GDP (purchasing power parity):
$82.02 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$30.01 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.9% services: 58.4% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
7.489 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 34.3% industry: 25.3% services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
22% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Investment (gross fixed):
24.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.384 billion expenditures: $7.608 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
85.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
15% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.08% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$2.465 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$10.46 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$14.82 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish
Industries:
processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate:
7.6% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
8.317 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
6.884 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 51.7% hydro: 48.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
86,030 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
291.9 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
87,090 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 - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.019 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$8.135 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Exports - partners:
US 25.5%, UK 13.2%, India 6.7%, Germany 5.7%, Italy 5.1% (2007)
Imports:
$10.36 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment
Imports - partners:
India 23.1%, Singapore 9.9%, China 8.2%, Iran 7.5%, Hong Kong 6.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.189 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.644 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$12.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$7.769 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar - 110.78 (2007), 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003)
CommunicationsSri Lanka
Telephones - main lines in use:
2.742 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.983 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 94; the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 52, shortwave 4 (2007)
Radios:
3.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (2006)
Televisions:
1.53 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.lk
Internet hosts:
4,940 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)
Internet users:
771,700 (2007)
TransportationSri Lanka
Airports:
18 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 97,286 km paved: 78,802 km unpaved: 18,484 km (2003)
Waterways:
160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 26 by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 5 (Germany 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Colombo
MilitarySri Lanka
Military branches:
Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,458,720 females age 16-49: 5,594,006 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,477,437 females age 16-49: 4,683,716 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 174,065 female: 168,593 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2006)
Transnational IssuesSri Lanka
Disputes - international:
none
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 460,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to long-term civil war between the government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Sri Lanka is a source and destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; Sri Lankan men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and East Asia to work as construction workers, domestic servants, or garment factory workers, where some find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude when faced with restrictions on movement, withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and debt bondage; children are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and, less frequently, for forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Sri Lanka is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement; the government failed to arrest, prosecute, or convict any person for trafficking offenses and continued to punish some victims of trafficking for crimes committed as a result of being trafficked; Sri Lanka has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Sudan
IntroductionSudan
Background:
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than four million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than two million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years. After which, a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2008, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation, which has become increasingly regional in scope, and has brought instability to eastern Chad, and Sudanese incursions into the Central African Republic. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
GeographySudan
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 7,687 km border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km
Coastline:
853 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain:
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Natural resources:
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005)
Irrigated land:
18,630 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
154 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 37.32 cu km/yr (3%/1%/97%) per capita: 1,030 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
PeopleSudan
Population:
40,218,456 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.1% (male 8,451,576/female 8,093,609) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 11,407,233/female 11,275,685) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 518,822/female 471,530) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.134% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
34.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 86.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 87.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 86.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.28 years male: 49.38 years female: 51.23 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
400,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
23,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese
Ethnic groups:
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south andKhartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%
Languages:
Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages note: program of "Arabization" in process
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
6% of GDP (1991)
GovernmentSudan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Government type:
Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections in 2009
Capital:
name: Khartoum geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile),Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (ElGezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah(Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile),Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb alIstiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahral Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (SouthernDarfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei),Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal(Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), ShamalKurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (EasternEquatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)
Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005
Legal system:
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; however, the CPA establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the southern states
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Legislature consists of a Council of States (50 seats; members indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve six-year terms) and a National Assembly (450 seats; members presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2009) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court;National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National JudicialService Commission will undertake overall management of the NationalJudiciary
Political parties and leaders:
National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; note - all political parties listed above in the Government of National Unity
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS,MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO,UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Akec KHOC Aciew Khoc chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. FERNANDEZ embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (183) 774701/2/3 FAX: [249] (183) 774137
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
EconomySudan
Economy - overview:
Sudan's economy is booming on the back of increases in oil production, high oil prices, and large inflows of foreign direct investment. GDP growth registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and 2007. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been working with the IMF to implement macroeconomic reforms, including a managed float of the exchange rate. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter of 1999. Agricultural production remains important, because it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of GDP. The Darfur conflict, the aftermath of two decades of civil war in the south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January 2007, the government introduced a new currency, the Sudanese Pound, at an initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$80.98 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$46.16 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
10.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,900 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32% industry: 32.8% services: 35.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
7.415 million (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
18.7% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line:
40% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
19% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $9.201 billion expenditures: $10.62 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
105.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (2007 est.)
Stock of money:
$5.549 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$4.068 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$8.659 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock
Industries:
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly
Industrial production growth rate:
22% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
4.037 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
3.398 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 52.1% hydro: 47.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
466,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
79,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
282,100 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
7,558 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 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:
84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$3.447 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$8.879 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar
Exports - partners:
China 82.1%, Japan 8.4%, UAE 2.5% (2007)
Imports:
$7.722 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners:
China 27.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, India 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, UAE 5.5%,Japan 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.829 billion (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.378 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$29.42 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
Sudanese pounds (SDG)
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.06 (2007), 2.172 (2006), 2.4361 (2005), 2.5791 (2004), 2.6098 (2003) note: in October 2007 Sudan redenominated its currency by transforming 100 units of Sudanese dinar into one unit of Sudanese pound
CommunicationsSudan
Telephones - main lines in use:
345,200 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.464 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
7.55 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1997)
Televisions:
2.38 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sd
Internet hosts:
33 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2002)
Internet users:
1.5 million (2007)
TransportationSudan
Airports:
101 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 85 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 27 (2007)
Heliports:
4 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2006)
Roadways:
total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (2000)
Waterways:
4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 3 by type: cargo 2, carrier 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Port Sudan
MilitarySudan
Military branches:
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): Land Forces (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,639,923 females age 16-49: 9,321,106 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,586,468 females age 16-49: 5,678,427 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 488,679 female: 469,547 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational IssuesSudan
Disputes - international:
the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times; while Sudan claims to administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel; both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s, and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 157,220 (Eritrea); 25,023 (Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia); 7,895 (Uganda); 5,023 (Central African Republic) IDPs: 5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked internally for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad for domestic servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country, as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for domestic servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and Ugandan children in the southern part of the country for use as cooks, porters, and combatants; some of these children are also trafficked across borders into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo; militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence; during the two decades-long north-south civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes; while there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; combating human trafficking through law enforcement or prevention measures was not a priority for the government in 2007 (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Suriname
IntroductionSuriname
Background:
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since; the coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005.
GeographySuriname
Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenFrench Guiana and Guyana
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,703 km border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Coastline:
386 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 0.36% permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.58% (2005)
Irrigated land:
510 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
122 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%) per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Environment - current issues:
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast
PeopleSuriname
Population:
475,996 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 66,695/female 64,356) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 156,961/female 158,234) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,868/female 16,882) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.5 years male: 27.1 years female: 27.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.099% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
17.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.48 years male: 70.76 years female: 76.39 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.7% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,200 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever, Mayaro virus, and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese
Ethnic groups:
Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%
Religions:
Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), RomanCatholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages:
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language ofCreoles and much of the younger population and is lingua francaamong others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.6% male: 92% female: 87.2% (2004 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 13 years (2002)
Education expenditures:
GovernmentSuriname
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Suriname conventional short form: Suriname local long form: Republiek Suriname local short form: Suriname former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
name: Paramaribo geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Independence:
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Constitution:
ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987
Legal system:
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ramdien SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president; percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR 35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.7%, NDP 22.2%, VVV 13.8%, A-Com 7.2%, A-1 5.9%, other 11.2%; seats by party - NF 23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3
Judicial branch:
Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life)
Political parties and leaders:
Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of Suriname orAPS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st Century or D-21[Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen Nanan PANDAY],Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL], Trefpunt 2000 orT-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior Development Party or ABOP[Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic Party or NDP [DesireBOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (acoalition that includes A-Combination or A-Com, DemocraticAlternative 1991 or DA-91, an independent, business-oriented party[Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname or NPS [RonaldVENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ramdien SARDJOE], PertjajaLuhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA[Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity orDOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance for Progress or VVV (acoalition of Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP-2000 [JulesWIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD[Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of theHighest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for Progression,Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN], Pendawalima or PL[Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and Farmers Union or PALU[Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP [Surinder MUNGRA];Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive Surinamers or UPS [SheoradjPANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]
International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDB, IFAD,IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW,PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques Ruben Constantijn KROSS chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878 consulate(s) general: Miami
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo mailing address: US Department of State, PO Box 1821, Paramaribo telephone: [597] 472-900 FAX: [597] 410-025
Flag description:
five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band