Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 306,273
females age 16-49: 317,852 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 216,483
females age 16-49: 260,408 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 7,583
female: 7,111 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Transnational Issues ::Estonia
Disputes - international:
Russia recalled its signature to the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia in 2005, rather than concede to Estonia's appending prepared a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia
Illicit drugs:
growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important transshipment zone for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Ethiopia (Africa)
Introduction ::Ethiopia
Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Geography ::Ethiopia
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,104,300 sq km country comparison to the world: 27 land: 1 million sq km
water: 104,300 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain:
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
Natural resources:
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 10.01%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,900 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
110 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%)
per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
People ::Ethiopia
Population:
85,237,338 country comparison to the world: 14 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 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 19,596,784/female 19,688,887)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 21,376,495/female 22,304,812)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 975,923/female 1,294,437) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.9 years
male: 16.6 years
female: 17.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.208% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Birth rate:
43.66 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Death rate:
11.55 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Net migration rate:
-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 86 note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 17% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 80.8 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 20 male: 92.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 69.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.41 years country comparison to the world: 192 male: 52.92 years
female: 57.97 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.12 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
980,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
67,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups:
Oromo 32.1%, Amara 30.1%, Tigraway 6.2%, Somalie 5.9%, Guragie 4.3%,Sidama 3.5%, Welaita 2.4%, other 15.4% (1994 census)
Religions:
Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 census)
Languages:
Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%,Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 7 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 43
Government ::Ethiopia
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 ethnically based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence:
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:
National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution:
ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
Legal system:
based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections
election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2
note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did not take their seats
Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [Mohammed Kedir]; BenishangulGumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE];Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP; GurageNationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo FederalistDemocratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro People'sCongress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's Democratic Partyor SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden NationalLiberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM(observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
Economy ::Ethiopia
Economy - overview:
Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF forgave Ethiopia's debt. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-08.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$70.23 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 $62.93 billion (2007 est.)
$56.64 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.39 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 11.1% (2007 est.)
10.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 214 $800 (2007 est.)
$700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 44.9%
industry: 12.8%
services: 42.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
37.9 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 15
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80.2%
industry: 6.6%
services: 13.2% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (2000) country comparison to the world: 114 40 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Budget:
revenues: $4.517 billion
expenditures: $5.34 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
32% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
44.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 221 17.2% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 121 7% (31 December 2006)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Agriculture - products:
cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
10.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - production:
3.46 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - consumption:
3.13 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - consumption:
37,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - imports:
33,590 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Oil - proved reserves:
430,000 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 184
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 187
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 60
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83
Natural gas - proved reserves:
24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Current account balance:
-$1.806 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 135 -$827.9 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.555 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 $1.285 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Germany 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 8.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, US 8.1%,Switzerland 7.7%, Italy 6.1%, China 6%, Sudan 5.5%, Japan 4.4% (2008)
Imports:
$7.206 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 $5.156 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:
China 16.3%, Saudi Arabia 12%, India 8.7%, Italy 6%, Japan 4.9%, US 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$870.5 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 $1.29 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.155 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 123 $2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
birr (ETB) per US dollar - 9.57 (2008 est.), 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004)
note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Communications ::Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:
908,900 (2008) country comparison to the world: 84
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.168 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 107
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 5 per 100 persons
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code:
.et
Internet hosts:
136 (2009) country comparison to the world: 195
Internet users:
360,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 116
Transportation ::Ethiopia
Airports:
63 (2009) country comparison to the world: 78
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 46
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Railways:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) country comparison to the world: 106 narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008)
Roadways:
total: 36,469 km country comparison to the world: 93 paved: 6,980 km
unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 country comparison to the world: 115 by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti andBerbera in Somalia
Military ::Ethiopia
Military branches:
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, EthiopianAir Force (ETAF) (2008)
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,666,967
females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 11,078,847
females age 16-49: 12,017,073 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 908,384
female: 916,354 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 49
Transnational Issues ::Ethiopia
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@European Union (Europe)
Introduction ::European Union
Preliminary statement:
The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique.
Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations.
In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries.
Background:
Following the two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.
The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.
In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15.
A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February 2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort, undertaken in June 2007, created an Intergovernmental Conference to formulate a political agreement - initially known as the Reform Treaty but subsequently referred to as the Treaty of Lisbon - which would serve as a constitution. Unlike the constitution, however, the Treaty of Lisbon sought to amend existing treaties rather than replace them. In October 2009, an Irish referendum approved the Treaty (overturning a previous rejection) and cleared the way for an ultimate unanimous endorsement - the Czech Republic signed on soon after. Treaty implementation is set to begin on 1 December 2009.
Geography ::European Union
Location:
Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia,Belarus, and Ukraine to the east
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 4,324,782 sq km
Area - comparative:
less than one-half the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 12,440.8 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km
note: data for European Continent only
Coastline:
65,992.9 km
Maritime claims:
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Terrain:
fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy
Natural resources:
iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
Irrigated land:
168,050 sq km (2003 est.)
Natural hazards:
flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic
Environment - current issues:
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94
signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
People ::European Union
Population:
491,582,852 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.44% (male 38,975,981/female 36,925,704)
15-64 years: 67.22% (male 166,277,341/female 164,183,829)
65 years and over: 17.34% (male 35,372,684/female 49,847,313) (2009 est.)
Median age:
note - see individual country entries of member states (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.108 % (2009 est.)
Birth rate:
9.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate:
10.28 deaths/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.72 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 182 male: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.67 years country comparison to the world: 41 male: 75.54 years
female: 81.97 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.51 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Languages:
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French,Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish,Swedish
note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is conversant with it (2007)
Government ::European Union
Union name:
conventional long form: European Union
abbreviation: EU
Political structure:
a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization
Capital:
name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium; the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France; the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg
Member states:
27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey
Independence:
7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
National holiday:
Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day thatRobert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and SteelCommunity to achieve an organized Europe
Constitution:
none
note: based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form; this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a constitution and was presented to the European Council in October 2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process; the Reform Treaty, more recently known as the Treaty of Lisbon, was again circulated for ratification, and by November 2009 was approved by all 27 countries; it is scheduled to come into effect on 1 December 2009
Legal system:
comparable to the legal systems of member states; first supranational law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)
cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)
elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament; working from member state recommendations, the Commission president then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the last confirmation process was held 16 September 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by a vote of 382 to 219 with 117 abstentions
note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
Legislative branch:
two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population; note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU) and the European Parliament (736 seats; seats allocated among member states in proportion to population; members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term)
elections: last held 4-7 June 2009 (next to be held in June 2014)
election results: percent of vote - EPP 35.9%, PES 21.9%, ALDE 10.9%, Greens/EFA 7.2%, UEN 4.8%, GUE/NGL 4.3%, IND/DEM 2.4%, others 12.6%; seats by party - EPP 266, PES 161, ALDE 80, Greens/EFA 53, UEN 35, GUE/NGL 32, IND/DEM 18, others 93
Judicial branch:
Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU; resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) - 27 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27 justices appointed for a six-year term
Political parties and leaders:
Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left orGUE/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democratsor EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals andDemocrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group ofGreens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI andDaniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group orITS [Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM[Hanne DAHL and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the EuropeanParliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the NationsGroup or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]
International organization participation:
European Union: ARF (dialogue member), ASEAN (dialogue member), IDA,OAS (observer), PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), UN (observer)
European Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10,LAIA, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, WCO, WTO, ZC (observer)
European Central Bank: BIS
European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON
chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Christopher MURRAY
embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: same as above
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
Flag description:
blue field with 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle in the center, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed
Economy ::European Union
Economy - overview:
Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income among member states (from $7,000 to $69,000) and historic national animosities, the EU faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. Between 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 12 countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Eleven established EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999 (Greece did so two years later), but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark chose not to participate. Of the 12 most recent member states, only Slovenia (1 January 2007) and Cyprus and Malta (1 January 2008) have adopted the euro; the remaining nine are legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and monetary convergence criteria.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.94 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $14.82 trillion (2007 est.)
$14.39 trillion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars