Chapter XLVI: Front Matter (46)

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,310,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
15.201 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine
cable services; domestic and inter-island service adequate
domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations
international: country code - 63; 9 international gateways;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific
Ocean); submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and
Japan

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 369, FM 583, shortwave 5
note: each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the
language of the target audience (2004)

Radios:
11.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
225; note - 1373 CATV networks (2004)

Televisions:
3.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ph

Internet hosts:
38,440 (2002)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
33 (2000)

Internet users:
3.5 million (2002)

Transportation Philippines

Railways:
total: 897 km
narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2003)

Highways:
total: 201,994 km
paved: 42,419 km
unpaved: 159,575 km (2000)

Waterways:
3,219 km
note: limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 100 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Guimaras Island, Iligan,
Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Manila, Masao, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando,
Subic Bay, Zamboanga

Merchant marine:
total: 385 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,524,259 GRT/6,437,171 DWT
foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 1, Germany 2, Greece 11, Hong
Kong 15, Japan 50, Malaysia 5, Netherlands 15, Norway 6, Panama 1,
United Kingdom 2, United States 4
registered in other countries: 87 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 99, cargo 103, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 7,
container 8, liquefied gas 9, livestock carrier 10, passenger 4,
passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 45, refrigerated cargo 21, roll
on/roll off 16, short-sea/passenger 26, specialized tanker 1,
vehicle carrier 19

Airports:
253 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 82
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 35
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 173
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 68
under 914 m: 100 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2003 est.)

Military Philippines

Military branches:
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Coast
Guard and Marine Corps), Air Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 22,435,982 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 15,780,602 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 851,009 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$995 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (FY98)

Transnational Issues Philippines

Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam
and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands, known locally as the
Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions but falls short
of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the
disputants; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah
State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting
the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty
claim

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 150,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu
Sayyaf groups) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
exports locally-produced marijuana and hashish to East Asia, the
US, and other Western markets; serves as a transit point for heroin
and crystal methamphetamine; domestic methamphetamine production is
a growing problem; remains on Financial Action Task Force
Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure
to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Pitcairn Islands

Introduction Pitcairn Islands

Background:
Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled
in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in
1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South
Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the
population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.

Geography Pitcairn Islands

Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between
Peru and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:
25 04 S, 130 06 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 47 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 47 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
51 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy
season (November to March)

Terrain:
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

Natural resources:
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been
discovered offshore

Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
typhoons (especially November to March)

Environment - current issues:
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains
because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Geography - note:
Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of
Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies
must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed
offshore

People Pitcairn Islands

Population:
46 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:
-0.013% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
NA

Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years

Total fertility rate:
NA children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
adjective: Pitcairn Islander

Ethnic groups:
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Religions:
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Languages:
English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English
dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Literacy:
NA

Government Pitcairn Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Adamstown

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution:
1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further
refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964

Legal system:
local island by-laws

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor
(nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Richard FELL (since NA
December 2001); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JACQUES (since
November 2003); serves as liaison between the governor and the
Island Council
election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the
Island Council
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner and
commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by
popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004
(next to be held December 2007)
head of government: mayor and chairman of the Island Council Jay
WARREN (since 15 December 2004)
cabinet: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 5 elected by popular vote, 1
nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor
including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a
commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected
members serve one-year terms)
elections: last held 24 December 2003 (next to be held 24 December
2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Judicial branch:
Island Court (island magistrate, appointed by the governor,
presides over the court)

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
UPU

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

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

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the
flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a
shield featuring a yellow anchor

Economy Pitcairn Islands

Economy - overview:
The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing,
subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile
soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams,
and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major
sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and
the sale of handicrafts to passing ships.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - NA

GDP - real growth rate:
NA

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - NA

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA

Labor force:
12 able-bodied men (1997)

Labor force - by occupation:
no business community in the usual sense; some public works;
subsistence farming and fishing

Unemployment rate:
NA

Budget:
revenues: $729,900
expenditures: $878,100, including capital expenditures of NA
(FY94/95 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wide variety of fruits and vegetables, goats, chickens

Industries:
postage stamps, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered
generator

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Exports:
NA

Exports - commodities:
fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Exports - partners:
NA (2000)

Imports:
NA

Imports - commodities:
fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other
foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
NA (2000)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
from UK'S DFID

Currency:
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.162 (2002),
2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Pitcairn Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:
1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: only party line telephone service is available
for this small, closely related community
domestic: party line service only
international: country code - 672; satellite earth station (Inmarsat)

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

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
0 (1997)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.pn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Pitcairn Islands

Highways:
total: 6.4 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 6.4 km

Ports and harbors:
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,313 GRT/5,651 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2003 est.)

Airports:
none (2003 est.)

Military Pitcairn Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Poland

Introduction Poland

Background:
Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of
the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century.
During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and
internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements
between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned
Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918
only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.
It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its
government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil
in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union
"Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had
swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy"
program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its
economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland
currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity
suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it
failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament,
and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently
pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined
NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Geography Poland

Location:
Central Europe, east of Germany

Geographic coordinates:
52 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 312,685 sq km
water: 8,220 sq km
land: 304,465 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 2,788 km
border countries: Belarus 407 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456
km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia
444 km, Ukraine 526 km

Coastline:
491 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

Climate:
temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with
frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and
thundershowers

Terrain:
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Natural resources:
coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber,
arable land

Land use:
arable land: 45.91%
permanent crops: 1.12%
other: 52.97% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry
and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments;
air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide
emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain
has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and
municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous
wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial
establishments bring their facilities up to European Union code, but
at substantial cost to business and the government

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geography - note:
historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the
lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

People Poland

Population:
38,626,349 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 3,388,247; female 3,216,085)
15-64 years: 70% (male 13,454,820; female 13,591,814)
65 years and over: 12.9% (male 1,896,940; female 3,078,443) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 36.2 years
male: 34.3 years
female: 38.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.02% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.82 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.16 years
male: 70.04 years
female: 78.52 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Pole(s)
adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups:
Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other
2.7% (2002)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox,
Protestant, and other 5%

Languages:
Polish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

Government Poland

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Poland
conventional short form: Poland
local short form: Polska
local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Warsaw

Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie,
Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie,
Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie,
Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie,
Zachodniopomorskie

Independence:
11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Constitution:
adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national
referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997

Legal system:
mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover
Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part
of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of
legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are
final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of
Justice in Strasbourg

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December
1995)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005);
prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
and confirmed by the Sejm
head of government: Prime Minister Marek BELKA (since 24 June 2004);
Deputy Prime Minister Jerzy HAUSNER (since 11 June 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and
the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and
the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers
election results: Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president;
percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzej
OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%

Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or
Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a
provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the
Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the
designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only
used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly
elections: Sejm elections last held 23 September 2001 (next to be
held by September 2005); Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next
to be held by September 2005)
election results: Sejm - percent of vote by party - SLD-UP 41%, PO
12.7%, Samoobrona 10.2%, PiS 9.5%, PSL 9%, LPR 7.9%, AWSP 5.6% UW
3.1%, other 1%; seats by party (as of 10 December 2004) - SLD 154,
PO 56, PiS 44, PSL 40, SDPL 33, SO 30, LPR 25, UP 15, PLD 11, SKL 6,
RKN 5, Dom Ojczysty 4, PP 3, ROP 3, German minorities 2,
independents 26; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party (as of 10 December 2004)- SLD-UP 74, Block Senate 2001 10, PSL
and unaffiliated 5, UW 4, SO 2, LPR 2, independents 2, PiS 1
note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm
only

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an
indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by
the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:
Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Citizens
Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Coalition Electoral Action Solidarity
of the Right or AWSP; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL-RNP [Artur
BALAZS]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Krzysztof JANIK]; Freedom
Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; German Minority of Lower Silesia
or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI];
League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Movement for
the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP [Jan OLSZEWSKI];
Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord
or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Bloc or PBL [Wojciech
MOJZESOWICZ]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI];
Polish Raison d'Etat or PRS [Piotr MUSIAL]; Samoobrona or SO
[Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek
BOROWSKI]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of
Labor or UP [Izabela JARUAGA-NOWACKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Maciej
MANICKI]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity
Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE,
CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest),
NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI,
UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI
chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 328-6270
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE
embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw
mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State,
5010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)
telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000
FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688
consulate(s) general: Krakow

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the
flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Economy Poland

Economy - overview:
Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization
throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among
transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done. The
privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a
liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development
of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles
alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further
development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by
structural problems, surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and
lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive
sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently
initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the
pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger
than expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance
depends mainly on privatization of Poland's remaining state sector,
the reduction of state employment, and an overhaul of the tax code
to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom
pay no tax. The government's determination to enter the EU has
shaped most aspects of its economic policy and new legislation; in a
nationwide referendum in November 2003, 77% of the voters voted in
favor of Poland's EU accession, now scheduled for May 2004.
Improving Poland's export competitiveness and containing the
internal budget deficit are top priorities. Due to political
uncertainty, the zloty has recently depreciated in relation to the
euro, while currencies of the other euro-zone aspirants have been
appreciating. GDP per capita equals that of the three Baltic states.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $427.1 billion (2003 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.1%
industry: 31%
services: 65.9% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.4% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
18.4% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 24.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.6 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
16.92 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 27.5%, industry 22.1%, services 50.4% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
20% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $39.13 billion
expenditures: $48.64 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
47.4% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork

Industries:
machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals,
shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
8.6% (2003)

Electricity - production:
135 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
118.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
11.04 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
4.306 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
17,180 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
424,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
53,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
413,700 bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-4.085 billion (2003)

Exports:
$57.6 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 30.2%, intermediate manufactured
goods 25.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9%, food and live
animals 8.5% (1999)

Exports - partners:
Germany 32.3%, France 6.1%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5%, Netherlands 4.5%,
Czech Republic 4.1% (2003)

Imports:
$63.65 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 38.2%, intermediate manufactured
goods 20.8%, chemicals 14.3%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5%
(1999)

Imports - partners:
Germany 24.4%, Italy 8.5%, Russia 7.7%, France 7.1%, China 4.3%
(2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$33.96 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$86.82 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
EU structural adjustment funds (2000)

Currency:
zloty (PLN)

Currency code:
PLN

Exchange rates:
zlotych per US dollar - 3.8891 (2003), 4.08 (2002), 4.0939 (2001),
4.3461 (2000), 3.9671 (1999)
note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Poland

Telephones - main lines in use:
12.3 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
17.4 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in the
process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the
state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list
for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile
cellular telephone use
domestic: cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular
networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital
international: country code - 48; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
20.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
179 (plus 256 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:
13.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.pl

Internet hosts:
804,915 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)

Internet users:
8.97 million (2003)

Transportation Poland

Railways:
total: 23,852 km
broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 23,223 km 1.435-m gauge (11,962 km electrified)
(2003)

Highways:
total: 364,656 km
paved: 249,060 km (including 358 km of expressways)
unpaved: 115,596 km (2000)

Waterways:
3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 13,552 km; oil 1,772 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka,
Warsaw, Wroclaw

Merchant marine:
total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 154,710 GRT/228,132 DWT
by type: bulk 7, cargo 3, chemical tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 100 (2004 est.)

Airports:
122 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 84
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 40

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 39
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 13

Heliports:
3 (2003 est.)

Military Poland

Military branches:
Land Forces, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
17 years of age for compulsory military service after January 1st
of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military
service; in 2005 Poland plans to shorten the length of conscript
service obligation from 12 to 9 months; by 2008, plans call for at
least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who
have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for
professional service; as of April 2004 women are only allowed to
serve as officers and non-commissioned officers (April 2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 10,291,628 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 8,034,577 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 329,743 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.5 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.71% (2002)

Transnational Issues Poland

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international
market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American
illicit drugs to Western Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Portugal

Introduction Portugal

Background:
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th
centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the
destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the
Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.
A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six
decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a
left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The
following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African
colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC
(now the EU) in 1986.

Geography Portugal

Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of
Spain

Geographic coordinates:
39 30 N, 8 00 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 92,391 sq km
land: 91,951 sq km
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
water: 440 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 1,214 km
border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Coastline:
1,793 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in
south

Terrain:
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in
the Azores 2,351 m

Natural resources:
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten,
silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land,
hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 21.75%
permanent crops: 7.81%
other: 70.44% (2001)

Irrigated land:
6,320 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle
emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental
Modification

Geography - note:
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western
sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People Portugal

Population:
10,524,145 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 916,106; female 840,574)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 3,454,970; female 3,535,108)
65 years and over: 16.9% (male 735,407; female 1,041,980) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 37.9 years
male: 35.8 years
female: 40 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.41% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.35 years
male: 74.06 years
female: 80.85 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
27,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent
who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than
100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal

Religions:
Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)

Languages:
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.3%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

Government Portugal

Country name:
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Lisbon

Administrative divisions:
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous
regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro,
Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto,
Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Independence:
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent
republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
Portugal Day, 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the
day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

Constitution:
25 April 1976; revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November
1992, 3 September 1997, 12 December 2001, and 24 July 2004

Legal system:
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996)
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative
body to the president
head of government: Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES (since 17
July 2004); note - Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO resigned
5 July 2004 to take over the Presidency of the European Commission;
Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES and his government resigned 11
December 2004, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until
February 2005 elections
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA January
2006); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the president
election results: Jorge SAMPAIO reelected president; percent of vote
- Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 55.8%, Joaquim FERREIRA Do Amaral
(Social Democrat) 34.5%, Antonio ABREU (Communist) 5.1%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 March 2002 (next to be held 20 February
2005); note - President SAMPAIO called for early elections after
dissolving Parliament on 10 December 2004 because he lacked
confidence in the four-month center-right government
election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 40.1%, PS 37.8%, PP
8.7%, PCP/PEV 6.9%, The Left Bloc 2.7%; seats by party - PSD 105, PS
96, PP 14, PCP/PEV 12, The Left Bloc 3

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for
life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)

Political parties and leaders:
Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA]; Popular Party or
PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de
SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho
Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro Miguel
SANTANA LOPES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO,
ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO
consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence
(Rhode Island)
consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San
Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726
telephone: [1] (202) 328-8610
chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Adrienne
S. O'NEAL
embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
mailing address: Apartado 4258, 1507 Lisboa Codex; PSC 83, APO AE
09726
telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300
FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109
consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Flag description:
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red
(three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the
dividing line

Economy Portugal

Economy - overview:
Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based
economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past
decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled
firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the
financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for
the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating
the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies.
Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past
decade, but fell back in 2001-03. GDP per capita stands at 70% of
that of the leading EU economies. A poor educational system, in
particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth.
Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers
in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct
investment. The coalition government faces tough choices in its
attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep
the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $181.8 billion (2003 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 30.7%
services: 63.2% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.6 (1994-95)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
5.409 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 30%, services 60% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.4% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $64.81 billion
expenditures: $69.09 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
59.8% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, poultry,
beef, dairy products

Industries:
textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking;
oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
0.4% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
44.32 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
41.48 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
3.479 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
3.743 billion kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
339,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
28,830 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
357,300 bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-7.592 billion (2003)

Exports:
$31.13 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper
products, hides

Exports - partners:
Spain 22.7%, Germany 15.2%, France 12.9%, UK 10.5%, US 5.8%, Italy
4.8%, Belgium 4.6% (2003)

Imports:
$43.73 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles,
agricultural products

Imports - partners:
Spain 29.1%, Germany 14.7%, France 9.9%, Italy 6.4%, UK 4.9%,
Netherlands 4.6% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$12.81 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$250.7 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $271 million (1995)

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Portugal

Telephones - main lines in use:
4,278,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
9,341,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a
state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and
a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave
radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean),
NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station
for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
62 (plus 166 repeaters)
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995)

Televisions:
3.31 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.pt

Internet hosts:
346,078 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
3.6 million (2002)

Transportation Portugal

Railways:
total: 2,850 km
broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 68,732 km
paved: 59,110 km (including 1441 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,622 km (2000)

Waterways:
210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon,
Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal,
Viana do Castelo

Merchant marine:
total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 872,557 GRT/1,236,025 DWT
registered in other countries: 24 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Australia 1, Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, Germany
21, Greece 2, Guadeloupe 1, Iceland 1, Italy 16, Japan 1, Malta 1,
Norway 7, Panama 1, Spain 18, Switzerland 7, Ukraine 1, United
Kingdom 1
by type: bulk 12, cargo 49, chemical tanker 19, container 8,
liquefied gas 7, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 6,
petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 5,
short-sea/passenger 5, vehicle carrier 2

Airports:
66 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 42
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)

Military Portugal

Military branches:
Army, Navy (PON; including Marines), Air Force (FAP), Republican
Guard (including Fiscal Guard)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military
service was ended in September 2004 (September 2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,628,892 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,107,502 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 72,821 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3,497.8 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.3% (2003)

Transnational Issues Portugal

Disputes - international:
some Portuguese groups assert dormant claims to territories ceded
to Spain around the town of Olivenza

Illicit drugs:
gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian
heroin entering the European market (especially from Brazil);
transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe;
consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Puerto Rico

Introduction Puerto Rico

Background:
Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was
claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second
voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule
that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African
slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result
of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US
citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since
1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal
self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters
chose to retain commonwealth status.

Geography Puerto Rico

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 66 30 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 9,104 sq km
water: 145 sq km
land: 8,959 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
501 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains
precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal
areas

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m

Natural resources:
some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

Land use:
arable land: 3.95%
permanent crops: 5.52%
other: 90.53% (2001)

Irrigated land:
400 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages

Geography - note:
important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to
the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural
harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central
mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry;
fertile coastal plain belt in north

People Puerto Rico

Population:
3,897,960 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.4% (male 446,474; female 426,585)
15-64 years: 65.4% (male 1,220,721; female 1,329,936)
65 years and over: 12.2% (male 205,933; female 268,311) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.8 years
male: 32.1 years
female: 35.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.49% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.49 years
male: 73.49 years
female: 81.68 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,397 (1997)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic groups:
white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%,
Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Languages:
Spanish, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 93.7%
female: 94.4% (2002)

Government Puerto Rico

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico

Dependency status:
commonwealth associated with the US

Government type:
commonwealth

Capital:
San Juan

Administrative divisions:
none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no
first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular -
municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas
Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta,
Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas,
Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio,
Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama,
Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao,
Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las
Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca,
Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce,
Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San
German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa
Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja,
Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco

Independence:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)

National holiday:
US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day,
25 July (1952)

Constitution:
ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952;
effective 25 July 1952

Legal system:
based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of
justice

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do
not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20
January 2001)
election results: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (PPD) elected governor;
percent of vote - 48.4%
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same
ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held
November 2008)
head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January
2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the
legislature

Legislative branch:
bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27
seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51
seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2
November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000
(next to be held 2 November 2004)
note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner
to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US
House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor,
he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last
held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results -
percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal
ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PPD 20, PNP 8, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPD 30, PNP 20, PIP 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of
two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for
all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the
Senate)

Political parties and leaders:
National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican
Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP
(pro-US statehood) [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD
(pro-commonwealth) [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA]; Puerto Rican Independence
Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN; Armed Forces of
Popular Resistance; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the
Macheteros); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

International organization participation:
ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears
a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially
influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the
colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Economy Puerto Rico

Economy - overview:
Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean
region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as
the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by
duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have
invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage
laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and
other livestock products as the main source of income in the
agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important
source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million
tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the
slowdown in the US economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $65.21 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $16,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 45%
services: 54% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.3 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 3%, industry 20%, services 77% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
12% (2002)

Budget:
revenues: $6.7 billion
expenditures: $9.6 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(FY99/00)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas, livestock
products, chickens

Industries:
pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
20.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
19.44 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
190,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

Exports:
$46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities:
chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage
concentrates, medical equipment

Exports - partners:
US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2002
est.)

Imports:
$29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)

Imports - commodities:
chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2002 est.)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
NA (2001)

Currency:
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Puerto Rico

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,329,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,211,111 (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system integrated with that of the US by
high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data
capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international: country code - 1-787, 939; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 72, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.7 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 (19 relay stations) (2004)

Televisions:
1.021 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.pr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
76 (2000)

Internet users:
600,000 (2002)

Transportation Puerto Rico

Railways:
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Aguadilla, Arecibo, Fajardo, Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama,
Mayaguez, Playa de Ponce, San Juan

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 36,728 GRT/37,048 DWT
foreign-owned: United States 2
registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.)
by type: container 1, roll on/roll off 1

Airports:
30 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)