Chapter XLII: Front Matter (42)

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling

Geography - note:
located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or
Meuse, and Schelde)

People Netherlands

Population:
16,407,491 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.1% (male 1,523,316/female 1,453,232)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,627,007/female 5,491,802)
65 years and over: 14.1% (male 974,037/female 1,338,097) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.04 years
male: 38.22 years
female: 39.9 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.53% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.04 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.81 years
male: 76.25 years
female: 81.51 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
19,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
adjective: Dutch

Ethnic groups:
Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly
Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999
est.)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%,
other 2.5%, none 41% (2002)

Languages:
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (2000 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government Netherlands

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form: Netherlands
local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form: Nederland

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe,
Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg,
Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland,
Zuid-Holland

Dependent areas:
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence:
23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries
conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; it was not until
1648 that Spain recognized their independence)

National holiday:
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession
to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

Constitution:
adopted 1815; amended many times, last time 2002

Legal system:
civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution
does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent
WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22
July 2002) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gerrit ZALM (since 27 May
2003) and Laurens Jan BRINKHORST (since 31 March 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following Second
Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the
monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch
note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir
apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet
on legislative and administrative policy

Legislative branch:
bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First
Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the
country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second
Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held
May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 January 2003 (next to be
held May 2007)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Party 5, Socialist
Party 4, D66 3, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party -
CDA 28.6%, PvdA 27.3%, VVD 12.9%, Socialist Party 6.3%, List Pim
Fortuyn 5.7%, Green Party 5.1%, D66 4.1%; seats by party - CDA 44,
PvdA 42, VVD 28, Socialist Party 9, List Pim Fortuyn 8, Green Party
8, D66 6, other 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the
monarch)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Maxime Jacques Marcel
VERHAGEN]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or
D66 [Boris DITTRICH]; Green Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or
PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Gerard van AS]; People's Party
for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Jozias VAN AARTSEN];
Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Netherlands Trade Union Federation (FNV) (consisting of a merger of
Socialist and Catholic trade unions); Christian Trade Union
Federation (CNV); Trade Union Federation of Middle and High
Personnel (MHP); Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers
Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational
firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Boudewijn J. VAN EENENNAAM
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300
FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
consulate(s): Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209
FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688
consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar
to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer;
one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with WILLIAM I,
Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century

Economy Netherlands

Economy - overview:
The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends
heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial
relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current
account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation
hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing,
chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly
mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor
force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry
and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners,
began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country
continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting
foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in
2001-04, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four
years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the
EU average.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$481.1 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 24.5%
services: 73.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
7.53 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 4%, industry 23%, services 73% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.6 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $256.9 billion
expenditures: $274.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
55.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Industries:
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction,
microelectronics, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:
0.8% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
90.61 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 89.9%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 4.3%
other: 5.7% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
100.7 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
4.5 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
20.9 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
46,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
895,300 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.418 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
2.284 million bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$19.9 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$293.1 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 25%, Belgium 12.4%, UK 10.1%, France 9.9%, Italy 6%, US
4.3% (2004)

Imports:
$252.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs,
clothing

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.9%, Belgium 9.9%, US 7.9%, China 7.4%, UK 6.4%, France
4.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$21.44 billion (2003)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $4 billion (2003 est.)

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

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Netherlands

Telephones - main lines in use:
10.004 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
12.5 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed and well maintained
domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; cellular
telephone system is one of the largest in Europe with five major
network operators utilizing the third generation of the Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international: country code - 31; 9 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1
Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2004)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)

Radios:
15.3 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations:
21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
8.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.nl

Internet hosts:
4,518,226 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
52 (2000)

Internet users:
8.5 million (2003)

Transportation Netherlands

Railways:
total: 2,808 km
standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 116,500 km
paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)
unpaved: 11,650 km (1999)

Waterways:
5,046 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate 325 km; gas 6,998 km; oil 590 km; refined products 716
km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Amsterdam, Groningen, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen,
Zaanstad

Merchant marine:
total: 558 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,796,460 GRT/5,212,557 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 361, chemical tanker 32, container
48, liquefied gas 13, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum
tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off 15, specialized
tanker 4
foreign-owned: 139 (Bahamas 5, Belgium 2, Canada 1, Denmark 4,
Finland 7, Germany 62, Ireland 13, Norway 9, Sweden 19, United
Kingdom 6, United States 11)
registered in other countries: 223 (2005)

Airports:
27 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 20
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Netherlands

Military branches:
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air
Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke
Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Constabulary, Defense Interservice Command
(DICO) (2004)

Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 3,557,918 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 2,856,691 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 99,934 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9.408 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.6% (2004)

Transnational Issues Netherlands

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
major European producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other
synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish
entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial
sector vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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@Netherlands Antilles

Introduction Netherlands Antilles

Background:
Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao
was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity
(and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th
century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly
discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is
shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and
is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called
Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France).

Geography Netherlands Antilles

Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of
five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of
Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the
US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates:
12 15 N, 68 45 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 960 sq km
land: 960 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint
Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Area - comparative:
more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 10.2 km

Coastline:
364 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain:
generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m

Natural resources:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are
rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are
subject to hurricanes from July to October

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided
geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint
Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern)
group (Bonaire and Curacao)

People Netherlands Antilles

Population:
219,958 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 27,302/female 26,002)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 70,838/female 77,148)
65 years and over: 8.5% (male 7,673/female 10,995) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 32.46 years
male: 30.86 years
female: 34.01 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.82% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 10.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.82 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.83 years
male: 73.58 years
female: 78.2 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2 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: Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean

Ethnic groups:
mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other
Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2%
(2001 census)

Languages:
Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect),
English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%,
Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96.7%
female: 96.8% (2003 est.)

Government Netherlands Antilles

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
former: Curacao and Dependencies

Dependency status:
an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full
autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government
responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Government type:
parliamentary

Capital:
Willemstad; note - located on Curacao, the largest of the islands

Administrative divisions:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government

Independence:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday:
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession
to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

Constitution:
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as
amended

Legal system:
based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law
influence

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April
1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1
July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Etienne YS (since 3 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister
by the Staten; election last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held
by NA 2006)
note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, PLKP, DP St. Maarten, UP
Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia

Legislative branch:
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St.
Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held in 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PAR 4, PNP 3, PLKP 2, DP St. M 2, UP Bonaire 2, WIPM 1, DP
note: the government of Prime Minister Etienne YS is a coalition of
several parties; current government formed after collapse of FOL led
government on 4 April 2004

Judicial branch:
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:
Antillean Restructuring Party or PAR [Etienne YS]; C 93 [Stanley
BROWN]; Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM];
Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; Democratic
Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Democratic
Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS];
Foundation Energetic Management Anti-Narcotics or FAME [Eric
LODEWIJKS]; Labor Party People's Crusade or PLKP [Errol COVA];
National Alliance [William MARLIN]; National People's Party or PNP
[Susanne F. C. CAMELIA-ROMER]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Kenneth
GIJSBERTHA]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UP Bonaire [Ramonsito
BOOI]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA [Vance JAMES, Jr.];
People's Party or PAPU [Richard HODI]; Pro Curacao Party or PPK
[Winston LOURENS]; Saba Democratic Labor Movement [Steve HASSELL];
Saba Unity Party [Carmen SIMMONDS]; St. Eustatius Alliance or SEA
[Kenneth VAN PUTTEN]; Serious Alternative People's Party or Sapp
[Julian ROLLOCKS]; Social Action Cause or KAS [Benny DEMEI];
Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Will JOHNSTON]; Workers'
Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT, Rignald LAK, Editha WRIGHT]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO,
WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad AN, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489

Flag description:
white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on
a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars
are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the
five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao,
Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten

Economy Netherlands Antilles

Economy - overview:
Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays
of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world.
Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past
eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a
well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the
region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US
and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate
water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary
problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging
population.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.45 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
0.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
89,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15.6% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $710.8 million
expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1997 est.)

Agriculture - products:
aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Industries:
tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining
(Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire),
light manufacturing (Curacao)

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
1.005 billion kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
934.3 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$1.579 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum products

Exports - partners:
US 20.4%, Panama 11.2%, Guatemala 8.8%, Haiti 7.1%, Bahamas, The
5.6%, Honduras 4.2% (2004)

Imports:
$2.233 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
crude petroleum, food, manufactures

Imports - partners:
Venezuela 51.1%, US 21.9%, Netherlands 5% (2004)

Debt - external:
$1.35 billion (1996)

Economic aid - recipient:
IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its
support with $40 million (2000)

Currency (code):
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)

Currency code:
ANG

Exchange rates:
Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2004), 1.79
(2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Netherlands Antilles

Telephones - main lines in use:
81,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
81,000 (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
217,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received
from various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels)
(2004)

Televisions:
69,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.an

Internet hosts:
119 (2001)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6

Internet users:
2,000 (2000)

Transportation Netherlands Antilles

Highways:
total: 600 km
paved: 300 km
unpaved: 300 km

Ports and harbors:
Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad

Merchant marine:
total: 168 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,317,007 GRT/1,668,499 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 23, cargo 72, chemical tanker
2, container 21, liquefied gas 6, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 3,
refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 158 (Belgium 5, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Germany 57, Hong
Kong 3, Netherlands 71, Peru 1, Sweden 9, Turkey 7, United Kingdom
2, United States 1) (2005)

Airports:
5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2038 to 3047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Netherlands Antilles

Military branches:
National Guard, Police Force

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for military recruitment; no conscription (July
2002)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 54,200 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 45,273 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 1,720 (2005 est.)

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Transnational Issues Netherlands Antilles

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and
Europe; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@New Caledonia

Introduction New Caledonia

Background:
Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the
19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It
served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for
independence during the 1980s and early 1990s has dissipated.

Geography New Caledonia

Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Geographic coordinates:
21 30 S, 165 30 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
2,254 km

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

Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Terrain:
coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Natural resources:
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

Land use:
arable land: 0.38%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 99.29% (2001)

Irrigated land:
160 sq km (1991)

Natural hazards:
cyclones, most frequent from November to March

Environment - current issues:
erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geography - note:
consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in
the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous
small, sparsely populated islands and atolls

People New Caledonia

Population:
216,494 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 32,030/female 30,714)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 70,294/female 69,506)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 6,513/female 7,437) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.5 years
male: 27.16 years
female: 27.84 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.28% (2005 est.)

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

Death rate:
5.65 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.04 years
male: 71.07 years
female: 77.16 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.31 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: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian

Ethnic groups:
Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%,
Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Languages:
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92%
female: 90% (1976 est.)

Government New Caledonia

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia
local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie

Dependency status:
overseas territory of France since 1956

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Noumea

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 3 provinces named Iles Loyaute, Nord, and Sud

Independence:
none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on
independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is
scheduled for 2014

National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:
the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the
islands; formerly under French law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May
1995), represented by High Commissioner Michel MATHIEU (since 15
July 2005)
head of government: President of the Government Marie-Noelle
THEMEREAU (since 10 June 2004)
cabinet: Consultative Committee
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the
government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress; note
- last election held 29 June 2004 when Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU was
elected on the third vote with 8 votes for and 3 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats;
members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees
Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3
note: New Caledonia currently holds 1 seat in the French Senate;
elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later
than September 2007; between now and 2010 New Caledonia will gain a
second seat in the French Senate); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; New Caledonia also elects 2 seats
to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 and 16 June
2002 (next to be held by June 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 2

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce
Tribunal Court; Children's Court

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caleonian
Union or UC [leader NA]; Federation des Comites de Coordination des
Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy
GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak
Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS [leader NA]
(includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or
PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in
the Republic (anti independent) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The
Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour
l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist,
but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de
Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM
[Victor TUTUGORO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), UPU, WFTU, WMO

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

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

Flag description:
the flag of France is used

Economy New Caledonia

Economy - overview:
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources.
Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and
food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel,
substantial financial support from France - equal to more than
one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the
economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined
with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic
outlook for the next several years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.158 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
NA%

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 30%
services: 65% (1997 est.)

Labor force:
79,400 (including 15,018 unemployed) (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 7%, industry 23%, services 70% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
19% (1996)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.6% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $861.3 million
expenditures: $735.3 million, including capital expenditures of $52
million (1996 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products

Industries:
nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.6% (1996)

Electricity - production:
1.581 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.3%
hydro: 23.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.471 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
8,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$448 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners:
Japan 22%, France 16.5%, Taiwan 12.3%, South Korea 12%, Spain 6.3%,
Australia 6.1%, China 4.8%, South Africa 4.5% (2004)

Imports:
$1.007 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
France 40.3%, Singapore 10.9%, Australia 9.1%, New Zealand 4.9%
(2004)

Debt - external:
$79 million (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$880 million annual subsidy from France (1998)

Currency (code):
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Currency code:
XPF

Exchange rates:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 96.04
(2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.43 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications New Caledonia

Telephones - main lines in use:
52,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
80,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
107,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.nc

Internet hosts:
4,449 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
60,000 (2003)

Transportation New Caledonia

Highways:
total: 5,432 km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Noumea

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2005)

Airports:
25 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
6 (2004 est.)

Military New Caledonia

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces
(includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues New Caledonia

Disputes - international:
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France
and Vanuatu

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@New Zealand

Introduction New Zealand

Background:
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In
1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the
Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen
Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the
British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of
land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native
peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent
dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars.
New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances
lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to
address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geography New Zealand

Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km
water: NA
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands,
Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
15,134 km

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

Climate:
temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain:
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold,
limestone

Land use:
arable land: 5.6%
permanent crops: 6.99%
other: 87.41% (2001)

Irrigated land:
2,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by
species introduced from outside

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

Geography - note:
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the
southernmost national capital in the world

People New Zealand

Population:
4,035,461 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.4% (male 441,836/female 421,065)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,356,095/female 1,343,728)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 206,650/female 266,087) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.65 years
male: 32.92 years
female: 34.4 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.02% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.66 years
male: 75.67 years
female: 81.78 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,400 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups:
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%,
other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)

Religions:
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist
2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other
3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

Languages:
English (official), Maori (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government New Zealand

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Wellington

Administrative divisions:
16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury,
Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui,
Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman,
Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Dependent areas:
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence:
26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday:
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Constitution:
consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of
the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act
1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987,
effective 1 January 1987

Legal system:
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts
for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4
April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December
1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament
(120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member
constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional
seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later
than 15 November 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%,
NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand
1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7,
Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1
note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats
increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat
than its entitlement under the party vote

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed
by the Governor-General

Political parties and leaders:
ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and
Rod DONALD]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP
[Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New
Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James
(Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986),
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C,
CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP
96531-1034
telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000
FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490
consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with
four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer
half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross
constellation

Economy New Zealand

Economy - overview:
Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand
from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market
access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can
compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but
left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and
deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector,
and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen
for six consecutive years and is now more than $23,000 in purchasing
power parity terms. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade -
particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth. Exports are
equal to about 20% of GDP. Thus far the economy has been resilient,
and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health,
education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$92.51 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.6%
industry: 27.4%
services: 68% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.05 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
4.2% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $38.29 billion
expenditures: $36.12 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
22.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef,
lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish

Industries:
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Industrial production growth rate:
5.9% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
38.39 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 31.6%
hydro: 57.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 10.7% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
35.71 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
42,160 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
132,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
30,220 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
119,700 bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-3.647 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$19.85 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery

Exports - partners:
Australia 21%, US 14.4%, Japan 11.3%, China 5.7%, UK 4.7% (2004)

Imports:
$19.77 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum,
electronics, textiles, plastics

Imports - partners:
Australia 22.4%, US 11.3%, Japan 11.2%, China 9.7%, Germany 5.2%
(2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.805 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$47.34 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $99.7 million

Currency (code):
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003),
2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications New Zealand

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.765 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.599 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA
international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and
Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
3.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
1.926 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.nz

Internet hosts:
474,395 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
36 (2000)

Internet users:
2.11 million (2003)

Transportation New Zealand

Railways:
total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 92,382 km
paved: 59,124 km (including at least 169 km of expressways)
unpaved: 33,258 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 2,213 km; liquid petroleum gas 79 km; oil 160 km; refined
products 304 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Auckland, Lyttelton, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei

Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 77,523 GRT/108,352 DWT
by type: cargo 3, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, roll
on/roll off 1, bulk carrier 3
foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Isle of Man 1)
registered in other countries: 5 (2005)

Airports:
116 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 70
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)

Military New Zealand

Military branches:
New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air
Force

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be
deployed until the age of 18 (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 984,700 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 809,519 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 29,738 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.147 billion (FY03/04)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (FY02)

Transnational Issues New Zealand

Disputes - international:
asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see
Antarctica]

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Nicaragua

Introduction Nicaragua

Background:
The Pacific Coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from
Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was
declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in
1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the
19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in
subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation
and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a
short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas
to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador
caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through
much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and again in 2001
saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its
economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in
1998.

Geography Nicaragua

Location:
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of New York

Land boundaries:
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline:
910 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate:
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain:
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior
mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural resources:
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use:
arable land: 15.94%
permanent crops: 1.94%
other: 82.12% (2001)

Irrigated land:
880 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely
susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

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

Geography - note:
largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater
body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

People Nicaragua

Population:
5,465,100 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 1,036,487/female 999,226)
15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,623,065/female 1,638,017)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 73,935/female 94,370) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.56 years
male: 20.15 years
female: 20.98 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.92% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.19 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: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.33 years
male: 68.27 years
female: 72.49 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,400 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%,
Amerindian 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal
0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census)

Languages:
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Government Nicaragua

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Managua

Administrative divisions:
15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2
autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region
autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo,
Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz,
Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000

Legal system:
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January
2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10
January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January
2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 November
2001 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC) elected president -
56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PCN)
1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats;
members are elected by proportional representation and party lists
to serve five-year terms; one seat for previous President, one seat
for runner-up in previous Presidential election
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance
(ruling party - includes PCCN, PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%,
FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN
38, PCN 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year
terms by the National Assembly)