Chapter LIX: Front Matter (59)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.01 years
male: 65.79 years
female: 70.33 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3 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: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan

Ethnic groups:
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Religions:
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist
1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Languages:
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

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

Government Tuvalu

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's
eight traditionally inhabited islands

Government type:
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began
debating republic status in 1992

Capital:
Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku
Village on Fongafale Islet

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
1 October 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Constitution:
1 October 1978

Legal system:
NA

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA (since 11 October
2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime
minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members
of Parliament; election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held
following parliamentary elections in 2006)
election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA resigned parliamentary seat on 27
August 2004 following no-confidence vote on 25 August 2004;
succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA in an acting
capacity on 27 August 2004; Maatia TOAFA confirmed Prime Minister in
a Parliamentary election (8-7 vote) on 11 October 2004

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly
(15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15

Judicial branch:
High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its
sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in
Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:
there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually
align themselves in informal groupings

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only
diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office
located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, New York 10017,
telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to
Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Flag description:
light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country
with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands

Economy Tuvalu

Economy - overview:
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine
coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral
resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the
primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,
visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the
sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000
Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has
begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources
decline. Substantial income is received annually from an
international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and
the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise
investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from
an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US
government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of
payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its
dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector
reforms, including privatization of some government functions and
personnel cuts of up to 7%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue
from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the
lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new
technology sources could increase substantially over the next
decade. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise
imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and
telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers,
official transfers, and income from overseas investments.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.2 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)

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

Labor force:
7,000 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs,
and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers
in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $22.5 million
expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2
million (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts; fish

Industries:
fishing, tourism, copra

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA

Exports:
$1 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
copra, fish

Exports - partners:
Germany 56.5%, Fiji 14.3%, Italy 10.9%, UK 7.7%, Poland 4.9% (2004)

Imports:
$79 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
Fiji 50.2%, Japan 18.1%, Australia 9.6%, China 8%, New Zealand 5.5%
(2004)

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US
(1999 est.)

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598
(2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tuvalu

Telephones - main lines in use:
700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls can be made
by satellite

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

Radios:
4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (2004)

Televisions:
800

Internet country code:
.tv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
1,300 (2002)

Transportation Tuvalu

Highways:
total: 8 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Funafuti

Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,993 GRT/86,048 DWT
by type: cargo 20, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 16 (China 9, Germany 2, Hong Kong 4, Thailand 1)
(2005)

Airports:
1 (2004 est.)

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

Military Tuvalu

Military branches:
no regular military forces; national police force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Tuvalu

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Uganda

Introduction Uganda

Background:
Uganda achieved independence from the UK in 1962. The dictatorial
regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some
300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under
Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives.
During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential
and legislative elections.

Geography Uganda

Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933
km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to
February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Terrain:
mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 25.88%
permanent crops: 10.65%
other: 63.47% (2001)

Irrigated land:
90 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; poaching is widespread

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

People Uganda

Population:
27,269,482
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 50.1% (male 6,875,663/female 6,784,378)
15-64 years: 47.7% (male 6,511,867/female 6,494,859)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 263,790/female 338,925) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 14.97 years
male: 14.87 years
female: 15.08 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.31% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.49 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 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 67.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.59 years
male: 50.74 years
female: 52.46 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
530,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
78,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness) are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan

Ethnic groups:
Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%,
Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%,
Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi
2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs
18%

Languages:
English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used
in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts),
Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages,
preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be
taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan
languages, Swahili, Arabic

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9%
male: 79.5%
female: 60.4% (2003 est.)

Government Uganda

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

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Kampala

Administrative divisions:
56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi,
Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido,
Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese,
Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi,
Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara,
Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola,
Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule,
Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe

Independence:
9 October 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Constitution:
8 October 1995

Legal system:
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on
English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI
(since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state
and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in
the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected
legislators
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 12 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); note -
first popular election for president since independence in 1962 was
held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president;
percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 69.3%, Kizza
BESIGYE 27.8%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by
popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest
groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex
officio members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006);
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved
by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the
president)

Political parties and leaders:
only one political organization, the Movement (formerly the NRM)
[President MUSEVENI, chairman] is allowed to operate unfettered;
note - the president maintains that the Movement is not a political
party, but a mass organization, which claims the loyalty of all
Ugandans
note: the constitution requires the suspension of political parties
while the Movement organization is in governance; of the political
parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates,
the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton
OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE]; Conservative
Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Justice Forum [Muhammad Kibirige
MAYANJA]; and National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jimmy KOLKER
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: [256] (41) 234-142
FAX: [256] (41) 258-451

Flag description:
six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black,
yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and
depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist
side

Economy Uganda

Economy - overview:
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils,
regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.
Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing
over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export
revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign
countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and
stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising
producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum
products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are
especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and
export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid
performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports,
reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the
return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Corruption within the
government and slippage in the government's determination to press
reforms raise doubts about the continuation of strong growth. In
2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief
worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC
debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was
solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's
principal export. Solid growth in 2003-04 reflected an upturn in
Uganda's export markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$39.39 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 35.8%
industry: 20.8%
services: 43.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
12.41 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services 13% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
35% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 21% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.4 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2004 est.)

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

Budget:
revenues: $1.491 billion
expenditures: $1.727 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
73.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn,
millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry, cut flowers

Industries:
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement, steel production

Industrial production growth rate:
5.6% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.775 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.9%
hydro: 99.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.401 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
250 million 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

Current account balance:
$-590.8 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$621.7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, fish and fish products, tea; gold, cotton, flowers,
horticultural products

Exports - partners:
Kenya 15%, Netherlands 10.7%, Belgium 9%, France 4.4%, Germany 4.4%
(2004)

Imports:
$1.306 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners:
Kenya 32.3%, UAE 7.3%, South Africa 6.5%, India 5.8%, China 5.6%,
UK 5.1%, US 4.8%, Japan 4.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.2 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$3.865 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.4 billion (2000)

Currency (code):
Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Currency code:
UGX

Exchange rates:
Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003),
1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001), 1,644.5 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Uganda

Telephones - main lines in use:
61,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
776,200 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have
been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is
essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and
Tanzania

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:
5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

Televisions:
500,000 (2001)

Internet country code:
.ug

Internet hosts:
2,692 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
125,000 (2003)

Transportation Uganda

Railways:
total: 1,241 km
narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 27,000 km
paved: 1,809 km
unpaved: 25,191 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
300 km (on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and
parts of Albert Nile) (2004 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Airports:
29 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Military Uganda

Military branches:
Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the
government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur
with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13
years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 5,012,620 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,889,808 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$170.3 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.2% (2004)

Transnational Issues Uganda

Disputes - international:
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups,
rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces;
Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the
southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces
have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 184,731 (Sudan) 18,000 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 1.4 million note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps
(2004)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Ukraine

Introduction Ukraine

Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which
during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful
state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol
invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991
with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the
legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass
protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the
authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow
a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a
reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. The new government presents
its citizens with hope that the country may at last attain true
freedom and prosperity.

Geography Ukraine

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania,
and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Geographic coordinates:
49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:
Asia, Europe

Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,663 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km,
Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia
1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km

Coastline:
2,782 km

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

Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean
coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west
and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool
along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across
the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Terrain:
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus,
mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the
Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur,
graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber,
arable land

Land use:
arable land: 56.21%
permanent crops: 1.61%
other: 42.18% (2001)

Irrigated land:
24,540 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution;
deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986
accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

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

Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia;
second-largest country in Europe

People Ukraine

Population:
47,425,336 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.6% (male 3,783,725/female 3,619,754)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 15,619,989/female 16,992,628)
65 years and over: 15.6% (male 2,497,851/female 4,911,389) (2005
est.)

Median age:
total: 38.22 years
male: 34.91 years
female: 41.21 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.63% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.38 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: 0.51 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.68 years
male: 64.39 years
female: 75.31 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
360,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
20,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,
Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,
Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)

Religions:
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular
jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%,
Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%,
Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.)

Languages:
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%; small Romanian-, Polish-,
and Hungarian-speaking minorities

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2003 est.)

People - note:
the sex trafficking of Ukrainian women is a serious problem that
has only recently been addressed

Government Ukraine

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Kiev (Kyyiv)

Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic*
(avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular -
misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea
or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k,
Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy,
Kirovohrad, Kiev (Kyyiv)**, Kyyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv,
Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya,
Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); the date of 22 January (1918),
the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet
Russia), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Yuriy YEKHANUROV (since 22
September 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister - Stanislav STASHEVSKYY
(since 27 September 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but
significantly revamped and strengthened under former-President
KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security
policy on domestic and international matters and advising the
president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft
presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president;
and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor
YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004
after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH -
was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread
and significant violations; prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme
Council
election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of
vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under
recent amendments to Ukraine's election law, the Rada's seats are
allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or
more of the national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms
beginning with the next election in 2006)
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 24%,
CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%,
United Social Democratic Party 6%, other 24%; seats by party/bloc -
Our Ukraine 101, Regions of Ukraine 61, CPU 59, Working Ukraine 14,
United Social Democratic Party 33, Agrarian Party 22, SPU 20, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 19, United Ukraine 19, People's Democratic
Party-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 16, Center Group 15,
Democratic Initiatives 14, unaffiliated 57 (December 2004)
note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the
Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's
Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working
Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; these factions have since
undergone a number of changes

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Communist Party of Ukraine or
CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH];
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Our Ukraine bloc
(comprised of several parties the most prominent of which are Rukh,
the Ukrainian People's Party, Reforms and Order, and Solidarity)
[Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Valeriy
PUSTOVOYTENKO]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist
Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social
Democratic Party [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Working Ukraine [Serhiy
TYHYPKO]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]
note: as well as numerous smaller parties; United Ukraine and Center
Group are not actual political parties, but rather deputy groups
(factions not based on a party)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mykhailo B. REZNIK
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 349-2920
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John E. HERBST
embassy: 10 Yuriia Kotsiubynskoho Street, 04053 Kiev
mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000
FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow
represent grainfields under a blue sky

Economy Ukraine

Economy - overview:
After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most
important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing
about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its
fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet
agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities
of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise,
its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for
example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and
mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the
former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially
natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements.
Shortly after independence in December 1991, the Ukrainian
Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for
privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the
government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led
to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of
the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to
hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on
Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural
reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external
shocks. Ukrainian government officials have taken some steps to
reform the country's Byzantine tax code, such as the implementation
of lower tax rates aimed at bringing more economic activity out of
Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed,
including closing tax loopholes and eliminating tax privileges and
exemptions. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of
structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside
institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to
quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP in 2000 showed strong
export-based growth of 6% - the first growth since independence -
and industrial production grew 12.9%. The economy continued to
expand in 2001 as real GDP rose 9% and industrial output grew by
over 14%. Growth of 4.6% in 2002 was more moderate, in part a
reflection of faltering growth in the developed world. In general,
growth has been undergirded by strong domestic demand, low
inflation, and solid consumer and investor confidence. Growth was a
sturdy 9.3% in 2003 and a remarkable 12% in 2004, despite a loss of
momentum in needed economic reforms.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$299.1 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
12% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 45.1%
services: 36.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
21.11 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 24%, industry 32%, services 44% (1996)

Unemployment rate:
3.5% officially registered; large number of unregistered or
underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization
calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10
percent (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
29% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $13.57 billion
expenditures: $12.26 billion, including capital expenditures of NA;
note - these estimates probably do not include the government's
doubling of pensions in September of 2004 (2004 est.)

Public debt:
24.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

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

Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and
transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)

Industrial production growth rate:
16.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
180 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 48.6%
hydro: 7.9%
nuclear: 43.5%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
132 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
1.2 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
72,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
303,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
395 million bbl (9 November 2004)

Natural gas - production:
19.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
79.86 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
5.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
60.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
560.7 billion cu m (9 November 2004)

Current account balance:
$4.584 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$32.91 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners:
Russia 18%, Germany 5.8%, Turkey 5.7%, Italy 5%, US 4.6% (2004)

Imports:
$31.45 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 41.8%, Germany 9.6%, Turkmenistan 6.7% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.33 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$16.37 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion
(1998)

Currency (code):
hryvnia (UAH)

Currency code:
UAH

Exchange rates:
hryvnia per US dollar - 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003), 5.3266
(2002), 5.3722 (2001), 5.4402 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ukraine

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,833,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.2 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan,
running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines,
international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic
trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system
is expanding at a high rate
international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are
a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three
Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic
Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;
additional international service is provided by the
Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and
by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik
satellite systems

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
45.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia)
(1997)

Televisions:
18.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ua

Internet hosts:
94,345 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
260 (2001)

Internet users:
3.8 million (2003)

Transportation Ukraine

Railways:
total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 169,679 km
paved: 164,249 km
unpaved: 5,430 km (2002)

Waterways:
1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 20,069 km; oil 4,540 km; refined products 4,169 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni,
Yuzhnyy

Merchant marine:
total: 201 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 675,904 GRT/709,802 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 148, container 4, passenger 7,
passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 11, roll
on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Russia 1)
registered in other countries: 113 (2005)

Airports:
656 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 174
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 57
1,524 to 2,437 m: 30
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 70 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 482
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 428 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
8 (2004 est.)

Military Ukraine

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly),
Air Defense Forces (2002)

Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24
months for Navy (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 11,067,239 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,114,337 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 378,176 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$617.9 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Ukraine

Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to
unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing
border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is
complete but the parties have agreed to defer demarcation; maritime
boundary through the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait remains unresolved
despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going
expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint
customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away
Transnistria Region which remains under OSCE supervision; Ukraine
and Romania have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered
Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ
for adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a
navigation canal from the Danube border through the Ukraine to the
Black Sea

Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS
consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West;
limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point
for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and
Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved
anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the
Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and
Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering
regime continues to be monitored by FATF

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@United Arab Emirates

Introduction United Arab Emirates

Background:
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control
of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In
1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash
Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah.
The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West
European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate
foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in
the affairs of the region.

Geography United Arab Emirates

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf,
between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 54 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline:
1,318 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:
desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Terrain:
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast
desert wasteland; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 0.6%
permanent crops: 2.25%
other: 97.15% (2001)

Irrigated land:
720 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:
lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination
plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills

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

Geography - note:
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a
vital transit point for world crude oil

People United Arab Emirates

Population:
2,563,212
note: includes an estimated 1,606,079 non-nationals; the 17 December
1995 census presents a total population figure of 2,377,453, and
there are estimates of 3.44 million for 2002 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.3% (male 331,269; female 317,977)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 1,115,826; female 707,058)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 66,404; female 24,678) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.9 years
male: 35.2 years
female: 22.9 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.54% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0.84 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: 1.58 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.691 male(s)/female
total population: 1.442 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.51 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.24 years
male: 72.73 years
female: 77.87 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.18% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati

Ethnic groups:
Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other
expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%

Languages:
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Government United Arab Emirates

Country name:
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE

Government type:
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal
government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital:
Abu Dhabi

Administrative divisions:
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi),
'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al
Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn

Independence:
2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 December (1971)

Constitution:
2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)

Legal system:
federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates
except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully
integrated into the federal system; all emirates have secular courts
to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic
courts to review family and religious disputes

Suffrage:
none

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sheikh KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan
(since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4
November 2004) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since
8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
(since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime
Minister SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990);
Deputy Prime Minister HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the
seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional
authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions
federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)
and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal
Supreme Council (composed of rulers of the seven emirates) for
five-year terms; election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death
of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al
Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Sheikh KHALIFA bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan elected
president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MAKTUM bin Rashid
al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president

Legislative branch:
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad
al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the
constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto

Judicial branch:
Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400
FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432
note: consulates in New York and Houston

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michele SISON
embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4,
Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200
FAX: [971] (2) 414-2469
consulate(s) general: Dubai

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with
a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy United Arab Emirates

Economy - overview:
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a
sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas
output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate
with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in
the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound
transformation from an impoverished region of small desert
principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At
present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for
more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job
creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its
utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the
UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with
Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations
toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$63.67 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 58.5%
services: 37.5% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
2.36 million
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 7%, industry 15%, services 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.4% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $23.68 billion
expenditures: $25.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.4
billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
17.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Industries:
petroleum, fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship
repair, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building,
handicrafts, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2000)

Electricity - production:
45.12 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
36.51 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
310,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2004)

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

Natural gas - production:
44.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
33.7 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
7.19 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

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

Current account balance:
$6.3 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$69.48 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Exports - partners:
Japan 24.9%, South Korea 9.9%, India 5.4%, Thailand 5.2% (2004)

Imports:
$45.66 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
China 10%, India 9.8%, Japan 6.8%, Germany 6.5%, UK 6.2%, France
6.1%, US 6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$18.64 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$5.9 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has
given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)

Currency (code):
Emirati dirham (AED)

Currency code:
AED

Exchange rates:
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003),
3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001), 3.6725 (2000)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications United Arab Emirates

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,135,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,972,300 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital
network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key
centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)

Radios:
820,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (2004)

Televisions:
310,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ae

Internet hosts:
56,283 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
1,110,200 (2003)

Transportation United Arab Emirates

Highways:
total: 1,088 km
paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
condensate 469 km; gas 2,655 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil
2,936 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina'
Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan

Merchant marine:
total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 578,477 GRT/739,823 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 5, container 6,
liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 21, roll
on/roll off 7
foreign-owned: 14 (Greece 2, Kuwait 6)
registered in other countries: 200 (2005)

Airports:
35 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 13
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2004 est.)

Military United Arab Emirates