Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 5,952,834 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 5,007,375 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:males: 163,577 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$985 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:2.47% (2002)
Transnational Issues Romania
Disputes - international:has not resolved claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmyinyy (Snake)Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks basedon 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years; Hungaryamended status law extending special social and cultural benefits toethnic Hungarians in Romania, who had objected to the law
Illicit drugs:major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting theBalkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound forWestern Europe; although not a significant financial center, role asa narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering which occursvia the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Russia
Introduction Russia
Background:Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was ableto emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15thcenturies) and to gradually conquer and absorb surroundingprincipalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynastycontinued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific.Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the BalticSea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19thcentury, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia.Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I ledto widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire andto the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communistsunder Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR.The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Russiandominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions oflives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the followingdecades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91)introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in anattempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertentlyreleased forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in itsefforts to build a democratic political system and market economy toreplace the strict social, political, and economic controls of theCommunist period. While some progress has been made on the economicfront, recent years have seen a recentralization of power underVladimir PUTIN and an erosion in nascent democratic institutions. Adetermined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya.
Geography Russia
Location:Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is included withEurope), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the NorthPacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates:60 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 17,075,200 sq kmwater: 79,400 sq kmland: 16,995,800 sq km
Area - comparative:approximately 1.8 times the size of the US
Land boundaries:total: 20,017 kmborder countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China(southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland1,340 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km,Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576km
Coastline:37,653 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in muchof European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in thepolar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigidin Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool alongArctic coast
Terrain:broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forestand tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern borderregions
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 mhighest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m
Natural resources:wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, naturalgas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timbernote: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinderexploitation of natural resources
Land use: arable land: 7.33% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.56% (2001)
Irrigated land:46,630 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment todevelopment; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes andearthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods andsummer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of EuropeanRussia
Environment - current issues:air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electricplants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal,and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts;deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improperapplication of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimesintense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination fromtoxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks ofobsolete pesticides
Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, AntarcticTreaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, ClimateChange-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorablylocated in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite itssize, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (eithertoo cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe'stallest peak
People Russia
Population:143,782,338 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 15% (male 11,064,109; female 10,518,595)15-64 years: 71.3% (male 49,534,076; female 52,958,107)65 years and over: 13.7% (male 6,177,580; female 13,529,871) (2004est.)
Median age: total: 37.9 years male: 34.7 years female: 40.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:-0.45% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:9.63 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:15.17 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:1.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 16.96 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)male: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 66.39 yearsmale: 59.91 yearsfemale: 73.27 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.26 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:700,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:9,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:noun: Russian(s)adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups:Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir0.9%, Belarusian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1% (1989)
Religions:Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages:Russian, other
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99.6%male: 99.7%female: 99.5% (2003 est.)
Government Russia
Country name:conventional long form: Russian Federationconventional short form: Russialocal short form: Rossiyalocal long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiyaformer: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Government type:federation
Capital:Moscow
Administrative divisions:49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik,singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov,singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2federal cities (singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast(avtonomnaya oblast'): oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan',Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Ivanovo,Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy),Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk,Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk,Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Perm', Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin(Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk(Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk,Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl': republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan(Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya(Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas),Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista),Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk),Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola),Mordoviya (Saransk), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), North Ossetia(Vladikavkaz), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk): federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), St. Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg): autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan): krays: Altay (Barnaul), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk,Primorskiy (Vladivostok), Stavropol': autonomous okrugs: Aga Buryat (Aginskoye), Chukotka (Anadyr'),Evenk (Tura), Khanty-Mansi, Komi-Permyak (Kudymkar), Koryak(Palana), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Taymyr [Dolgano-Nenets] (Dudinka),Ust'-Orda Buryat (Ust'-Ordynskiy), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard)note: administrative divisions have the same names as theiradministrative centers (exceptions have the administrative centername following in parentheses)
Independence:24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:Russia Day, 12 June (1990)
Constitution:adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system:based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (actingpresident since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that providesstaff and policy support to the president, drafts presidentialdecrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; aSecurity Council also reports directly to the presidentelections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held NA March 2008);note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannotexercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns,the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting presidentuntil a new presidential election is held, which must be withinthree months; premier appointed by the president with the approvalof the Dumacabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed ofthe premier and his deputy, ministers, and selected otherindividuals; all are appointed by the presidenthead of government: Premier Mikhail Yefimovich FRADKOV (since 5March 2004); Deputy Premier Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9March 2004)election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN reelected president;percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 71.2%, NikolayKHARITONOV 13.7%, other (no candidate above 5%) 15.1%
Legislative branch:bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of theFederation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000,members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials ineach of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays,republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities ofMoscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and theState Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; currently 225 seatselected by proportional representation from party lists winning atleast 5% of the vote, and 225 seats from single-memberconstituencies; members are elected by direct, popular vote to servefour-year terms)elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be heldNA December 2007)election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by partiesclearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share ofthe 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, CPRF 12.7%, LDPR11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, CPRF 53,LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, Union ofRightist Forces 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat electionrequired 3
Judicial branch:Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration;judges for all courts are appointed for life by the FederationCouncil on the recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [GennadiyAndreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR[Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Motherland Bloc (Rodina) [DmitriyROGOZIN]; People's Party [Gennadiy RAYKOV]; Union of Rightist Forcesor SPS [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR, IrinaMutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV]; United Russia [BorisVyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; Yabloko Party [Grigoriy AlekseyevichYAVLINSKIY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708 chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW embassy: Bolshoy Devyatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000 FAX: [7] (095) 728-5090 consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
Economy Russia
Economy - overview:Russia ended 2003 with its fifth straight year of growth, averaging6.5% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oilprices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of thiseconomic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demandhave played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capitalinvestments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last fouryears and real personal incomes have averaged increases over 12%.Russia has also improved its international financial position sincethe 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90%of GDP to around 28%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russiato increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $80billion. These achievements, along with a renewed government effortto advance structural reforms, have raised business and investorconfidence in Russia's economic prospects. Nevertheless, seriousproblems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account formore than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swingsin world prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and mustbe replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-basedeconomic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, apoor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreigninvestors, corruption, local and regional government intervention inthe courts, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. Inaddition, a string of investigations launched against a majorRussian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in thefall of 2003, have raised concerns by some observers that PresidentPUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his governmentthat desire to reassert state control over the economy.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $1.282 trillion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:7.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.2% industry: 35.1% services: 59.8% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):18.2% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:25% (January 2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.9% highest 10%: 47% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:39.9 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):13.7% (2003 est.)
Labor force:71.68 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 12.3%, industry 22.7%, services 65% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:8.5% plus considerable underemployment (2003 est.)
Budget:revenues: $83.99 billionexpenditures: $73.75 billion, including capital expenditures of NA(2003)
Public debt:34.1% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk
Industries:complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building fromrolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communicationsequipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and constructionequipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment;medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles,foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:7% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:915 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption:773 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:21.16 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:7 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:7.286 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:2.595 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:51.22 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:580.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:408.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:205.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:32.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:47.86 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:$35.91 billion (2003)
Exports:$134.4 billion (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and woodproducts, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian andmilitary manufactures
Exports - partners:Germany 7.8%, Netherlands 6.5%, Italy 6.3%, China 6.2%, Belarus5.7%, Ukraine 5.7%, US 4.6%, Switzerland 4.4% (2003)
Imports:$74.8 billion (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar,semifinished metal products
Imports - partners:Germany 14%, Belarus 8.6%, Ukraine 7.7%, China 5.8%, US 5.2%,Kazakhstan 4.7%, Italy 4.2%, France 4.1% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:$76.94 billion (2003)
Debt - external:$175.9 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient:in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million innon-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million (2000est.)
Currency:Russian ruble (RUR)
Currency code:RUR
Exchange rates:Russian rubles per US dollar - 30.692 (2003), 31.3485 (2002),29.1685 (2001), 28.1292 (2000), 24.6199 (1999)note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1January 1998 rubles
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Russia
Telephones - main lines in use:35.5 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:17,608,800 (2002)
Telephone system:general assessment: the telephone system underwent significantchanges in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensedto offer communication services; access to digital lines hasimproved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mailservices are improving; Russia has made progress toward building thetelecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;however, a large demand for main line service remains 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: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationallyby three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in severalcities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls;satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik,Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems
Radio broadcast stations:AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)
Radios:61.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:7,306 (1998)
Televisions:60.5 million (1997)
Internet country code:.ru; Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" thatwas allocated to the Soviet Union, and whose legal status andownership are contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, andseveral Russian commercial entities
Internet hosts:560,874 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):300 (June 2000)
Internet users:6 million (2002)
Transportation Russia
Railways:total: 87,157 kmbroad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serveindustries (2003)narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
Highways:total: 532,393 kmpaved: 358,833 kmunpaved: 173,560 km (2000)
Waterways:96,000 kmnote: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, WhiteSea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2004)
Pipelines:condensate 122 km; gas 150,007 km; oil 75,539 km; refined products13,771 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinskiy, Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', De-Kastri,Indigirskiy, Kaliningrad, Kandalaksha, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk,Krasnoyarsk, Lazarev, Mago, Mezen', Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Onega, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Rostov,Shakhtersk, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Taganrog, Tuapse, Uglegorsk,Vanino, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine:total: 958 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,521,472 GRT/5,505,118 DWTby type: barge carrier 1, bulk 20, cargo 562, chemical tanker 13,combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 36, container 28,multi-functional large load carrier 2, passenger 35, passenger/cargo4, petroleum tanker 179, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 27,roll on/roll off 21, short-sea/passenger 6, specialized tanker 2foreign-owned: Belize 2, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 9, Denmark 1, Estonia 3,Germany 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 1, South Korea 1, Latvia 2, Lithuania3, Malta 2, Moldova 3, Netherlands 2, Panama 2, Switzerland 4,Turkey 18, Turkmenistan 2, Ukraine 7, United Kingdom 3, UnitedStates 4registered in other countries: 350 (2004 est.)
Airports:2,609 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 585over 3,047 m: 562,438 to 3,047 m: 201914 to 1,523 m: 100under 914 m: 106 (2003 est.)1,524 to 2,437 m: 122
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 2,024under 914 m: 1,590 (2003 est.)over 3,047 m: 192,438 to 3,047 m: 34914 to 1,523 m: 2611,524 to 2,437 m: 120
Heliports:36 (2003 est.)
Military Russia
Military branches:Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces; Airborne troops, Strategic RocketForces, and Military Space Forces are classified as independentcombat arms, not subordinate to any of the three branches:
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; 200,000 conscripts were inducted into the armed forces in 2003; length of compulsory military service is 2 years; plans as of August 2004 call for reduction in mandatory service to 1 year by 2008; 2003 planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts (August 2004)
Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 39,127,169 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 30,600,088 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:males: 1,262,339 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:NA
Transnational Issues Russia
Disputes - international:China and Russia in 2004 resolved their last border dispute overislands in the Amur and Argun Rivers, but details on demarcationhave not yet been worked-out; the sovereignty dispute over theislands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group knownin Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the"Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, nowadministered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primarysticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World WarII hostilities; about a third of the boundary with Georgia remainsundelimited and none of it demarcated with several small, strategicsegments remaining in dispute; OSCE observers monitor volatile areassuch as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorgein Abkhazia; equidistant seabed treaties have been signed withAzerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea but no consensus ondividing the water column among the littoral states; Russia andNorway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia'sfishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within theSvalbard Treaty zone; Russia continues to reject signing andratifying the joint 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia;the Russian Parliament refuses to consider ratification of theboundary treaties with Estonia and Latvia, but in May 2003, ratifiedland and maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, which ratified the1997 treaty in 1999, legalizing limits of former Soviet republicborders; a simplified transit regime was adopted in July 2003 forresidents of the Kaliningrad coastal exclave to travel throughLithuania to Russia; delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine iscomplete, but demarcation remains unresolved; Ukraine protestsRussia's construction of a causeway in the direction ofUkrainian-administered Tuzla Island in the Kerch Strait; Kazakhstanand Russia will complete delimitation of their interstate border in2004 and demarcation is underway; Russian Duma has not yet ratified1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US in the Bering Sea
Refugees and internally displaced persons:IDPs: 368,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2004)
Illicit drugs:limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy andproducer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption;government has active illicit crop eradication program; used astransshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin Americancocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extentWestern and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major sourceof heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime arekey concerns; heroin increasingly popular in domestic market
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Rwanda
Introduction Rwanda
Background:In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majorityethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over thenext several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children ofthese exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front(RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with severalpolitical and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions,culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsisand moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime andended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Huturefugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboringBurundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the former Zaire. Since then, most ofthe refugees have returned to Rwanda, but about 10,000 that remainin the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo have formed anextremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF triedin 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and politicalreforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 andits first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections inAugust and September 2003, respectively - the country continues tostruggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnicreconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsipolitical dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization andintolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency acrossthe border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years inthe neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinderRwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.
Geography Rwanda
Location:Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 26,338 sq kmwater: 1,390 sq kmland: 24,948 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:total: 893 kmborder countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November toJanuary); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain:mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous withaltitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Rusizi River 950 mhighest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources:gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane,hydropower, arable land
Land use:arable land: 40.54%permanent crops: 12.16%other: 47.3% (2001)
Irrigated land:40 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in thenorthwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment - current issues:deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel;overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protectionsigned, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with thepopulation predominantly rural
People Rwanda
Population:7,954,013note: 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: 42.3% (male 1,690,122; female 1,674,147)15-64 years: 55% (male 2,178,956; female 2,194,526)65 years and over: 2.7% (male 85,472; female 130,790) (2004 est.)
Median age:total: 18.2 yearsmale: 18 yearsfemale: 18.4 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:1.82% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:40.01 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:21.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 101.68 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 96.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)male: 106.68 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 39.18 yearsmale: 38.43 yearsfemale: 39.96 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:5.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:250,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:22,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:typhoid fever, malariaoverall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality:noun: Rwandan(s)adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups:Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions:Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%,indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Languages:Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used incommercial centers
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writefemale: 64.7% (2003 est.)male: 76.3%total population: 70.4%
People - note:Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Government Rwanda
Country name:conventional long form: Rwandese Republicconventional short form: Rwandalocal short form: Rwandaformer: Ruandalocal long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
Government type:republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital:Kigali
Administrative divisions:12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; inKinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba,Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, KigaliRurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
Independence:1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:a new constitution was adopted 26 May 2003
Legal system:based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law;judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March2000)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the presidentelections: last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008)election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first directpopular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%,Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats;members elected by direct vote)elections: last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held NA)election results: seats by party under the Arusha peace accord - RPF40, PSD 7, PL 6
Judicial branch:Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
Political parties and leaders:Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; SocialDemocratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]; Democratic Popular Unionof Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA ]; Democratic Republican Movementor MDR (officially banned) [Celestin KABANDA]; Islamic DemocraticParty or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Prosper HIGIRO];Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned) [Pasteur BIZIMUNGUand Charles NTAKARUTINKA]; Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [PaulKAGAME]
Political pressure groups and leaders:IBUKA - association of genocide survivors
International organization participation:ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGAFAX: [1] (202) 232-4544telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret K. McMILLION embassy: #337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128
Flag description:three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, andgreen, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blueband
Economy Rwanda
Economy - overview:Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the populationengaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most denselypopulated country in Africa; landlocked with few natural resourcesand minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffeeand tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base,severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and erodedthe country's ability to attract private and external investment.However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing andrehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although povertylevels are higher now. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has beencurbed. Export earnings, however, have been hindered by low beverageprices, depriving the country of much needed hard currency. Attemptsto diversify into non-traditional agriculture exports such asflowers and vegetables have been stymied by a lack of adequatetransportation infrastructure. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem,food production often does not keep pace with population growth,requiring food to be imported. Rwanda continues to receivesubstantial aid money and was approved for IMF-World Bank HeavilyIndebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in late 2000.But Kigali's high defense expenditures cause tension between thegovernment and international donors and lending agencies.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $10.11 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:3.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40.7% industry: 21.5% services: 37.8% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):19.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:60% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1985)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:28.9 (1985)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):7.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force:4.6 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 90%
Unemployment rate:NA
Budget:revenues: $365.9 millionexpenditures: $402.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(2003 est.)
Agriculture - products:coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums),bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Industries:cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap,furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate:7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:96.78 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:140 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:50 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:5,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA (2001)
Oil - imports:NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves:28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:$-163 million (2003)
Exports:$73.33 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners:Indonesia 39.2%, Germany 4.6%, China 3.9% (2003)
Imports:$245.8 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products,cement and construction material
Imports - partners:Kenya 23.3%, Germany 7.5%, Belgium 6.4%, Uganda 6.4%, France 5%(2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:$215 million (2003)
Debt - external:$1.3 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$372.9 million (1999)
Currency:Rwandan franc (RWF)
Currency code:RWF
Exchange rates:Rwandan francs per US dollar - 537.658 (2003), 476.327 (2002),442.801 (2001), 389.696 (2000), 333.942 (1999)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Rwanda
Telephones - main lines in use:23,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:134,000note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and severalprefecture capitals (2003)
Telephone system:general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business andgovernmentdomestic: 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: country code - 250; international connections employmicrowave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellitecommunications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations -1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefaxservice)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 0, FM 3 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system ofrepeaters and the third FM program is a 24 hour BBC program),shortwave 1 (2002)
Radios:601,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:NA
Televisions:NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.rw
Internet hosts:1,495 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):2 (2002)
Internet users:25,000 (2002)
Transportation Rwanda
Highways: total: 12,000 km paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004)
Ports and harbors:Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports:9 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 5914 to 1,523 m: 2under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Military Rwanda
Military branches:Rwandan Defense Forces (Army, Air Forces)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Military manpower - availability:males age 15-49: 1,973,713 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 15-49: 1,004,296 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$47.7 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:2.9% (2003)
Transnational Issues Rwanda
Disputes - international:Tutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnic groups,associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various governmentforces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending theboundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, andUganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources -government heads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violencecontinues despite UN peacekeeping efforts
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 37,691 (Democratic Republic of theCongo)IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic ofthe Congo, 1997-1999; most IDPs in northwest) (2004)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Saint Helena
Introduction Saint Helena
Background:Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, SaintHelena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. Itacquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of calldeclined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. AscensionIsland is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; GoughIsland has a meteorological station.
Geography Saint Helena
Location:islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between SouthAmerica and Africa
Geographic coordinates:15 56 S, 5 42 W
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 410 sq kmnote: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island groupof Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island,Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islandswater: 0 sq kmland: 410 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:60 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds;Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds(tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Terrain:Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plainsnote: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Natural resources:fish
Land use:arable land: 12.9%permanent crops: 0%other: 87.1% (2001)
Irrigated land:NA sq km
Natural hazards:active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in theworld; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
People Saint Helena
Population:7,415 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 18.9% (male 710; female 689)15-64 years: 71.4% (male 2,739; female 2,559)65 years and over: 9.7% (male 319; female 399) (2004 est.)
Median age:total: 34.7 yearsmale: 34.9 yearsfemale: 34.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:0.62% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:12.68 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.04 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 15.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)male: 23.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 77.57 yearsmale: 74.67 yearsfemale: 80.61 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.54 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: Saint Helenian(s)adjective: Saint Helenian
Ethnic groups:African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Religions:Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Languages:English
Literacy:definition: age 20 and over can read and writetotal population: 97%male: 97%female: 98% (1987 est.)
Government Saint Helena
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Dependency status:overseas territory of the UK
Government type:NA
Capital:Jamestown
Administrative divisions:1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, SaintHelena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence:none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:1 January 1989
Legal system:NA
Suffrage:NA years of age
Executive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed bythe monarchhead of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY(since 1999); Michael CLANCY (taking office in October 2004)cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officioofficers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch:unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popularvote to serve four-year terms)elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15
Judicial branch:Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Political parties and leaders:none
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
International organization participation:ICFTU, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant andthe Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag;the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
Economy Saint Helena
Economy - overview:The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK,which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half ofannual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income fromfishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Becausethere are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seekemployment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:NA
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 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):3.2% (1997 est.)