Chapter XXIV: Front Matter (24)

Imports:
$1.9 billion c.i.f., includes West Bank (2002)

Imports - commodities:
food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners:
Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Debt - external:
$108 million (includes West Bank) (1997 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2 billion (includes West Bank) (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003),
4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Gaza Strip

Telephones - main lines in use:
95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
320,000 (cellular subscribers in both Gaza Strip and West Bank)
(2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire
system
international: NA

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

Radios:
NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation) (1997)

Televisions:
NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)

Internet country code:
.ps

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (1999)

Internet users:
60,000 (includes West Bank) (2001)

Transportation Gaza Strip

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network

Ports and harbors:
Gaza

Airports:
2 (2001)
note: includes Gaza International Airport (GIA), inaugurated on 24
November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995
Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum; GIA has
been largely closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its
runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001
(2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

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

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Gaza Strip

Military branches:
in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority
is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however,
public security forces (2002)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Gaza Strip

Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status
subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent
status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel
announced its intention to pull out settlers and withdraw from the
Gaza Strip in 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 922,674 (Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA)) (2004)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Georgia

Introduction Georgia

Background:
The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of
Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in
the first centuries AD and Christianity became the state religion in
the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a
Georgian golden age (11th to the 13th centuries) that was cut short
by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and
Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was
absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent
for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was
forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved
in 1991. Despite myriad problems, some progress on market reforms
and democratization has been made since then. An attempt by the
government to manipulate legislative elections in November 2003
touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of
Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early
2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National
Movement Party.

Geography Georgia

Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and
Russia

Geographic coordinates:
42 00 N, 43 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 69,700 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
Turkey 252 km

Coastline:
310 km

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Terrain:
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and
Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida
Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in
the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of
Kolkhida Lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m

Natural resources:
forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor
coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important
tea and citrus growth

Land use:
arable land: 11.44%
permanent crops: 3.86%
other: 84.7% (2001)

Irrigated land:
4,700 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari
River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil
pollution from toxic chemicals

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

Geography - note:
strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much
of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

People Georgia

Population:
4,677,401 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 444,779/female 398,162)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,480,557/female 1,603,743)
65 years and over: 16% (male 300,859/female 449,301) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 37.36 years
male: 34.93 years
female: 39.7 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.35% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.25 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
9.09 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.16 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.59 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.88 years
male: 72.59 years
female: 79.67 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian

Ethnic groups:
Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5%
(2002 census)

Religions:
Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%,
Muslim 9.9%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)

Languages:
Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 100%
female: 98% (1999 est.)

Government Georgia

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local long form: none
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
T'bilisi

Administrative divisions:
9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities (k'alak'ebi,
singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy
respubliki, singular - avtom respublika)
: regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti,
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti,
Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli
: cities: Chiat'ura, Gori, K'ut'aisi, P'ot'i, Rust'avi, T'bilisi,
Tqibuli, Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi
: autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri
Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika
(Bat'umi)
note: the administrative centers of the 2 autonomous republics are
shown in parentheses

Independence:
9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of
independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of
independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
adopted 24 August 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January
2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government for the power ministries: state security (includes
interior) and defense
head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January
2004); Prime Minister Zurab NOGHAIDELI (since 17 February 2005);
note - the president is the chief of state and head of government
for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and
defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of
government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of
vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or
Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party lists); members
are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - National
Movement-Democrats 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other
parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - National
Movement-Democrats 135, Rightist Opposition 15

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the
president's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second
instance courts

Political parties and leaders:
Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's Front
[Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG
[Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry
Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor
Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP
[Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement Democratic Front [Mikheil
SAAKASHVILI] bloc composed of National Movement and
Burjanadze-Democrats; National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New
Right [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David BERDZENISHVILI];
Rightist Opposition [David GAMKRELIDZE] bloc composed of
Industrialists and New Right Party; Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli
MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]; Union of National
Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI and Zviad DZIDZIGURI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile;
separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
supporters of the late ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Levan MIKELADZE
chancery: Suite 602, 1101 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 387-4537
FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard M. MILES
embassy: #25 Atoneli Street, T'bilisi 0105
mailing address: 7060 Tbilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060
telephone: [995] (32) 989-967/68
FAX: [995] (32) 933-759

Flag description:
white rectangle, in its central portion a red cross connecting all
four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red
bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears to date back to
the 14th century

Economy Georgia

Economy - overview:
Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of
agricultural products such as citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and
grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small
industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages,
metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of
its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only
sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe
damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with
the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic
gains since 1995, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing
inflation. However, the Georgian Government has suffered from
limited resources due to a chronic failure to collect tax revenues.
Georgia's new government is making progress in reforming the tax
code, enforcing taxes, and cracking down on corruption. Georgia also
suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the T'bilisi
electricity distribution network in 1998, but payment collection
rates remain low, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. The
country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a
transit state for pipelines and trade. The construction on the
Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas
pipeline have brought much-needed investment and job opportunities.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.45 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 22.6%
services: 56.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.1 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
17% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.9% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.1 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $671.7 million
expenditures: $804.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

Industries:
steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining
(manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2000)

Electricity - production:
6.732 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 19.7%
hydro: 80.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.811 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
300 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
850 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
2,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
31,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-632.9 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$909.4 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits,
tea, wine

Exports - partners:
Turkey 18.3%, Turkmenistan 17.8%, Russia 16.2%, Armenia 8.4%, UK
4.9% (2004)

Imports:
$1.806 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other
foods, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:
Russia 14%, Turkey 11%, UK 9.3%, Azerbaijan 8.5%, Germany 8.2%,
Ukraine 7.7%, US 6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$231.4 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.8 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $150 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
lari (GEL)

Currency code:
GEL

Exchange rates:
lari per US dollar - 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002),
2.073 (2001), 1.9762 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Georgia

Telephones - main lines in use:
650,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
522,300 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: country code - 995; Georgia and Russia are working on
a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present
international service is available by microwave, landline, and
satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail
and telex service are available

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
2.57 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ge

Internet hosts:
5,160 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
150,500 (2003)

Transportation Georgia

Railways:
total: 1,612 km (1,612 km electrified)
broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified)
narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 20,229 km
paved: 18,914 km
unpaved: 1,315 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 1,697 km; oil 1,027 km; refined products 232 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bat'umi, P'ot'i

Merchant marine:
total: 175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 855,908 GRT/1,288,812 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 133, container 3, liquefied gas 1,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated
cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 105 (Albania 1, Azerbaijan 2, Cyprus 2, Egypt 3,
Estonia 1, Germany 1, Greece 4, Israel 1, Lebanon 3, Romania 6,
Russia 8, Syria 27, Turkey 14, Ukraine 30, UAE 2)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
30 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2004 est.)

Transportation - note:
transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic
conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks
maintenance and repair

Military Georgia

Military branches:
Ground Forces (includes National Guard), Air and Air Defense
Forces, Maritime Defense Force, Interior Forces

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,038,736 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 827,281 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 38,857 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$23 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.59% (FY00)

Military - note:
a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the
Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer
group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

Transnational Issues Georgia

Disputes - international:
Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border,
leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary
unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the
Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia;
UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force
in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the
former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia; boundary with Armenia
remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of
Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government;
Azerbaijan and Georgia cannot resolve the alignment of their
boundary at certain crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 260,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via
Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Germany

Introduction Germany

Background:
As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany
remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and
defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in
two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and
left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US,
UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the
Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal
Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic
(GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic
and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO,
while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led
Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War
allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has
expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages
up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU
countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Geography Germany

Location:
Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between
the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Geographic coordinates:
51 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 357,021 sq km
land: 349,223 sq km
water: 7,798 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 3,621 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646
km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577
km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Coastline:
2,389 km

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

Climate:
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Natural resources:
coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium,
potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.85%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 65.56% (2001)

Irrigated land:
4,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to
air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions,
is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and
industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste
disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of
nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU
commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the
EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
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, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance
to the Baltic Sea

People Germany

Population:
82,431,390 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 6,078,885/female 5,766,065)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 28,006,268/female 27,003,958)
65 years and over: 18.9% (male 6,359,776/female 9,216,438) (2005
est.)

Median age:
total: 42.16 years
male: 40.88 years
female: 43.53 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
8.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
10.55 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.65 years
male: 75.66 years
female: 81.81 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
43,000 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German

Ethnic groups:
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek,
Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)

Religions:
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or
other 28.3%

Languages:
German

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1997 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Germany

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland
former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Berlin

Administrative divisions:
13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states*
(Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*,
Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt,
Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen*

Independence:
18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four
zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945
following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West
Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and
French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany)
proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;
unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October
1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991

National holiday:
Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
German people 3 October 1990

Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998); Vice Chancellor Joschka FISCHER (since 17 October 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by
the president on the recommendation of the chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an
equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election
last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor
elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a
four-year term; election last held 22 September 2002 (next to be
held September 2006)
election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604
votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN;
Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly
vote 50.7%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly
or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a system
combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win
5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain
representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal
Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly
represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population
and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to
be held September 2009); note - there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party -
CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by
party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51; Federal
Council - current composition - NA

Judicial branch:
Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the
judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance '90/Greens [Angelika BEER and Reinhard BUETIKOFER];
Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social
Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or
FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party or PDS/WASG [Oskar
LAFONTAINE and Gregor GYSI]; Party of Democratic Socialism or PDS
[Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee,
trade unions, and veterans groups

International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris
Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK,
UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wolfgang Friedrich ISCHINGER
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-8140
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel R. COATS
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new
embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground
was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: [49] (030) 8305-0
FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215
consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg,
Leipzig, Munich

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold

Economy Germany

Economy - overview:
Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth
largest in the world - has become one of the slowest growing
economies in the euro zone. A quick turnaround is not in the offing
in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%,
rising to 1.7% in 2004. The modernization and integration of the
eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process,
with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70
billion. Germany's aging population, combined with high
unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level
exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the
labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers
and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made
unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate restructuring and growing
capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany
to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration
and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are
further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government
revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above
the EU's 3% debt limit.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.362 trillion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 31%
services: 68% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
42.63 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 2.8%, industry 33.4%, services 63.8% (1999)

Unemployment rate:
10.6% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.6% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.6% of GDP (2004)

Budget:
revenues: $1.2 trillion
expenditures: $1.3 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
65.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle,
pigs, poultry

Industries:
among the world's largest and most technologically advanced
producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery,
vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages;
shipbuilding; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
2.2% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
560 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.8%
hydro: 4.2%
nuclear: 29.9%
other: 4.1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
519.5 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
53.8 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
45.8 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
74,100 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
2.891 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - exports:
12,990 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
2.135 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves:
395.8 million bbl (1 January 2004)

Natural gas - production:
21 billion cu m (2003)

Natural gas - consumption:
99.55 billion cu m (2003)

Natural gas - exports:
7.731 billion cu m (2003)

Natural gas - imports:
85.02 billion cu m (2003)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
293 billion cu m (1 January 2004)

Current account balance:
$73.59 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$893.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures,
foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners:
France 10.3%, US 8.8%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 6.2%,
Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5% (2004)

Imports:
$716.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

Imports - partners:
France 9%, Netherlands 8.3%, US 7%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.9%, China
5.6%, Belgium 4.9%, Austria 4.2% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$96.84 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $5.6 billion (1998)

Currency (code):
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 - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Germany

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
64.8 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to
World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries
international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is
excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable
facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
77.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
51.4 million (1998)

Internet country code:
.de

Internet hosts:
2,686,119 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
200 (2001)

Internet users:
39 million (2003)

Transportation Germany

Railways:
total: 46,142 km (20,100 km electrified)
standard gauge: 45,928 km 1.435-m gauge (20,084 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 214 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km
0.750-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 230,735 km
paved: 230,735 km (including 11,515 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)

Waterways:
7,300 km
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North
Sea and Black Sea (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate 325 km; gas 25,293 km; oil 3,540 km; refined products
3,827 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg,
Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven

Merchant marine:
total: 332 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,721,495 GRT/6,810,631 DWT
by type: cargo 69, chemical tanker 13, container 208, liquefied gas
3, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll
off 4
foreign-owned: 5 (Finland 2, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 2,289 (2005)

Airports:
550 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 331
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 62
914 to 1,523 m: 71
under 914 m: 134 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 219
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 185 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
34 (2004 est.)

Military Germany

Military branches:
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche
Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint
Support Service, Central Medical Service

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory
military service) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,917,537 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,258,931 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 497,048 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.063 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)

Transnational Issues Germany

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian
heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic
drugs; major financial center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Ghana

Introduction Ghana

Background:
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and
the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first
sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A
long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution
in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution,
restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry
RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in
1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a
third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President
Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him.

Geography Ghana

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire
and Togo

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo
877 km

Coastline:
539 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and
humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain:
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish,
rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 16.26%
permanent crops: 9.67%
other: 74.07% (2001)

Irrigated land:
110 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts

Environment - current issues:
recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural
activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and
habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution;
inadequate supplies of potable water

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

Geography - note:
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

People Ghana

Population:
21,029,853
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 3,946,326/female 3,862,390)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 6,203,035/female 6,235,107)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 366,472/female 416,523) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.45 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 20.7 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.25% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
23.97 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
10.84 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 54.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 48.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.47 years
male: 57.7 years
female: 59.26 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
350,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
30,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups:
black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%,
Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)

Religions:
Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21%

Languages:
English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.8%
male: 82.7%
female: 67.1% (2003 est.)

Government Ghana

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast

Government type:
constitutional democracy

Capital:
Accra

Administrative divisions:
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra,
Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Independence:
6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution:
approved 28 April 1992

Legal system:
based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January
2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January
2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject
to approval by Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December
2004 (next to be held December 2008)
election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in
election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats
in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general
secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA,
chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY];
National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National
Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary];
New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's
Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman];
People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE];
People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party
[Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. KYEREMATEN
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES
embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra
mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348
FAX: [233] (21) 701-813

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a
large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the
popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of
Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

Economy Ghana

Economy - overview:
Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the
per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so,
Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and
technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major
sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to
revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 34% of
GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders.
Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) program in 2002. Priorities include tighter monetary and
fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of
social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP
growth in 2004. Inflation should ease, but remain a major internal
problem.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$48.27 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 34.3%
industry: 24.2%
services: 41.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
10.24 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
20% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
31.4% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 30.1% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.7 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.17 billion
expenditures: $2.56 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts,
bananas; timber

Industries:
mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food
processing, cement, small commercial ship building

Industrial production growth rate:
3.8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.922 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 5%
hydro: 95%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.137 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
500 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
200 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
7,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
38,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

Current account balance:
$83.87 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$3.01 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore,
diamonds

Exports - partners:
Mexico 69.8%, Netherlands 3.7%, UK 3% (2004)

Imports:
$3.699 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Nigeria 12.6%, China 11.4%, UK 6.6%, US 6.4%, France 4.9%,
Netherlands 4.2% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.267 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$7.396 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$6.9 billion (1999)

Currency (code):
cedi (GHC)

Currency code:
GHC

Exchange rates:
cedis per US dollar - 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7
(2002), 7,170.8 (2001), 5,455.1 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ghana

Telephones - main lines in use:
302,300 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
799,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many
rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is
underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has
been installed
international: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel
system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable
(SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:
12.5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
10 (2001)

Televisions:
1.9 million (2001)

Internet country code:
.gh

Internet hosts:
407 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
12 (2000)

Internet users:
170,000 (2002)

Transportation Ghana

Railways:
total: 953 km
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 46,176 km
paved: 8,496 km
unpaved: 37,679 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,293 km
note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano
rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta
(2003)

Pipelines:
refined products 74 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Takoradi, Tema

Merchant marine:
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,086 GRT/26,185 DWT
by type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3
foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2005)

Airports:
12 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Ghana

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,761,226 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,721,239 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 250,782 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$49.2 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.6% (2004)

Transnational Issues Ghana

Disputes - international:
Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in
the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 42,466 (Liberia) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a
lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the
US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a
well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility
as a money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Gibraltar

Introduction Gibraltar

Background:
Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by
Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was
formally declared a colony in 1830. In referendums held in 1967 and
2002, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted
overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency.

Geography Gibraltar

Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links
the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern
coast of Spain

Geographic coordinates:
36 8 N, 5 21 W

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km

Coastline:
12 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:
Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Terrain:
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

Natural resources:
none

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural
rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking
water) and adequate desalination plant

Geography - note:
strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North
Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

People Gibraltar

Population:
27,884 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,529/female 2,426)
15-64 years: 66% (male 9,442/female 8,970)
65 years and over: 16.2% (male 2,008/female 2,509) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.4 years
male: 39.12 years
female: 39.63 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.17% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
9.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.67 years
male: 76.8 years
female: 82.7 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar

Ethnic groups:
Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North
Africans

Religions:
Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%,
Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none
2.9% (2001 census)

Languages:
English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: above 80%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Gibraltar

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Gibraltar

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national
referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain

Constitution:
30 May 1969

Legal system:
English law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been
residents six months or more

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir Francis RICHARDS
(since 27 May 2003)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected
members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation
with the chief minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular
vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members;
members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later
than February 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%;
seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats
or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP
[Joseph John BOSSANO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization;
Women's Association

International organization participation:
Interpol (subbureau), 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:
two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a
three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging
from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band

Economy Gibraltar

Economy - overview:
Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping
trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international
conference center. The British military presence has been sharply
reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared
with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million
visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer
goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping
sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP.
Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years,
Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a
private sector economy, but changes in government spending still
have a major impact on the level of employment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$769 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $27,900 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture negligible, industry 40%, services 60%

Unemployment rate:
2% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(FY00/01 est.)

Agriculture - products:
none

Industries:
tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%