other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard
Environment - current issues:
Geography - note:
strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
People ::Spratly Islands
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states
Government ::Spratly Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Economy ::Spratly Islands
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation ::Spratly Islands
Airports:
4 (2009) country comparison to the world: 188
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Heliports:
3 (2009)
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Spratly Islands
Military - note:
Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Transnational Issues ::Spratly Islands
Disputes - international:
all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands
page last updated on September 24, 2009
======================================================================
@Sri Lanka (South Asia)
Introduction ::Sri Lanka
Background:
The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In May 2009, the government announced that its military had finally defeated the remnants of the LTTE and that its leader, Velupillai PRABHAKARAN, had been killed.
Geography ::Sri Lanka
Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 65,610 sq km country comparison to the world: 121 land: 64,630 sq km
water: 980 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,340 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:
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources:
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 13.96%
permanent crops: 15.24%
other: 70.8% (2005)
Irrigated land:
7,430 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
50 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 12.61 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%)
per capita: 608 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
People ::Sri Lanka
Population:
21,324,791 country comparison to the world: 53 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.9% (male 2,594,815/female 2,493,002)
15-64 years: 68% (male 7,089,307/female 7,418,123)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 803,172/female 926,372) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 30.9 years
male: 29.9 years
female: 31.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.904% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Birth rate:
16.26 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Death rate:
6.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 158
Net migration rate:
-1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Urbanization:
urban population: 15% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.57 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 111 male: 20.33 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.14 years country comparison to the world: 84 male: 73.08 years
female: 77.28 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.99 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,800 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 124
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne disease: dengue fever and chikungunya
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Religions:
Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Languages:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.7%
male: 92.3%
female: 89.1% (2001 census)
Education expenditures:
Government ::Sri Lanka
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu
local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai
former: Serendib, Ceylon
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Colombo
geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E
time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)
Administrative divisions:
8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
note: in October 2006, a Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the issue is pending
Independence:
4 February 1948 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978; amended 20 December 2000
Legal system:
a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mahinda Percy RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister
head of government: President Mahinda Percy RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in United People's Freedom Alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [G.PONNAMBALAM]; Ceylon WorkersCongress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D.GUNASEKERA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [DouglasDEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF[Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [SomawansaAMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA];Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D.GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA];National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's LiberationOrganization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri LankaFreedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congressor SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO[Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [RanilWICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [VelupillaiPRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); TamilMakkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or Karuna Faction [VinayagamurthiMURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting LTTE)
other: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups
International organization participation:
ADB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC,NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaliya Chitran WICKRAMASURIYA
chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 through 4028
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500
Flag description:
yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
Economy ::Sri Lanka
Economy - overview:
In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormous civil service. The government has halted privatizations. Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. Government spending on development and fighting the LTTE drove GDP growth to about 7% per year in 2006-07 before the global recession slow growth in 2008, but high government spending and high oil and commodity prices also raised inflation to around 15% in 2008. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2008, plantation crops made up only about 20% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 40%. About 1.5 million Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than $2.5 billion a year. The 25-year civil conflict between LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka has been a serious impediment to economic activities. By mid February 2009, the LTTE remained in control of small and shrinking area in the North. The conflict continues to cast a shadow over the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$92.09 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 68 $86.88 billion (2007 est.)
$81.35 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$39.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 6.8% (2007 est.)
7.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,400 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 150 $4,200 (2007 est.)
$3,900 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.4%
industry: 29.4%
services: 57.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.569 million country comparison to the world: 59 note: excludes northern and eastern provinces (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 34.7%
industry: 26.1%
services: 39.2% (30 September 2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 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% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
49 (2004) country comparison to the world: 28 34.4 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Budget:
revenues: $7.8 billion
expenditures: $11 billion (2009 est.)
Public debt:
76.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 104.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
22.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 208 15.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
15% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 13 15% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18.89% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$2.55 billion (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 65 $2.465 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$9.01 billion (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 54 $10.46 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$15.92 billion (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 65 $14.82 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.326 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 76 $7.553 billion (31 December 2007)
$7.769 billion (31 December 2006)
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, information technology services
Industrial production growth rate:
5.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Electricity - production:
9.507 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Electricity - consumption:
7.946 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Oil - consumption:
89,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Oil - exports:
968.4 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Oil - imports:
87,690 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 198
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 194
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Current account balance:
-$3.876 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153 -$1.464 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$8.137 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94 $7.741 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Exports - partners:
US 21.6%, UK 11.9%, India 6.8%, Germany 5.1%, Belgium 4.8%, Italy 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$12.61 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $10.17 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment
Imports - partners:
India 20.3%, China 12.2%, Iran 7.6%, Singapore 7.4%, South Korea 4.7% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.655 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99 $3.644 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$16.78 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76 $12.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$250.2 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Exchange rates:
Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar - 108.33 (2008), 110.78 (2007), 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004)
Communications ::Sri Lanka
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.446 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 44
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.082 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
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
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)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (2006)
Internet country code:
.lk
Internet hosts:
6,090 (2009) country comparison to the world: 134
Internet users:
1.164 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 83
Transportation ::Sri Lanka
Airports:
18 (2009) country comparison to the world: 138
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Railways:
total: 1,449 km country comparison to the world: 82 broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2007)
Roadways:
total: 97,286 km country comparison to the world: 44 paved: 78,802 km
unpaved: 18,484 km (2003)
Waterways:
160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2008) country comparison to the world: 101
Merchant marine:
total: 26 country comparison to the world: 89 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
Military ::Sri Lanka
Military branches:
Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; 5-year service obligation (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: 4,498,667
females age 16-49: 4,693,895 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 173,256
female: 167,645 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 63
Transnational Issues ::Sri 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)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Sudan (Africa)
Introduction ::Sudan
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 2009, 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.
Geography ::Sudan
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,505,813 sq km country comparison to the world: 10 land: 2.376 million sq km
water: 129,813 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
People ::Sudan
Population:
41,087,825 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.7% (male 8,535,551/female 8,173,616)
15-64 years: 56.8% (male 11,745,683/female 11,603,906)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 532,968/female 496,101) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.1 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 19.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.143% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Birth rate:
33.74 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Death rate:
12.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Net migration rate:
0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Urbanization:
urban population: 43% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 16 male: 82.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.42 years country comparison to the world: 204 male: 50.49 years
female: 52.4 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.48 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.4% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 45
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
320,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
25,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
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 (2009)
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) country comparison to the world: 42
Government ::Sudan
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 Jazira (Gezira),Al Khartoum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahda (Unity), AnNil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), AshShimaliyya (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Central Equatoria), Gharb alIstiwa'iyya (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahrel Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (SouthernDarfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqoley (Jonglei),Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (River Nile), Shimal Bahr al Ghazal(Northern Bahr el Ghazal), Shimal Darfur (Northern Darfur), ShimalKurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyya (EasternEquatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)
Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005
note: under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Interim National Constitution was ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan was 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 February 2010
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 60% from geographic constituencies, 25% from a women's list, and 15% from party lists; to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held February 2010)
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]; SudanPeople's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva KIIR]; and elements ofthe National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of theDemocratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party;Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; Popular Congress Party or PCP[Hassan al-TURABI]; Darfur rebel groups including the Justice andEquality Movement or JEM [Khalil IBRAHIM] and the Sudan LiberationMovement or SLM [various factional leaders]
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
Diplomatic representation from the US: