Chapter XXXIX: Front Matter (39)

Religions:
Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim
16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)

Languages:
Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%,
unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.6%
male: 88.6%
female: 82.7% (2003 est.)

Government Mauritius

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

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Port Louis

Administrative divisions:
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River,
Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses,
Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne

Independence:
12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution:
12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Legal system:
based on French civil law system with elements of English common
law in certain areas

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October
2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February
2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 30 September
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002
(next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly
election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN
elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly -
NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote,
4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political
parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held September
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD
36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP
[Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul
BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Party
or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or
MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR
[Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR
[Serge CLAIR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
various labor unions

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US
mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington,
DC 20521-2450
telephone: [230] 202-4400
FAX: [230] 208-9534

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

Economy Mauritius

Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a
low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income
diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist
sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order
of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more
equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered
infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is
grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25%
of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on
expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic
information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted
more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India
and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has
reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector,
has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act (AGOA).

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.68 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.6%
industry: 30%
services: 62.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
560,000 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%,
transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%,
finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
10.8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
10% (2001 est.)

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1987 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.231 billion
expenditures: $1.582 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
29.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Industries:
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing;
chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical
machinery; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.836 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 9.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.707 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
21,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Current account balance:
$284.1 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$2.012 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses

Exports - partners:
UK 33.1%, France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
$2.245 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals

Imports - partners:
South Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, India 9.3%, France 9.2%, Bahrain
5.3%, Japan 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.676 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.78 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$42 million (1997)

Currency (code):
Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Currency code:
MUR

Exchange rates:
Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003),
29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Mauritius

Telephones - main lines in use:
348,200 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
462,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF
radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine
cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)

Radios:
420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
258,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.mu

Internet hosts:
3,985 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
150,000 (2003)

Transportation Mauritius

Highways:
total: 2,000 km
paved: 1,960 km (including 60 km of expressways)
unpaved: 40 km (2002)

Ports and harbors:
Port Louis

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)

Airports:
6 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Mauritius

Military branches:
National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile
Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 248,659 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.5 million (2004)

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

Transnational Issues Mauritius

Disputes - international:
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British
Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside
chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to
patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs:
minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia;
small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant
offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering,
but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears
generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Mayotte

Introduction Mayotte

Background:
Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the
Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago
that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego
independence.

Geography Mayotte

Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half
of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
12 50 S, 45 10 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
185.2 km

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

Climate:
tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern
monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)

Terrain:
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA%

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
cyclones during rainy season

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands

People Mayotte

Population:
193,633 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.2% (male 44,926/female 44,521)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 54,713/female 46,156)
65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,666/female 1,651) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.96 years
male: 18.04 years
female: 15.87 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.93% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 68.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.39 years
male: 59.22 years
female: 63.62 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.89 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: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran

Ethnic groups:
NA

Religions:
Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)

Languages:
Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by
35% of the population

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

Government Mayotte

Country name:
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte

Dependency status:
territorial collectivity of France

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Mamoutzou

Administrative divisions:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Independence:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
French law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI
(since NA 2004)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council
elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%,
PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP
9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last
held 24 September 2001 (next to be held September 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also
elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election in June
2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF
44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement
or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; FARC [leader NA]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR
(UMP) [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or
MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC
[Omar SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti
Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF
[Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territorial collectivity of France)

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy Mayotte

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector,
including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not
self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food
requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development
of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance,
an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an
obstacle to the development of tourism.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$466.8 million (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2003 est.)

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

Labor force:
48,800 (2000)

Unemployment rate:
38% (1999)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%

Budget:
revenues: NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1991 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra

Industries:
newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

Exports:
$3.44 million f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities:
ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee,
cinnamon

Exports - partners:
France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000)

Imports:
$141.3 million f.o.b. (1997)

Imports - commodities:
food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals,
chemicals

Imports - partners:
France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (1995)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)

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 Mayotte

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,700 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system administered by French Department
of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
3 (2001)

Televisions:
3,500 (1994)

Internet country code:
.yt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Mayotte

Highways:
total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km

Ports and harbors:
Dzaoudzi

Airports:
1 (2004 est.)

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

Military Mayotte

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French
forces stationed on the island

Transnational Issues Mayotte

Disputes - international:
claimed by Comoros

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Mexico

Introduction Mexico

Background:
The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under
Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early
in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw
Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over
half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery.
Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages,
underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable
income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the
largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states.
Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910
Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in
government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX
of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000
as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.

Geography Mexico

Location:
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico,
between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean,
between Guatemala and the US

Geographic coordinates:
23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references:
North America

Area:
total: 1,972,550 sq km
land: 1,923,040 sq km
water: 49,510 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 4,353 km
border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Coastline:
9,330 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:
varies from tropical to desert

Terrain:
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use:
arable land: 12.99%
permanent crops: 1.31%
other: 85.7% (2001)

Irrigated land:
65,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive
earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific,
Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Environment - current issues:
scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban
migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in
north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme
southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in
urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification;
deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in
the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land
subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion
note: the government considers the lack of clean water and
deforestation national security issues

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

Geography - note:
strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of
the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in
Mexico

People Mexico

Population:
106,202,903 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.1% (male 16,844,400/female 16,159,511)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 32,521,043/female 34,704,093)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 2,715,010/female 3,258,846) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.93 years
male: 24.04 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.17% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-4.57 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.91 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.19 years
male: 72.42 years
female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
160,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly
Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%

Languages:
Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.)

Government Mexico

Country name:
conventional long form: United Mexican States
conventional short form: Mexico
local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos
local short form: Mexico

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Mexico (Distrito Federal)

Administrative divisions:
31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district*
(distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California
Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima,
Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco,
Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca,
Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi,
Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave,
Yucatan, Zacatecas

Independence:
16 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Constitution:
5 February 1917

Legal system:
mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December
2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of
attorney general requires consent of the Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held 2 July 2006)
election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of
vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa
(PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the
Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of
each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or
Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly
elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200
members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote,
also for three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next
to be held 2 July 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 July 2003
(next to be held 2 July 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 16, PVEM 5, unassigned 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 222,
PAN 151, PRD 95, PVEM 17, PT 6, CD 5, unassigned 4; note - special
elections were held in December 2003; the PRI and the PRD each won
one seat and were each assigned one additional proportional
representation seat

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional
(justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent
of the Senate)

Political parties and leaders:
Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro];
Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Roberto MADRAZO Pintado];
Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ
Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena];
Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Leonel GODOY]; Workers
Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX;
Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of
Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of
Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business
Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and
Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries
or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union
of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or
CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC;
Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:
APEC, BCIE, BIS, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15,
G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Carlos Alberto de ICAZA
Gonzalez
chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600
FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,
Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico
(California), Corpus Christi (Texas), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit,
Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California),
Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Las Vegas, McAllen
(Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California),
Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Salt
Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson,
Yuma (Arizona)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA
embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,
Distrito Federal
mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-0900
telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000
FAX: [52] (55) 5525-5040
consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana
consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo, Laredo

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its
beak) is centered in the white band

Economy Mexico

Economy - overview:
Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion
dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry
and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector.
Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports,
railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas
distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of
the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the
US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994.
Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries
including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade
Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade
agreements. The government is cognizant of the need to upgrade
infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and provide
incentives to invest in the energy sector, but progress is slow.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.006 trillion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 27.2%
services: 68.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
34.73 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 18%, industry 24%, services 58% (2003)

Unemployment rate:
3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 35.6% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
53.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $160 billion
expenditures: $158 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
23.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit,
tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

Industries:
food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum,
mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
3.8% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
203.6 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.7%
hydro: 14.2%
nuclear: 4.2%
other: 2.9% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
189.7 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
98.65 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
367.7 million kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
1.752 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.863 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
205,000 bbl/day (2004)

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

Natural gas - production:
47.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
55.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
7.85 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
420 billion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$-4.113 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$182.4 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits,
vegetables, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners:
US 87.6%, Canada 1.8%, Spain 1.1% (2004)

Imports:
$190.8 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery,
electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor
vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Imports - partners:
US 53.7%, China 7%, Japan 5.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$60.67 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$149.9 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.166 billion (1995)

Currency (code):
Mexican peso (MXN)

Currency code:
MXN

Exchange rates:
Mexican pesos per US dollar - 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656
(2002), 9.342 (2001), 9.456 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Mexico

Telephones - main lines in use:
15,958,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
28.125 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: low telephone density with about 15.2 main
lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to
competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development, but
Telmex remains dominant
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,
but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far
outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120
earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;
considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32
Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South
America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing
domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations;
linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections;
high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to
the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy
(1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)

Radios:
31 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
25.6 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.mx

Internet hosts:
1,333,406 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
51 (2000)

Internet users:
10.033 million (2002)

Transportation Mexico

Railways:
total: 17,634 km
standard gauge: 17,634 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 329,532 km
paved: 108,087 km (including 6,429 km of expressways)
unpaved: 221,445 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
2,900 km
note: navigable rivers and coastal canals (2004)

Pipelines:
crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas
13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Altamira, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico,
Topolobampo, Veracruz

Merchant marine:
total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 649,389 GRT/942,766 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas
5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 26, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, UAE 1, United States 1)
registered in other countries: 6 (2005)

Airports:
1,833 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 233
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
1,524 to 2,437 m: 84
914 to 1,523 m: 80
under 914 m: 29 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1,600
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 69
914 to 1,523 m: 454
under 914 m: 1,075 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2004 est.)

Military Mexico

Military branches:
Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena): Army and Air Force (FAM)
Secretariat of the Navy (Semar): Naval Air and Marines (2004)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service
obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary
enlistment (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 24,488,008 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 19,058,337 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 1,063,233 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$6.043 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2004)

Transnational Issues Mexico

Disputes - international:
prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and
infrastructure in the border region have strained water-sharing
arrangements with the US; the US has stepped up efforts to stem
nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world
from illegally crossing the border with Mexico

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994
in eastern Chiapas Region) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400
hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons) and of
cannabis (in 2001 - 4,100 hectares); government eradication efforts
have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of
heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine
to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for
US-bound cocaine from South America, accounting for about 70 percent
of estimated annual cocaine movement to the US; major drug
syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the
country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant
money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Micronesia, Federated States of

Introduction Micronesia, Federated States of

Background:
In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory
under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986
independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with
the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns
include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on
US aid.

Geography Micronesia, Federated States of

Location:
Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about
three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:
6 55 N, 158 15 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 702 sq km
land: 702 sq km
water: 0 sq km (fresh water only)
note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands,
and Kosrae (Kosaie)

Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only)

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
6,112 km

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

Climate:
tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern
islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with
occasionally severe damage

Terrain:
islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low,
coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m

Natural resources:
forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate

Land use:
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 45.71%
other: 48.58% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons (June to December)

Environment - current issues:
overfishing, climate change, pollution

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

Geography - note:
four major island groups totaling 607 islands

People Micronesia, Federated States of

Population:
108,105 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 20,439/female 19,674)
15-64 years: 59.8% (male 32,382/female 32,313)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,461/female 1,836) (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.08% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-21.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
NA

Infant mortality rate:
total: 30.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.75 years
male: 67.96 years
female: 71.62 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.25 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: Micronesian(s)
adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese

Ethnic groups:
nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups

Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%

Languages:
English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese,
Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89%
male: 91%
female: 88% (1980 est.)

Government Micronesia, Federated States of

Country name:
conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia
conventional short form: none
former: Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts (Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands)
abbreviation: FSM

Government type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the
Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and
the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004

Capital:
Palikir

Administrative divisions:
4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap

Independence:
3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)

Constitution:
10 May 1979

Legal system:
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May 2003);
Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May
2003); Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from
among the four senators at large for four-year terms; election last
held 11 May 2003 (next to be held May 2007); note - a proposed
constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for
president and vice president failed
election results: Joseph J. URUSEMAL elected president; percent of
Congress vote - NA%; Redley KILLION elected vice president; percent
of Congress vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress (14 seats; four - one elected from each state
to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member
districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members
elected by popular vote)
elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 4 March 2003
(next to be held March 2007); elections for two-year term seats last
held 8 March 2005 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
no formal parties

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, ITU,
MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU
chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383
FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391
consulate(s) general: Honolulu and Tamuning (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Suzanne K. HALE
embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia
mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States
of Micronesia 96941
telephone: [691] 320-2187
FAX: [691] 320-2186

Flag description:
light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars
are arranged in a diamond pattern

Economy Micronesia, Federated States of

Economy - overview:
Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and
fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting,
except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist
industry exists, but the remote location, a lack of adequate
facilities, and limited air connections hinder development. The
Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual
aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and
the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts
to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term
economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US
assistance but also to the slow growth of the private sector.
Geographical isolation and a poorly developed infrastructure remain
major impediments to long-term growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$277 million
note: GDP is supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100
million annually (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 50%
industry: 4%
services: 46% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
two-thirds are government employees

Unemployment rate:
16% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
26.7%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $161 million ($69 million less grants)
expenditures: $160 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1998 est.)

Agriculture - products:
black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava
(tapioca), betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens

Industries:
tourism, construction, fish processing, specialized aquaculture,
craft items from shell, wood, and pearls

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
192 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
NA

Electricity - consumption:
178.6 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Exports:
$22 million (f.o.b.) (FY99/00 est.)

Exports - commodities:
fish, garments, bananas, black pepper

Exports - partners:
Japan, US, Guam (2000)

Imports:
$149 million f.o.b. (FY99/00 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages

Imports - partners:
US, Australia, Japan (2000)

Debt - external:
$53.1 million (FY02/03 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US pledged $1.3
billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001; the level of aid
has been subsequently reduced

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Micronesia, Federated States of

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,100 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,800 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used
mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground
stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service
available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap
international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
9,400 (1996)

Television broadcast stations:
3; note - cable TV also available (2004)

Televisions:
2,800 (1999)

Internet country code:
.fm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
6,000 (2002)

Transportation Micronesia, Federated States of

Highways:
total: 240 km
paved: 42 km
unpaved: 198 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Tomil Harbor

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,423 GRT/1,551 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
foreign-owned: 2 (United States 2) (2005)

Airports:
6 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Micronesia, Federated States of

Military branches:
no ministry of defense and no standing armed forces; the
paramilitary Maritime Wing, a small maritime law enforcement unit,
is responsible to the Division of Maritime Surveillance within the
Office of the Attorney General (2003)

Military - note:
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign, self-governing
state in free association with the US; FSM is totally dependent on
the US for its defense

Transnational Issues Micronesia, Federated States of

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Midway Islands

Introduction Midway Islands

Background:
The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of
the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought
the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used
as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory
over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning
points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval
station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a national
wildlife refuge. From 1996 to 2001 the refuge was open to the
public; it is now temporarily closed.

Geography Midway Islands

Location:
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the
way from Honolulu to Tokyo

Geographic coordinates:
28 13 N, 177 22 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 6.2 sq km
land: 6.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Eastern Island, Sand Island, and Spit Island

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
15 km

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

Climate:
subtropical; moderated by prevailing easterly winds

Terrain:
low, nearly level

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 13 m

Natural resources:
wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the
public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife
observation and photography, sport fishing, snorkeling, and scuba
diving; the refuge is temporarily closed for reorganization at
present (2004)

People Midway Islands

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants; approximately 40 people make up the
staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services contractor
living at the atoll (July 2005 est.)

Government Midway Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Midway Islands

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; formerly administered from
Washington, DC, by the US Navy; on 31 October 1996, through a
presidential executive order, the jurisdiction and control of the
atoll was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge
system

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Midway Islands

Economy - overview:
The economy is based on providing support services for the national
wildlife refuge activities located on the islands. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.

Transportation Midway Islands

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors:
Sand Island

Airports:
3 (2004 est.)

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

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

Transportation - note:
airfield serves as an emergency landing site for commercial
aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean

Military Midway Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Midway Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Moldova

Introduction Moldova

Background:
Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet
Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the
USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory
east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority
population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a
"Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova
became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its
president in 2001.

Geography Moldova

Location:
Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Geographic coordinates:
47 00 N, 29 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 33,843 sq km
land: 33,371 sq km
water: 472 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 1,389 km
border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain:
rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dniester River 2 m
highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

Natural resources:
lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 55.3%
permanent crops: 10.79%
other: 33.91% (2001)

Irrigated land:
3,070 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
landslides (57 cases in 1998)

Environment - current issues:
heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides
such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil
erosion from poor farming methods

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and
minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

People Moldova

Population:
4,455,421 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 459,452/female 442,725)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 1,489,813/female 1,606,202)
65 years and over: 10.3% (male 169,038/female 288,191) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 32.22 years
male: 30.14 years
female: 34.27 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.22% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.25 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: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 40.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 43.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 37.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.18 years
male: 61.12 years
female: 69.43 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 300 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups:
Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Jewish 1.5%,
Bulgarian 2%, Gagauz and other 5.2% (1989 est.)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region

Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)

Languages:
Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language),
Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.1%
male: 99.6%
female: 98.7% (2003 est.)

Government Moldova

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
conventional short form: Moldova
local long form: Republica Moldova
local short form: none
former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet
Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Chisinau

Administrative divisions:
32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities
(municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala
autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
: counties: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir,
Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari,
Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova,
Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti,
Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni
: municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau
: autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia
: territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului

Independence:
27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994;
replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

Legal system:
based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of
legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; it is
unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts
many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) documents

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April
2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasile IOVV (since 29 January
2002)
cabinet: selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term;
election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held NA 2009); note -
prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with
Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime
minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the
Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime
minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of
confidence 19 April 2001
election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president;
parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile
TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence
- 75 of 101

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and
electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic
Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party -
PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for
constitutional judicature)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Modova Bloc [Serafim URECHEANU] includes: Democratic
Party [Dumitru DIACOV], Our Moldova Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS,
Serafim URECHEANU], Social Liberal Party [Oleg SEREBRIAN]; Communist
Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first
chairman]; Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mihail MANOLI
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130
FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Heather M. HODGES
embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [373] (22) 408-300
FAX: [373] (22) 23-30-44

Flag description:
same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue
(hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a
Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons
carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its
right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast
is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox
head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow

Economy Moldova