GDP (purchasing power parity):$138.7 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$52.6 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:8.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$9,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.3% industry: 41.1% services: 52.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 7.834 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: 30% services: 50% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:7.4% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:19% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:31.5 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):8.6% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):27% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $18.48 billionexpenditures: $18.09 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2006 est.)
Public debt:11% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Industries:oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper,titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel;tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors,construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:7.7% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:63.26 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 84.3% hydro: 15.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:58.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:4.9 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:4.37 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:1.3 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:220,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:890,000 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports:47,000 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - proved reserves:26 billion bbl (1 January 2004)
Natural gas - production:20.49 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:15.75 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:7.01 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:2.27 billion cu m
Natural gas - proved reserves:1.841 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:$133 million (2006 est.)
Exports:$35.55 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%,machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners:Russia 12.4%, Germany 12%, China 11.2%, Italy 8.8%, France 8.6%,Romania 5.1%, US 4.5% (2005)
Imports:$22 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8%(2001)
Imports - partners:Russia 35.7%, China 21.3%, Germany 7.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$15.26 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$53.89 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004)
Currency (code):tenge (KZT)
Currency code:KZT
Exchange rates:tenge per US dollar - 125.556 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004),149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Kazakhstan
Telephones - main lines in use:2.5 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:4.955 million (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquateddomestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobilecellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstaninternational: country code - 7; international traffic with otherformer Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwaveradio relay and with other countries by satellite and by theTrans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations- 2 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios:6.47 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)
Televisions:3.88 million (1997)
Internet country code:.kz
Internet hosts:21,187 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):10 (with their own international channels) (2001)
Internet users:400,000 (2005)
Transportation Kazakhstan
Airports: 150 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 67over 3,047 m: 92,438 to 3,047 m: 271,524 to 2,437 m: 17914 to 1,523 m: 4under 914 m: 10 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 83over 3,047 m: 52,438 to 3,047 m: 61,524 to 2,437 m: 9914 to 1,523 m: 10under 914 m: 53 (2006)
Heliports:4 (2006)
Pipelines:condensate 658 km; gas 11,019 km; oil 10,338 km; refined products1,095 km (2006)
Railways:total: 13,700 kmbroad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:total: 90,018 kmpaved: 84,104 kmunpaved: 5,914 km (2004)
Waterways:4,000 km (on the Ertis (Irtysh) (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya)rivers) (2005)
Merchant marine:total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,173 GRT/43,475 DWTby type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1foreign-owned: 2 (Oman 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Military Kazakhstan
Military branches:Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, RepublicanGuard
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript serviceobligation - two years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 3,758,255females age 18-49: 3,822,845 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 2,473,529females age 18-49: 3,168,048 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 173,129females age 18-49: 168,697 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
Transnational Issues Kazakhstan
Disputes - international:in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, andUzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitationwith Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary withTurkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistantseabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in theCaspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the watercolumn among any of the littoral states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Russia) (2006)
Illicit drugs:significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, aswell as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drugephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transitpoint for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest ofEurope
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Kenya
Introduction Kenya
Background:Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA ledKenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, whenPresident Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutionalsuccession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) madeitself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal andexternal pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. Theethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from powerin elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence andfraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of theKenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 followingfair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidateof the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National RainbowCoalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumedthe presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruptionplatform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over theconstitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANUto form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement,which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popularreferendum in November 2005.
Geography Kenya
Location:Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia andTanzania
Geographic coordinates:1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 582,650 sq kmland: 569,250 sq kmwater: 13,400 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:total: 3,477 kmborder countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:536 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley;fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources:limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite,gypsum, wildlife, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 8.01% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 91.02% (2005)
Irrigated land:1,030 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Lawof the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successfulagricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found onMount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiographysupports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economicvalue
People Kenya
Population:34,707,817note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account theeffects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lowerlife expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lowerpopulation and growth rates, and changes in the distribution ofpopulation by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 42.6% (male 7,454,765/female 7,322,130)15-64 years: 55.1% (male 9,631,488/female 9,508,068)65 years and over: 2.3% (male 359,354/female 432,012) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 18.2 yearsmale: 18.1 yearsfemale: 18.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:2.57% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:39.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 populationnote: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to233,778 refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia153,627, Sudan 67,556, Ethiopia 12,595 (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.02 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 61.92 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 48.93 yearsmale: 49.78 yearsfemale: 48.07 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:4.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:6.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:1.2 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:150,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)
Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups:Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab)1%
Religions:Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim10%, other 2%note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates forthe percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenousbeliefs vary widely
Languages:English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenouslanguages
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 85.1%male: 90.6%female: 79.7% (2003 est.)
Government Kenya
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Kenyaconventional short form: Kenyalocal long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenyalocal short form: Kenyaformer: British East Africa
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Nairobigeographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 Etime difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*,North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday:Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued withamendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - anew draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005
Legal system:based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; acceptscompulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutionalamendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in1991
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002);Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - thepresident is both the chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002);Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - thepresident is both the chief of state and head of governmentcabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term(eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largestnumber of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate mustalso win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's sevenprovinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27December 2002 (next to be held December 2007); vice presidentappointed by the presidentelection results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote -Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 memberselected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selectedby the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2ex-officio members)elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held December 2007)election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointedby the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1
Judicial branch:Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); HighCourt
Political parties and leaders:Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya[Musikari KOMBO or Soita SHITANDA, disputed]; Forum for theRestoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Simeon NYACHAE];Kenya African National Union or KANU [Nicholas BIWOTT or UhuruKENYATTA, disputed]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-K[Mwai KIBAKI, unofficially, since the break-up of Kibaki's originalcoalition]; Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-Kenya [RailaODINGA, unofficially]
Political pressure groups and leaders:human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; NationalConvention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition ofpolitical parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA];Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [MutavaMUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; SupremeCouncil of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB,OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS,UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGOchancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606 Village Market Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (20) 537-800 FAX: [254] (20) 537-810
Flag description:three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; thered band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield coveringcrossed spears is superimposed at the center
Economy Kenya
Economy - overview:The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya hasbeen hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primarygoods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspendedKenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to thegovernment's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. Asevere drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which hadresumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, againhalted lending in 2001 when the government failed to instituteseveral anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rainsin 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and lowinvestment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-oldreign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidableeconomic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made inrooting out corruption and encouraging donor support. Since then,however, the KIBAKI government has been rocked by high-level graftscandals. The World Bank suspended aid for most of 2006, and the IMFhas delayed loans pending further action by the government oncorruption. The scandals have not seemed to affect growth, with GDPgrowing more than 5% in 2006.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$40.77 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$17.39 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:5.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$1,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.3% industry: 18.8% services: 65% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 1.955 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 2%highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:44.5 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):10.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):19.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $4.448 billionexpenditures: $5.377 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2006 est.)
Public debt:50.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairyproducts, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries,textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products,horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement,commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:6.3% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:5.709 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 17.7% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 11.3% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:5.459 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:150 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:55,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-1.119 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:$3.614 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,cement
Exports - partners:Uganda 14.2%, UK 10.8%, US 9.7%, Netherlands 8.3%, Egypt 5.2%,Pakistan 4.8%, Tanzania 4.8% (2005)
Imports:$6.602 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motorvehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:UAE 20.9%, US 9.2%, India 7.7%, South Africa 6.7%, China 6.6%,Saudi Arabia 6.5%, UK 5.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$2.35 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$6.675 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$453 million (1997)
Currency (code):Kenyan shilling (KES)
Currency code:KES
Exchange rates:Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 72.7649 (2006), 75.554 (2005),79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003), 78.749 (2002)
Fiscal year:1 July - 30 June
Communications Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:281,800 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:6.5 million (2006)
Telephone system:general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize exceptfor service to businessdomestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business datacommonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systeminternational: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios:3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:8 (2002)
Televisions:730,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.ke
Internet hosts:13,274 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):65 (2001)
Internet users:1,054,900 (2005)
Transportation Kenya
Airports: 225 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 210 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 115 under 914 m: 84 (2006)
Pipelines: refined products 894 km (2006)
Railways: total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:total: 63,265 km (interurban roads)paved: 8,933 kmunpaved: 54,332 kmnote: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km ofurban roads for a national total of 177,765 km (2004)
Waterways:part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2003)
Merchant marine:total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWTby type: passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, SaintVincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Mombasa
Military Kenya
Military branches:Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 7,303,153females age 18-49: 7,083,726 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 3,963,532females age 18-49: 3,471,926 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$280.5 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:1.6% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Kenya
Disputes - international:Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan'snorth-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter toapproximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans whoflee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord'sResistance Army (LRA) rebels; the Kenya-Somalia border is open topastoralists and is susceptible to cross-border clan insurgencies;Kenya's administrative limits extend beyond the treaty border intothe Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 150,459 (Somalia), 76,646 (Sudan),14,862 (Ethiopia)IDPs: 431,150 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s)(2006)
Trafficking in persons:current situation: Kenya is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor andsexual exploitation; children are trafficked within the country fordomestic servitude, street vending, agricultural labor, and sexualexploitation; men, women, and girls are trafficked to the MiddleEast, other African nations, Western Europe, and North America fordomestic servitude, enslavement in massage parlors and brothels, andmanual labor; Chinese women trafficked for sexual exploitationreportedly transit Nairobi and Bangladeshis may transit Kenya forforced labor in other countriestier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kenya is placed on the Tier 2 WatchList due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combatsevere forms of trafficking
Illicit drugs:widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit countryfor South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indianmethaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significantpotential for money-laundering activity given the country's statusas a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relativelyhigh levels of narcotics-associated activities
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Kiribati
Introduction Kiribati
Background:The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 andcomplete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The USrelinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and LineIsland groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Geography Kiribati
Location:Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddlingthe Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way fromHawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimedthat all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its GilbertIslands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the LineIslands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of theInternational Date Line
Geographic coordinates:1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references:Oceania
Area:total: 811 sq kmland: 811 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative:four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:1,143 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use: arable land: 2.74% permanent crops: 47.95% other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:NA
Natural hazards:typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make themvery sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues:heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavymigration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrinesand open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) inKiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in thePacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
People Kiribati
Population:105,432 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 38.6% (male 20,608/female 20,060)15-64 years: 58.1% (male 30,216/female 31,004)65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,517/female 2,027) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 20.2 yearsmale: 19.8 yearsfemale: 20.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:2.24% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:30.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:8.26 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: 1.03 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 47.27 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 52.34 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 41.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 62.08 yearsmale: 59.06 yearsfemale: 65.24 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:4.16 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, someSeventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church ofGod (1999)
Languages:I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Government Kiribati
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Kiribaticonventional short form: Kiribatilocal long form: Republic of Kiribatilocal short form: Kiribatinote: pronounced keer-ree-bahssformer: Gilbert Islands
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Tarawageographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 Etime difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - inaddition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, LineIslands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 islandcouncils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama,Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati,Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea,Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence:12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday:Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:12 July 1979
Legal system:NA
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); VicePresident Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief ofstate and head of governmenthead of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); VicePresident Teima ONORIOcabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among themembers of the House of Parliamentelections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidentialcandidates from among its members and then those candidates competein a general election; president is elected by popular vote for afour-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 4July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice presidentappointed by the presidentelection results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA9.1%
Legislative branch:unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats;39 elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorneygeneral, 1 appointed to represent Banaba, and 1 other; members servefour-year terms)elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the firstround on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 (next to beheld by November 2006)election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Judicial branch:Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at alllevels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban TeMauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]note: there is no tradition of formally organized political partiesin Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groupsbecause they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or partystructures
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honoraryconsulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fijiis accredited to Kiribati
Flag description:the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over ayellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontalwavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy Kiribati
Economy - overview:A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has fewnatural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits wereexhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra andfish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economyhas fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development isconstrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure,and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides morethan one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage ofdevelopment as is the expansion of private sector initiatives.Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, andChina equals more than 10% of GDP. Remittances from seamen onmerchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year.Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the governmentbudget from an Australian trust fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$206.4 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$76.4 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:0.3% (2005)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$2,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 8.9%industry: 24.2%services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32% services: 65.3%
Unemployment rate:2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):0.5% (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $55.52 millionexpenditures: $59.71 million; including capital expenditures of $NA(FY05)
Agriculture - products:copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Industries:fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:0.7% (1991 est.)
Electricity - production:13 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:12.09 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:200 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-19.87 million (2004)
Exports:$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners:US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%,Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2005)
Imports:$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufacturedgoods, fuel
Imports - partners:Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2005)
Debt - external:$10 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004)
Currency (code):Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code:AUD
Exchange rates:Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004),1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)
Fiscal year:NA
Communications Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use:4,500 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:600 (2004)
Telephone system:general assessment: generally good quality national andinternational servicedomestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHFradiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to thePacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which shouldimprove telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)
Radios:17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:1 (not reported to be active) (2002)
Televisions:1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.ki
Internet hosts:42 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2000)
Internet users:2,000 (2004)
Transportation Kiribati
Airports: 19 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Roadways:total: 670 km (1999)
Waterways:5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)
Merchant marine:total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWTby type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Betio
Military Kiribati
Military branches:no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out lawenforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police postsare on all islands)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:NA
Military - note:Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance isprovided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues Kiribati
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Korea, North
Introduction Korea, North
Background: An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il-so'ng, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development, as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces, are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Since August 2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to implement the elements of the agreement.
Geography Korea, North
Location:Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering theKorea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Geographic coordinates:40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 120,540 sq kmland: 120,410 sq kmwater: 130 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline:2,495 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmnote: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and theexclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreignvessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Climate:temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain:mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys;coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 mhighest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Natural resources:coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper,gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005)
Irrigated land:14,600 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasionaltyphoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues:water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterbornedisease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements:party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollutionsigned, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
People Korea, North
Population:23,113,019 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331)15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522)65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 32 yearsmale: 30.7 yearsfemale: 33.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.84% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:15.54 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:7.13 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: 1.03 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 23.29 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 71.65 yearsmale: 68.92 yearsfemale: 74.51 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.1 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: Korean(s)adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups:racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a fewethnic Japanese
Religions:traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian andsyncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion ofreligious freedom
Languages:Korean
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99%male: 99%female: 99%
Government Korea, North
Country name:conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Koreaconventional short form: North Korealocal long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguklocal short form: Chosonabbreviation: DPRK
Government type:Communist state one-man dictatorship
Capital:name: Pyongyanggeographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 Etime difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si,singular and plural)provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),Yanggang-do (Yanggang)municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin),Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)