Chapter XL: Front Matter (40)

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May
1995), represented by High Commissioner Daniel CONSTANTIN (since 3
July 2002)
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the
government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress; note
- last election held 28 November 2002 when Pierre FROGIER was
reelected
head of government: President of the Government Pierre FROGIER
(since 5 April 2001)
cabinet: Consultative Committee

Legislative branch:
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats;
members are members of the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees
Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPCR 24, FLNKS 12, UNI 6, FCCI 4, FN 4, Alliance pour la Caledonie
3, LKS 1
note: New Caledonia elects 1 seat to the French Senate; elections
last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2007);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; New
Caledonia also elects 2 seats to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 9 and 16 June 2002 (next to be held by June
2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UMP 2

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce
Tribunal Court; Children's Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Federation des
Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois
BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation
Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National
Liberation or FLNKS [leader NA] (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM);
Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie
POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independent) or
RPCR [Jacques LAFLEUR]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI
[Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE
has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA;
Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy New Caledonia

Economy - overview:
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources.
Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and
food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel,
substantial financial support from France - equal to more than
one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the
economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined
with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic
outlook for the next several years.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $14,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 30%
services: 65% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.6% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
79,395 (including 15,018 unemployed, 1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 7%, industry 23%, services 70% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
19% (1996)

Budget:
revenues: $861.3 million
expenditures: $735.3 million, including capital expenditures of $52
million (1996 est.)

Industries:
nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.6% (1996)

Electricity - production:
1.613 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.3%
hydro: 23.7%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
1.5 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products

Exports:
$400 million f.o.b. (2000)

Exports - commodities:
ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners:
Japan 20.6%, France 20.4%, Taiwan 16.3%, South Africa 11.3%, Spain
7.7%, South Korea 5.4%, Australia 5.4%, Italy 5.3% (2002)

Imports:
$1 billion f.o.b. (2000)

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

Imports - partners:
France 52.8%, Australia 12.7%, Singapore 9.8% (2002)

Debt - external:
$79 million (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$880 million annual subsidy from France

Currency:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF); note - may adopt the
euro in 2003

Currency code:
XPF

Exchange rates:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 135.04
(January 2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25
(1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications New Caledonia

Telephones - main lines in use:
47,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
13,040 (1998)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
107,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.nc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
24,000 (2001)

Transportation New Caledonia

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 4,825 km
paved: 2,287 km
unpaved: 2,538 km (1999)

Waterways:
none

Ports and harbors:
Mueo, Noumea, Thio

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
convenience: Malaysia 1 (2002 est.)

Airports:
30 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 9 (2002)

Heliports:
5 (2002)

Military New Caledonia

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces
(including Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$192.3 million (FY96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.3% (FY96)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues New Caledonia

Disputes - international:
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France
and Vanuatu

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@New Zealand

Introduction New Zealand

Background:
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In
1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the
Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen
Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the
British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of
land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native
peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent
dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars.
New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances
lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to
address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geography New Zealand

Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 268,680 sq km
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands,
Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
water: NA sq km
land: NA sq km

Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
15,134 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate:
temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain:
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold,
limestone

Land use:
arable land: 5.8%
permanent crops: 6.44%
other: 87.76% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
2,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by
species introduced from outside

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the
southernmost national capital in the world

People New Zealand

Population:
3,951,307 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 443,837; female 423,118)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,318,751; female 1,307,796)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male 199,722; female 258,083) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.1 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 33.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.09% (2003 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.32 years
male: 75.34 years
female: 81.44 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,200 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups:
New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%,
Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%

Religions:
Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%,
Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)

Languages:
English (official), Maori (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government New Zealand

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Wellington

Administrative divisions:
16 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's
Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki,
Tasman, Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, West Coast

Dependent areas:
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence:
26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday:
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Constitution:
consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of
the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986
which is the principal formal charter

Legal system:
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts
for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4
April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December
1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament
(120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member
constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional
seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8,
other 2

Judicial branch:
High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New
Labor Party, Democratic Party, New Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana
Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS
and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First
Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP
[Helen CLARK]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August
1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
Australia Group, C, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD,
OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227
telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP
96531-1034
telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000
FAX: [64] (4) 472-3478
consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with
four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer
half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross
constellation

Economy New Zealand

Economy - overview:
Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic
restructuring, transforming New Zealand from an agrarian economy
dependent on concessionary British market access to a more
industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This
dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the
bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological
capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary
pressures. While per capita incomes have been rising, however, they
remain below the level of the four largest EU economies, and there
is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap.
New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in
agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by
the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus
far the New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient, although
growth may slow to 2.5% in 2003.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $78.4 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $20,100 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 23%
services: 69% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
1.92 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 65%, industry 25%, agriculture 10% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
5.3% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $29.2 billion
expenditures: $31.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002)

Industries:
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
37.51 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 31.6%
hydro: 57.8%
other: 10.7% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
34.88 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
42,160 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
132,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
30,220 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
119,700 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
89.62 million bbl (37257)

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

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

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

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

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

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef,
dairy products; fish

Exports:
$15 billion (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery

Exports - partners:
Australia 20.3%, US 15.5%, Japan 11.5%, UK 4.8%, China 4.6%, South
Korea 4.4% (2002)

Imports:
$12.5 billion (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum,
electronics, textiles, plastics

Imports - partners:
Australia 22.1%, US 13.6%, Japan 12%, China 8%, Germany 5.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$33 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $99.7 million

Currency:
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.16 (2002), 2.38 (2001), 2.2
(2000), 1.89 (1999), 1.87 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications New Zealand

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.92 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.2 million (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA
international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
3.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
1.926 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.nz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
36 (2000)

Internet users:
2.06 million (2002)

Transportation New Zealand

Railways:
total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2002)

Highways:
total: 92,053 km
paved: 57,809 km (including at least 190 km of expressways)
unpaved: 34,244 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,609 km
note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation
requirements

Pipelines:
gas 2,213 km; liquid petroleum gas 79 km; oil 160 km; refined
products 304 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington

Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 69,685 GRT/106,627 DWT
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
convenience: Australia 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 2,
roll on/roll off 1

Airports:
113 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 5 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 67
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 39 (2002)

Heliports:
1 (2002)

Military New Zealand

Military branches:
New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air
Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,021,770 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 859,505 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 26,803 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$605.7 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (FY02)

Transnational Issues New Zealand

Disputes - international:
territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Nicaragua

Introduction Nicaragua

Background:
The Pacific Coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from
Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was
declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in
1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the
19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in
subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation
and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a
short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas
to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador
caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through
much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and again in 2001
saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its
economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in
1998.

Geography Nicaragua

Location:
Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 129,494 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of New York

Land boundaries:
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline:
910 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate:
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain:
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior
mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural resources:
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use:
arable land: 20.24%
permanent crops: 2.38%
other: 77.38% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
880 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely
susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

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

Geography - note:
largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater
body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

People Nicaragua

Population:
5,128,517 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.7% (male 984,719; female 949,282)
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 1,510,352; female 1,527,991)
65 years and over: 3% (male 68,332; female 87,841) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.4 years
male: 20 years
female: 20.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.03% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.27 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: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 31.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 35.08 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.68 years
male: 67.68 years
female: 71.79 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
400 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%,
Amerindian 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant

Languages:
Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Government Nicaragua

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Managua

Administrative divisions:
15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2
autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region
autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo,
Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz,
Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000

Legal system:
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January
2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10
January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January
2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 November
2001 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC) elected president -
56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PC)
1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (93 seats;
members are elected by proportional representation to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance
(ruling party - includes PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN
36.55%, PCCN 3.73%, PCN 2.12%, MRS 1.33%; seats by party - Liberal
Alliance 42, FSLN 36, PCCN 4, PCN 3, PRONAL 2, MRS 1, PRN 1, PC 1,
PLI 1, AU 1, UNO-96 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year
terms by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Dr. Fernando AGUERO Rocha];
Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Virgilio GODOY]; Liberal Alliance
(ruling alliance including Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC, New
Liberal Party or PALI, Independent Liberal Party for National Unity
or PLIUN, and Central American Unionist Party or PUCA) [leader NA];
National Conservative Party or PC [Pedro SOLARZANO, Noel VIDAURRE];
National Project or PRONAL [Benjamin LANZAS]; Nicaraguan Party of
the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO, Roberto RODRIGUEZ];
Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista
National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra];
Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Sergio RAMIREZ]; Unity
Alliance or AU [Alejandro SERRANO]; Union Nacional Opositora 96 or
UNO-96 [Alfredo CESAR Aguirre]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of
eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC,
Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs
Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National
Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of
Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,
Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of
Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an
umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including -
Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of
Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor
or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan
Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior
Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of
business groups

International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN (since 5 December
2003)
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New
York
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6542
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570
chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE
embassy: Apartado Postal 327, Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address: APO AA 34021
telephone: [505] 266-6010, 266-2298, 266-6013
FAX: [505] 266-9074

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE
NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to
the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by
the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in
the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five
blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Economy Nicaragua

Economy - overview:
Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per
capita income, flagging socio-economic indicators, and huge external
debt. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the
globe. While the country has made progress toward macroeconomic
stability over the past few years, a banking crisis and scandal has
shaken the economy. Nicaragua will continue to be dependent on
international aid and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) initiative. Donors have made aid conditional on the
openness of government financial operation, poverty alleviation, and
human rights. Nicaragua met the conditions for additional debt
service relief in December 2000. Growth should move up moderately in
2003 because of increased private investment and exports.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $11.16 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 26%
services: 44% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 48.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
60.3 (1998)

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

Labor force:
1.7 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
24% plus considerable underemployment (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $726 million
expenditures: $908 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries:
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles,
clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear,
wood

Industrial production growth rate:
4.4% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.549 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 83.9%
hydro: 7.7%
other: 8.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
2.388 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
17 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
24,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame,
soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products

Exports:
$637 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, bananas, beef, sugar,
gold

Exports - partners:
US 59.4%, El Salvador 7.5%, Honduras 4.8% (2002)

Imports:
$1.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products,
consumer goods

Imports - partners:
US 23.7%, Costa Rica 10.3%, Venezuela 10.1%, Guatemala 7.8%, Mexico
6.7%, El Salvador 6%, South Korea 4.6% (2002)

Debt - external:
$5.8 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
Substantial foreign support

Currency:
gold cordoba (NIO)

Currency code:
NIO

Exchange rates:
gold cordobas per US dollar - 14.25 (2002), 13.37 (2001), 12.68
(2000), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Nicaragua

Telephones - main lines in use:
140,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
7,911 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign
investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being
expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
320,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ni

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
20,000 (2000)

Transportation Nicaragua

Railways:
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 19,032 km
paved: 2,094 km
unpaved: 16,938 km (2000)

Waterways:
2,220 km (including 2 large lakes)

Pipelines:
oil 54 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino,
Rama, San Juan del Sur

Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)

Airports:
176 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2002)

Military Nicaragua

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,347,033 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 825,906 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 59,903 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$26 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (FY98)

Transnational Issues Nicaragua

Disputes - international:
territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San
Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank region; with respect to
the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ
referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed
Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution
among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required;
legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border
with Costa Rica

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and
transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Niger

Introduction Niger

Background:
Not until 1993, 33 years after independence from France, did Niger
hold it's first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a
five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999
were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council
that effected a transition to civilian rule by December 1999.

Geography Niger

Location:
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates:
16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1.267 million sq km
water: 300 sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,697 km
border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km,
Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Terrain:
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains
in south; hills in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Natural resources:
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 3.94%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96.06% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
660 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
recurring droughts

Environment - current issues:
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife
populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion)
threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the
Sea

Geography - note:
landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world: northern
four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for
livestock and limited agriculture

People Niger

Population:
11,058,590 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.6% (male 2,686,169; female 2,581,785)
15-64 years: 50.2% (male 2,710,554; female 2,842,319)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 125,505; female 112,258) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.1 years
male: 15.6 years
female: 16.6 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.71% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 123.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 119.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 127.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.21 years
male: 42.29 years
female: 42.12 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nigerien(s)
adjective: Nigerien

Ethnic groups:
Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri)
4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French
expatriates

Religions:
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian

Languages:
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 17.6%
male: 25.8%
female: 9.7% (2003 est.)

Government Niger

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Niamey

Administrative divisions:
7 departments (departements, singular - departement) and 1 capital
district* (capitale district); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi,
Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Independence:
3 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Constitution:
the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum
on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999

Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December 1999);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President TANDJA Mamadou (since 22 December
1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government; Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was
appointed by the president and shares some executive
responsibilities with the president
cabinet: 23-member Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: TANDJA Mamadou elected president; percent of vote
- TANDJA Mamadou 59.9%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 40.1%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (83 seats, members elected by popular
vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MNSD-Nassara 38, CDS-Rahama 17, PNDS-Tarayya 16, RDP-Jama'a 8,
ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya 4

Judicial branch:
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Rally of the People-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid
ALGABID]; Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama
[Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing
Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Mamadou TANDJA, chairman]; Nigerien
Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or
ANDPS-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for
Democracy and Socialism-Tarayya or PNDS-Tarayya [Mahamadou
ISSOUFOU]; Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives-Chamoua or
UPDP-Chamoua [Professor Andre' SALIFOU, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph DIATTA
FAX: [1] (202)483-3169
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gail Dennise Thomas MATHIEU
embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone: [227] 72 26 61 through 72 26 64
FAX: [227] 73 31 67, 72-31-46

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with
a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white
band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel
centered in the white band

Economy Niger

Economy - overview:
Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy
centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport
trade, and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world
demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in January
1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products
of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral
and multilateral aid - which was suspended following the April 1999
coup d'etat - for operating expenses and public investment. In
2000-01, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of
$105 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could
prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation.
The IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction and growth facility
for Niger in 2000 and announced $115 million in debt relief under
the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Further
disbursements of aid occurred in 2002. Future growth may be
sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral
resources.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $8.713 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.9% (2002 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
63% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.5 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
70,000 receive regular wages or salaries

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources
expenditures: $320 million, including capital expenditures of $178
million (2002 est.)

Industries:
uranium mining, cement, brick, textiles, food processing,
chemicals, slaughterhouses

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
242 million kWh (2001)

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

Electricity - consumption:
325.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
100 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Agriculture - products:
cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice;
cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Exports:
$293 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners:
France 39%, Nigeria 33.2%, Japan 17.1% (2002)

Imports:
$368 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners:
France 16.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 14.9%, China 9.8%, Nigeria 7.4%, US
5.2%, Japan 4.6%, India 4.4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$341 million (1997)

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

Currency code:
XOF

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

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Niger

Telephones - main lines in use:
20,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,700 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone
communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the
southwestern area of Niger
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:
680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002)

Televisions:
125,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ne

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
12,000 (2002)

Transportation Niger

Railways:
0 km

Highways:
total: 10,100 km
paved: 798 km
unpaved: 9,302 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
300 km
note: the Niger River is navigable from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin
frontier from mid-December through March

Ports and harbors:
none

Airports:
27 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Military Niger

Military branches:
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Intervention and Security
Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,379,485 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,288,396 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 119,367 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$20.54 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.1% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Niger

Disputes - international:
Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute;
much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria,
remains undemarcated but states accept 2001 arbitration over
disputed Niger River islands; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge
signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify
delimitation treaty over the lake region, which remains the site of
armed clashes among local populations and militias

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Nigeria

Introduction Nigeria

Background:
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was
adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government
was completed. The president faces the daunting task of rebuilding a
petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through
corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In
addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding
ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation
for economic growth and political stability. Despite some
irregularities the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian
transfer of power in Nigeria's history.

Geography Nigeria

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and
Cameroon

Geographic coordinates:
10 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 923,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger
1,497 km

Coastline:
853 km

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

Climate:
varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain:
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains
in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone,
lead, zinc, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 30.96%
permanent crops: 2.79%
other: 66.25% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
2,330 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues:
soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water
pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil;
has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land;
rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward
through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of
Guinea

People Nigeria

Population:
133,881,703
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: 43.6% (male 29,322,774; female 28,990,702)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 36,513,700; female 35,254,333)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 1,890,043; female 1,910,151) (2003
est.)

Median age:
total: 18 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 17.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.53% (2003 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0.26 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 71.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 74.44 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.01 years
male: 50.89 years
female: 51.14 years (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.8% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
170,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups:
Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of
more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and
politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo
(Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

Government Nigeria

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria

Government type:
republic transitioning from military to civilian rule

Capital:
Abuja; note - on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially
transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices
have now made the move to Abuja

Administrative divisions:
36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Federal Capital Territory*,
Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross
River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna,
Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun,
Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Independence:
1 October 1960 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted May 1999

Legal system:
based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (only in some
northern states), and traditional law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for no more than two
four-year terms; election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held
NA 2007)
election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of
vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%,
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (107 seats, three
from each state and one from the Federal Capital Territory; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of
Representatives (346 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA
2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to
be held NA 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.6%,
ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 73, ANPP 28, AD 6; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP
27.4%, AD 9.3%, other 8.8%; seats by party - PDP 213, ANPP 95, AD
31, other 7; note - two constituencies are not reported

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of
Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice
of the Advisory Judicial Committee)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Democracy or AD [Alhaji Adamu ABDULKADIR]; All Nigeria
Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand
Alliance or APGA [Chekwas OKORIE]; National Democratic Party or NDP
[Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Audu OGBEH];
Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples
Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples
Party or UNPP [Saleh JAMBO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC [Adams OSHIOMOLE]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jibril Muhammad AMINU
consulate(s) general: Atlanta and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Howard Franklin JETER
embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205
FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

Economy Nigeria

Economy - overview:
The oil-rich Nigerian economy, long hobbled by political
instability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic management, is
undergoing substantial reform under the new civilian administration.
Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy
away from overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which
provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65%
of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector
has failed to keep up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria,
once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following
the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria
received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1
billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms.
The agreement was allowed to expire by the IMF in November 2001,
however, and Nigeria apparently received much less multilateral
assistance than expected in 2002. Nonetheless, increases in foreign
oil investment and oil production kept growth at 3% in 2002. The
government lacks the strength to implement the market-oriented
reforms urged by the IMF, such as modernization of the banking
system; to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands; and to
resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the
oil industry. When the uncertainties in the global economy are added
in, estimates of Nigeria's prospects for 2003 must have a wide
margin of error.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $112.5 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2002 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 20%
services: 35% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
60% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.6 (1996-97)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
66 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
28% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.4 billion
expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)