Chapter XIX: Front Matter (19)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
2.35 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
10% - but the economy has much underemployment. (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.1 billion
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.729 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
other: 25.1% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
3.777 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
44 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
353 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
39,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp;
beef, dairy products

Exports:
$3 billion (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,
chemicals, electricity

Exports - partners:
US 63.3%, Guatemala 12%, Honduras 6.8%, Nicaragua 4.5% (2002)

Imports:
$4.9 billion (2002)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,
petroleum, electricity

Imports - partners:
US 39%, Guatemala 10.1%, Mexico 7.2%, France 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$5.6 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
total $252 million; $57 million from US (1999 est.)

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
8.75 the US dollar is the legal tender

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications El Salvador

Telephones - main lines in use:
380,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
40,163 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (1997)

Televisions:
600,000 (1990)

Internet country code:
.sv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2000)

Internet users:
40,000 (2000)

Transportation El Salvador

Railways:
total: 283 km
narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by
disuse and lack of maintenance (2002)

Highways:
total: 10,029 km
paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,043 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
Rio Lempa partially navigable

Ports and harbors:
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
82 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 78
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 61 (2002)

Heliports:
1 (2002)

Military El Salvador

Military branches:
Army, Navy (FNES), Air Force

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,536,230 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 973,884 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 69,534 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$112 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.7% (FY99)

Transnational Issues El Salvador

Disputes - international:
in 1992, the ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed
areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but they remain
largely undemarcated; in 2002, El Salvador filed an application to
the ICJ to revise the decision on a section of bolsones; the ICJ
also advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the
Golfo de Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the
Pacific; El Salvador claims tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned by the
ICJ, off Honduras in the Golfo de Fonseca

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana
produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Equatorial Guinea

Introduction Equatorial Guinea

Background:
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of
Spanish rule. President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO has ruled the tiny
country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands
and one of the smallest countries on the African continent, since he
seized power in a coup in 1979. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as
well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being
flawed.

Geography Equatorial Guinea

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon

Geographic coordinates:
2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline:
296 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain:
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Natural resources:
oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold,
manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues:
tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
insular and continental regions rather widely separated

People Equatorial Guinea

Population:
510,473 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 108,179; female 107,164)
15-64 years: 54% (male 132,342; female 143,509)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,576; female 10,703) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18 years
female: 19.3 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.44% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
36.94 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
12.54 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 89.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 95.25 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.75 years
male: 52.63 years
female: 56.93 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,900 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups:
Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily
Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Religions:
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan
practices

Languages:
Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi,
Ibo

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.7%
male: 93.3%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Government Equatorial Guinea

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial
former: Spanish Guinea

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Malabo

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko
Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas

Independence:
12 October 1968 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Constitution:
approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January
1995

Legal system:
partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA December
2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the
president
election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president;
percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino
Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister Candido Muatetema RIVAS (since 26
February 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG
(since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG
NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998)

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de
Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%, UP 6%, CPDS
5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1
note: opposition parties have refused to take up their seats in the
House to protest widespread irregularities in the 1999 legislative
elections

Judicial branch:
Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:
Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO
Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling
party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of
Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of
Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP
[Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP
[Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI
[Daniel OYONO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy
closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited
to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening
a Consulate Agency in Malabo

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms
centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow
six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore
islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below
which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity,
Peace, Justice)

Economy Equatorial Guinea

Economy - overview:
The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have
contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry,
farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence
farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea
counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect
of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished
potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its
intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number
of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been
cut off since 1993 because of corruption and mismanagement. No
longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil
revenues, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to agree on
a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF.
Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and
their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include
titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth
will remain strong in 2003, led by oil.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
20% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 60%
services: 20% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Unemployment rate:
30% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $200 million
expenditures: $158 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
30% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
23.56 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 94.3%
hydro: 5.7%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
21.91 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
181,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
563.5 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
20 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
20 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
68.53 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil
nuts; livestock; timber

Exports:
$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners:
US 28.3%, Spain 25.3%, China 17.4%, Canada 10.6%, France 4.9% (2002)

Imports:
$562 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum sector equipment, other equipment

Imports - partners:
US 29.1%, Spain 15.9%, UK 14.8%, France 10.4%, Norway 7.2%,
Netherlands 4.8%, Italy 4.7% (2002)

Debt - external:
$248 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$33.8 million (1995)

Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:
XAF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 696.99
(2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 January - 31 December

Communications Equatorial Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:
6,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
300 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to
African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)

Radios:
180,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gq

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
900 (2002)

Transportation Equatorial Guinea

Railways:
total: 0 km

Highways:
total: 2,880 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km
(2003)

Ports and harbors:
Bata, Luba, Malabo

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,571 GRT/9,670 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
3 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Equatorial Guinea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 116,496 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 59,110 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$30 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Equatorial Guinea

Disputes - international:
in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of
Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of
Guinea, but states have not yet agreed to abide by the decision;
creation of a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with
Gabon is hampered by dispute over small islets on Mbane/Mbagne bank,
administered and occupied by Gabon since the 1970s

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Eritrea

Introduction Eritrea

Background:
Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation.
Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later
sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with
Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was
overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year
border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN
auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN
peacekeeping operation that is monitoring the border region. An
international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute,
posted its findings in 2002 but final demarcation is on hold due to
Ethiopian objections.

Geography Eritrea

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 39 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 121,320 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:
total: 1,626 km
border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Coastline:
2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea
1,083 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the
central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in
western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September
except in coastal desert

Terrain:
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands,
descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest
to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m
highest point: Soira 3,018 m

Natural resources:
gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

Land use:
arable land: 3.87%
permanent crops: 0.02%
other: 96.11% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
220 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent droughts; locust swarms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of
infrastructure from civil warfare

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping
lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the
Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

People Eritrea

Population:
4,362,254 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 977,447; female 972,068)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,121,077; female 1,147,109)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 71,620; female 72,933) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.4 years
female: 17.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.28% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
39.44 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
13.23 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-13.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from
Sudan in 2001 following the restoration of diplomatic relations
between the two countries in 2000 (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 76.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 83.78 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.18 years
male: 51.48 years
female: 54.92 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.74 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
55,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
350 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean

Ethnic groups:
ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea
coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%

Religions:
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Languages:
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 58.6%
male: 69.9%
female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

Government Eritrea

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
local short form: Ertra

Government type:
transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled to take place
in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the
sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice
(PFDJ)

Capital:
Asmara (formerly Asmera)

Administrative divisions:
6 regions (regions, singular - region); Central, Anelba, Southern
Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Southern, Gash-Barka

Independence:
24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 May (1993)

Constitution:
the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced
by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented

Legal system:
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions;
new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted
laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority;
members appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last
held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National
Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as
anticipated)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections
to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of
the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution
stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the
National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible
voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were
postponed indefinitely

Judicial branch:
or High Court, regional, subregional, and village courts; also have
military and special courts

Political parties and leaders:
People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party
recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National
Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January
2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on
it

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ [leader NA] (also including Eritrean
Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel
Movement) [leader NA]); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also
known as the Arafa Movement) [leader NA]; Eritrean Liberation Front
or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a
coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions)
[HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991
consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)
FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL
embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone: [291] (1) 120004
FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Flag description:
red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag
into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one
is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on
the hoist side of the red triangle

Economy Eritrea

Economy - overview:
Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced
the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the
economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on
subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in
farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely
hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -1%
in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea
caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including
losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack
prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region,
causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea
developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads,
improving its ports, and repairing war damaged roads and bridges.
Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on
the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned
businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. Erratic
rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the
military kept cereal production well below normal, holding down
growth in 2002. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability
to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low
skills, and to open its economy to private enterprise so the
diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 29%
services: 54% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
53% (1993/94)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (2001)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $206.4 million
expenditures: $615.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries:
food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
220.5 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
205.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh NA kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh NA kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal;
livestock, goats; fish

Exports:
$20 million f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities:
livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000)

Exports - partners:
Italy 36.9%, Germany 16.7%, France 10.3%, US 5.4%, Netherlands 5.2%
(2002)

Imports:
$500 million c.i.f. (2001)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000)

Imports - partners:
Italy 27.1%, US 15.7%, Germany 7.2%, Ukraine 5.8%, Turkey 5.5%,
France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$311 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$77 million (1999)

Currency:
nakfa (ERN)

Currency code:
ERN

Exchange rates:
nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999),
7.2 (March 1998 est.)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Eritrea

Telephones - main lines in use:
30,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA; note - mobile cellular service was introduced in May 2001

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government
is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: NA; note - international connections exist

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Radios:
345,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.er

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
10,000 (2002)

Transportation Eritrea

Railways:
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge
note: railway is being rebuilt (2002)

Highways:
total: 4,010 km
paved: 874 km
unpaved: 3,136 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,100 GRT/23,399 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1,
roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
18 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Military Eritrea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$95.75 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
12% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Eritrea

Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 independent boundary
commission delimitation decision, but demarcation, scheduled to
begin in 2003, has been hampered by technical delays and Ethiopian
concerns that the decision ignored "human geography" and awarded
Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war, to Eritrea, demarcation of
the boundary has been postponed indefinately; UN Peacekeeping
Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) monitors a 25 km wide
Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea until the demarcation; Sudan
accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; Eritrea
protests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Eritrea
by the ICJ in 1999

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Estonia

Introduction Estonia

Background:
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule,
Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into
the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse
of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994,
Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with
Western Europe. Estonia received invitations to join NATO and the EU
in 2002.

Geography Estonia

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland,
between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates:
59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 45,226 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
water: 2,015 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Land boundaries:
total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km

Coastline:
3,794 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with
neighboring states
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain:
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources:
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite,
arable land, sea mud

Land use:
arable land: 26.5%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 73.15% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Environment - current issues:
air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power
plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to
the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less
than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to
water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in
connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the
pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400
natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural
areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain
locations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore
lie more than 1,500 islands

People Estonia

Population:
1,408,556 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 113,239; female 108,876)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 467,041; female 501,805)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 71,512; female 146,083) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 38.1 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 41.3 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.49% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
9.24 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
13.42 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 13.88 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.31 years
male: 64.36 years
female: 76.57 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 7,700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian

Ethnic groups:
Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%,
Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998)

Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist,
Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word
of Life, Jewish

Languages:
Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2003 est.)

Government Estonia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Eesti Vabariik

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
Tallinn

Administrative divisions:
15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn),
Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa
(Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa
(Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare),
Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa
(Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in
parentheses

Independence:
regained on 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was
the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 20 August 1991 was the
date of reindependence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1992

Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Juhan PARTS (since 10 April 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament
election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September
2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following
Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's
successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 188 votes
to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 24 ballots
were either left blank or invalid
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if
he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds
of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up
of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the
president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest
percentage of votes; election last held 21 September 2001 (next to
be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the
president and approved by Parliament

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res
Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro
Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%;
seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19,
Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party
Moodukad 6
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)

Judicial branch:
National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)

Political parties and leaders:
Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman];
Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform
Party (Reformierakond) [Siim KALLAS]; Estonian United Russian
People's Party or EUVRP [leader NA]; Moderates (Moodukad) [Ivari
PADAR]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res
Publica [Juhan PARTS]; Russian Baltic Party [Sergei IVANOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU
(associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
chancery: 1730 M Street NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph M. DeTHOMAS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] 668-8100
FAX: [372] 668-8134

Flag description:
pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal
horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

Economy Estonia

Economy - overview:
Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization, is
steadily moving toward a modern market economy with increasing ties
to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The
economy benefits from strong electronics and telecoms sectors. A
major goal is accession to the EU, possibly by 2004. The economy is
greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany,
three major trading partners. The high current account deficit
remains a concern.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $15.52 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 28.6%
services: 65.6% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
608,600 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
industry 20%, agriculture 11%, services 69% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
12.4% (2001)

Budget:
revenues: $1.89 billion
expenditures: $1.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile;
information technology, telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
7.937 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.8%
hydro: 0.1%
other: 0.2% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
6.192 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.19 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
5,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Exports:
$3.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food
products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)

Exports - partners:
Finland 19.2%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 10.6%, Latvia 7.4%, Germany 7.2%
(2002)

Imports:
$4.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles
10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)

Imports - partners:
Russia 26.6%, Finland 18.9%, Germany 9.2%, Sweden 8.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$3.3 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$108 million (2000)

Currency:
Estonian kroon (EEK)

Currency code:
EEK

Exchange rates:
krooni per US dollar - 16.61 (2002), 17.56 (2001), 16.97 (2000),
14.68 (1999), 14.07 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Estonia

Telephones - main lines in use:
501,691 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
711,000 (yearend 2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint
business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial
fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in
the digital mode; internet services are available throughout most of
the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by
September 2000
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and internet
services is available throughout the country
international: fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and
Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international
switches are located in Tallinn (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
1.01 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (2001)

Televisions:
605,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ee

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
38 (2001)

Internet users:
429,700 (2002)

Transportation Estonia

Railways:
total: 968 km
broad gauge: 968 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified)
note:: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear
on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2002)

Highways:
total: 51,411 km
paved: 10,334 km (including 94 km of expressways)
unpaved: 41,077 km (2000)

Waterways:
320 km (perennially navigable) (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 859 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn

Merchant marine:
total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 200,807 GRT/169,899 DWT
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
convenience: Liberia 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 13, container 5, petroleum tanker 2,
roll on/roll off 6, short-sea passenger 5

Airports:
38 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 6 (2002)

Military Estonia

Military branches:
Estonia Defense Forces (including Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force),
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer
Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard
note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of
the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is
subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian
Navy in wartime

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 360,440 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 283,278 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 11,123 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$155 million (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues Estonia

Disputes - international:
Russia continues to reject signing and ratifying the joint December
1996 technical border agreement with Estonia

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia
and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western
Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to
Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible
precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

======================================================================

@Ethiopia

Introduction Ethiopia

Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy
maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception being the
Italian occupation of 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 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A
constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty
elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with
Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final
demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian
objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to
surrender sensitive territory.

Geography Ethiopia

Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,127,127 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
land: 1,119,683 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: Denakil Depression -125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m

Natural resources:
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas,
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 9.9%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 89.45% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,900 sq km (1998 est.)

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, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

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:
66,557,553
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 and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 14,944,168; female 14,871,164)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 17,474,403; female 17,384,817)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 840,057; female 1,042,944) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.3 years
female: 17.4 years (2002)
male: 17.3 years

Population growth rate:
1.96% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
39.81 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
20.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for refuge from
war and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for several
years; some Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from
the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to
their homes (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 103.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 92.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 113.48 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.24 years
male: 40.39 years
female: 42.11 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.55 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2.1 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
160,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups:
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali
6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Religions:
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%

Languages:
Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other
local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.)

Government Ethiopia

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
abbreviation: FDRE

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Addis Ababa

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 December 1994; effective 22 August 1995

Legal system:
currently transitional mix of national and regional courts

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 NA 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; election last held 8 October
2001 (next to be held NA October 2007); 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 - 100%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper
chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve
five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower
chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
note: irregularities and violence at a number of polling stations
necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies;
voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - OPDO 177,
ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10,
ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional
political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed

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 [leader NA]; Amhara National
Democratic Movement or ANDM [ADDISU Legesse]; Bench Madji People's
Democratic Organization or BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul Gumuz
People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [leader NA]; Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an
alliance of ANDM, OPDO, SEPDF, and TPLF); Gedeyo People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front or GPRDF [leader NA]; Gurage
Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa Shaka
People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,
Alabaa and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo People's Democratic
Organization or OPDO [JUNEDI Sado]; Sidamo People's Democratic
Organization or SPDO [leader NA]; South Omo People's Democratic
Movement or SOPDM [leader NA]; Tigrayan People's Liberation Front or
TPLF [MELES Zenawi]; Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, and Konta People's
Democratic Organization or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of small
parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF [leader NA];
Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia or
CAFPDE [BEYANE Petros]; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic
Coalition or SEPDC [BEYANE Petros]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador KASSAHUN Ayele
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
FAX: [1] (202) 686-9551
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aurelia A. BRAZEAL
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] (1) 550666
FAX: [251] (1) 551328

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, which
accounts for half of GDP, 85% 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 $270 million in 2000/01, but
historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to
supplement their income. The war with Eritrea in 1999-2000 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. Under
Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government 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. Strong growth in 2002 resulted
from good rainfall early in the year, the cessation of hostilities,
and renewed foreign aid and debt relief. But drought struck again
late in 2002, and the World Food Program (WFP) estimates 14 million
Ethiopians need food immediately to survive into 2003. The
government estimates than annual growth of 7% is needed to reduce
poverty, yet the maintenance of 5% in 2003 will be quite difficult
(one estimate is for 1.5% growth).

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $48.53 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 52%
industry: 11%
services: 37% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
45% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 33.7% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services 12%,
industry and construction 8% (1985)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $600
million (2002 est.)

Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing,
cement

Industrial production growth rate:
6.7% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.713 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 97.6%
other: 1.2% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
1.594 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)