Chapter XLVII: Front Matter (47)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 13
1,524 to 2, 437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)

Military Puerto Rico

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard,
Police Force

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Puerto Rico

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Qatar

Introduction Qatar

Background:
Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed
itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling
into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas
revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy
was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by
the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. He was overthrown by
his son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, in a bloodless
coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border
disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas
revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes
in the world.

Geography Qatar

Location:
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 11,437 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 11,437 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 60 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km

Coastline:
563 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or
the median line

Climate:
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain:
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use:
arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0.27%
other: 98.09% (2001)

Irrigated land:
130 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on
large-scale desalination facilities

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

Geography - note:
strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum
deposits

People Qatar

Population:
840,290 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 103,660; female 99,597)
15-64 years: 72.7% (male 426,559; female 184,067)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 19,306; female 7,101) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 31.4 years
male: 36.7 years
female: 22 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.74% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 2.32 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.72 male(s)/female
total population: 1.89 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 22.77 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.4 years
male: 70.9 years
female: 76.04 years (2004 est.)

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

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

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Qatari(s)
adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups:
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Religions:
Muslim 95%

Languages:
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.5%
male: 81.4%
female: 85% (2003 est.)

Government Qatar

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Qatar
conventional short form: Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls
between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar

Government type:
traditional monarchy

Capital:
Doha

Administrative divisions:
10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al
Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan
al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal

Independence:
3 September 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Constitution:
provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir
HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent
constitution; in the 29 April 2003 referendum, 96.6% of Qatari
voters approved the new constitution; on 8 June 2004 the new
constitution came into force

Legal system:
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil
codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and
personal matters

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995
when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad
Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent
by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the
positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed
Forces
head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani,
brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996) Deputy Prime Minister
MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20
January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin JASIM bin JABIR
Al Thani (since 16 September 2003; also Foreign Minister since
1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATTIYAH
(since 16 September 2003; also Energy Minister since NA 1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member
Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed
at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election
for the CMC was held in March 1999

Legislative branch:
unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members
appointed)
note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there
were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their
terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which
came into force on 8 June 2004, provides for a 45-member
Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect
two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the Amir would appoint the
remaining members

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal
note: under the new judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two
court systems, civil and Islamic law, have been merged under a
higher court, the Court of Cassation, to be established for appeals

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,
IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Badr Umar al-DAFA
consulate(s) general: Houston
FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061
telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603
chancery: 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20016

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER
embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha
mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha
telephone: [974] 488 4101
FAX: [974] 488 4298

Flag description:
maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the
hoist side

Economy Qatar

Economy - overview:
Oil and gas account for more than 55% of GDP, roughly 85% of export
earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given
Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West
European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 14.5 billion
barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23
years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 17.9 trillion
cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total and third largest in
the world. Long-term goals feature the development of offshore
natural gas reserves to offset the ultimate decline in oil
production. Since 2000, Qatar has consistently posted trade
surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural
gas exports.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.54 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
8.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $21,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 70.8%
services: 28.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.2% 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):
2.3% (2003)

Labor force:
140,000 (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.7% (2001)

Budget:
revenues: $8.202 billion
expenditures: $6.981 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2
billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
72.7% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish

Industries:
crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals,
steel reinforcing bars, cement

Industrial production growth rate:
10% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
9.264 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
8.616 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
864,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
17.93 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$4.149 billion (2003)

Exports:
$12.36 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum products, fertilizers, steel

Exports - partners:
Japan 46%, South Korea 18.5%, Singapore 9.5% (2003)

Imports:
$5.711 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 12.2%, Japan 10.5%, Germany 9.6%, UK 8%, Italy 7.4%, UAE 6.7%,
Saudi Arabia 5.9%, South Korea 5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.952 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$17.5 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
NA

Currency:
Qatari rial (QAR)

Currency code:
QAR

Exchange rates:
Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2003), 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001),
3.64 (2000), 3.64 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Qatar

Telephones - main lines in use:
184,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
376,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: NA
international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to
Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
256,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus three repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
230,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.qa

Internet hosts:
221 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
126,000 (2003)

Transportation Qatar

Highways:
total: 1,230 km
paved: 1,107 km
unpaved: 123 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,024 km; liquid
petroleum gas 87 km; oil 702 km; oil/gas/water 41 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id)

Merchant marine:
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 525,051 GRT/772,635 DWT
foreign-owned: Cambodia 1, Kuwait 1 (2004 est.)
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 4, container 8, petroleum tanker
5, roll on/roll off 1

Airports:
4 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)

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

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Qatar

Military branches:
Land Force, Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Amiri Air Force

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

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 324,001
note: includes non-nationals (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 170,266 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 7,496 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$723 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (FY00)

Transnational Issues Qatar

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Reunion

Introduction Reunion

Background:
The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the
17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by
influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the
island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost
the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade
route.

Geography Reunion

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
21 06 S, 55 36 E

Map references:
World

Area:
total: 2,517 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
207 km

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

Climate:
tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry
from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

Natural resources:
fish, arable land, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 13.6%
permanent crops: 1.2%
other: 85.2% (2001)

Irrigated land:
120 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la
Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de
la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis,
which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean

People Reunion

Population:
766,153 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236)
65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.5 years
male: 25.4 years
female: 27.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.42% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 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: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.69 years
male: 70.29 years
female: 77.26 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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

Ethnic groups:
French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)

Languages:
French (official), Creole widely used

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9%
male: 87%
female: 90.8% (2003 est.)

Government Reunion

Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion
local short form: Ile de la Reunion
local long form: none
former: Bourbon Island

Dependency status:
overseas department of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons

Independence:
none (overseas department of France)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004)
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and
Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc
POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council
Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)
cabinet: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral
Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to
be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next
to be held NA 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10,
UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second
round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens
22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7
note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also
elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1,
PCR 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the
Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS
[Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert
GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
InOC, UPU, WFTU

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

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

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Reunion

Economy - overview:
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but
services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more
than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports.
The government has been pushing the development of a tourist
industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of
the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the
poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social
tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better
off than other segments of the population, often approaching
European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and
unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent.
The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the
seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of
Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from
France.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 19%
services: 73% (2000 est.)

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:
309,900 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)

Unemployment rate:
36% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(1998)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn

Industries:
sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
1.08 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.005 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
18,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$214 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%,
(1993)

Exports - partners:
France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000)

Imports:
$2.5 billion c.i.f. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and
transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products

Imports - partners:
France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.)

Currency:
euro (EUR)

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 Reunion

Telephones - main lines in use:
300,000 est (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
489,800 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to
Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic
submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe
and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
173,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
127,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.re

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
150,000 (2002)

Transportation Reunion

Highways:
total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)
unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)

Ports and harbors:
Le Port, Pointe des Galets

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 1
foreign-owned: Sweden 1
registered in other countries: 1

Airports:
2 (2003 est.)

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

Military Reunion

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

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 7,070 (2004 est.)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Reunion

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Romania

Introduction Romania

Background:
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under
the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their
autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted
the new name of Romania. The country gained full independence in
1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new
territories following the conflict. In 1940, it allied with the Axis
powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR.
Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an
armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a
Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the
king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took
power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly
oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown
and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the
government until 1996, when they were swept from power by a
fractious coalition of centrist parties. In 2000, the center-left
Social Democratic Party (PSD) became Romania's leading party,
governing with the support of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in
Romania (UDMR). The opposition center-right alliance formed by the
National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party (PD) scored a
surprise victory over the ruling PSD in December 2004 presidential
elections. The PNL-PD alliance maintains a parliamentary majority
with the support of the UDMR, the Humanist Party (PUR), and various
ethnic minority groups. Although Romania completed accession talks
with the European Union (EU) in December 2004, it must continue to
address rampant corruption - while invigorating lagging economic and
democratic reforms - before it can achieve its hope of joining the
EU, tentatively set for 2007. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004.

Geography Romania

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and
Ukraine

Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east)
169 km

Coastline:
225 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:
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny
summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Terrain:
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia
on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the
Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural resources:
petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron
ore, salt, arable land, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 40.82%
permanent crops: 2.25%
other: 56.93% (2001)

Irrigated land:
28,800 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure
and climate promote landslides

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in
south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta
wetlands

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

Geography - note:
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans,
Moldova, and Ukraine

People Romania

Population:
22,355,551 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.2% (male 1,861,801; female 1,770,746)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,712,612; female 7,791,900)
65 years and over: 14.4% (male 1,330,994; female 1,887,498) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 36.1 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 37.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.11% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.13 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: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 27.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 30.41 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.12 years
male: 67.63 years
female: 74.82 years (2004 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,500 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Romanian(s)
adjective: Romanian

Ethnic groups:
Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German
0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002)

Religions:
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%, Protestant
6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%, unaffiliated 0.2%
(2002)

Languages:
Romanian (official), Hungarian, German

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (2003 est.)

Government Romania

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Romania
local short form: Romania
local long form: none

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Bucharest

Administrative divisions:
41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality*
(municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud,
Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi,
Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati,
Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov,
Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare,
Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence:
9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from Turkey; independence
recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed
26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Constitution:
8 December 1991; revision came into force 29 October 2003

Legal system:
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is
now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 28 November 2004, with runoff between the top two
candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held 28 November 2009
and 12 December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu TARICEANU (since 29
December 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
election results: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian
NASTASE 48.77%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(137 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (332 seats; members are
elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation
basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28
November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004
(next to be held 28 November 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party -
PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party -
PSD 46, PNL 28, PD 21, PRM 21, PUR 11, UMDR 10; Chamber of Deputies
- percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.6%, PNL-PD 31.3%%,
PRM 12.9%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 113, PNL 64, PD 48, PRM
48, UDMR 22, PUR 19, ethnic minorities 18

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians
in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; Humanist Party or PUR [Dan
VOICULESCU]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu
TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM
[Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Adrian
NASTASE], formerly known as the Party of Social Democracy in Romania
or PDSR

Political pressure groups and leaders:
various human rights and professional associations

International organization participation:
ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU
(applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer),
ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Jack Dyer CROUCH II
embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State,
5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)
telephone: [40] (21) 210-4042
FAX: [40] (21) 210-0395
branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow
band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also
resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

Economy Romania

Economy - overview:
Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely
obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the
country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing
three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets.
Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in
construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept growth above
4%. An IMF standby agreement, signed in 2001, was accompanied by
slow but palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction, and the
curbing of inflation. The IMF Board approved Romania's completion of
the standby agreement in October 2003, the first time Romania had
successfully concluded an IMF agreement since the 1989 revolution.
In July 2004, the Executive Board of the IMF approved a 24-month
standby arrangement for $367 million. The Romanian authorities do
not intend to draw on this arrangement, viewing it as a precaution.
Meanwhile, recent macroeconomic gains have done little to address
Romania's widespread poverty, and corruption and red tape handicap
the business environment.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $155 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.1%
industry: 38.1%
services: 48.8% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.5% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
44.5% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.3% (2003)

Labor force:
9.28 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 41.4%, industry 27.3%, services 31.3% (2000)

Unemployment rate:
7.2% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $17.06 billion
expenditures: $18.38 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
25.5% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes;
eggs, sheep

Industries:
textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining,
timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food
processing, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate:
2.3% (2003)

Electricity - production:
50.86 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
46.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
1.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
400 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
127,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
215,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-3.368 billion (2003)

Exports:
$17.63 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and
equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products

Exports - partners:
Italy 24.3%, Germany 15.7%, France 7.4%, UK 6.7%, Turkey 5.1% (2003)

Imports:
$22.17 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and
products, basic metals, agricultural products

Imports - partners:
Italy 19.6%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 8.3%, France 7.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$10.37 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$18.34 billion (2003 est.)

Currency:
leu (ROL)

Currency code:
ROL

Exchange rates:
lei per US dollar - 33,200.1 (2003), 33,055.4 (2002), 29,060.8
(2001), 21,708.7 (2000), 15,332.8 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Romania

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.9 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is
mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about
one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages
have no service
international: country code - 40; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate
in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several
international telecommunication network projects (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
7.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
5.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ro

Internet hosts:
50,807 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
38 (2000)

Internet users:
4 million (2003)

Transportation Romania

Railways:
total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)
broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge

Highways:
total: 198,603 km
paved: 98,308 km (including 113 km of expressways)
unpaved: 100,295 km (2000)

Waterways:
1,731 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Merchant marine:
total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 395,350 GRT/510,232 DWT
registered in other countries: 39 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Greece 1, Italy 2
by type: bulk 7, cargo 26, container 1, passenger 1, petroleum
tanker 4, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4

Airports:
62 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 36
under 914 m: 24 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Romania

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (AMR),
Civil Defense

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 in wartime;
conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for
voluntary military service (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,952,834 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,007,375 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 163,577 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$985 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.47% (2002)

Transnational Issues Romania

Disputes - international:
has not resolved claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmyinyy (Snake)
Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks based
on 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years; Hungary
amended status law extending special social and cultural benefits to
ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who had objected to the law

Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the
Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for
Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as
a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering which occurs
via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Russia

Introduction Russia

Background:
Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able
to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th
centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding
principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty
continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific.
Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic
Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th
century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia.
Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led
to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and
to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists
under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR.
The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Russian
dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of
lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following
decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91)
introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an
attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently
released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15
independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its
efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to
replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the
Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic
front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under
Vladimir PUTIN and an erosion in nascent democratic institutions. A
determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya.

Geography Russia

Location:
Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is included with
Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North
Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:
60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 17,075,200 sq km
water: 79,400 sq km
land: 16,995,800 sq km

Area - comparative:
approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 20,017 km
border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China
(southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland
1,340 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km,
Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485
km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576
km

Coastline:
37,653 km

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

Climate:
ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much
of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the
polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid
in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along
Arctic coast

Terrain:
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest
and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border
regions

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Natural resources:
wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural
gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber
note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder
exploitation of natural resources

Land use:
arable land: 7.33%
permanent crops: 0.11%
other: 92.56% (2001)

Irrigated land:
46,630 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to
development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and
earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and
summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European
Russia

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric
plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal,
and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts;
deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper
application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes
intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from
toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of
obsolete pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably
located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its
size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either
too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's
tallest peak

People Russia

Population:
143,782,338 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 11,064,109; female 10,518,595)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 49,534,076; female 52,958,107)
65 years and over: 13.7% (male 6,177,580; female 13,529,871) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 37.9 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 40.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.45% (2004 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
1.02 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.39 years
male: 59.91 years
female: 73.27 years (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
700,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups:
Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir
0.9%, Belarusian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1% (1989)

Religions:
Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Languages:
Russian, other

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.5% (2003 est.)

Government Russia

Country name:
conventional long form: Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local short form: Rossiya
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Government type:
federation

Capital:
Moscow

Administrative divisions:
49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik,
singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov,
singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2
federal cities (singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast
(avtonomnaya oblast')
: oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan',
Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Ivanovo,
Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy),
Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk,
Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk,
Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Perm', Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin
(Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk
(Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk,
Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl'
: republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan
(Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya
(Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas),
Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista),
Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk),
Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola),
Mordoviya (Saransk), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), North Ossetia
(Vladikavkaz), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)
: federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), St. Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg)
: autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)
: krays: Altay (Barnaul), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk,
Primorskiy (Vladivostok), Stavropol'
: autonomous okrugs: Aga Buryat (Aginskoye), Chukotka (Anadyr'),
Evenk (Tura), Khanty-Mansi, Komi-Permyak (Kudymkar), Koryak
(Palana), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Taymyr [Dolgano-Nenets] (Dudinka),
Ust'-Orda Buryat (Ust'-Ordynskiy), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

Constitution:
adopted 12 December 1993

Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting
president since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)
note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides
staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential
decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a
Security Council also reports directly to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held NA March 2008);
note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot
exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns,
the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president
until a new presidential election is held, which must be within
three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval
of the Duma
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of
the premier and his deputy, ministers, and selected other
individuals; all are appointed by the president
head of government: Premier Mikhail Yefimovich FRADKOV (since 5
March 2004); Deputy Premier Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9
March 2004)
election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN reelected president;
percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 71.2%, Nikolay
KHARITONOV 13.7%, other (no candidate above 5%) 15.1%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the
Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000,
members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in
each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays,
republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of
Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the
State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; currently 225 seats
elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at
least 5% of the vote, and 225 seats from single-member
constituencies; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be held
NA December 2007)
election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties
clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of
the 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, CPRF 12.7%, LDPR
11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, CPRF 53,
LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, Union of
Rightist Forces 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat election
required 3

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration;
judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation
Council on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy
Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR
[Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Motherland Bloc (Rodina) [Dmitriy
ROGOZIN]; People's Party [Gennadiy RAYKOV]; Union of Rightist Forces
or SPS [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR, Irina
Mutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV]; United Russia [Boris
Vyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; Yabloko Party [Grigoriy Alekseyevich
YAVLINSKIY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN
(observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA,
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE,
Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNOCI,
UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW
embassy: Bolshoy Devyatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow
mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000
FAX: [7] (095) 728-5090
consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Economy Russia

Economy - overview:
Russia ended 2003 with its fifth straight year of growth, averaging
6.5% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil
prices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of this
economic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demand
have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital
investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last four
years and real personal incomes have averaged increases over 12%.
Russia has also improved its international financial position since
the 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90%
of GDP to around 28%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia
to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $80
billion. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort
to advance structural reforms, have raised business and investor
confidence in Russia's economic prospects. Nevertheless, serious
problems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for
more than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings
in world prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must
be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based
economic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, a
poor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreign
investors, corruption, local and regional government intervention in
the courts, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. In
addition, a string of investigations launched against a major
Russian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in the
fall of 2003, have raised concerns by some observers that President
PUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his government
that desire to reassert state control over the economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.282 trillion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 35.1%
services: 59.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.2% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
25% (January 2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 5.9%
highest 10%: 47% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
39.9 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
71.68 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 12.3%, industry 22.7%, services 65% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.5% plus considerable underemployment (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $83.99 billion
expenditures: $73.75 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
34.1% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Industries:
complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,
oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from
rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;
shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications
equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction
equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment;
medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles,
foodstuffs, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
915 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
773 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
21.16 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
7 billion kWh (2001)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
47.86 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$35.91 billion (2003)

Exports:
$134.4 billion (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood
products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and
military manufactures

Exports - partners:
Germany 7.8%, Netherlands 6.5%, Italy 6.3%, China 6.2%, Belarus
5.7%, Ukraine 5.7%, US 4.6%, Switzerland 4.4% (2003)

Imports:
$74.8 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar,
semifinished metal products

Imports - partners:
Germany 14%, Belarus 8.6%, Ukraine 7.7%, China 5.8%, US 5.2%,
Kazakhstan 4.7%, Italy 4.2%, France 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$76.94 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$175.9 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million in
non-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million (2000
est.)

Currency:
Russian ruble (RUR)

Currency code:
RUR

Exchange rates:
Russian rubles per US dollar - 30.692 (2003), 31.3485 (2002),
29.1685 (2001), 28.1292 (2000), 24.6199 (1999)
note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1
January 1998 rubles

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Russia