National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution:
1 January 1952; amended many times
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II, is considered to be first in line to inherit the throne head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25 November 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected) elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - IAF 5.5 %, independents and other 94.5%; seats by party - IAF 6, independents and other 104; note - seven women will serve in the next Assembly - six of whom filled women's quota seats and one was directly elected
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)
Political parties and leaders:
al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR];Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN]; Arab Socialist Ba'thParty [Taysir al-HIMSI]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'adDABBUR]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF[Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI];Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; JordanianArab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian CommunistParty [Munir HAMARINAH]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party;Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH]; JordanianDemocratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA]; JordanianGenerations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH]; Jordanian Green Party[Muhammad BATAYNEH]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin SulaymanJiryis HANNA]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's CommitteesMovement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF];Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party;Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH]; National Action Party (Haqq)[Tariq al-KAYYALI]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul HadiMAJALI]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI];Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vicechairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman];Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; MuslimBrotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC,NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Prince chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. Beecroft embassy: Abdun, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000 FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
EconomyJordan
Economy - overview:
Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods duty free to the US. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio significantly. These measures have helped improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. Before the US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq. Since 2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$28.45 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.01 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.5% industry: 10.3% services: 86.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
1.563 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5% industry: 12.5% services: 82.5% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14.2% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.6% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.8 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.117 billion expenditures: $6.468 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
72.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
7% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.68% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.765 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$15.38 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$19.53 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, dairy
Industries:
clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
7.7% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
10.87 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
9.852 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
13 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
472 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
110,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
112,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
1 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
320 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
2.25 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
2.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$2.767 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, pharmaceuticals, potash, phosphates, fertilizers, vegetables, manufactures;
Exports - partners:
US 22.4%, Iraq 12.9%, India 8.3%, UAE 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, Syria 4.9% (2007)
Imports:
$12.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 21%, China 9.7%, Germany 7.5%, US 4.7%, Egypt 4.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $752 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.929 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.133 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$18.18 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$29.73 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - 0.709 (2007), 0.709 (2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003)
CommunicationsJordan
Telephones - main lines in use:
585,500 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.771 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains modest and slow-growing domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and teledensity reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007 international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
Radios:
1.66 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
22 (2007)
Televisions:
500,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.jo
Internet hosts:
21,150 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)
Internet users:
1.127 million (2007)
TransportationJordan
Airports:
17 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 7,694 km paved: 7,694 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 21 by type: cargo 8, container 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 13 (UAE 13) registered in other countries: 24 (Algeria 7, Bahamas 2, Panama 13, Syria 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Al 'Aqabah
MilitaryJordan
Military branches:
Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, RoyalJordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiyaal-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations Command (Socom);Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry ofInterior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,812,551 females age 16-49: 1,559,155 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,546,766 females age 16-49: 1,339,366 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 68,067 female: 65,512 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
8.6% of GDP (2006)
Transnational IssuesJordan
Disputes - international:
approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)); 500,000 (Iraq) IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Jordan is a destination and transit country for women and men from South and Southeast Asia trafficked for the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination for women from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers; Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Kazakhstan
IntroductionKazakhstan
Background:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
GeographyKazakhstan
Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the UralRiver in eastern-most Europe
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 12,185 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain:
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Natural resources:
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 8.28% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
35,560 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
109.6 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%) per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050
PeopleKazakhstan
Population:
15,340,533 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.1% (male 1,734,622/female 1,659,723) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 5,219,983/female 5,463,468) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 443,483/female 819,254) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.3 years male: 27.8 years female: 31.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.374% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
16.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.55 years male: 62.24 years female: 73.16 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani
Ethnic groups:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)
Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.5% male: 99.8% female: 99.3% (1999 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
2.3% of GDP (2005)
GovernmentKazakhstan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Capital:
name: Astana geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Kazakhstan is divided into two time zones
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050
Independence:
16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 27 August 2007) and Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6% note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; to serve six-year terms) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, which represents the country's ethnic minorities; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)
Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, BakhytbekAKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan SYDYKOV] (formerly DemocraticParty of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Blockor AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic Party); Ak Zhol Party (BrightPath) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; CommunistParty of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; CommunistPeople's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National SocialDemocratic Party (NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [BakhytzhanZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged withOtan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality)[Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a JustKazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS,Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; KazakhstanInternational Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executivedirector]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [IrinaSAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors[Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
International organization participation:
ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC,OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00 FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90
Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
EconomyKazakhstan
Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. The breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. Inflation, however, jumped to more than 10% in 2007. In the energy sector, the opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. In 2006 Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements; tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2007 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. Aided by strong growth and foreign exchange earnings, Kazakhstan aspires to become a regional financial center and has created a banking system comparable to those in Central Europe.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$168.2 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$103.8 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
8.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8% industry: 39.4% services: 54.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
8.229 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 32.2% industry: 18% services: 49.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
13.8% (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.4 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
30.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $23.58 billion expenditures: $25.33 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
7.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
11% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$12.74 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$25.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$43.75 billion (31 December 2007)
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:
7.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
74.93 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
61.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
3.528 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
3.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 84.3% hydro: 15.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
1.445 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
243,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1.236 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
127,600 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
30 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
27.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
30.58 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
8.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
10.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$7.184 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$48.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners:
China 15.5%, Germany 11.5%, Russia 11.2%, Italy 7.2%, France 6.7% (2007)
Imports:
$33.21 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Russia 35.4%, China 22.1%, Germany 8% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$229.2 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$96.36 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$40.16 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$3.97 billion (September 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$10.52 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
tenge (KZT)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003)
CommunicationsKazakhstan
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.237 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
12.588 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and subscriptions now exceed 80 per 100 persons international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios:
6.47 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Televisions:
3.88 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.kz
Internet hosts:
36,417 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (with their own international channels) (2001)
Internet users:
1.901 million (2006)
TransportationKazakhstan
Airports:
97 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 65 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 8 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 12 (2007)
Heliports:
5 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 658 km; gas 11,082 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 13,700 km broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 91,563 km paved: 83,717 km unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)
Waterways:
4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 5 by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
MilitaryKazakhstan
Military branches:
Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces, RepublicanGuard
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,176,731 females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,871,205 females age 16-49: 3,551,032 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 145,495 female: 140,149 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
Transnational IssuesKazakhstan
Disputes - international:
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Kenya
IntroductionKenya
Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.
GeographyKenya
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia andTanzania
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km border 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 m highest 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)
Total renewable water resources:
30.2 cu km (1990)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%) per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)
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-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
PeopleKenya
Population:
37,953,840 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 8,065,789/female 7,953,077) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,498,468/female 10,434,764) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 457,886/female 543,854) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.758% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
37.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.64 years male: 56.42 years female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)