NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
30 (2008)
Televisions:
NA; note - many Palestinian households have televisions (1999)
Internet country code:
.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (1999)
Internet users:
355,500 (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)
TransportationWest Bank
Airports:
3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 5,147 km paved: 5,147 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)
MilitaryWest Bank
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 29,866 female: 28,372 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Transnational IssuesWest Bank
Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Western Sahara
IntroductionWestern Sahara
Background:
Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since June 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara.
GeographyWestern Sahara
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenMauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline:
1,110 km
Maritime claims:
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Climate:
hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain:
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Environment - current issues:
sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
PeopleWestern Sahara
Population:
393,831 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498) 15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.868% NA (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate:
total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.92 years NA male: 51.64 years NA female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Nationality:
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic groups:
Arab, Berber
Religions:
Muslim
Languages:
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy:
GovernmentWestern Sahara
Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara
Government type:
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO
Capital:
none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Suffrage:
none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Executive branch:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none
EconomyWestern Sahara
Economy - overview:
Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
GDP (official exchange rate):
GDP - real growth rate:
GDP - per capita (PPP):
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%
Labor force:
12,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Agriculture - products:
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Industries:
phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:
90 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
83.7 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
1,925 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Exports:
Exports - commodities:
phosphates 62%
Exports - partners:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Imports:
Imports - commodities:
fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Debt - external:
Currency (code):
Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
CommunicationsWestern Sahara
Telephones - main lines in use:
about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (1999)
Telephone system:
general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
56,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
Televisions:
6,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.eh
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
TransportationWestern Sahara
Airports:
9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
MilitaryWestern Sahara
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 4,658 female: 4,545 (2008 est.)
Transnational IssuesWestern Sahara
Disputes - international:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@World
IntroductionWorld
Background:
Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).
GeographyWorld
Geographic overview:
The surface of the earth is approximately 70.9% water and 29.1% land. The former portion is divided into large water bodies termed oceans. The World Factbook recognizes and describes five oceans, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. The land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents. Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five, if the Eurasia designation is used). North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Africa's northeast extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often included as part of Africa. Asia usually incorporates all the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a "land mass" termed Oceania or Australasia. Although the above groupings are the most common, different continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts of the world, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.
Map references:
Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, Standard TimeZones of the World
Area:
total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.9% of the world's surface is water, 29.1% is land
Area - comparative:
land area about 16 times the size of the US
Land boundaries:
the land boundaries in the world total 251,060 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries note: 45 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked
Coastline:
356,000 kmnote: 94 nations and other entities are islands that border no othercountries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua andBarbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain,Baker Island, Barbados, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian OceanTerritory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands,Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica,Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, FrenchPolynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Grenada,Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island,Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island,Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar,Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte,Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru,Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island,Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands,Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, SaintBarthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, SaintPierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, SaoTome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, SouthGeorgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka,Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and CaicosIslands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis andFutuna, Taiwan
Maritime claims:
a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm
Climate:
a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates
Terrain:
the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Land use:
arable land: 10.57% permanent crops: 1.04% other: 88.38% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,770,980 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Environment - current issues:
large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion; global warming becoming a greater concern
Geography - note:
the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the universe
PeopleWorld
Population:
6,706,993,152 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.3% (male 944,665,142/female 887,471,328) 15-64 years: 65.1% 65 years and over: 7.6% (male 222,808,372/female 284,647,297) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: male: 27.4 years female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.188% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
20.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 42.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.26 years male: 64.3 years female: 68.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.61 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Religions:
Christians 33.32% (of which Roman Catholics 16.99%, Protestants 5.78%, Orthodox 3.53%, Anglicans 1.25%), Muslims 21.01%, Hindus 13.26%, Buddhists 5.84%, Sikhs 0.35%, Jews 0.23%, Baha'is 0.12%, other religions 11.78%, non-religious 11.77%, atheists 2.32% (2007 est.)
Languages:
Mandarin Chinese 13.22%, Spanish 4.88%, English 4.68%, Arabic 3.12%, Hindi 2.74%, Portuguese 2.69%, Bengali 2.59%, Russian 2.2%, Japanese 1.85%, Standard German 1.44%, French 1.2% (2005 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82% male: 87% female: 77% note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)
GovernmentWorld
Administrative divisions:
266 nations, dependent areas, and other entities
Legal system:
all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
EconomyWorld
Economy - overview:
Global output rose by 5.2% in 2007, led by China (11.4%), India (9.2%), and Russia (8.1%). The 14 other successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 8%-10% range of growth. From 2006 to 2007 growth rates slowed in all the major industrial countries except for the United Kingdom (3.1%). Analysts attribute the slowdown to uncertainties in the financial markets and lowered consumer confidence. Worldwide, nations varied widely in their growth results. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the initial coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued through 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
GWP (gross world product): $65.61 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
GWP (gross world product): $54.62 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$10,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
3.131 billion (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 40.2% industry: 20.5% services: 39.4% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.8% (2002 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in one Third World country (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries (2005 est.)
Industries:
dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
18.96 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
16.88 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
655.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
627.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA
Oil - production:
84.79 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
85.27 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
66.19 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
65.41 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.332 trillion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
3.021 trillion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.198 trillion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
929.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
957.6 billion cu m (2007)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
175.4 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Exports:
$13.89 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services top ten - share of world trade: electrical machinery, including computers 14.8%; mineral fuels, including oil, coal, gas, and refined products 14.4%; nuclear reactors, boilers, and parts 14.2%; cars, trucks, and buses 8.9%; scientific and precision instruments 3.5%; plastics 3.4%; iron and steel 2.7%; organic chemicals 2.6%; pharmaceutical products 2.6%; diamonds, pearls, and precious stones 1.9% (2006 est.)
Exports - partners:
US 13.7%, Germany 7.3%, China 6.2%, France 4.6%, UK 4.5%, Japan 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
$13.74 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services top ten - share of world trade: see listing for exports
Imports - partners:
China 10.7%, Germany 9.23%, US 8.28%, Japan 5.14%, France 3.99% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $106.4 billion (2005)
Debt - external:
$51.78 trillion note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private (2004 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
World total DFI $14 trillion top ten recipients of DFI: US $1.966 trillion; UK $1.324 trillion; France $872.4 billion; Germany $811.0 billion; HK $780.4 billion; China $758.9 billion; Belgium $703.9 billion; Netherlands $535.1 billion; Canada $527.4 billion; Spain $487.8 billion (year-end 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
World total DFI $14 trillion top ten sources of DFI: US $2.627 trillion; UK $1.741 trillion; France $1.211 trillion; Germany $1.123 trillion; Netherlands $811.4 billion; HK $716.2 billion; Spain $613.9 billion; Switzerland $591.5 billion; Belgium $537.6 billion; Japan $527.8 billion (year-end 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$53.51 trillion (2006)
CommunicationsWorld
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,263,367,600 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,168,433,600 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA
Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios:
Television broadcast stations:
Televisions:
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10,350 (2000 est.)
Internet users:
1,018,057,389 (2005)
TransportationWorld
Airports:
total airports - 49,024 top ten by passengers: Atlanta - 84,846,639; Chicago - 77,028,134; London - 67,530,197; Tokyo - 65,810,672; Los Angeles - 61,041,066; Dallas/Fort Worth - 60,226,138; Paris - 56,849,567; Frankfurt - 52,810,683; Beijing - 48,654,770; Denver - 47,325,016 top ten by cargo (metric tons): Memphis - 3,692,081; Hong Kong - 3,609,780; Anchorage - 2,691,395; Seoul - 2,336,572; Tokyo - 2,280,830; Shanghai - 2,168,122; Paris - 2,130,724; Frankfurt - 2,127,646; Louisville (US) - 1,983,032; Singapore - 1,931,881 (2006)
Heliports:
1,359 (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,370,782 km (2006)
Roadways:
total: 68,937,575 km (2008)
Waterways:
671,886 km (2004)
Ports and terminals:
top ten container ports (TEUs): Singapore - 24,792,400; Hong Kong - 23,539,000; Shanghai - 21,710,000; Shenzhen (China) - 18,468,890; Busan (South Korea) - 12,030,000; Kaohsiung (Taiwan) - 9,774,670; - Rotterdam - 9,603,000; Dubai (UAE) - 8,923,465; Hamburg - 8,861,545; Los Angeles - 8,469,853 (2006)
MilitaryWorld
Military expenditures:
roughly 2% of GDP of gross world product (2005 est.)
Transnational IssuesWorld
Disputes - international:
stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 322 international land boundaries separate 194 independent states and 70 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; most maritime states have claimed limits that include territorial seas and exclusive economic zones; overlapping limits due to adjacent or opposite coasts create the potential for 430 bilateral maritime boundaries of which 209 have agreements that include contiguous and non-contiguous segments; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries tend to encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation and internal displacement of the estimated 6.6 million people and cross-border displacements of 8.6 million refugees around the world as of early 2006; just over one million refugees were repatriated in the same period; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially hydrocarbon) resources, fisheries, and arable land; armed conflict prevails not so much between the uniformed armed forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2006 there was a global population of 8.8 million registered refugees and as many as 24.5 million IDPs in more than 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees is probably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: approximately 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female and up to 50% are minors; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; almost two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people) Tier 2 Watch List: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Niger, Panama, Republic of the Congo, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe Tier 3: Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Moldova, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria (2008)
Illicit drugs:
cocaine: worldwide coca leaf cultivation in 2007 amounted to 232,500 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production decreased 7% to 865 metric tons in 2007; Colombia conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 551 metric tons of export-quality cocaine (85% pure) is documented to have been seized or destroyed in 2005; US consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been in excess of 380 metric tons opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation continued to increase in 2007, with a potential opium production of 8,400 metric tons, reaching the highest levels recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 95% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 9% of global opium - saw marginal increases in production; Latin America produced 1% of global opium, but most was refined into heroin destined for the US market; if all potential opium was processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 1,000 metric tons of heroin in 2007
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Yemen
IntroductionYemen
Background:
North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.
GeographyYemen
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline:
1,906 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use:
arable land: 2.91% permanent crops: 0.25% other: 96.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:
5,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
4.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%) per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
PeopleYemen
Population:
23,013,376 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.2% (male 5,415,385/female 5,218,237) 15-64 years: 51.2% (male 5,996,202/female 5,795,779) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 284,195/female 303,578) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.7 years male: 16.7 years female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.46% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
42.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.78 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.9 years male: 60.96 years female: 64.94 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups:
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans
Religions:
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), small numbers ofJewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years male: 11 years female: 7 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
9.6% of GDP (2001)
GovernmentYemen
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Sanaa geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate
Independence:
22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen became independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962; South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
Constitution:
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: