netherlandsgeneral assessment: highly developed and well maintaineddomestic: the existing system of multi-conductor cables is graduallybeing replaced by fiber-optic cables; the density of cellulartelephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization ofthe system is expected in 2001, with the introduction of the thirdgeneration of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (1996)
Netherlands Antillesgeneral assessment: generally adequatefacilitiesdomestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay linksinternational: submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
New Caledoniageneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
New Zealandgeneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalsystemsdomestic: NAinternational: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satelliteearth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nicaraguageneral assessment: inadequate system being upgraded byforeign investmentdomestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system beingexpanded; connected to Central American Microwave Systeminternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (AtlanticOcean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Nigergeneral assessment: small system of wire, radio telephonecommunications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in thesouthwestern area of Nigerdomestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radiorelay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 plannedinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Nigeriageneral assessment: an inadequate system, further limited bypoor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has beenmadedomestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwaveradio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellularfacilities and the Internet are availableinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean); coaxial submarine cable SAFE (SouthAfrican Far East)
Niuedomestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages onislandinternational: NA
Norfolk Islandgeneral assessment: adequatedomestic: NAinternational: radiotelephone service with Sydney (Australia)
Northern Mariana Islandsgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Norwaygeneral assessment: modern in all respects; one of the mostadvanced telecommunications networks in Europedomestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, theprevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobilesystems instead of fixed-wire systemsinternational: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarinecables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Oceanregions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with theother Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
Omangeneral assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire,microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limitedcoaxial cabledomestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and adomestic satellite system with 8 earth stationsinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Arabsat
Pakistangeneral assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, butimproving; service is adequate for government and business use, inpart because major businesses have established their own privatesystems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in thenational telecommunications system on a priority basis,significantly increasing network capacity; despite majorimprovements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication servicesare still not readily available to the majority of the ruralpopulationdomestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,cellular, and satellite networksinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gatewayexchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relayto neighboring countries (1999)
Palaugeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Panamageneral assessment: domestic and international facilitieswell developeddomestic: NAinternational: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations -2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central AmericanMicrowave System
Papua New Guineageneral assessment: services are adequate and beingimproved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastalradio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communicationservicesdomestic: mostly radiotelephoneinternational: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satelliteearth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radiocommunication service
Paraguaygeneral assessment: meager telephone service; principalswitching center is Asunciondomestic: fair microwave radio relay networkinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Perugeneral assessment: adequate for most requirementsdomestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domesticsatellite system with 12 earth stationsinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); Pan American submarine cable
Philippinesgeneral assessment: good international radiotelephoneand submarine cable services; domestic and inter-island serviceadequatedomestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stationsinternational: 9 international gateways; satellite earth stations -3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean); submarine cables toHong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan
Pitcairn Islandsgeneral assessment: only party line telephoneservice is available for this small, closely related communitydomestic: party line service onlyinternational: radiotelephone
Polandgeneral assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in theprocess of being overhauled; partial privatization of thestate-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting listfor main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobilecellular telephone usedomestic: cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellularnetworks; local exchanges 56.6% digitalinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik(Atlantic Ocean region)
Portugalgeneral assessment: undergoing rapid development in recentyears, Portugal's telephone system, by the end of 1998, achieved astate-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities anda main line telephone density of 53%domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwaveradio relay, and domestic satellite earth stationsinternational: 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat(Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Puerto Ricogeneral assessment: modern system, integrated with thatof the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat withhigh-speed data capabilitydomestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone serviceinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cableto US
Qatargeneral assessment: modern system centered in Dohadomestic: NAinternational: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radiorelay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 IndianOcean) and 1 Arabsat
Reuniongeneral assessment: adequate system; principal center isSaint-Denisdomestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay networkinternational: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France,Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Romaniageneral assessment: poor domestic service, but improvingdomestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network ismostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; aboutone-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villageshave no serviceinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital,international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note -Romania is an active participant in several internationaltelecommunication network projects (1999)
Russiageneral assessment: the telephone system has undergonesignificant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000companies licensed to offer communication services; access todigital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internetand e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress towardbuilding the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for amarket economy; however, a large demand for main line serviceremains unsatisfieddomestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from SaintPetersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; thetelephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digitalinfrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, areavailable in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services arestill outdated, inadequate, and low densityinternational: Russia is connected internationally by three underseafiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide morethan 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stationsprovide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, andOrbita systems
Rwandageneral assessment: telephone system primarily servesbusiness and governmentdomestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of theprefectures by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellulartelephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HFradiotelephoneinternational: international connections employ microwave radiorelay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to moredistant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (IndianOcean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Saint Helenageneral assessment: can communicate worldwidedomestic: automatic networkinternational: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascensionm,which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between SouthAfrica, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean)
Saint Kitts and Nevisgeneral assessment: good interisland andinternational connectionsdomestic: inter island links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHFradiotelephoneinternational: international calls are carried by radiotelephone toAntigua and Barbuda and switched there to submarine cable or toIntelsat; or carried to Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and NetherlandsAntilles) by radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat
Saint Luciageneral assessment: adequate systemdomestic: system is automatically switchedinternational: direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique andSaint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados;international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsatfrom Martinique
Saint Pierre and Miquelongeneral assessment: adequatedomestic: NAinternational: radiotelephone communication with most countries inthe world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system
Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesgeneral assessment: adequate systemdomestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHFradiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of theGrenadinesinternational: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent toBarbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia;access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
Samoageneral assessment: adequatedomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
San Marinogeneral assessment: adequate connectionsdomestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated intoItalian systeminternational: connected to Italian international network
Sao Tome and Principegeneral assessment: adequate facilitiesdomestic: minimal systeminternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saudi Arabiageneral assessment: modern systemdomestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, andfiber-optic cable systemsinternational: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait,Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan;submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earthstations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Senegalgeneral assessment: good systemdomestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxialcable and fiber-optic cable in trunk systeminternational: 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Serbia and Montenegrogeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Seychellesgeneral assessment: effective systemdomestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in thearchipelagointernational: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacentisland countries and African coastal countries; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Sierra Leonegeneral assessment: marginal telephone and telegraphservicedomestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connectsFreetown to Bo and Kenemainternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Singaporegeneral assessment: major consideration given to servingbusiness interests; excellent international servicedomestic: excellent domestic facilitiesinternational: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and PeninsularMalaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations- 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat(Pacific Ocean region)
Slovakiageneral assessment: a modernization and privatizationprogram is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducingthe waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improvingservice qualitydomestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receivingdigital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable,especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has beenaddedinternational: three international exchanges (one in Bratislava andtwo in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating inseveral international telecommunications projects that will increasethe availability of external services
Sloveniageneral assessment: NAdomestic: 100% digital (2000)international: NA
Solomon Islandsgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Somaliageneral assessment: the public telecommunications system wasalmost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions;private wireless companies offer service in most major cities andcharge the lowest international rates on the continentdomestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established inMogadishu and in several other population centersinternational: international connections are available fromMogadishu by satellite
South Africageneral assessment: the system is the best developedand most modern in Africadomestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxialcables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable,radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; keycenters are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, PortElizabeth, and Pretoriainternational: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Spaingeneral assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 personsdomestic: NAinternational: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations- 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Sri Lankageneral assessment: very inadequate domestic service,particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatizationof national telephone company and encouragement to privateinvestment; good international service (1999)domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digitalmicrowave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo areaand two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competitionis strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains lowat 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satelliteearth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Sudangeneral assessment: large, well-equipped system by regionalstandards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in1996 and have expanded substantiallydomestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephonecommunications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellitesystem with 14 earth stationsinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
Surinamegeneral assessment: international facilities are gooddomestic: microwave radio relay networkinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Svalbardgeneral assessment: probably adequatedomestic: local telephone serviceinternational: satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (forcommunication with Norwegian mainland only)
Swazilandgeneral assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advancedsystemdomestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines andlow-capacity, microwave radio relayinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Swedengeneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalfacilities; automatic systemdomestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voicetraffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry someadditional telephone channelsinternational: 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlanticand Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earthstation with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland,and Norway)
Switzerlandgeneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservicesdomestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networksinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Oceanand Indian Ocean)
Syriageneral assessment: fair system currently undergoingsignificant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optictechnologydomestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay networkinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable;coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Taiwangeneral assessment: provides telecommunications service forevery business and private needdomestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalizedinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 PacificOcean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa),Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia,Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Tajikistangeneral assessment: poorly developed and not wellmaintained; many towns are not reached by the national networkdomestic: cable and microwave radio relayinternational: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to otherCIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow internationalgateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gatewayswitch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2Intelsat
Tanzaniageneral assessment: fair system operating below capacityand being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small apertureterminal) system under constructiondomestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radiorelay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links beingmade digitalinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Thailandgeneral assessment: service to general public adequate, butinvestment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk ofservice to government activities provided by multichannel cable andmicrowave radio relay networkdomestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domesticsatellite system being developedinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Pacific Ocean)
Togogeneral assessment: fair system based on a network of microwaveradio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobilecellular systemdomestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventionalsystem; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephonesinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Symphonie
Tokelaugeneral assessment: adequatedomestic: radiotelephone service between islandsinternational: radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulatedtelephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations,established in 1997
Tongageneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)(1996)
Trinidad and Tobagogeneral assessment: excellent internationalservice; good local servicedomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Tunisiageneral assessment: above the African average and continuingto be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;Internet access availabledomestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxialcable, and microwave radio relayinternational: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwaveradio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; twointernational gateway digital switches
Turkeygeneral assessment: undergoing rapid modernization andexpansion, especially with cellular telephonesdomestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapidincrease in subscribers; the construction of a network oftechnologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using bothfiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitatingcommunication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by adomestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobilecellular telephone service is growing rapidlyinternational: international service is provided by three submarinefiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linkingTurkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia;also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satelliteterminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Turkmenistangeneral assessment: poorly developeddomestic: NAinternational: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to otherCIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to theMoscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link fromAshgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabatswitches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat;satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Turks and Caicos Islandsgeneral assessment: fair cable andradiotelephone servicesdomestic: NAinternational: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalugeneral assessment: serves particular needs for internalcommunicationsdomestic: radiotelephone communications between islandsinternational: NA
Ugandageneral assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellularsystems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number ofmain lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are availabledomestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, andradiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellularsystems for short-range trafficinternational: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Ukrainegeneral assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication developmentplan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunklines, international connections, and the mobile cellular systemdomestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited atelephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not besatisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestictrunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone systemis expanding at a high rateinternational: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of thefiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian linkshave been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL)project which connects 18 countries; additional internationalservice 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
United Arab Emiratesgeneral assessment: modern system of microwaveradio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubaidomestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cableinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar,Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
United Kingdomgeneral assessment: technologically advanced domesticand international systemdomestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, andfiber-optic systemsinternational: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations- 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 largeinternational switching centers
United Statesgeneral assessment: a very large, technologicallyadvanced, multipurpose communications systemdomestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radiorelay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form oftelephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobiletelephone traffic throughout the countryinternational: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earthstations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific andAtlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguaygeneral assessment: fully digitalizeddomestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; newnationwide microwave radio relay networkinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) (2002)
Uzbekistangeneral assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in seriousneed of modernizationdomestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded andtechnologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) andSamarqand, under contracts with prominent companies inindustrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networkshad been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global Systemfor Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced MobilePhone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)international: linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CISmember states and to other countries by leased connection via theMoscow international gateway switch; after the completion of theUzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable,Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities forinternational communications; Inmarsat also provides aninternational connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earthstations - NA (1998)
Vanuatugeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuelageneral assessment: modern and expandingdomestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recentsubstantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable ofdigital multimedia servicesinternational: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating withColombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of aninternational fiber-optic network
Vietnamgeneral assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effortinto modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modernneighborsdomestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected toHanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable ormicrowave radio relay networks; since 1991, main lines in use havebeen substantially increased and the use of mobile telephones isgrowing rapidlyinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (IndianOcean region)
Virgin Islandsgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relayinternational: submarine cable and satellite communications;satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Islandgeneral assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSNcircuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)domestic: NAinternational: NA
Wallis and Futunageneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
West Bankgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NAnote: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL areresponsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Saharageneral assessment: sparse and limited systemdomestic: NAinternational: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Worldgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
Yemengeneral assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts havebeen made to create a national telecommunications networkdomestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephonesystemsinternational: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Oceanand 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Zambiageneral assessment: facilities are aging but still among thebest in Sub-Saharan Africadomestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most largertowns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal(VSAT) networks are operated by private firmsinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Oceanand 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwegeneral assessment: system was once one of the best inAfrica, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large numberof installed but unused main linesdomestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loopinstallations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internetconnection is available in Harare and planned for all major townsand for some of the smaller onesinternational: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; twointernational digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@2125 Terrain
Afghanistanmostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Albaniamostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Algeriamostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,discontinuous coastal plain
American Samoafive volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limitedcoastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Andorrarugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Angolanarrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Anguillaflat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Antarcticaabout 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountainranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas includeparts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the AntarcticPeninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciersform ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating iceshelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Antigua and Barbudamostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,with some higher volcanic areas
Arctic Oceancentral surface covered by a perennial drifting polaricepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressureridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in theBeaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from theNew Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenlandand Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during thesummer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extendsto the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with theremainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Argentinarich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat torolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along westernborder
ArmeniaArmenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fastflowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Arubaflat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Ashmore and Cartier Islandslow with sand and coral
Atlantic Oceansurface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from Octoberto June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system ofcurrents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyrein the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by theMid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entireAtlantic basin
Australiamostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Austriain the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along theeastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Azerbaijanlarge, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (muchof it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on AbseronYasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Bahamas, Thelong, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Bahrainmostly low desert plain rising gently to low centralescarpment
Baker Islandlow, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrowfringing reef
Bangladeshmostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Barbadosrelatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Bassas da Indiavolcanic rock
Belarusgenerally flat and contains much marshland
Belgiumflat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Belizeflat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Beninmostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Bermudalow hills separated by fertile depressions
Bhutanmostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Boliviarugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Bosnia and Herzegovinamountains and valleys
Botswanapredominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; KalahariDesert in southwest
Bouvet Islandvolcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible
Brazilmostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,mountains, and narrow coastal belt
British Indian Ocean Territoryflat and low (most areas do notexceed four meters in elevation)
British Virgin Islandscoral islands relatively flat; volcanicislands steep, hilly
Bruneiflat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowlandin west
Bulgariamostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Burkina Fasomostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills inwest and southeast
Burmacentral lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Burundihilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, someplains
Cambodiamostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Cameroondiverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateauin center, mountains in west, plains in north
Canadamostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Cape Verdesteep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Cayman Islandslow-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Central African Republicvast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Chadbroad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains innorthwest, lowlands in south