Chapter XV: Front Matter (15)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002);
Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August
2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties
- the PL and PSC - and independents
elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for
a four-year term; election last held 26 May 2002 (next to be held NA
May 2006)
election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez received 53% of the
vote; Vice President Francisco SANTOS was elected on the same ticket

Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado
(102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes
(166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: Senate - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA
March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002
(next to be held NA March 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PL 28, PSC 13, independents and smaller parties (many
aligned with conservatives) 61; House of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 54, PSC 21, independents
and other parties 91

Judicial branch:
four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of
Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law;
judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior
Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest
court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees
of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms);
Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the
constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the
constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council
(administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves
jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are
elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:
Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Liberal Party or
PL [Camilo SANCHEZ]; Colombian Communist Party or PCC [Jaime
CAICEDO]; Democratic Pole or PDI [Antonio NAVARRO Wolff]
note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties,
most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress

Political pressure groups and leaders:
two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or
ELN; largest anti-insurgent paramilitary group is United
Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC

International organization participation:
BCIE, CAN, CDB, FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate),
MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Alberto MORENO Mejia
chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington, DC
consulate(s): Atlanta
FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643
telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD
embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831
mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038
telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811
FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and
red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the
Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

Economy Colombia

Economy - overview:
Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand,
austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict, but
seems poised for recovery. Other economic problems facing President
URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high
unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee,
face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset
declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are
depressed. On the positive side, several international financial
institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE,
which includes measures designed to reduce the public-sector deficit
below 2.5% of GDP in 2004. The government's economic policy and
democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of
confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector,
and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $263.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.7%
industry: 32.1%
services: 54.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
15.9% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
55% (2001)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
57.1 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
20.34 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 24%, services 46% (1990)

Unemployment rate:
14.2% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $24 billion
expenditures: $25.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
51.9% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa
beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp

Industries:
textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages,
chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

Industrial production growth rate:
3.5% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
42.99 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
39.81 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
210 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
40 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
614,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
252,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.8 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
5.7 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:
132 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-1.417 billion (2003)

Exports:
$12.96 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers

Exports - partners:
US 47.1%, Ecuador 6%, Venezuela 5.3% (2003)

Imports:
$13.06 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods,
chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity

Imports - partners:
US 29.6%, Brazil 5.5%, Mexico 5.4%, Venezuela 5.2%, China 5%, Japan
4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$10.92 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$38.26 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
NA

Currency:
Colombian peso (COP)

Currency code:
COP

Exchange rates:
Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002),
2,299.63 (2001), 2,087.9 (2000), 1,756.23 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Colombia

Telephones - main lines in use:
8,768,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,186,200 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system in many respects
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic
satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking
50 cities
international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6
Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching
centers; 8 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)

Radios:
21 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997)

Televisions:
4.59 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.co

Internet hosts:
115,158 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
18 (2000)

Internet users:
2,732,200 (2003)

Transportation Colombia

Railways:
total: 3,304 km
standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 110,000 km
paved: 26,000 km
unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)

Waterways:
9,187 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 4,360 km; oil 6,134 km; refined products 3,140 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia,
Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo

Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 35,427 GRT/46,301 DWT
by type: bulk 4, cargo 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum
tanker 2
registered in other countries: 16 (2004 est.)

Airports:
980 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 101
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 39
under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 879
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
under 914 m: 572 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 272

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Colombia

Military branches:
Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, including Naval
Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Colombiana)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 11,252,027 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 7,495,462 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 392,656 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.3 billion (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Colombia

Disputes - international:
Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against
Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary
involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the
Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank;
maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela;
Colombian drug activities penetrate Peruvian border area; the
continuing civil disorder in Colombia has created a serious refugee
crisis in neighboring states, especially Ecuador

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 2,730,000 - 3,100,000 (conflict between government and FARC;
drug wars) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's
leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2002 was 144,450
hectares, a 15% decline since 2001); potential production of opium
between 2001 and 2002 declined by 25% to 91 metric tons; potential
production of heroin declined to 11.3 metric tons; the world's
largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of
about 90% of the cocaine to the US market and the great majority of
cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of
heroin to the US market; active aerial eradication program; a
significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either
laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso
exchange

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Comoros

Introduction Comoros

Background:
Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since
gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of
Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In
1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve
the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the
2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new
constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of
2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a
new union president was sworn in on 26 May 2002.

Geography Comoros

Location:
Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the
Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern
Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
12 10 S, 44 15 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 2,170 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
340 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Terrain:
volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32%
other: 40.81% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le
Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano

Environment - current issues:
soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on
slopes without proper terracing; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

People Comoros

Population:
651,901 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 140,083; female 139,245)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 174,216; female 179,050)
65 years and over: 3% (male 9,136; female 10,171) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.6 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 18.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.94% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
38 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 77.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 85.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.57 years
male: 59.29 years
female: 63.91 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.12% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran

Ethnic groups:
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%

Languages:
Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili
and Arabic)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5%
male: 63.6%
female: 49.3% (2003 est.)

Government Comoros

Country name:
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros
local short form: Comores
local long form: Union des Comores

Government type:
independent republic

Capital:
Moroni

Administrative divisions:
3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli
(Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni,
Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou

Independence:
6 July 1975 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

Constitution:
23 December 2001
note: a Transitional National Unity Government (GUNT) was formed on
20 January 2002 following the passing of the new constitution; the
GUNT governed until the presidential elections on 14 April 2002

Legal system:
French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note
- following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January
2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002
presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was
appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May
2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and
Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and
the head of government
election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected president with
75% of the vote
elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency
rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three
main islands in the Union; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to
be held NA April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president;
note - AZALI has not appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn
into office in May 2002
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002);
note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in
January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002
presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was
appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May
2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and
Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and
the head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Union (30 seats; half the deputies are
selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the other
half by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years); note -
elections for the former legislature, the Federal Assembly
(dissolved in 1999) were held on 1 and 8 December 1996; the next
elections for the Assembly of the Union were scheduled to be held on
18 and 25 April 2004

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the
president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected
by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of
the republic)

Political parties and leaders:
Forces pour l'Action Republicaine or FAR [Col. Abdourazak
ABDULHAMID]; Forum pour la Redressement National or FRN (alliance of
12 parties); Front Democratique or FD [Moustoifa Said CHEIKH]; Front
National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed
RACHID]; Movement des Citoyens pour la Republique or MCR [Mahamoud
MRADABI]; Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais or MPA (Anjouan separatist
movement) [leader NA]; Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress
or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Movement pour le Socialisme et la
Democratie or MSD (splinter group of FD) [Abdou SOEFOU]; Parti
Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE];
Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the
government) [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF,
IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US
and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Union of
the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York,
NY 10022
telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 and 223-2711
FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 and 715-0699

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to
Mauritius is accredited to Comoros

Flag description:
four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue
with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within
the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the
hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line
between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the
four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago -
Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of
France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color
green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy Comoros

Economy - overview:
One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three
islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and
rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low
educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence
level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy
dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture,
including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP,
employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports.
The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the
main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government -
which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to
upgrade education and technical training, to privatize commercial
and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify
exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high population
growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of
4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans
abroad help supplement GDP.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $441 million (2002 est.)

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

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 4%
services: 56% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
60% (2002 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
144,500 (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%

Unemployment rate:
20% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas,
cassava (tapioca)

Industries:
tourism, perfume distillation

Industrial production growth rate:
-2% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
21.27 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
19.78 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$28 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra

Exports - partners:
France 46.9%, Germany 18.8%, US 12.5% (2003)

Imports:
$88 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products,
cement, transport equipment

Imports - partners:
France 31.6%, Japan 13.7%, South Africa 10.3%, Kenya 5.1%, UAE
5.1%, Thailand 4.3% (2003)

Debt - external:
$232 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$10 million (2001 est.)

Currency:
Comoran franc (KMF)

Currency code:
KMF

Exchange rates:
Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 435.9 (2003), 522.741 (2002),
549.779 (2001), 533.982 (2000), 461.775 (1999)
note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the
French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January
1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677
Comoran francs per euro

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Comoros

Telephones - main lines in use:
13,200 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications
to Madagascar and Reunion

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
90,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
NA

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.km

Internet hosts:
11 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
5,000 (2003)

Transportation Comoros

Highways:
total: 880 km
paved: 673 km
unpaved: 207 km (1999 est)

Ports and harbors:
Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou

Merchant marine:
total: 62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
by type: bulk 9, cargo 31, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1,
livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated
cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 2, specialized
tanker 4
foreign-owned: Bahamas 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 7, Honduras
1, India 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 7, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 3,
Pakistan 4, Panama 2, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,
Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 4, Turkey 21, United Kingdom 1, United States
1, Yemen 2 (2004 est.)

Airports:
4 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Military Comoros

Military branches:
Comoran Security Force

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 154,843 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 91,825 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3% (2003)

Transnational Issues Comoros

Disputes - international:
claims French-administered Mayotte

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Introduction Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Background:
Since 1997, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly
called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched
off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in
Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese
Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997;
his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and
Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe,
Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa
regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC,
Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel
groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on
16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state
ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in
getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two
months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining
warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of
national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003;
Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice
presidents from the former government, former rebel camps, and the
political opposition.

Geography Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Location:
Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates:
0 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 2,345,410 sq km
water: 77,810 sq km
land: 2,267,600 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 10,730 km
border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary
of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central
African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda
217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km

Coastline:
37 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors

Climate:
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier
in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north
of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to
February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry
season April to October

Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110
m

Natural resources:
cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds,
gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium,
bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber

Land use:
arable land: 2.96%
permanent crops: 0.52%
other: 96.52% (2001)

Irrigated land:
110 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the
east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes

Environment - current issues:
poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution;
deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation,
soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a
mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing
environmental damage

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the
lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense
tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

People Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Population:
58,317,930
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
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 48.2% (male 14,122,237; female 14,008,654)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 14,097,301; female 14,646,285)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 590,262; female 853,191) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 15.8 years
female: 16.2 years (2004 est.)
male: 15.4 years

Population growth rate:
2.99% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
44.73 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
14.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and
Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in
August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese internally displaced
and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding
countries (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 85.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 103.18 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.14 years
male: 47.06 years
female: 51.28 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.1 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, trypanosomiasis, plague, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:
over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the
four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the
Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%,
other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language),
Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala,
Kingwana, or Tshiluba
total population: 65.5%
male: 76.2%
female: 55.1% (2003 est.)

Government Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local short form: none
former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville,
Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire
local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
abbreviation: DROC

Government type:
dictatorship; presumably undergoing a transition to representative
government

Capital:
Kinshasa

Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city*
(ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental,
Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale,
Sud-Kivu

Independence:
30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 June (1960)

Constitution:
a new constitution was adopted 17 July 2003

Legal system:
based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001);
note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire
KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the
presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001);
note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire
KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the
presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president
elections: prior to the overthrow of MOBUTU Sese Seko, the president
was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last
held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997);
formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the
High Council of the Republic; note - a Transitional Government is
drafting a new constitution with free elections scheduled to be held
in NA 2005
note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA,
following the latter's assassination in January 2001, negotiations
with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional
government in July 2003 with free elections scheduled to be held in
NA 2005
election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese
Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without
opposition

Legislative branch:
a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in
August 2000
elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were
appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces
for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph
OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois
LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions:
MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix
VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast
Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social
Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of
Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions:
UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA])

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW
(signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU
FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS
embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828
telephone: [243] (88) 43608
FAX: [243] (88) 43467

Flag description:
light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and
a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along
the hoist side

Economy Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Economy - overview:
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation
endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since
the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically
reduced national output and government revenue, has increased
external debt, and has resulted in the deaths from war, famine, and
disease of perhaps 3.5 million people. Foreign businesses have
curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the
conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating
environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic
problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and
lack of openness in government economic policy and financial
operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of
a large portion of the invading foreign troops. Several IMF and
World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop
a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun
implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP
data. Economic stability, aided by international donors, improved in
2003. New mining contracts have been approved, which - combined with
high mineral and metal prices - could improve Kinshasa's fiscal
position and GDP growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $40.05 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 11%
services: 34% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
14.51 million (1993 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
NA

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24
million (1996 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca),
palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Industries:
mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer
products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods
and beverages), cement

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
5.243 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.839 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.097 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
60 million kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
14,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
1.538 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
104.8 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:
$1.417 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt

Exports - partners:
Belgium 54.9%, US 15.4%, Zimbabwe 11.1%, Finland 4.8% (2003)

Imports:
$933 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners:
South Africa 17%, Belgium 14.9%, France 12.6%, Germany 6.8%, Kenya
5.4%, Netherlands 4% (2003)

Debt - external:
$11.6 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$195.3 million (1995)

Currency:
Congolese franc (CDF)

Currency code:
CDF

Exchange rates:
Congolese francs per US dollar - NA (2003), 346.485 (2002), 206.617
(2001), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in
and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:
18.03 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (2001)

Televisions:
6.478 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.cd

Internet hosts:
153 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2001)

Internet users:
50,000 (2002)

Transportation Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Railways:
total: 5,138 km
narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km
1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 54 km; oil 71 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa,
Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
230 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 206
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 92
under 914 m: 97 (2004 est.)

Military Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 12,706,971 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 6,480,645 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$115.5 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2003)

Transnational Issues Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Disputes - international:
Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war,
tribal conflict, and rebel gang fighting that has drawn in
neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; in the Great Lakes
region and Sudan, heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to
end conflict, but unchecked localized violence continues unabated;
the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the
Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool
Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 45,060 (Sudan), 123,714 (Angola),
19,552 (Burundi), 6,626 (Republic of Congo), 19,743 (Rwanda), 18,953
(Uganda)
IDPs: 2.33 million (fighting between government forces and rebels
since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption;
while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the
banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a
well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a
money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Congo, Republic of the

Introduction Congo, Republic of the

Background:
Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo
became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of
experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a
democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil
war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO, but
ushered in a period of ethnic unrest. Southern-based rebel groups
agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. The Republic of Congo
is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant
potential for offshore development.

Geography Congo, Republic of the

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola
and Gabon

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 S, 15 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 342,000 sq km
water: 500 sq km
land: 341,500 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 5,504 km
border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African
Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon
1,903 km

Coastline:
169 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to
October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly
enervating climate astride the Equator

Terrain:
coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates,
natural gas, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 0.51%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 99.36% (2001)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
seasonal flooding

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the
dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or
along the railroad between them

People Congo, Republic of the

Population:
2,998,040
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
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 571,224; female 563,723)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 865,596; female 888,125)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 45,093; female 64,279) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.4 years
male: 20 years
female: 20.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.42% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
28.66 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
14.49 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 93.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 99.95 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.51 years
male: 48.51 years
female: 50.55 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
90,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997
civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread
destruction of foreign businesses in 1997

Religions:
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Languages:
French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade
languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is
the most widespread)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Government Congo, Republic of the

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)
local short form: none
former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
local long form: Republique du Congo

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Brazzaville

Administrative divisions:
10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza,
Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala,
Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Independence:
15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

Constitution:
constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002

Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October
1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president
Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October
1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president
Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March
2002 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent
of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU
2.7%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National
Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held NA July
2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next
to be held by NA May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:
the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and
Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative
Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party,
National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the
National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis
SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and
Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union
for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy
and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA,
president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond
Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader
NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese
Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women
or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robin R. SANDERS
embassy: NA
mailing address: NA
telephone: [243] (88) 43608
note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310
Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)

Flag description:
divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the
upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Congo, Republic of the

Economy - overview:
The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an
industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a
government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil
has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a
major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s,
rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance
large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5%
annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has
mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to
a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc
Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but
inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with
the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank
and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when
civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when
the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving
forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing
cooperation with international financial institutions. However,
economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the
resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the
republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over
an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic problems of
stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.148 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.9%
industry: 53.9%
services: 39.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
31.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $1.025 billion
expenditures: $946.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee,
cocoa; forest products

Industries:
petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil,
soap, flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
358.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
633 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
275,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
495.5 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$139.2 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.293 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners:
China 28.6%, Taiwan 19.3%, US 16%, South Korea 12.9% (2003)

Imports:
$666.9 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
France 22.2%, US 6.8%, Italy 6.2%, China 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, India
4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$44.53 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$5 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$159.1 million (1995)

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

Currency code:
XAF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Congo, Republic of the

Telephones - main lines in use:
7,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
330,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: services barely adequate for government use;
key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo;
intercity lines frequently out of order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:
341,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
33,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.cg

Internet hosts:
46 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
15,000 (2003)

Transportation Congo, Republic of the

Railways:
total: 894 km
narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 12,800 km
paved: 1,242 km
unpaved: 11,558 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 53 km; oil 646 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Airports:
32 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)

Military Congo, Republic of the

Military branches:
Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Air Force, Navy

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 773,790 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 390,884 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 31,964 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$68.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues Congo, Republic of the

Disputes - international:
the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the
Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool
Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic
Lari) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Cook Islands

Introduction Cook Islands

Background:
Named after Captain Cook, who sighted them in 1770, the islands
became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative
control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose
self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration
of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are
continuing problems.

Geography Cook Islands

Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:
21 14 S, 159 46 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 240 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 240 sq km

Area - comparative:
1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
120 km

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

Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 17.39%
permanent crops: 13.04%
other: 69.57% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
typhoons (November to March)

Environment - current issues:
NA

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

Geography - note:
the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated,
coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands consist of eight elevated,
fertile, volcanic isles where most of the populace lives

People Cook Islands

Population:
21,200 (July 2004 est.)