Legislative branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upperchamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to servefive-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lowerchamber (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular votefrom single-member districts to serve five-year terms)elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPRDF 327,CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1,others 6, undeclared 2note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated therescheduling of voting in certain constituencies
Judicial branch:Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of theFederal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister andappointed by the House of People's Representatives; for otherfederal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People'sRepresentatives for appointment candidates selected by the FederalJudicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People'sDemocratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition forUnity and Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawel]; Ethiopian People'sRevolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an allianceof Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People'sDemocratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopean People'sDemocratic Front or SEPDF, and TigrAyan Peoples' Liberation Front orTPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; OromoFederalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; SomaliPeople's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethopian Democratic Forcesor UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; dozens of small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden NationalLiberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM(observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 517-4000 FAX: [251] (1) 517-4888
Flag description:three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with ayellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the anglesbetween the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands;Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the threemain colors of her flag were so often adopted by other Africancountries upon independence that they became known as thepan-African colors
Economy Ethiopia
Economy - overview:Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture,accounting for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of totalemployment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent droughtand poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopianeconomy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historicallylow prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplementincome. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought havebuffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly IndebtedPoor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 theInternational Monetary Fund voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to thebody. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns allland and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the systemcontinues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneursare unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck againlate in 2002, leading to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weatherpatterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004-06.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$71.63 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$9.789 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:8.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$1,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 49.2% industry: 9.1% services: 41.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 27.27 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry: 8% services: 12% (1985)
Unemployment rate:NA%
Population below poverty line:50% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 3%highest 10%: 33.7% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:30 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):10.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):21.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $2.565 billionexpenditures: $3.165 billion; including capital expenditures of $788million (2006 est.)
Public debt:78.1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat,cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metalsprocessing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:6.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:2.294 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 97.6% nuclear: 0% other: 1.2% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:2.133 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:29,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:214,000 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:$-1.34 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:$1.085 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:Germany 15.5%, China 10.5%, Japan 8.5%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Djibouti6.8%, Switzerland 6.4%, Italy 5.9%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005)
Imports:$4.105 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:Saudi Arabia 14.7%, China 12.6%, US 12.4%, India 6.7%, Italy 4.6%(2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$1.186 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$2.789 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$308 million (FY00/01)
Currency (code):birr (ETB)
Currency code:ETB
Exchange rates:birr per US dollar - 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004),8.5997 (2003), 8.5678 (2002), note, since 24 October 2001 exchangerates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactionsregulated by the Central Bank
Fiscal year:8 July - 7 July
Communications Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:610,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:410,600 (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: adequate for government usedomestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication inthe HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites providethe national trunk serviceinternational: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earthstations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:15.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations:1 plus 24 repeaters (2002)
Televisions:682,000 (2002)
Internet country code:.et
Internet hosts:88 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2002)
Internet users:113,000 (2005)
Transportation Ethiopia
Airports: 84 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 70 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 23 (2006)
Railways:total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djiboutirailroad)narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gaugenote: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005)
Roadways:total: 36,469 kmpaved: 6,980 kmunpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 79,441 GRT/97,669 DWTby type: cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 (2006)
Ports and terminals:Ethiopia is landlocked and uses the port of Djibouti
Military Ethiopia
Military branches:Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, EthiopianAir Forcenote: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following thesecession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained inEritrean possession
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 14,568,277females age 18-49: 14,482,885 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 8,072,755females age 18-49: 7,902,660 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 803,777females age 18-49: 801,789 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$295.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Ethiopia
Disputes - international:Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-EthiopiaBoundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but mutualanimosities, accusations, and armed posturing prevail, preventingdemarcation despite international intervention; Ethiopia refuses towithdraw to the delimited boundary until technical errors made bythe EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including theaward of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists thatthe EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications;Ethiopia has only an administrative line and no international borderwith the Oromo region of southern Somalia where it maintainsalliances with local clans in opposition to the unrecognized SomaliInterim Government in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provideport facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; efforts todemarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have been delayed by civilwar
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 73,927 (Sudan), 15,901 (Somalia),10,700 (Eritrea)IDPs: 100,000-280,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 andethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and GambelaProvinces) (2006)
Illicit drugs:transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asiaand destined for Europe and North America, as well as cocainedestined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) forlocal use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia(legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developedfinancial system limits the country's utility as a money-launderingcenter
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@European Union
Introduction European Union
Preliminary statement:The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economicagreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today'ssupranational organization of 27 countries across the Europeancontinent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals ofhistory. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long thenorm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions werearranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and theAustro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large numberof nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarchingentity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in thestrict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such asASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributesassociated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, foundingdate, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign andsecurity policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future,many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded.Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemedappropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook.However, because of the EU's special status, this description isplaced after the regular country entries.
Background: Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris. The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15. A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February 2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gave member states two years to ratify the document before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006. Referenda held in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005 rejected the proposed constitution. This development set back the ratification effort and left the longer-term political integration of the EU in limbo.
Geography European Union
Location:Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia,Belarus, and Ukraine to the east
Map references:Europe
Area:total: 4,324,782 sq km
Area - comparative:less than one-half the size of the US
Land boundaries:total: 12,440.8 kmborder countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km,Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km,Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 kmnote: data for European Continent only
Coastline:65,992.9 km
Maritime claims:NA
Climate:cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate;mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Terrain:fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in thecentral and southern areas
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands-7 mhighest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the borderbetween France and Italy
Natural resources:iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc,bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish
Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA%
Irrigated land:168,050 sq km (2003 est.)
Natural hazards:flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakesin the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts inSpain; ice floes in the Baltic
Environment - current issues:NA
Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, TropicalTimber 94signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
People European Union
Population:486,642,177 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 16.03% (male 37,608,010/female 35,632,351)15-64 years: 67.17% (male 154,439,536/female 152,479,619)65 years and over: 16.81% (male 31,515,921/female 45,277,821) (2006est.)
Median age:NA
Population growth rate:0.15% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: NAunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate:total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 78.3 yearsmale: 75.1 yearsfemale: 81.6 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Religions:Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Languages:Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish,French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian,Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene,Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed
Government European Union
Union name:conventional long form: European Unionabbreviation: EU
Political structure:a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization
Capital:name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourggeographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 Etime difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends lastSunday in Octobernote: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, theEuropean Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France, andthe Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg
Member states:27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK;note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), FrenchGuyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimeslisted separately even though they are legally a part of Spain,Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey
Independence:7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
National holiday:Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day thatRobert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and SteelCommunity to achieve an organized Europe
Constitution:based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set upthe European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treatiesof Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and theEuropean Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the SingleEuropean Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification eitherby parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduledto take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutchreferenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback to theratification process, though it has continued more slowly withFinland ratifying in December 2006; as of January 2007, 18 countrieshave ratified the Constitutional Treaty; Germany has made revival ofthe EU Constitution a goal of its EU Presidency in 2007
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose ManuelDURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from eachmember country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policyareas)elections: the president of the European Commission is designated bymember governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament;working from member state recommendations, the Commission presidentthen assembles a "college" of Commission members; the EuropeanParliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; thelast confirmation process was held 18 November 2004 (next to be held2009)election results: European Parliament approved the EuropeanCommission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentionsnote: the European Council brings together heads of state andgovernment and the president of the European Commission and meets atleast four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for themajor political issues relating to European integration and to issuegeneral policy guidelines
Legislative branch:Council of the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states'population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body ofthe EU; European Parliament (785 seats (as of 1 January 2007); seatsallocated among member states by proportion to population); memberselected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year termelections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN27, independents 28; note - seats by party as of 1 January 2007 -EPP-ED 277, PES 218, ALDE 106, UEN 44, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41,IND/DEM 23, ITS 20, independents 14
Judicial branch:Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that thetreaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU;resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) - 27justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term;note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27justices appointed for a six-year term
Political parties and leaders:Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left orEUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democratsor EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals andDemocrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group ofGreens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI andDaniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group[Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM[Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the EuropeanParliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the NationsGroup or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]
International organization participation:European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member),IDA, OAS (observer), UN (observer), WTOEuropean Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10,NAM (observer), NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, ZC (observer)European Central Bank: BISEuropean Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500 FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador C. Boyden GRAY embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: same as above telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222 FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
Flag description:on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle,representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of starsis fixed
Economy European Union
Economy - overview:Internally, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers,adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of livingstandards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's tradeposition and its political and economic power. Because of the greatdifferences in per capita income among member states (from $8,000 to$61,000) and historic national animosities, the European Union facesdifficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example,since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treatyobligation to prevent their national budgets from running more thana 3% deficit. In 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 10 and twocountries, respectively, that are, in general, less advancedtechnologically and economically than the other 15. Twelveestablished EU member states introduced the euro as their commoncurrency on 1 January 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark chosenot to participate. Of the 12 most recent member states, onlySlovenia has adopted the euro (1 January 2007); the remaining elevenare legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscaland monetary convergence criteria.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$12.82 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$13.62 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:2.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$29,300 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.1% industry: 27.3% services: 70.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 221.5 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.4% industry: 27.3% services: 67% note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:8.8% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:see individual country listings
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.4% (1995 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:32 (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):2.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):20.4% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products,cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish
Industries:among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, theEuropean Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrousmetal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal,cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportationequipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, constructionequipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical powerequipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems,electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food andbeverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:2.8% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:2.98 trillion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - consumption:2.77 trillion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - exports:278.7 billion kWh
Electricity - imports:277.1 billion kWh
Oil - production:3.172 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:14.7 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - exports:5.318 million bbl/day
Oil - imports:15.74 million bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:7.335 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:238.1 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - consumption:507.4 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - exports:78.89 billion cu m
Natural gas - imports:347.7 billion cu m
Natural gas - proved reserves:3.219 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:$NA
Exports:$1.33 trillion; note - external exports, excluding intra-EU trade(2005)
Exports - commodities:machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals andother chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulpand paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholicbeverages.
Exports - partners:US 23.3%, Switzerland 7.6%, Russia 5.2%, China 4.8% (2005)
Imports:$1.466 trillion; note - external imports, excluding intra-EU trade(2005)
Imports - commodities:machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals,textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:US 13.8%, China 13.4%, Russia 8.2%, Japan 6.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$NA
Currency (code):euro, British pound, Bulgarian lev, Cypriot pound, Czech koruna,Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat,Lithuanian litas, Maltese lira, Polish zloty, Romanian leu, Slovakkoruna, Swedish krona; Romanian leu and Bulgarian lev added,beginning in 2007
Currency code:EUR
Exchange rates:euros per US dollar - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Fiscal year:NA
Communications European Union
Telephones - main lines in use:238 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:466 million (2005)
Telephone system:note - see individual country entries of member states
Radio broadcast stations:AM 930, FM 13,655, shortwave 71 (1998); note - sum of individualcountry radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-widestation (Euroradio)
Television broadcast stations:2,700 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of individualcountry television broadcast stations; there is also a European-widestation (Eurovision)
Internet country code:.eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member statesfor individual country codes
Internet hosts:50.5 million (2005); note - sum of individual country Internet hosts
Internet users:247 million (2006)
Transportation European Union
Airports:3,393 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:2,020 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:1,373 (2006)
Heliports:100 (2006)
Railways:total: 235,199 kmbroad gauge: 28,327 kmstandard gauge: 198,913 kmnarrow gauge: 7,936 kmother: 23 km (2005)
Roadways:total: 2,294,641 km (including 61,522 km of expressways)paved: 1,809,821 kmunpaved: 584,820 km (2005)
Waterways:52,332 km (2006)
Ports and terminals:Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Braila (Romania), Bremen(Germany), Burgas (Bulgaria), Constanta (Romania), Copenhagen(Denmark), Galati (Romania), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany),Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre(France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples(Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam(Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia), Tulcea(Romania), Varna (Bulgaria)
Military European Union
Military - note:In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a"Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offerspossibilities - with some limits - for increased defense andsecurity cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take sometwo years, this treaty will in effect make operational the EuropeanSecurity and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty.Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of aEuropean military planning unit is likely to continue. So iscreation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aidsystem, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany,Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press forwider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 byFrance, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has alreadydeployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia andHerzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo andassumed command of the International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commandsthe 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational CommandSupport Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia inDecember 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command- commitments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EUsession in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked withpromoting cooperative European defense capabilities, beganoperations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formallycommitted to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the endof 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis.Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops.France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groupsin 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, andFinland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly toinclude Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by2007. (2005)
Transnational Issues European Union
Disputes - international:as a political union, the EU has no border disputes withneighboring countries, but Estonia and Latvia have no land boundaryagreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritimeboundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritimedisputes with Morocco; the EU has set up a Schengen area -consisting of 13 EU member states that have signed the conventionimplementing the Schengen agreements (1985 and 1990) on the freemovement of persons and the harmonization of border controls inEurope; the Schengen agreements ("acquis") became incorporated intoEU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1May 1999; member states are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal,Spain, and Sweden; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (aspart of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen areasince 1996 (full members in 2001), bringing the total currentmembership to 15; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) takepart in some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respectto police and criminal matters; the 12 new member states that joinedthe EU in 2004 and 2007 eventually are expected to participate inSchengen, following a transition period to upgrade their bordercontrols and procedures
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Introduction Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Background:Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the firstlanding (English) did not occur until almost a century later in1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and theislands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, firstbetween Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. TheUK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a navalgarrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landedseven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentinesurrender on 14 June 1982.
Geography Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Location:Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, eastof southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates:51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references:South America
Area:total: 12,173 sq kmland: 12,173 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland andabout 200 small islands
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,288 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs onmore than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inchesin Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January andFebruary, but does not accumulate
Terrain:rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources: fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)
Irrigated land:NA
Natural hazards:strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer wereintroduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this isthe only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by theChornobyl disaster
Geography - note:deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growingseason
People Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Population: 2,967 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:2.44% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:NA births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: NAmale: NAfemale: NA
Life expectancy at birth:total population: NAmale: NAfemale: NA
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
Nationality:noun: Falkland Islander(s)adjective: Falkland Island
Ethnic groups:British
Religions:primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, EvangelistChurch, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:English
Literacy:NA
Government Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Dependency status:overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Government type:NA
Capital:name: Stanleygeographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 41 Wtime difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; endsthird Sunday in April
Administrative divisions:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Independence:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
National holiday:Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Legal system:English common law
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006);Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); FinancialSecretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA)cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the LegislativeCouncil, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financialsecretary), and the governorelections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed bythe monarch
Legislative branch:unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eightelected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presidedover by the governorelections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009)election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court(senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions);Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders:none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
International organization participation:ICFTU, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description:blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant andthe Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of theflag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was oncethe major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whosecrew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing themotto DESIRE THE RIGHT
Economy Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Economy - overview:The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheepfarming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economicactivity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses toforeign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusivefishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million peryear, which goes to support the island's health, education, andwelfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairyfarming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder.Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the saleof postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financingexcept for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and earlyseismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has beenidentified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeksto defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampenforeign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism,especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid onmoney the government has in the bank. The British military presencealso provides a sizeable economic boost.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$75 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):NA
GDP - real growth rate:NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):$25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force: 1,724 (est.) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5%
Unemployment rate:full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):3.6% (1998)
Budget:revenues: $66.2 millionexpenditures: $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2million (FY98/99 est.)
Agriculture - products:fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products
Industries:fish and wool processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:16 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:14.88 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:230 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports:$125 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:wool, hides, meat
Exports - partners:Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2005)
Imports:$90 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners:UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2005)
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - recipient:$0 (1997 est.)
Currency (code):Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code:FKP
Exchange rates:Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125(2003), 0.6672 (2002), note, the Falkland pound is at par with theBritish pound
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Telephones - main lines in use:2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:0 (2001)
Telephone system:general assessment: NAdomestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CBradiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost allpoints on both islandsinternational: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to othercountries
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1(FM) and Radio 2 (AM) service (2006)
Radios:1,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) providesmulti-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well asislanders)note: cable television is available in Stanley (2006)
Televisions:1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.fk
Internet hosts:103 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):2 (2000)
Internet users:1,900 (2002)
Transportation Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Airports:5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 22,438 to 3,047 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 3under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Roadways:total: 440 kmpaved: 50 kmunpaved: 390 km (2003)
Ports and terminals:Stanley
Military Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Military branches:no regular military forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure:NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:NA
Military - note:defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Disputes - international:Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and brieflyoccupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seeksettlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests forsovereignty talks
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Faroe Islands
Introduction Faroe Islands
Background:The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended fromViking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands havebeen connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A highdegree of self government was attained in 1948.
Geography Faroe Islands
Location:Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and theNorth Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland toNorway
Geographic coordinates:62 00 N, 7 00 W
Map references:Europe
Area:total: 1,399 sq kmland: 1,399 sq kmwater: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)
Area - comparative:eight times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,117 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 3 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median lineexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Climate:mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain:rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m
Natural resources: fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
Land use: arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005)
Irrigated land:0 sq km
Natural hazards:NA
Environment - current issues:NA
Environment - international agreements:party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the London Convention
Geography - note:archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, anda few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sealanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limitshabitation to small coastal lowlands
People Faroe Islands
Population:47,246 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 20.9% (male 4,940/female 4,952)15-64 years: 65.1% (male 16,247/female 14,522)65 years and over: 13.9% (male 2,976/female 3,609) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 35 yearsmale: 34.7 yearsfemale: 35.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.58% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:14.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)