Chapter XXXII: Front Matter (32)

Legal system:
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures,
and socialist practice

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (since 26 February
1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27
March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27
March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli
(since NA May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since
27 March 2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since
26 February 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held
NA 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the
approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term
election results: KHAMTAI Siphandon elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats
increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election)
elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109

Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court
is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)

Political parties and leaders:
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party
president]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:
noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders
fled the country in 1975

International organization participation:
ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas A. HARTWICK
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585
FAX: [856] (21) 212584

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red
with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy Laos

Economy - overview:
The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official
Communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging
private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely
low base, were striking - growth averaged 7% in 1988-2001 except
during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis
beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a
country with a primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a
rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal
telecommunications. Electricity is available in only a few urban
areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides
80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from
aid from the IMF and other international sources and from new
foreign investment in food processing and mining.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $10.4 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 53%
industry: 23%
services: 24% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
2.4 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.7% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $211 million
expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est. est.)

Industries:
tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural
processing, construction, garments, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
7.5% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.317 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.4%
hydro: 98.6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
824.7 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
400 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco,
cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Exports:
$345 million (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin

Exports - partners:
Vietnam 25.7%, Thailand 19%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.3% (2002)

Imports:
$555 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Thailand 58.9%, Vietnam 12.3%, China 7.9% (2002)

Debt - external:
$2.53 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient:
$345 million (1999 est.)

Currency:
kip (LAK)

Currency code:
LAK

Exchange rates:
kips per US dollar - 7,562 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64
(2000), 7,102.02 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Laos

Telephones - main lines in use:
25,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4,915 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving
with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional
48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone
network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (1999)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.la

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
10,000 (2002)

Transportation Laos

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 21,716 km
paved: 9,664 km
unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
4,587 km approximately
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m

Pipelines:
refined products 540 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
none

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
51 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 42
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 26 (2002)

Military Laos

Military branches:
Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force,
National Police Department

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,411,042 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 759,499 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 67,260 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$55 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.2% (FY96)

Transnational Issues Laos

Disputes - international:
demarcation of boundaries with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is
nearing completion, but with Thailand several areas including Mekong
River islets remain in dispute; ongoing disputes with Thailand and
Vietnam over squatters

Illicit drugs:
world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation
in 2002 - 23,200 hectares, a 5% increase over 2001; estimated
potential production in 2002 - 180 metric tons, a 10% decrease from
2001); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and
methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis;
growing methamphetamine abuse problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Latvia

Introduction Latvia

Background:
After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars,
Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its
independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the
Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to
Moscow. Latvia continues to revamp its economy for eventual
integration into various Western European political and economic
institutions and was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.

Geography Latvia

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and
Lithuania

Geographic coordinates:
57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 64,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km
land: 63,589 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,150 km
border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km,
Russia 217 km

Coastline:
531 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain:
low plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m

Natural resources:
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 29.01%
permanent crops: 0.48%
other: 70.51% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
200 sq km
note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not
irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land
has been improved by drainage (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service
industries after the country regained independence; the main
environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality
and sewage system, household and hazardous waste management, and
reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession
negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of
EU environmental directives by 2010

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with
some hills in the east

People Latvia

Population:
2,348,784 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.1% (male 180,976; female 172,988)
15-64 years: 68.9% (male 774,133; female 844,856)
65 years and over: 16% (male 122,850; female 252,981) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 39 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 42.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
-0.73% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 16.74 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.31 years
male: 63.46 years
female: 75.45 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,000 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups:
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%,
Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2%

Religions:
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Languages:
Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other

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

Government Latvia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
conventional short form: Latvia
local short form: Latvija
former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Latvijas Republika

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Riga

Administrative divisions:
26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles
Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons,
Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons,
Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas
Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons,
Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons,
Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu
Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*,
Ventspils Rajons

Independence:
21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is
the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 21 August 1991 is the
date of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
the 1991 Constitutional Law, which supplements the 1922
constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Einars REPSE (since 7 November
2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
appointed by the Parliament
elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president;
parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - New Era 23.9%, PCTVL
18.9%, People's Party 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%;
seats by party - New Era 26, PCTVL 24, People's Party 21, ZZS 12,
First Party 10, LNNK 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of the Greens and Farmers Union or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS
(Farmer's Union); Indulis EMSIS (Green Party)]; CENTER Political
Alliance [Juris CELMINS]; First Party of Latvia [Eriks JEKABSONS];
For Fatherland and Freedom or LNNK [Maris GRINBLATS]; For Human
Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Janis JURKANS], a coalition of
the People's Harmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or
LSP, and the Equal Rights Movement; Freedom Party [Ziedonis CEVERS];
Land of Mara [Irena SAPROVSKA]; Latvian Rebirth Party [Andris
RUBINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats)
or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvia's Way Union or LC [Janis NAGLIS];
Light of Latgale or LG [Rihards EIGIMS]; New Era Party [Einars
REPSE]; Our Land Party [Ilmars ANCANS]; Party of Latvians [Aivars
GARDA]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Progressive Center Party
[Inta STAMGUTE]; Russian Party [Mihails GAVRILOVS]; Social
Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]; Social Democratic Welfare
Party or SLP [Juris ZURAVLOVS]; United Republican Party of Latvia or
LARP [Eriks Andrejs SAULUNS, Janis PUKIS, Sarmite JEGERE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aivis RONIS
FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785
telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214
chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Brian E. CARLSON
embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510
mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE
09723
telephone: [371] 703-6200
FAX: [371] 781-0047

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and
maroon

Economy Latvia

Economy - overview:
Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian
financial crisis, largely due to the SKELE government's budget
stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU
countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The
majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized,
although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large
enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization
in February 1999. Preparing for EU membership continues as a top
foreign policy goal. The current account and internal government
deficits remain major concerns, but the government's efforts to
increase efficiency in revenue collection may lessen the budget
deficit.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $20.99 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.5%
industry: 26%
services: 69.5% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
1.1 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.6% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.4 billion
expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers,
agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios,
electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note -
dependent on imports for energy and raw materials

Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.365 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.1%
hydro: 70.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
6.046 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
703 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
2.69 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
44,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs;
fish

Exports:
$2.3 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles,
foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
UK 21.6%, Sweden 13.1%, Germany 12.5%, US 6.4%, Lithuania 5.9%,
Russia 4.6%, Estonia 4.2%, Denmark 4% (2002)

Imports:
$3.9 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.9%, Russia 15.1%, Finland 6.6%, Lithuania 6.4%, Sweden
5.5%, Italy 4.8%, Estonia 4.8% (2002)

Debt - external:
$3.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$96.2 million (1995)

Currency:
Latvian lat (LVL)

Currency code:
LVL

Exchange rates:
lati per US dollar - 0.62 (2002), 0.63 (2001), 0.61 (2000), 0.59
(1999), 0.59 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Latvia

Telephones - main lines in use:
734,693 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
401,263 (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide
an international capability independent of the Moscow international
switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,
rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied
subscriber applications
international: international connections are now available via cable
and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections
for most calls (1998)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.76 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
41 (2001)

Internet users:
312,000 (2001)

Transportation Latvia

Railways:
total: 2,347 km
broad gauge: 2,314 km 1.520-m gauge (270 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 73,202 km
paved: 28,256 km
unpaved: 44,946 km (2000)

Waterways:
300 km (perennially navigable)

Pipelines:
gas 1,097 km; oil 412 km; refined products 421 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 52,607 GRT/35,650 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Greece 3 (2002 est.)
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3,
roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1

Airports:
38 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 12 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 10 (2002)

Military Latvia

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard,
National Guard

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 592,562 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 465,788 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 19,477 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$87 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Latvia

Disputes - international:
the Russian Duma refuses to ratify boundary delimitation treaty
with Latvia; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998
maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns
over oil exploration rights

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and
Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American
cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; money
laundering remains a concern despite changes to banking legislation

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Lebanon

Introduction Lebanon

Background:
Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political
institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil
war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national
reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable
political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in
the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions
in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have
conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have
been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have
extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the
country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons.
Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of
Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was
legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the
Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in
Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese
Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the
Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern
Lebanon in May 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese
Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as
well.

Geography Lebanon

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and
Syria

Geographic coordinates:
33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 10,400 sq km
water: 170 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Coastline:
225 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Natural resources:
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit
region, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 17.6%
permanent crops: 12.51%
other: 69.89% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,200 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in
Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes;
pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an
international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate,
protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion,
clan, and ethnicity

People Lebanon

Population:
3,727,703 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.1% (male 514,447; female 494,166)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,177,773; female 1,286,433)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 115,693; female 139,191) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.4 years
male: 25.4 years
female: 27.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.34% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 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: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 29.22 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.07 years
male: 69.64 years
female: 74.61 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.09% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese

Ethnic groups:
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Religions:
Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or
Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic,
Protestant), Jewish NEGL%

Languages:
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Government Lebanon

Country name:
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local short form: Lubnan
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Beirut

Administrative divisions:
6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa,
Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye

Independence:
22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution:
23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of
Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Legal system:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October
2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000);
note - HARIRI resigned on 15 April 2003, but was reappointed the
next day
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004);
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president
is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and
the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly
vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held
NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which
Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian
43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which
Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which
Maronite 34)

Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial
cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council
(called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws);
Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime
minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders:
political party activity is organized along largely sectarian
lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual
political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and
economic considerations

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent Martin BATTLE
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon
mailing address: P. O. Box 70840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2,
FPO AE 09836-0002
telephone: 011-961-4-543-600/542-600
FAX: 011-961-4-544-136

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red
with a green cedar tree centered in the white band

Economy Lebanon

Economy - overview:
The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub.
Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut,
begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government
facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound
banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers.
Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports,
and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange.
Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of
"Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program.
Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but
slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001,
and 1.5% in 2002. During the 1990s annual inflation fell to almost
0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn
physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless
faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded
reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In
order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed
HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in
government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize
state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international
donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral
assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of
interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not
occurred by the end of 2002, the government had successfully avoided
a currency devaluation and debt default in 2002.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.61 billion (2002 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 21%
services: 67% (2000)

Population below poverty line:
28% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
1.5 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA%

Unemployment rate:
18% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.1 billion
expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001 est.)

Industries:
banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and
chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal
fabricating

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
6.728 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 97.2%
hydro: 2.8%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
7.44 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
1.183 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
107,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives,
tobacco; sheep, goats

Exports:
$1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal
products, electrical products, jewelry, paper products

Exports - partners:
Switzerland 10.8%, Saudi Arabia 9%, UAE 8.6%, US 6.7%, Jordan 4.6%,
Turkey 4.3% (2002)

Imports:
$6 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, electrical products, vehicles, minerals, chemicals,
textiles, fuels

Imports - partners:
Italy 11.3%, France 10.7%, Germany 8.4%, US 5.6%, Syria 5.4%, China
4.8%, Belgium 4.5%, UK 4.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$9.3 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001) $4.2 billion in pledges November
2002 Paris II Aid Conference

Currency:
Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code:
LBP

Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001),
1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999), 1,516.13 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Lebanon

Telephones - main lines in use:
700,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
580,000 (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by
civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria;
microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to
Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
2.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.18 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lb

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
300,000 (2001)

Transportation Lebanon

Railways:
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m

Highways:
total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,198 km
unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
oil 209 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail,
Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre

Merchant marine:
total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 230,142 GRT/306,442 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 9, roll on/roll
off 4, vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: France 1, Greece 10, Netherlands 4, Panama 1, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Spain 1, Syria 2 (2002 est.)

Airports:
8 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Military Lebanon

Military branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,025,984 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 630,657 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$541 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.8% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Lebanon

Disputes - international:
Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976;
Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights

Illicit drugs:
cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in
2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin
American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way
to US and European markets

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Lesotho

Introduction Lesotho

Background:
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence
from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990.
Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of
military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny
following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody South
African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since
restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were
held in 2002.

Geography Lesotho

Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:
29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain:
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other
minerals

Land use:
arable land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 89.29% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in
overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion;
desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and
redirects water to South Africa

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping

Geography - note:
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous,
more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level

People Lesotho

Population:
1,861,959
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: 37.7% (male 353,554; female 349,092)
15-64 years: 56.8% (male 516,017; female 541,694)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 41,735; female 59,867) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.8 years
male: 19.3 years
female: 20.4 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.19% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.74 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: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 86.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 80.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 36.94 years
male: 36.76 years
female: 37.13 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
31% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
360,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
25,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions:
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8%
male: 74.5%
female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

Government Lesotho

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland

Government type:
parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Maseru

Administrative divisions:
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales
Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence:
4 October 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution:
2 April 1993

Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of
legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note -
King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to
February 1995, while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the
majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister;
the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution,
which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is
a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as
regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may
even depose the monarch

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22
principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120
in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC
7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18

Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of
Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National
Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress
for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Pakalitha
MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress
or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles
MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance
[Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete
Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert G. LOFTIS
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 312666
FAX: [266] 310116

Flag description:
divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half
is white, bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with
crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with
a green triangle in the corner

Economy Lesotho

Economy - overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances
from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the
Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government
revenue, but the government has strengthened its tax system to
reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major
hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to
South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number
of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a
small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that
support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries and a
rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The economy is still
primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock,
although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme
inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback.
Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility
with the IMF.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $5.106 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2002 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 46%
services: 34% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
49% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56 (1986-87)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
838,000

Labor force - by occupation:
86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture;
roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate:
45% (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $76 million
expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15
million (FY 99/00 est.)

Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts;
construction; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
15.5% (1999)

Electricity - production:
0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
40 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,500 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Exports:
$422 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and
mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners:
US 97.5%, Canada 0.9%, France 0.6% (2002)

Imports:
$738 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum
products (2000)

Imports - partners:
Hong Kong 51.9%, China 25%, France 3.9% (2002)

Debt - external:
$735 million (2002)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA $4.4 million

Economic aid - recipient:
$41.5 million (2000)

Currency:
loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates:
maloti per US dollar - 10.54 (2002), 8.61 (2001), 6.94 (2000), 6.11
(1999), 5.53 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Lesotho

Telephones - main lines in use:
22,200 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,600 (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay
system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular
mobile telephone system is growing
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
NA (2002)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.ls

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
5,000 (2002)

Transportation Lesotho

Railways:
total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the
statistics of South Africa
narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
none

Airports:
28 (2002)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 20 (2002)

Military Lesotho

Military branches:
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal
Lesotho Mounted Police

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 459,723 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 250,560 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$34 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%

Military - note:
the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future
structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially
considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening
in political affairs

Transnational Issues Lesotho

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Liberia

Introduction Liberia

Background:
Eight years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1997 when
free and open presidential and legislative elections were held.
President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real
political opposition. Years of fighting, coupled with the flight of
most businesses, have disrupted formal economic activity. A still
unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of
rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn
country. In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds,
along with an arms embargo and a travel ban on government officials,
for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone.
Renewed rebel activity has further eroded stability and economic
activity. A regional peace initiative commenced in the spring of
2003 but was disrupted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL)
indictment of President TAYLOR on war crimes charges.

Geography Liberia

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:
6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 111,370 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:
total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone
306 km

Coastline:
579 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold
nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and
low mountains in northeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 1.97%
permanent crops: 2.08%
other: 95.95% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - current issues:
tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of
biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw
sewage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation

Geography - note:
facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by
lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland
grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

People Liberia

Population:
3,317,176 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 724,960; female 716,831)
15-64 years: 53% (male 858,191; female 898,851)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 59,539; female 58,804) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.1 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.4 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.67% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries though
slowly returning (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 132.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 125.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 139.03 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.15 years
male: 47.03 years
female: 49.3 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
125,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups:
indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,
Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella,
Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of
immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5%
(descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages:
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a
few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.5%
male: 73.3%
female: 41.6%
note: (2003 est.)

Government Liberia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Monrovia

Administrative divisions:
15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount,
Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba,
River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Independence:
26 July 1847

National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution:
6 January 1986

Legal system:
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for
the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal
practices for indigenous sector

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA
2005)
note:: a UN-brokered cease fire among waring factions and the
Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of
former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement,
President Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as chairman of the National
Transitional Government on 14 October 2003
election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent
of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF
(UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%; note - Taylor
stepped down in August 2003

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the
House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve six-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3,
Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1
elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA
2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be
held 14 October 2003)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader
NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian
Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or
LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA];
National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party;
United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP
[Charles CLARKE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Aaron B.
KOLLIE
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436
telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point,
1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380
FAX: [231] 226-148

Flag description:
11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in
the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Economy Liberia