Currency code:XPF
Exchange rates:Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89(2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Wallis and Futuna
Telephones - main lines in use:1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:0 (1994)
Telephone system:general assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 681
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)
Radios:NA
Television broadcast stations:2 (2000)
Televisions:NA
Internet country code:.wf
Internet hosts:1 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2000)
Internet users:900 (2002)
Transportation Wallis and Futuna
Airports: 2 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 11,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Merchant marine:total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 110,428 GRT/56,830 DWTby type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 7foreign-owned: 8 (France 5, French Polynesia 2, US 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Leava, Mata-Utu
Military Wallis and Futuna
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues Wallis and Futuna
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@West Bank
Introduction West Bank
Background:The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-GovernmentArrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993,provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years ofPalestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the WestBank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers andresponsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of theinterim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip andJericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 CairoAgreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additionalareas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 ProtocolConcerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-SheikhAgreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibilityduring the transitional period for external and internal securityand for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Directnegotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bankbegan in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailedby a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a finalsettlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by thetwo parties leading to two states, Israel and a democraticPalestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement hasbeen postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations thatboth sides have not followed through on their commitments. LongtimePalestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and MahmudABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of aturning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues,in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has beenslow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement bythe two sides.
Geography West Bank
Location:Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates:32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references:Middle East
Area:total: 5,860 sq kmland: 5,640 sq kmwater: 220 sq kmnote: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarterof the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem andJerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means ofdepicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries: total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warmto hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain:mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barrenin east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Dead Sea -408 mhighest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources:arable land
Land use: arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001)
Irrigated land:150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Natural hazards:droughts
Environment - current issues:adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
Geography - note:landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastalaquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalemsettlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August2005 est.)
People West Bank
Population:2,460,492note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in theWest Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202)15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347)65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 18.3 yearsmale: 18.2 yearsfemale: 18.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:3.06% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 73.27 yearsmale: 71.5 yearsfemale: 75.15 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: NAadjective: NA
Ethnic groups:Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions:Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Languages:Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians),English (widely understood)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 91.9%male: 96.3%female: 87.4% (2003 est.)
Government West Bank
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank
Economy West Bank
Economy - overview:The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the PalestinianAuthority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growthand a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the secondintifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely theresult of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of borderclosures in response to security incidents in Israel - whichdisrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, andeven more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areasresulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption ofadministrative structure, and widespread business closures.Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israelisettlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs.International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed somereforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, highunemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continuedclosures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$1.8 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$3.45 billion
GDP - real growth rate:6.2% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$1,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9% industry: 28% services: 63% note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.)
Labor force: 614,000 (April-June 2005)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18.4% industry: 24% services: 57.6% (April-June 2005)
Unemployment rate:19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005)
Population below poverty line:46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.)
Budget:revenues: $964 millionexpenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA;note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004)
Agriculture - products:olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Industries:generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles,soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; theIsraelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in thesettlements and industrial centers
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; EastJerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity toPalestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank;the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to mostJewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinianmunicipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their ownelectricity from small power plants
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:NA kWh
Electricity - imports:NA kWh
Exports:$270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Exports - commodities:olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports - partners:Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004)
Imports:$1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Imports - commodities:food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners:Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004)
Debt - external:$0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002)
Economic aid - recipient:$1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.)
Currency (code):new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Currency code:ILS; JOD
Exchange rates:new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004),4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications West Bank
Telephones - main lines in use:357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: NAdomestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTELare responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; thePalestinian JAWAL company provides cellular servicesinternational: country code - 970
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005)
Radios:NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)
Television broadcast stations:8 (2005)
Televisions:NA; note - many Palestinian households have televisions (1999)
Internet country code:.ps
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):8 (1999)
Internet users:243,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Transportation West Bank
Airports:3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 32,438 to 3,047 m: 11,524 to 2,437 m: 1under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 4,158 km paved: 4,158 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Military West Bank
Military expenditures - dollar figure:NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:NA
Transnational Issues West Bank
Disputes - international:West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current statussubject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanentstatus to be determined through further negotiation; Israelcontinues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier alongparts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrewfrom four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005;since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce SupervisionOrganization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitorceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolatedincidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in theregion
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 699,817 (Palestinian Refugees(UNRWA)) (2005)
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@Western Sahara
Introduction Western Sahara
Background:Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara(formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with thePolisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final statushas been repeatedly postponed.
Geography Western Sahara
Location:Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenMauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates:24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 266,000 sq kmland: 266,000 sq kmwater: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries: total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline:1,110 km
Maritime claims:contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Climate:hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents producefog and heavy dew
Terrain:mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfacesrising to small mountains in south and northeast
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 mhighest point: unnamed location 463 m
Natural resources:phosphates, iron ore
Land use:arable land: 0.02%permanent crops: 0%other: 99.98% (2005)
Irrigated land:NA
Natural hazards:hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter andspring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severelyrestricting visibility
Environment - current issues:sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
People Western Sahara
Population: 273,008 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:NA
Birth rate:NA births/1,000 population
Death rate:NA deaths/1,000 population
Sex ratio:NA
Infant mortality rate:total: NAmale: NAfemale: NA
Life expectancy at birth:total population: NA yearsmale: NA yearsfemale: NA years
Total fertility rate:NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005)
Nationality: noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic groups:Arab, Berber
Religions:Muslim
Languages:Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy:NA
Government Western Sahara
Country name:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Western Saharaformer: Spanish Sahara
Government type:legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved;territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Frontfor the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which inFebruary 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of theSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President MohamedABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania inApril 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania,under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims toits portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sectorshortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control;the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization ofAfrican Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continuedsporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6September 1991
Capital:nonetime difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Suffrage:none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Executive branch:none
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
International organization participation:none
Diplomatic representation in the US:none
Diplomatic representation from the US:none
Economy Western Sahara
Economy - overview:Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphatemining as the principal sources of income for the population. Theterritory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agriculturalproduction, and most of the food for the urban population must beimported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled bythe Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signedcontracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, whichhas angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living inWestern Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$NA
GDP (official exchange rate):NA
GDP - real growth rate:NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):$NA
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%
Labor force: 12,000
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50%
Unemployment rate:NA%
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):NA%
Budget:revenues: $NAexpenditures: $NA
Agriculture - products:fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep,goats (kept by nomads); fish
Industries:phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:85 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:83.7 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:1,750 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:$NA
Exports - commodities:phosphates 62%
Exports - partners:Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partnersare included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
Imports:$NA
Imports - commodities:fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partnersare included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - recipient:$NA
Currency (code):Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code:MAD
Exchange rates:Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744(2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Western Sahara
Telephones - main lines in use:about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular:0 (1999)
Telephone system:general assessment: sparse and limited systemdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system bymicrowave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked toRabat, Morocco
Radio broadcast stations:AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:56,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:NA
Televisions:6,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.eh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2000)
Internet users:NA
Transportation Western Sahara
Airports: 11 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 81,524 to 2,437 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 4under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Ports and terminals:Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Military Western Sahara
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $992.2 million
Transnational Issues Western Sahara
Disputes - international:Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereigntyremains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained ineffect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold areferendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected allbrokered proposals
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@World
Introduction World
Background:Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating worldwars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vastcolonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, fromthe first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to thelanding on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western allianceand the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards inNorth America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about theenvironment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy andwater, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h)the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence ofthe US as the only world superpower. The planet's populationcontinues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930,3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponentialgrowth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advancesin medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethalweapons of war).
Geography World
Map references:Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, StandardTime Zones of the World
Area:total: 510.072 million sq kmland: 148.94 million sq kmwater: 361.132 million sq kmnote: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land
Area - comparative:land area about 16 times the size of the US
Land boundaries:the land boundaries in the world total 250,708 km (not countingshared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border14 other countriesnote: 44 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include:Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan,Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay,Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland,Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia,Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doublylandlocked
Coastline:356,000 kmnote: 98 nations and other entities are islands that border no othercountries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua andBarbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain,Baker Island, Barbados, Bassas da India, Bermuda, Bouvet Island,British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde,Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling)Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus,Dominica, Europa Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), FaroeIslands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and AntarcticLands, Glorioso Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, HeardIsland and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Isle of Man,Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll,Juan de Nova Island, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives,Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, FederatedStates of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, NavassaIsland, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, NorthernMariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines,Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Kittsand Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent andthe Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore,Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad andTobago, Tromelin Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu,Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan
Maritime claims:a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries makethe following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline asdescribed in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea:territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusiveeconomic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation ofcontinental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundarysituations with neighboring states prevent many countries fromextending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200nm
Climate:a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates -bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - thatseparate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates
Terrain:the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in thePacific Ocean
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 mnote: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench isthe lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the PacificOceanhighest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, thedepletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal andplant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality(especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) poseserious long-term problems that governments and peoples are onlybeginning to address
Land use: arable land: 13.31% permanent crops: 4.71% other: 81.98% (2005)
Irrigated land:2,770,980 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), naturaldisasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Environment - current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
Geography - note:the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, justabout one-third of the 13-billion-year age estimated for the universe
People World
Population:6,525,170,264 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 27.4% (male 919,219,446/female 870,242,271)15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,152,066,888/female 2,100,334,722)65 years and over: 7.4% (male 213,160,216/female 270,146,721)note: some countries do not maintain age structure information, thusa slight discrepancy exists between the total world population andthe total for world age structure (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 27.6 years male: 27 years female: 28.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:1.14% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:20.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 48.87 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 50.98 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 46.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 64.77 yearsmale: 63.16 yearsfemale: 66.47 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.59 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Religions:Christians 33.03% (of which Roman Catholics 17.33%, Protestants5.8%, Orthodox 3.42%, Anglicans 1.23%), Muslims 20.12%, Hindus13.34%, Buddhists 5.89%, Sikhs 0.39%, Jews 0.23%, other religions12.61%, non-religious 12.03%, atheists 2.36% (2004 est.)
Languages:Mandarin Chinese 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi 2.82%,Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese 1.99%,Standard German 1.49%, Wu Chinese 1.21% (2004 est.)note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 82%male: 87%female: 77%note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adultsare found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh,Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all theilliterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely lowliteracy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and WestAsia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where aroundone-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)
Government World
Administrative divisions:272 nations, dependent areas, and other entities
Legal system:all members of the UN are parties to the statute that establishedthe International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
Economy World
Economy - overview: Global output rose by 4.4% in 2005, led by China (9.3%), India (7.6%), and Russia (5.9%). The other 14 successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 7% range of growth. Growth results posted by the major industrial countries varied from no gain for Italy to a strong gain by the United States (3.5%). The developing nations also varied in their growth results, with many countries facing population increases that erode gains in output. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a further growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued into 2006.
GDP (purchasing power parity):GWP (gross world product): $60.63 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$43.07 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:4.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$9,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 3.001 billion (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 42%industry: 21%services: 37% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:30% combined unemployment and underemployment in manynon-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12%unemployment
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 29.4% (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in one Third World countries (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries (2005 est.)
Industries:dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers,robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment;most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a smallportion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting tothese technological forces; the accelerated development of newindustrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating alreadygrim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate:3% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:16.54 trillion kWh (2003 est.)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA
Electricity - consumption:15.45 trillion kWh (2003 est.)
Electricity - exports:537 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:545.2 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production:79.65 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:80.1 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:1.349 trillion bbl (1 January 2002 est.)
Natural gas - production:2.674 trillion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:2.675 trillion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:667.6 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:696 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:174.6 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Exports:$10.33 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Exports - partners:US 15.6%, Germany 7.4%, China 5.7%, France 4.9%, UK 4.7%, Japan4.5% (2005)
Imports:$10.3 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Imports - partners:China 9.3%, US 9%, Germany 9%, Japan 6.1%, France 4.2% (2005)
Debt - external:$36.89 trillionnote: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt,both public and private (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$154 billion official development assistance (ODA) (2004)
Communications World
Telephones - main lines in use:1,263,367,600 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:2,168,433,600 (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
Radio broadcast stations:AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios:NA
Television broadcast stations:NA
Televisions:NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):10,350 (2000 est.)
Internet users:1,018,057,389 (2005)
Transportation World
Airports:49,024 (2006)
Heliports:2,021 (2006)
Railways:total: 1,115,205 kmbroad gauge: 257,481 kmstandard gauge: 671,413 kmnarrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003)
Roadways: total: 32,345,165 km paved: 19,403,061 km unpaved: 12,942,104 km (2002)
Waterways:671,886 km (2004)
Merchant marine:total: 33,222 ships (1000 GRT or over) (2006)
Military World
Military expenditures - dollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide has increased in the beginning of the 21st century, with the largest increase in the US; a rough estimate for 2005 is $1.2 trillion (at puchasing power parity) (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: roughly 2% of gross world product (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues World
Disputes - international:stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 329 international landboundaries separate the 193 independent states and 73 dependencies,areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities;ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided statesinto separate political entities as much as history, physicalterrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimesarbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimedlimits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries andjoint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to providefor national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, andterritorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant toviolent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment ofpolitical boundaries are confined to short segments and are todayless common and less hostile than borderland, resource, andterritorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, andunmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-borderactivities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorialdisputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or theymay be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and culturalclashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorialfragmentation around the world; disputes over islands at sea or inrivers frequently form the source of territorial and boundaryconflict; other sources of contention include access to water andmineral (especially petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arableland; nonetheless, most nations cooperate to clarify theirinternational boundaries and to resolve territorial and resourcedisputes peacefully; regional discord today prevails not so muchbetween the armed forces of independent states as between statelessarmed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of localpopulations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultantrefugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmentaldegradation
Refugees and internally displaced persons:the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimatedthat in December 2004 there was a global population of 9.2 millionrefugees, the lowest number in 25 years, and as many as 25 millionIDPs in over 49 countries (2005)
Trafficking in persons:current situation: about 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly womenand children, are trafficked annually across national borders, notincluding millions trafficked within their own countries; at least80% of the victims are female; 75% of all victims are traffickedinto commercial sexual exploitation; roughly two-thirds of theglobal victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia andthe Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia(170,000 to 210,000 people)
Illicit drugs:cocaine: worldwide coca cultivation in 2004 amounted to 166,200hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of theworldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaineproduction of 645 metric tons in 2004 marked the lowest level ofAndean cocaine production in the past 10 years; Colombia conductsaggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and BolivianGovernments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 376metric tons of export-quality cocaine are documented to have beenseized in 2003, and 26 metric tons disrupted (jettisoned ordestroyed); consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated tohave been 800 metric tonsopiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation reached 258,630hectares in 2004; potential opium production of 5,444 metric tonswas highest total recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s;Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 91% ofthe global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 7% of globalopium - continued to diminish in importance in the world opiummarket; Latin America produced 2% of global opium, but most refinedinto heroin destined for United States; if all opium processed intopure heroin, the potential global production would be 632 metrictons of heroin in 2004
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@Yemen
Introduction Yemen
Background:North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. TheBritish, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern portof Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became SouthYemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxistorientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenisfrom the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostilitybetween the states. The two countries were formally unified as theRepublic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to adelimitation of their border.
Geography Yemen
Location:Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea,between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:15 00 N, 48 00 E
Map references:Middle East
Area:total: 527,970 sq kmland: 527,970 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YARor North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic ofYemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Area - comparative:slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries: total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in westernmountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry,harsh desert in east
Terrain:narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and ruggedmountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into thedesert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 mhighest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Natural resources:petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold,lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use: arable land: 2.91% permanent crops: 0.25% other: 96.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:5,500 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Environment - current issues:very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies ofpotable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone LayerProtectionsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Seaand the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
People Yemen
Population:21,456,188 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 46.4% (male 5,067,762/female 4,881,333)15-64 years: 51% (male 5,568,078/female 5,375,263)65 years and over: 2.6% (male 275,878/female 287,874) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 16.6 yearsmale: 16.6 yearsfemale: 16.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:3.46% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:42.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 59.88 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 64.55 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 54.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 62.12 yearsmale: 60.23 yearsfemale: 64.11 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:6.58 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups:predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans
Religions:Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers ofJewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages:Arabic
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 50.2%male: 70.5%female: 30% (2003 est.)
Government Yemen
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Yemenconventional short form: Yemenlocal long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyahlocal short form: Al Yamanformer: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] andPeople's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Sanaageographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 Etime difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, AdDali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit,'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah,San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izznote: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city ofSanaa is treated as an additional governorate
Independence:22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of theYemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and theMarxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen(Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had becomeindependent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and SouthYemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday:Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
Constitution:16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001
Legal system:based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and localtribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990,the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the mergerof North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-RabMansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL; DeputyPrime Ministers Rashid Muhammad al-ALIMI, Alawi Salah al-SALAMI,Ahmad Muhammad Abdallah al-SUFANcabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on theadvice of the prime ministerelections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held September2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister anddeputy prime ministers appointed by the presidentelection results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent ofvote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faisal bin SHAMLAN 21.8%