Climate:predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain:mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 mhighest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (asecondary peak of Mont Blanc)
Natural resources:coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oilreserves, fish, arable land
Land use:arable land: 26.41%permanent crops: 9.09%other: 64.5% (2005)
Irrigated land:27,500 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-VolatileOrganic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, AntarcticTreaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well assouthern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
People Italy
Population:58,133,509 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980)15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841)65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006est.)
Median age: total: 42.2 years male: 40.7 years female: 43.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.04% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:8.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.07 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 79.81 yearsmale: 76.88 yearsfemale: 82.94 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:140,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Italian(s)adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups:Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, andSlovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians andGreek-Italians in the south)
Religions:approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third regularly attendservices); mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growingMuslim immigrant community
Languages:Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region arepredominantly German speaking), French (small French-speakingminority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speakingminority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 98.6%male: 99%female: 98.3% (2003 est.)
Government Italy
Country name:conventional long form: Italian Republicconventional short form: Italylocal long form: Repubblica Italianalocal short form: Italiaformer: Kingdom of Italy
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Romegeographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 Etime difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends lastSunday in October
Administrative divisions:15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions*(regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo,Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-VeneziaGiulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia),Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-SouthTyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto
Independence:17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finallyunified until 1870)
National holiday:Republic Day, 2 June (1946)
Constitution:passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended manytimes
Legal system:based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicialreview under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has notaccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, whereminimum age is 25)
Executive branch:chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006)head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as thepresident of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May2006)cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister andapproved by the presidentelections: president elected by an electoral college consisting ofboth houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for aseven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006(next to be held May 2013); prime minister appointed by thepresident and confirmed by parliamentelection results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourthround of voting; electoral college vote - 543
Legislative branch:bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senatodella Repubblica (315 seats; elected by proportional vote with thewinning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from thatregion; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputiesor Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular vote with thewinning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; membersserve five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed inDecember 2005elections: Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to beheld May 2011)election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats byparty - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18,Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian andCenter Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6
Judicial branch:Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected byparliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrativeSupreme Courts)
Political parties and leaders:Center-Left Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]: Ulivo Alliance(including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO];Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in theFist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI];Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Italian Communist Party orPdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORAROSCANIO]; Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy ofValues or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe orUDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE[Luciana SBARBATI]Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]: ForzaItalia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN[Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats of the Center or UDC[Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI];Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Gianfranco ROTONDI]other non-allied parties: New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI[Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LAMALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; SocialMovement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social IdeaMovement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Partyor SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of ValleyAosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade unionconfederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana deiSindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is RomanCatholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [LuigiANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)
International organization participation:AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer),CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8,G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC,LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO,UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description:three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoistside), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Coted'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),white, and greennote: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in1797
Economy Italy
Economy - overview:Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the sametotal and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalisticeconomy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominatedby private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent,agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials neededby industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported.Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy inorder to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unionsand has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. Thecurrent government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed atimproving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has movedslowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such aslightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labormarket and over-generous pension system, because of the currenteconomic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But theleadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficithas breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced low growthin 2006, and unemployment remained at a high level.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$1.727 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$1.78 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:1.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$29,700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 29.1% services: 69% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 24.63 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001)
Unemployment rate:7% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:36 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):2.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):20.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $832.9 billionexpenditures: $925 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2006 est.)
Public debt:107.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain,olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Industries:tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate:1.5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:277.6 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 78.6% hydro: 18.4% nuclear: 0% other: 3% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:303.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:800 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:46.4 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:145,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:1.881 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:456,600 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:2.158 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:12.96 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:80.61 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:396 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:67.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:$-23.73 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:$450.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery,motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages andtobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
Exports - partners:Germany 13.1%, France 12.3%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2005)
Imports:$445.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energyproducts, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing;food, beverages, and tobacco
Imports - partners:Germany 17.2%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%, Belgium4.5%, Spain 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$70.5 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$1.957 trillion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - donor:ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.)
Currency (code):euro (EUR)note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced theeuro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions ofmember countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the solecurrency for everyday transactions within the member countries
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:calendar year
Communications Italy
Telephones - main lines in use:25.049 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:72.2 million (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automatedtelephone, telex, and data servicesdomestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunksinternational: country code - 39; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NAEutelsat; 21 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations:AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios:50.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:30.3 million (1997)
Internet country code:.it
Internet hosts:1,731,165 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)
Internet users:28.87 million (2005)
Transportation Italy
Airports: 133 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 98 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 14 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 19 (2006)
Heliports:5 (2006)
Pipelines:gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006)
Railways:total: 19,459 kmstandard gauge: 18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:total: 484,688 kmpaved: 484,688 km (including 6,621 km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways:2,400 kmnote: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value comparedto road and rail (2004)
Merchant marine:total: 591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWTby type: bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16,passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, rollon/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28foreign-owned: 36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US15)registered in other countries: 152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, CaymanIslands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4,Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto,Trieste, Venice
Military Italy
Military branches:Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI),Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps(Corpo dei Carabinieri, CC) (2005)
Military service age and obligation:voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005(2006)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 13,491,260females age 18-49: 12,886,033 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 10,963,513females age 18-49: 10,452,189 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 286,344females age 18-49: 270,099 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$28,182.8 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:1.8% (2004)
Transnational Issues Italy
Disputes - international:Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens ofthousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe andnorthern Africa
Illicit drugs:important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine andSouthwest Asian heroin entering the European market; moneylaundering by organized crime and from smuggling
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Jamaica
Introduction Jamaica
Background:The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - wassettled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native TainoIndians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were graduallyexterminated, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the islandin 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee- was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quartermillion slaves, many of which became small farmers. Jamaicagradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federationof the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when itwithdrew from the federation in 1962. Deteriorating economicconditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangscreated by the major political parties evolved into powerfulorganized crime networks involved in international drug smugglingand money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty hasserved to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless,many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contributesubstantially to the economy.
Geography Jamaica
Location:Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 10,991 sq kmland: 10,831 sq kmwater: 160 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,022 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Climate:tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain:mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources:bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:arable land: 15.83%permanent crops: 10.01%other: 74.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:250 sq km (2002)
Natural hazards:hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment - current issues: heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, themain sea lanes for the Panama Canal
People Jamaica
Population:2,758,124 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181)15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394)65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female 110,434) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 23 yearsmale: 22.4 yearsfemale: 23.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.8% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:20.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 15.98 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 16.66 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 73.24 yearsmale: 71.54 yearsfemale: 75.03 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:1.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:22,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:900 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Jamaican(s)adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups:black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed7.3%, other 0.1%
Religions:Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%,Baptist 8.8%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 5.5%, Methodist 2.7%,United Church 2.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Brethren 1.1%, Moravian1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Languages:English, patois English
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over has ever attended schooltotal population: 87.9%male: 84.1%female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Government Jamaica
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type:constitutional parliamentary democracy
Capital:name: Kingstongeographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 Wtime difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during StandardTime)
Administrative divisions:14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland,Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, SaintJames, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmorelandnote: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew wereamalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known asthe Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
Independence:6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Constitution:6 August 1962
Legal system:based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJjurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February2006)head of government: Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 30March 2006)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice ofthe prime ministerelections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor generalappointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the primeminister; following legislative elections, the leader of themajority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the Houseof Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governorgeneral; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the primeminister
Legislative branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member bodyappointed by the governor general on the recommendations of theprime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party isallocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) andthe House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected bypopular vote to serve five-year terms)elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held no later thanOctober 2007)election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%;seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on theadvice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Partyor PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]
Political pressure groups and leaders:New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (blackreligious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
International organization participation:ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt(signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEYchancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSONembassy: Mutual Life Building, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5mailing address: use embassy street addresstelephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001
Flag description:diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green(top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
Economy Jamaica
Economy - overview:The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which nowaccount for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of itsforeign exchange from remittances, tourism, and bauxite/alumina.Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of relatively lowgrowth, was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004, and is making agradual recovery. But the economy faces serious long-term problems:high interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rateinstability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scaleunemployment and underemployment, and a high debt burden - theresult of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, mostnotably the financial sector in the mid-1990s. Following a strategybegun in 2004, Jamaica has reduced its public debt to 130% of GDP.Inflation has declined to 9%. Uncertain economic conditions have ledto increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by thedrug trade. The government faces the difficult prospect of having toachieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments whilesimultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that ishampering economic growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$12.71 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$8.579 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:2.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$4,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.3% industry: 33.9% services: 60.8% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 1.197 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 19.3% industry: 16.6% services: 64.1% (2004)
Unemployment rate:11% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:19.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:37.9 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):9.1% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):30.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $3.302 billionexpenditures: $3.564 billion; including capital expenditures of$180.4 million (2006 est.)
Public debt:129.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables;poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Industries:tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum,cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:-2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:6.913 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 96.8% hydro: 1.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:6.429 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:71,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-970 million (2006 est.)
Exports:$2.087 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages,chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:US 25.8%, Canada 19.3%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, China 7%,Norway 6.4%, Germany 5.6% (2005)
Imports:$4.682 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts andaccessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment,construction materials
Imports - partners:US 41.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, Venezuela 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$2.15 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$7.384 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$18.5 million; note - US aid only (2004)
Currency (code):Jamaican dollar (JMD)
Currency code:JMD
Exchange rates:Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 65.9329 (2006), 62.51 (2005),61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002)
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications Jamaica
Telephones - main lines in use:342,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:2.7 million (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone networkdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations:AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:1.215 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:7 (1997)
Televisions:460,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.jm
Internet hosts:1,402 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):21 (2000)
Internet users:1.067 million (2005)
Transportation Jamaica
Airports: 35 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Railways:total: 272 kmstandard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gaugenote: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporationhad been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longeroperational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned andused by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
Roadways:total: 20,996 kmpaved: 15,386 km (including 33 km of expressways)unpaved: 5,610 km (2004)
Merchant marine:total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 124,323 GRT/184,247 DWTby type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/rolloff 2foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Greece 6, Italy 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
Military Jamaica
Military branches:Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruitsmay be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 592,018females age 18-49: 616,500 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 478,761females age 18-49: 504,541 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 27,923females age 18-49: 27,889 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$31.17 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:0.4% (2003 est.)
Transnational Issues Jamaica
Disputes - international:none
Trafficking in persons:current situation: Jamaica is a source country for men, women, andchildren trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation andlabor; information suggests that women from the Dominican Republicand Eastern Europe are also trafficked to Jamaica for sexualexploitation; women and children are trafficked internally fromrural to urban and tourist areas for sexual exploitation; there mayalso be trafficking for domestic servitude and forced labortier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jamaica is placed on the Tier 2Watch List based on the determination that it is making significantefforts to undertake future action
Illicit drugs:transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North Americaand Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has anactive manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a majorconcern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcoticstraffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Jan Mayen
Introduction Jan Mayen
Background:This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whalingcaptain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims areinconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters andtrappers over the following centuries, the island came underNorwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VIIToppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is thenorthernmost active volcano on earth.
Geography Jan Mayen
Location:Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the NorwegianSea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates:71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references:Arctic Region
Area:total: 377 sq kmland: 377 sq kmwater: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:124.1 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain:volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:0 sq km
Natural hazards:dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanicactivity resumed in 1970
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
People Jan Mayen
Population:no indigenous inhabitantsnote: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base andthe weather and coastal services radio station (July 2006 est.)
Government Jan Mayen
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Dependency status:territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslothrough the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however,authority has been delegated to a station commander of the NorwegianDefense Communication Service
Legal system:the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description:the flag of Norway is used
Economy Jan Mayen
Economy - overview:Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable naturalresources. Economic activity is limited to providing services foremployees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on theisland.
Communications Jan Mayen
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000)
Transportation Jan Mayen
Airports:1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 11,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals:none; offshore anchorage only
Military Jan Mayen
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues Jan Mayen
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Japan
Introduction Japan
Background:In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in along period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secureits power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoystability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following theTreaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports andbegan to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power thatwas able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupiedKorea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scaleinvasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggeringAmerica's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of Eastand Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japanrecovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US.While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity,actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats,and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdownstarting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedentedgrowth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asiaand globally.
Geography Japan
Location:Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and theSea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates:36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 377,835 sq kmland: 374,744 sq kmwater: 3,091 sq kmnote: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), andVolcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:29,751 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the internationalstraits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern andWestern Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Straitcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain:mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use: arable land: 11.64% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 87.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:25,920 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismicoccurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues:air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain;acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality andthreatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers offish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of theseresources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements:party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine LivingResources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of theSea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography - note:strategic location in northeast Asia
People Japan
Population:127,463,611 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 14.2% (male 9,309,524/female 8,849,476)15-64 years: 65.7% (male 42,158,122/female 41,611,754)65 years and over: 20% (male 10,762,585/female 14,772,150) (2006est.)
Median age: total: 42.9 years male: 41.1 years female: 44.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.02% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:9.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:9.16 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: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 81.25 yearsmale: 77.96 yearsfemale: 84.7 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Japanese (singular and plural)adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups:Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914)note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japanin the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil(2004)
Religions:observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (includingChristian 0.7%)
Languages:Japanese
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99%male: 99%female: 99% (2002)
Government Japan
Country name:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Japanlocal long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-kokulocal short form: Nihon/Nippon
Government type:constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Capital:name: Tokyogeographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 139 46 Etime difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka,Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki,Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto,Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita,Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka,Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata,Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence:660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)
National holiday:Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Constitution:3 May 1947
Legal system:modeled after European civil law system with English-Americaninfluence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)head of government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September2006)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime ministerelections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requiresthat prime minister commands parliamentary majority; followinglegislative elections, leader of majority party or leader ofmajority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes primeminister; monarch is hereditaryelection results: ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes castin the House of Councilors.
Legislative branch:bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors orSangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; halfreelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seatconstituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the Houseof Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected forfour-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members byproportional representation in 11 regional blocs)elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to beheld in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11September 2005 (next election by September 2009)election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5,others 7; distribution of seats as of December 2006 - LDP 111, DPJ82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 10: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%,DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24; note - seats by party as of December2006 - LDP 305, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 15 (2006)
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch afterdesignation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by thecabinet)
Political parties and leaders:Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan CommunistParty or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihoro OTA]; Liberal DemocraticParty or LDP [Shinzo ABE]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [MizuhoFUKUSHIMA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), AustraliaGroup, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5,G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU,ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE(partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI(observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF,UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATOchancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, NewOrleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFERembassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporoconsulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description:white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) inthe center
Economy Japan
Economy - overview:Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery ofhigh technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% ofGDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank ofsecond most technologically powerful economy in the world after theUS and the third-largest economy in the world after the US andChina, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. Onenotable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers,suppliers, and distributors work together in closely-knit groupscalled keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee oflifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban laborforce. Both features are now eroding. Japan's industrial sector isheavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tinyagricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with cropyields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient inrice, Japan must import about 60% of its food on a caloric basis.Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets andaccounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades,overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average inthe 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s.Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largelybecause of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980sand contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculativeexcesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force arestructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government effortsto revive economic growth met with little success and were furtherhampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In2004-06, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation inprices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt,which totals 175% of GDP, and the aging of the population are twomajor long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes couldendanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over theproper way to reform the financial system will continue as JapanPost's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergoprivatization between 2007 and 2017.