Chapter XXXV: Front Matter (35)

Political parties and leaders:
Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE];
Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho
National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho
Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] - the governing
party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho
Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or
MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony
MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe
PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE];
Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, The Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116

Flag description:
divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half
is white, bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with
crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with
a green triangle in the corner

Economy Lesotho

Economy - overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances
from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the
Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government
revenue, but the government has strengthened its tax system to
reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major
hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to
South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number
of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a
small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that
support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries and a
rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The garment industry has
grown significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade
benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The
economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture,
especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural
activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income
remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty
Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.892 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 43.9%
services: 40.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
838,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture;
roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate:
45% (2002)

Population below poverty line:
49% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56 (1986-87)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.3% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
39.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $698.5 million
expenditures: $697.6 million, including capital expenditures of $15
million (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts;
construction; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
15.5% (1999)

Electricity - production:
314 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002)

Electricity - consumption:
308 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
16 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,500 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$-108.3 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$484.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and
mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners:
US 97%, Canada 2.1%, UK 0.3% (2004)

Imports:
$730.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum
products (2000)

Imports - partners:
Hong Kong 46.8%, China 25.5%, South Korea 5.6%, Germany 4.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$402.2 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$735 million (2002)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA $4.4 million

Economic aid - recipient:
$41.5 million (2000)

Currency (code):
loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates:
maloti per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407
(2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Lesotho

Telephones - main lines in use:
28,600 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
92,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a
small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone
communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
NA (2002)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.ls

Internet hosts:
119 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
21,000 (2002)

Transportation Lesotho

Highways:
total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)

Airports:
28 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Military Lesotho

Military branches:
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 400,457 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 162,857 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$32.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.3% (2004)

Military - note:
the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future
structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially
considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening
in political affairs

Transnational Issues Lesotho

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Liberia

Introduction Liberia

Background:
In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of
civil war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles
TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. The National Transitional
Government of Liberia (NTGL) - composed of rebel, government, and
civil society groups - assumed control in October 2003. Chairman
Gyude BRYANT, who was given a two-year mandate to oversee efforts to
rebuild Liberia, heads the new government. The United Nations
Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence
throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former
combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still
volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic
structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.

Geography Liberia

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:
6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 111,370 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km
water: 15,050 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:
total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone
306 km

Coastline:
579 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold
nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and
low mountains in northeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 3.95%
permanent crops: 2.28%
other: 93.77% (2001)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - current issues:
tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of
biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw
sewage

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

Geography - note:
facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by
lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland
grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

People Liberia

Population:
3,482,211 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 765,662/female 751,134)
15-64 years: 52.8% (male 896,206/female 940,985)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 64,547/female 63,677) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.06 years
male: 17.69 years
female: 18.42 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.64% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: at least 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding
countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their
ability to return (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 128.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 135.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 121.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 38.89 years
male: 37.03 years
female: 40.81 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,200 (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
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups:
indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,
Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella,
Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of
immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5%
(descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages:
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a
few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.5%
male: 73.3%
female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

Government Liberia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Monrovia

Administrative divisions:
15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount,
Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba,
River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Independence:
26 July 1847

National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution:
6 January 1986

Legal system:
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for
the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal
practices for indigenous sector

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note
- this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005;
the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003);
note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in
2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Senate; note - current cabinet positions are divided among groups
participating in the Liberian peace process
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 11
October 2005)
election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent
of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF
(UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%; note - TAYLOR
stepped down in August 2003
note: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the
Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of
former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement,
Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National
Transitional Government on 14 October 2003

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the
House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 11
October 2005); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997
(next to be held 11 October 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3,
Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader
NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian
Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or
LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA];
National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party;
United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP
[Charles CLARKE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Aaron B.
KOLLIE
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437
FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point,
1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380
FAX: [231] 226-148

Flag description:
11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in
the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Economy Liberia

Economy - overview:
Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of
Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around
Monrovia, while continued international sanctions on diamonds and
timber exports will limit growth prospects for the foreseeable
future. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and
expertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richly
endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate
favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter
of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local
manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The
departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in
August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive Transitional
Government, and the arrival of a UN mission are all necessary for
the eventual end of the political crisis, but thus far have done
little to encourage economic development. The reconstruction of
infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy
will largely depend on generous financial support and technical
assistance from donor countries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.903 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
21.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 76.9%
industry: 5.4%
services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
85% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
80%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $85.4 million
expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil,
sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Industries:
rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
488.8 million kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
454.6 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
3,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$1.079 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Exports - partners:
Denmark 29.5%, Germany 18.9%, Poland 14.3%, US 8.9%, Greece 8%
(2004)

Imports:
$5.051 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
goods; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
South Korea 38.8%, Japan 21.2%, Singapore 12.2%, Croatia 5.3%,
Germany 4.2% (2004)

Debt - external:
$2.1 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$94 million (1999)

Currency (code):
Liberian dollar (LRD)

Currency code:
LRD

Exchange rates:
Liberian dollars per US dollar - 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003),
61.754 (2002), 48.583 (2001), 40.953 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Liberia

Telephones - main lines in use:
7,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,000 (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the limited services available are found almost
exclusively in the capital Monrovia
domestic: fully automatic system with very low density of .21 fixed
mainlines per 100 persons; limited wireless service available
international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:
790,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
70,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.lr

Internet hosts:
14 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2001)

Internet users:
1,000 (2002)

Transportation Liberia

Railways:
total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railways are in operation because of the civil war
(2004)

Highways:
total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Buchanan, Monrovia

Merchant marine:
total: 1,465 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 50,555,752 GRT/79,125,329 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 275, cargo 91, chemical
tanker 173, combination ore/oil 22, container 388, liquefied gas 78,
passenger 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 324, refrigerated
cargo 57, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier
35
foreign-owned: 1,392 (Argentina 8, Australia 2, Austria 13, Bahamas
3, Brazil 6, British 1, Canada 2, Chile 1, China 36, Croatia 7,
Cyprus 1, Denmark 5, France 3, Germany 511, Greece 149, Hong Kong
29, India 4, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 5, Israel 7, Italy 12, Japan
106, Latvia 18, Monaco 10, Netherlands 18, Nigeria 1, Norway 57,
Pakistan 1, Poland 14, Romania 1, Russia 63, Saudi Arabia 23,
Singapore 29, Slovenia 1, South Korea 4, Sweden 12, Switzerland 10,
Taiwan 54, Turkey 4, Ukraine 7, UAE 10, United Kingdom 56, United
States 84, Uruguay 3) (2005)

Airports:
53 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)

Military Liberia

Military branches:
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 659,795 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 360,373 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.5 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (2004)

Transnational Issues Liberia

Disputes - international:
although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups,
warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil unrest
persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in Guinea,
72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in
Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia; the
Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian
rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 38,325 (Cote
d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 500,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in
November 2004) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and
South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption,
criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide
significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of
well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a
major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Libya

Introduction Libya

Background:
From the earliest days of his rule following his 1969 military
coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own
political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a
combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal
practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people
themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has
always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used
oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside
Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the
end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he
engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to
gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian
politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992
isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight
103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan support for terrorism appeared
to have decreased after the imposition of sanctions. During the
1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe.
UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in
September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December
2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its
programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has
made significant strides in normalizing relations with western
nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders
as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made
his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to
Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004
several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist
activities in the 1980s by paying compensation to the families of
victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings.

Geography Libya

Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:
25 00 N, 17 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:
total: 4,348 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km,
Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Coastline:
1,770 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

Climate:
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Terrain:
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Land use:
arable land: 1.03%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 98.78% (2001)

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

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four
days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the
Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in
the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under
the Sahara to coastal cities

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

Geography - note:
more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

People Libya

Population:
5,765,563
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.9% (male 997,364/female 955,272)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,842,775/female 1,729,235)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 117,967/female 122,950) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 22.68 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 22.56 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.33% (2005 est.)

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

Death rate:
3.48 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: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.5 years
male: 74.29 years
female: 78.82 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations
during the transmission season (typically April through October)
(2004)

Nationality:
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan

Ethnic groups:
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians,
Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 97%

Languages:
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major
cities

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 92.4%
female: 72% (2003 est.)

Government Libya

Country name:
conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah
al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
local short form: none

Government type:
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the
populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

Capital:
Tripoli

Administrative divisions:
25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al
'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al
Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,
Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt,
Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25
municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions

Independence:
24 December 1951 (from Italy)

National holiday:
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Constitution:
11 December 1969; amended 2 March 1977

Legal system:
based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar
al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title,
but is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General
People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
people's committees; head of government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held
NA)
election results: NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected
indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible
memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some
Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists,
primarily based in London, but has little influence

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
(observer), WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Libya does not have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest
section under the protective power of the United Arab Emirates
Embassy in the US

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli in May 1980,
resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective
power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli,
then opened a Liaison Office in Tripoli in June 2004

Flag description:
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state
religion)

Economy Libya

Economy - overview:
The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil
sector, which contribute practically all export earnings and about
one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give
Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of
this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan
officials in the past four years have made progress on economic
reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country
into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN
sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in
December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of
mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya
were removed in April 2004. Libya faces a long road ahead in
liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps -
including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and
announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a
transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing
and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have
expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the
production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic
conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and
Libya imports about 75% of its food.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$37.48 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.7%
industry: 45.7%
services: 45.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.59 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 17%, industry 29%, services 54% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
30% (2004)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.9% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
9.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $13.52 billion
expenditures: $12.23 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.6
billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
8.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts,
soybeans; cattle

Industries:
petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts,
cement

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
20.89 billion kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
19.43 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
1.518 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
216,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
38 billion bbl (2004 est.)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.321 trillion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$9.895 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$18.65 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas

Exports - partners:
Italy 37%, Germany 16.6%, Spain 11.9%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.2%
(2004)

Imports:
$7.224 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transport equipment, semi-finished goods, food, consumer
products (1999)

Imports - partners:
Italy 25.5%, Germany 11%, South Korea 6.1%, UK 5.4%, Tunisia 4.7%,
Turkey 4.6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$24.18 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$4.069 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$4.4 million ODA (2002)

Currency (code):
Libyan dinar (LYD)

Currency code:
LYD

Exchange rates:
Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707
(2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.5122 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Libya

Telephones - main lines in use:
750,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
100,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized;
mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to
France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt;
tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)

Radios:
1.35 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)

Televisions:
730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ly

Internet hosts:
67 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
160,000 (2003)

Transportation Libya

Railways:
0 km
note: Libya is working on 7 lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge
track; it hopes to have trains running by 2008 (2004)

Highways:
total: 83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
condensate 225 km; gas 3,611 km; oil 7,252 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli,
Zawiyah

Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT
by type: cargo 7, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 1 (Algeria 1) (2005)

Airports:
139 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 59
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 80
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Libya

Military branches:
Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,505,675 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,291,624 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 62,034 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.3 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.9% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Libya

Disputes - international:
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria
and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes;
various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Liechtenstein

Introduction Liechtenstein

Background:
The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy
Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the
end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic
devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter
into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War
II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low
taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in
banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use
of the financial institutions for money laundering. Liechtenstein
has, however, implemented new anti-money-laundering legislation and
recently concluded a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US.

Geography Liechtenstein

Location:
Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Geographic coordinates:
47 16 N, 9 32 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 160 sq km
land: 160 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 76 km
border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km

Coastline:
0 km (doubly landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool
to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Terrain:
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m
highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m

Natural resources:
hydroelectric potential, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 75% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

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,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries
in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

People Liechtenstein

Population:
33,717 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.6% (male 2,938/female 3,009)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 11,795/female 11,927)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,685/female 2,363) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.22 years
male: 38.74 years
female: 39.68 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.82% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.98 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 (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.55 years
male: 75.96 years
female: 83.16 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.51 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: Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective: Liechtenstein

Ethnic groups:
Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2%
(June 2002)

Languages:
German (official), Alemannic dialect

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%

Government Liechtenstein

Country name:
conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein
local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
local short form: Liechtenstein

Government type:
hereditary constitutional monarchy on a democratic and
parliamentary basis

Capital:
Vaduz

Administrative divisions:
11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen,
Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen,
Triesenberg, Vaduz

Independence:
23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12
July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)

National holiday:
Assumption Day, 15 August

Constitution:
5 October 1921

Legal system:
local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989,
assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince
ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August
2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince
to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state
head of government: Head of Government Ottmar HASLER (since 5 April
2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April
2001)
cabinet: Cabinet elected by the parliament, confirmed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is
usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the
leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually
appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by NA
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL
13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or
Obergericht

Political parties and leaders:
Patriotic Union (was Fatherland Union) or VU [Heinz FROMMELT];
Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Johannes MATT]; The Free List or
FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Elisabeth TELLENBACH-FRICK, Adolf RITTER]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE
chancery: 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 550W, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 216-0460
FAX: [1] (202) 216-0459

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US
Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown
on the hoist side of the blue band

Economy Liechtenstein

Economy - overview:
Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein
has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized,
free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and
living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The
Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of
small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% -
and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called
letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein,
providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a
customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its
national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy
requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European
Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995.
The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with
those of an integrated Europe.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$825 million (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
11% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: 40%
services: NA% (1999)

Labor force:
29,000 of whom 19,000 are foreigners; 13,000 commute from Austria,
Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1.3%, industry 47.4%, services 51.3% (31 December 2001
est.)

Unemployment rate:
1.3% (September 2002)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2001)

Budget:
revenues: $424.2 million
expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1998 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Industries:
electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics,
pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism,
optical instruments

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Exports:
$2.47 billion (1996)

Exports - commodities:
small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts
for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs,
electronic equipment, optical products

Exports - partners:
EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK
4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7%

Imports:
$917.3 million (1996)

Imports - commodities:
agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods,
textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles

Imports - partners:
EU, Switzerland

Debt - external:
$0 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
none

Currency (code):
Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code:
CHF

Exchange rates:
Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586
(2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Liechtenstein

Telephones - main lines in use:
19,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
11,400 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable
and microwave radio relay

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
21,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)

Televisions:
12,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.li

Internet hosts:
3,727 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
44 (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) (2000)

Internet users:
20,000 (2002)

Transportation Liechtenstein

Highways:
total: 250 km
paved: 250 km
unpaved: 0 km

Waterways:
28 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 20 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
none

Airports:
none (2004 est.)

Military Liechtenstein

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Switzerland

Transnational Issues Liechtenstein

Disputes - international:
in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of
Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic
confiscated in 1945 as German property

Illicit drugs:
has strengthened money-laundering controls, but money laundering
remains a concern due to Liechtenstein sophisticated offshore
financial services sector

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Lithuania

Introduction Lithuania

Background:
Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by
the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of
the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not
recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the
abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993.
Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into
Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the
spring of 2004.

Geography Lithuania

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates:
56 00 N, 24 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 65,200 sq km
land: NA sq km
water: NA sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,273 km
border countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km,
Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Coastline:
99 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate
winters and summers

Terrain:
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m

Natural resources:
peat, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 45.22%
permanent crops: 0.91%
other: 53.87% (2001)

Irrigated land:
90 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and
chemicals at military bases

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

Geography - note:
fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are
ancient glacial deposits

People Lithuania

Population:
3,596,617 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.1% (male 297,271/female 282,269)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 1,206,731/female 1,264,359)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 186,979/female 359,008) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 37.83 years
male: 35.25 years
female: 40.46 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.3% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.71 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: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.97 years
male: 68.94 years
female: 79.28 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,300 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian

Ethnic groups:
Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified
3.6% (2001 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including
Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or
unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)

Languages:
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and
unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

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

Government Lithuania

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Vilnius

Administrative divisions:
10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno,
Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu,
Utenos, Vilniaus

Independence:
11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6
September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is
the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and
established its statehood; 11 March 1990 is the date it declared its
independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
adopted 25 October 1992

Legal system:
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the
constitutional court

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)
head of government: Premier Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3
July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the premier
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 13 June 2004 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held
June 2009); premier appointed by the president on the approval of
the Parliament
election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote
- Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly
elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional
representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working
for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, Homeland
Union (Conservatives) 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal
Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center
Union 9.1%, Union of Farmers and New Democracy 6.6%; seats by
faction - Labor 39, Homeland Union 25, Social Democrats 20, Liberal
and Center Union 18, Social Liberals 11, Union of Farmers and New
Democracy Parties 10, Liberal Democrats 10, Electoral Action 2,
independents 6

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for
all courts appointed by the President

Political parties and leaders:
Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI,
chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius
KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party [Viktor USPASKICH, chairman];
Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal
Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Lithuanian
Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman];
Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social
Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the
Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social
Democratic Party or LSDP; New Democracy and Farmer's Union or VNDPS
[Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Social Liberals (New Union)
[Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian
Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS, chairman]; Young Lithuania and
New Nationalists

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB,
EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS
chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen D. MULL
embassy: 2600 Akmenu 6, Vilnius
mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE
09723
telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500
FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red

Economy Lithuania

Economy - overview:
Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with
Russia, has slowly rebounded from the 1998 Russian financial crisis.
Unemployment dropped from 11% in 2003 to 8% in 2004. Growing
domestic consumption and increased investment have furthered
recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West.
Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and
joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned
utilities, particularly in the energy sector, is nearing completion.
Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. Foreign
government and business support have helped in the transition from
the old command economy to a market economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$45.23 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $12,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 33.4%
services: 60.5% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.63 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.1% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $6.542 billion
expenditures: $7.121 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
25.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs;
fish

Industries:
metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets,
refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small
ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers,
agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components,
computers, amber

Industrial production growth rate:
12% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
17.93 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 16.5%
hydro: 5.7%
nuclear: 77.7%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
10.17 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
6.8 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
4,594 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
72,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-1.6 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$8.88 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and
equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs
5% (2001)

Exports - partners:
Germany 10.2%, Latvia 10.2%, Russia 9.3%, France 6.3%, UK 5.3%,
Sweden 5.1%, Estonia 5%, Poland 4.8%, Netherlands 4.8%, Denmark
4.8%, US 4.7%, Switzerland 4.6% (2004)

Imports:
$11.02 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
mineral products 21%, machinery and equipment 17%, transport
equipment 11%, chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, metals 5%
(2001)