Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protectionsigned, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with thede jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, thechief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk(Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed tohave originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
People Ethiopia
Population:67,851,281note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account theeffects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lowerlife expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lowerpopulation and growth rates, and changes in the distribution ofpopulation by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July2004 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 44.7% (male 15,189,921; female 15,109,870)15-64 years: 52.5% (male 17,857,758; female 17,767,411)65 years and over: 2.8% (male 855,103; female 1,071,218) (2004 est.)
Median age:total: 17.4 yearsfemale: 17.4 years (2004 est.)male: 17.3 years
Population growth rate:1.89% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:39.23 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:20.36 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 populationnote: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for refuge fromwar and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for severalyears; some Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia fromthe fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return totheir homes (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 102.12 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 91.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)male: 112.22 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 40.88 yearsmale: 40.03 yearsfemale: 41.75 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:5.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:4.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:1.5 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:120,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:typhoid fever, malaria, leishmaniasis (cutaneous), schistosomiasis,rabiesoverall degree of risk: high (2004)
Nationality:noun: Ethiopian(s)adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups:Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions:Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%
Languages:Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, otherlocal languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 42.7%male: 50.3%female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
Government Ethiopia
Country name:conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopiaconventional short form: Ethiopialocal short form: Ityop'iyaformer: Abyssinia, Italian East Africalocal long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblikabbreviation: FDRE
Government type:federal republic
Capital:Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions:9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular -astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara),Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples),Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali),Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations,Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence:oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in theworld - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution:ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995
Legal system:currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August1995)cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister andapproved by the House of People's Representativeselections: president elected by the House of People'sRepresentatives for a six-year term; election last held 8 October2001 (next to be held NA October 2007); prime minister designated bythe party in power following legislative electionselection results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent ofvote by the House of People's Representatives - 100%
Legislative branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upperchamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to servefive-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lowerchamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular votefrom single-member districts to serve five-year terms)elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)note: irregularities and violence at some polling stationsnecessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies;voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe droughtelection results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - OPDO 177,ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10,ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regionalpolitical groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
Judicial branch:Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of theFederal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister andappointed by the House of People's Representatives; for otherfederal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People'sRepresentatives for appointment candidates selected by the FederalJudicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [leader NA]; Amhara NationalDemocratic Movement or ANDM [ADDISU Legesse]; Bench Madji People'sDemocratic Organization or BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul GumuzPeople's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [leader NA]; EthiopianPeople's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (analliance of ANDM, OPDO, SEPDF, and TPLF); Gedeyo People'sRevolutionary Democratic Front or GPRDF [leader NA]; GurageNationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa ShakaPeople's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,Alabaa and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo People's DemocraticOrganization or OPDO [JUNEDI Sado]; Sidamo People's DemocraticOrganization or SPDO [leader NA]; South Omo People's DemocraticMovement or SOPDM [leader NA]; Tigrayan People's Liberation Front orTPLF [MELES Zenawi]; Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, and Konta People'sDemocratic Organization or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of smallparties
Political pressure groups and leaders:Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF [leader NA];Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia orCAFPDE [BEYANE Petros]; Southern Ethiopia People's DemocraticCoalition or SEPDC [BEYANE Petros]
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,UNMIL, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador KASSAHUN Ayele chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 686-9551 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aurelia A. BRAZEAL embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 550666 FAX: [251] (1) 551328
Flag description:three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with ayellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the anglesbetween the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands;Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the threemain colors of her flag were so often adopted by other Africancountries upon independence that they became known as thepan-African colors
Economy Ethiopia
Economy - overview:Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, whichaccounts for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of totalemployment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent droughtand poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopianeconomy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historicallylow prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplementincome. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought havebuffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November2001 Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly IndebtedPoor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Under Ethiopia's land tenuresystem, the government owns all land and provides long-term leasesto the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in theindustrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land ascollateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading toa 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Return to normal weather patterns latein 2003 should help agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004. Thegovernment estimates that annual growth of 7% is needed to reducepoverty.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $46.81 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:-3.8% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 46% industry: 12.6% services: 41.4% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):17% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:50% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 3%highest 10%: 33.7% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:40 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):17.8% (2003 est.)
Labor force:NA (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, industry and construction 8%,government and services 12% (1985)
Unemployment rate:NA (2002)
Budget:revenues: $1.813 billionexpenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $788million (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products:cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, sugarcane, potatoes, qat; hides,cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing,cement
Industrial production growth rate:6.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:1.713 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:1.594 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:214,000 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves:12.46 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:$-408 million (2003)
Exports:$537 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:Djibouti 13.4%, Germany 11.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Japan 6.8%, Italy6.4%, US 5.1% (2003)
Imports:$1.964 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:Saudi Arabia 24.1%, US 17%, China 6.4%, Italy 4.1% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:$956 million (2003)
Debt - external:$2.9 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$308 million (FY00/01)
Currency:birr (ETB)
Currency code:ETB
Exchange rates:birr per US dollar - NA (2003), 8.5678 (2002), 8.4575 (2001),8.2173 (2000), 7.9423 (1999)note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a dailybasis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Fiscal year:8 July - 7 July
Communications Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:435,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:97,800 (2003)
Telephone system:general assessment: open-wire and microwave radio relay system;adequate for government usedomestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication inthe HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites providethe national trunk serviceinternational: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earthstations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:15.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations:1 plus 24 repeaters (2002)
Televisions:682,000 (2002)
Internet country code:.et
Internet hosts:9 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2002)
Internet users:75,000 (2003)
Transportation Ethiopia
Railways:total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djiboutirailroad)narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gaugenote: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2003)
Highways:total: 31,571 kmpaved: 3,789 kmunpaved: 27,782 km (2000)
Ports and harbors:none; Ethiopia is landlocked and was by agreement with Eritreausing the ports of Assab and Massawa; since the border dispute withEritrea flared, Ethiopia has used the port of Djibouti for nearlyall of its imports
Merchant marine:total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 81,933 GRT/101,287 DWTby type: cargo 5, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off2 (2004 est.)
Airports:82 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.)
Military Ethiopia
Military branches:Ethiopian National Defense Force: Ground Forces, Air Force,Mobilized Militianote: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following thesecession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained inEritrean possession
Military manpower - military age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 15,748,632 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 8,234,442 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:males: 760,868 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$345 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:5.2% (2003)
Transnational Issues Ethiopia
Disputes - international:Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 independentboundary commission's delimitation decision, but demarcation hasbeen delayed, despite intense international intervention, byEthiopian insistence that the decision ignored "human geography,"made technical errors in the delimitation, and incorrectly awardedBadme - the focus of the 1998-2000 war - and other areas to Eritreaand Eritrea's insistence on not deviating from the commission'sdecision; Ethiopia maintains only an administrative line and nointernational border with the Oromo region of southern Somalia andmaintains alliances with local clans in opposition to theTransitional National Government, which lost its mandate in August2003, in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provide portfacilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; efforts todemarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have been delayed by civilwar
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 93,032 (Sudan), 23,578 (Somalia)IDPs: 132,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnicclashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces)(2004)
Illicit drugs:Transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asiaand destined for Europe and North America as well as cocainedestined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) forlocal use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia(legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developedfinancial system limits the country's utility as a money-launderingcenter
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Europa Island
Introduction Europa Island
Background:A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it isthe site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station.
Geography Europa Island
Location:Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-halfof the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates:22 20 S, 40 22 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 28 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmland: 28 sq km
Area - comparative:about 0.16 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:22.2 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:tropical
Terrain:low and flat
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: unnamed location 24 m
Natural resources:NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mangrove forests and woodlands) (2001)
Irrigated land:0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:NA
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:wildlife sanctuary
People Europa Island
Population:no indigenous inhabitantsnote: there is a small French military garrison and a fewmeteorologists; visited by scientists (July 2004 est.)
Government Europa Island
Country name:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Europa Islandlocal short form: Ile Europalocal long form: none
Dependency status:possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of theRepublic, resident in Reunion
Legal system:the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description:the flag of France is used
Economy Europa Island
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Communications Europa Island
Communications - note: 1 meteorological station
Transportation Europa Island
Ports and harbors:none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Europa Island
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues Europa Island
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@European Union
Introduction European Union
Preliminary statement:The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economicagreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today'ssupranational organization of 25 countries across the Europeancontinent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals ofhistory. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long thenorm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions werearranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and theAustro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large numberof nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarchingentity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in thestrict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such asASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributesassociated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, foundingdate, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign andsecurity policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future,many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded.Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemedappropriate as a new, separate entry in The World Factbook. However,because of the EU's special status, this description is placed afterthe regular country entries.
Background:
Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all of Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.
The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.
In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined to the EU, raising the membership total to 15.
A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except Great Britain, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gives member states two years to ratify the document before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006.
Despite the expansion of membership and functions, "Eurosceptics" in various countries have raised questions about the erosion of national cultures and the imposition of a flood of regulations from the EU capital in Brussels. Failure by member states to ratify the constitution or the inability of newcomer countries to meet euro currency standards might force a loosening of some EU agreements and perhaps lead to several levels of EU participation. These "tiers" might eventually range from an "inner" core of politically integrated countries to a looser "outer" economic association of members.
Geography European Union
Location:Europe between Eastern Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean
Map references:Europe
Area:total: 3,976,372 sq km
Area - comparative:less than one-half the size of the US
Land boundaries:total: 11,214.8 kmborder countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 kmnote: data for European Continent only
Coastline:65,413.9 km
Maritime claims:NA
Climate:cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate;mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Terrain:fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in thecentral and southern areas
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands-7 mhighest point: Mount Blanc, France/Italy 4,807 m
Natural resources:iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead,zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish
Land use:arable land: NApermanent crops: NA
Irrigated land:115,807 sq km
Natural hazards:flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakesin the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts inSpain; ice floes in the Baltic
Environment - current issues:NA
Environment - international agreements:Hazardous Wastes, Biodiversity, Air Pollution, Antarctic-MarineLiving Resources, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94, OzoneLayer Protection, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 94, Law of the Sea, Desertification, ClimateChange; has signed, but not yet ratified: Air Pollution-VolatileOrganic Compounds, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
People European Union
Population: 456,285,839 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.3% 15-64 years: 67.2% 65 years and over: 16.6% (July 2004 est.)
Median age:NA
Population growth rate:0.17% (July 2004 est.)
Birth rate:10.2 births/1,000 population (July 2004 est.)
Death rate:10 deaths/1,000 population (July 2004 est.)
Net migration rate:1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (July 2004 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: NAunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female (July 2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (July 2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.1 years male: 74.9 years female: 81.4 years (July 2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Religions:Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Languages:Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German,Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish,Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only officiallanguages are listed
Government European Union
Union name:conventional long form: European Unionabbreviation: EU
Political structure:a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization
Capital:Brussels, Belgium
Member states:25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note - Canary Islands(Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and French Guyana,Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listedseparately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal,and France; candidate countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Turkey
Independence:7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
National holiday:Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day thatRobert Schuman proposed the creation of an organized Europe
Constitution:based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set upthe European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treatiesof Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and theEuropean Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the SingleEuropean Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastrict) in1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October2004 in Rome, gives member states two years for ratification eitherby parliamentary vote or national referendum before it is scheduledto take effect on 1 November 2006
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose DURAOBARROSO (since 22 November 2004)election results: European Parliament approved the EuropeanCommission by an approval vote of 449-149 with 82 abstentionselections: the president of the European Commission is designated bymember governments; the president-designate then chooses the otherCommission members; the European Parliament confirms the entireCommission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004(next to be held 2009)cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from eachmember country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policyareas)note: the European Council brings together heads of state andgovernment and the president of the European Commission and meets atleast twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the majorpolitical issues relating to European integration and to issuegeneral policy guidelines
Legislative branch:Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states'population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body ofthe EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among memberstates by proportion to population); members elected by directuniversal suffrage for a five-year termelection results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN27, independents 28elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)
Judicial branch:European Court of Justice (ensures that the treaties areinterpreted and applied correctly) - 25 Justices (one from eachmember state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake ofefficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "GrandChamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for asix-year term
Political parties and leaders:Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE[Graham R. WATSON]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM[Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Group of Greens/European FreeAlliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel MarcCOHN-BENDIT]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES[Martin SCHULZ]; Confederal Group of the European United Left-NordicGreen Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People'sParty-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Union forEurope of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and CristianaMUSCARDINI]
International organization participation:European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member),EBRD, IDA, OAS (observer), OECD, WTOEuropean Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, G-10, NSG(observer), UN (observer)European Central Bank: BISEuropean Investment Bank: WADB (nonregional member)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037 FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766 telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rockwell SCHNABEL embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat (Rue Zinner), B-1000 Brussels mailing address: same as above telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222 FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
Flag description:on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle,representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of starsis fixed
Economy European Union
Economy - overview:Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers,adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of livingstandards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's tradeposition and its political and economic power. Because of the greatdifferences in per capita income (from $10,000 to $28,000) andhistoric national animosities, the European Community facesdifficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example,both Germany and France since 2003 have flouted the member states'treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from runningmore than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central andeastern European countries that are, in general, less advancedtechnologically and economically than the existing 15. The Economicand Monetary Union (EMU), an associated organization, introduced theeuro as the common currency on 1 January 1999. The UK, Sweden, andDenmark do not now participate; the 10 new countries may choose tojoin the EMU when they meet its fiscal and monetary criteria and themember states so agree.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $11.05 trillion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $25,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.3% industry: 28.3% services: 69.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):percent of GDP - NA (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.2% (1995 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:31.1 (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):2% (2004 est.)
Labor force:211.1 million
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 4.3%, industry 29%, services 66.8% (2000)
Unemployment rate:9.1% (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes, dairy products,cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish
Industries:among the world's largest and most technologically advancedindustries, including iron and steel, aluminum, petroleum, coal,cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, railroadequipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools,electronics, telecommunications equipment, fishing, food processing,furniture, paper, textiles and clothing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:0.8% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:2.822 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:2.635 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:234.8 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:245.7 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:3.244 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - consumption:14.48 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - exports:6.429 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:16.97 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:7.467 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:243.8 billion cu m (2001)
Natural gas - consumption:463.6 billion cu m (2001)
Natural gas - exports:77.04 billion cu m (2001)
Natural gas - imports:292.2 billion cu m (2001)
Natural gas - proved reserves:3.262 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:$NA
Exports:$850.3 billion (2002)
Exports - commodities:machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals andother chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulpand paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholicbeverages.
Exports - partners:NA
Imports:$887.1 billion (2002)
Imports - commodities:machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals,textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:NA
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:$NA
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - donor:$NA
Currency:euro; pound (Cyprus), koruna (Czech Republic), krone (Denmark),kroon (Estonia), forint (Hungary), lat (Latvia), litas (Lithuania),lira (Malta), zloty (Poland), koruna (Slovakia), tolar (Slovenia),krona (Sweden), pound (UK)
Currency code:EUR
Exchange rates:euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:NA
Communications European Union
Telephones - main lines in use:238,763,162 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:314,644,700 (2002)
Telephone system:note - see individual country entries of member states
Radio broadcast stations:AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individualcountry radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-widestation (Euroradio)
Television broadcast stations:2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of indiviualcountry television broadcast stations; there is also a European-widestation (Eurovision)
Internet country code:.eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member statesfor individual country codes
Internet hosts:22,000,414 (2004); note - sum of individual country Internet hosts
Internet users:206,032,067 (September 2004)
Transportation European Union
Railways:total: 222,293 kmbroad gauge: 28,438 kmnarrow gauge: 7,427 kmstandard gauge: 186,405 kmother: 23 km (2003)
Highways:total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways)paved: 4,161,318 kmunpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000)
Waterways:53,512 km
Ports and harbors:Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen(Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland),Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon(Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy),Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam(Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia)
Airports: total: 3,130 with paved runways: 1,834 with unpaved runways: 1,296 (2003)
Heliports: 94 (2003)
Military European Union
Military - note:In October 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a"constitutional treaty" that offers possibilities - with some limits- for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in aprocess that may take some two years, this treaty will in effectmake operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP)approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation forsome EU members, development of a European military planning unit islikely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction militaryforce and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit willsupport. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, andItaly continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nationEurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, andLuxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeepingmissions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the DemocraticRepublic of Congo and assumed command of the International SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorpsdirectly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade and theMultinational Command Support Brigade and will command EUFOR, whichwill take over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troopcontributions are under national command - committments to provide67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, thenew European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperativeEuropean defense capabilities, began operations. As of November2004, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France had proposed creationof three 1,500-man rapid-reaction "battle groups."
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Introduction Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Background:Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the firstlanding (English) did not occur until almost a century later in1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and theislands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, firstbetween Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. TheUK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a navalgarrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landedseven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentinesurrender on 14 June 1982.
Geography Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Location:Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, eastof southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates:51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references:South America
Area:total: 12,173 sq kmnote: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland andabout 200 small islandswater: 0 sq kmland: 12,173 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,288 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs onmore than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inchesin Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January andFebruary, but does not accumulate
Terrain:rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources: fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2001)
Irrigated land:NA sq km
Natural hazards:strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer wereintroduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this isthe only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by theChornobyl disaster
Geography - note:deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growingseason
People Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Population: 2,967 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:2.44% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: NAmale: NAfemale: NA (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: NA yearsmale: NA yearsfemale: NA years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:NA children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: Falkland Islander(s)adjective: Falkland Island
Ethnic groups:British
Religions:primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, EvangelistChurch, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:English
Government Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Dependency status:overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Government type:NA
Capital:Stanley
Administrative divisions:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Independence:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
National holiday:Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Legal system:English common law
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed bythe monarchhead of government: Governor Howard PEARCE (since 3 December 2002);Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since NA March 2003); FinancialSecretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA)cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the LegislativeCouncil, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financialsecretary), and the governor
Legislative branch:unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - 2 ex officio, 8 electedby popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over bythe governorelections: last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held NA November2005)election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8; note- 71% voter turnout
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court(senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions);Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders:none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
International organization participation:ICFTU, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description:blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant andthe Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of theflag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising is themajor economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crewdiscovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing themotto DESIRE THE RIGHT
Economy Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Economy - overview:The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheepfarming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economicactivity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses toforeign trawlers operating within the Falklands exclusive fishingzone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, whichgoes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system.Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supportsdomestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports featureshipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postagestamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except fordefense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oilexploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismicsurveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000barrels per day; to date no exploitable site has been identified. Anagreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuselicensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreigninterest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especiallyeco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money thegovernment has in the bank. The British military presence alsoprovides a sizeable economic boost.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $75 million (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:NA
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: NAindustry: NAservices: NA
Population below poverty line:NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NAhighest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):3.6% (1998)
Labor force:1,100 (est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
Unemployment rate:full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Budget:revenues: $66.2 millionexpenditures: $67.9 million, including capital expenditures of $23.2million (FY98/99 est.)
Agriculture - products:fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products
Industries:fish and wool processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:NA
Electricity - production:16.33 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:15.19 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Exports:$82 million (2002)
Exports - commodities:wool, hides, meat
Exports - partners:Spain 80%, UK 9.3%, US 3.6% (2003)
Imports:$53 million (2002)
Imports - commodities:fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners:UK 62%, Spain 30.4%, Italy 2.5% (2003)
Debt - external:NA (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:none (1997 est.)
Currency:Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code:FKP
Exchange rates:Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.6125 (2003), 0.6661 (2002),0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.618 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note -the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Telephones - main lines in use:2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:0 (2001)
Telephone system:general assessment: NAdomestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CBradiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost allpoints on both islandsinternational: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to othercountries