Chapter VII: Front Matter (7)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age
for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory
military service obligation will be reduced from 8 months to 6 (June
2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,914,800 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,550,441 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 48,967 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.497 billion (FY01/02)

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

Transnational Issues Austria

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American
cocaine destined for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Azerbaijan

Introduction Azerbaijan

Background:
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population
- regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve
its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its
territory and must support some 571,000 internally displaced persons
as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the
promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum
resources remains largely unfulfilled.

Geography Azerbaijan

Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800
km, est.)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe

Terrain:
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below
sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag
Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi
(Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Land use:
arable land: 19.63%
permanent crops: 2.71%
other: 77.66% (2001)

Irrigated land:
14,550 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
droughts

Environment - current issues:
local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron
Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be
the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe
air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil
spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic
defoliants used in the production of cotton

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

Geography - note:
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are
landlocked

People Azerbaijan

Population:
7,911,974 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 1,063,731/female 1,028,684)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,533,762/female 2,665,381)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 245,758/female 374,658) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.53 years
male: 26.09 years
female: 29 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.59% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-4.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 81.74 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 83.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 79.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.35 years
male: 59.24 years
female: 67.66 years (2005 est.)

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

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

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Azerbaijani(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani

Ethnic groups:
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other
3.9% (1999 census)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region

Religions:
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other
1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Languages:
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995
est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.5%
female: 98.2% (1999 est.)

Government Azerbaijan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: none
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Baku (Baki)

Administrative divisions:
59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities* (saharlar; sahar
- singular), 1 autonomous republic** (muxtar respublika)
: rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas
Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu,
Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,
Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,
Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,
Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,
Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,
Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax
Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,
Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi
Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,
Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar
Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab
Rayonu
: cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran
Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit
Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari
: autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

Independence:
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

Constitution:
adopted 12 November 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term;
election last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008);
prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the
president and confirmed by the National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote -
Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005)
note: 100 members of the current parliament were elected on the
basis of single mandate constituencies, while 25 were elected based
on proportional balloting; as a result of a 24 August 2002 national
referendum on changes to the constitution, all 125 members of the
next parliament will be elected from single mandate constituencies
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NAP and allies 108, APF "Reform" 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2,
CPA 2, APF "Classic" 1, Compatriot Party 1
note: PNIA, Musavat, and APF "Classic" parties refused to take their
seats

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform"
faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic
Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party
[Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz
AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for
Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas
ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA];
Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; New Azerbaijan Party or NAP
[vacant]; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA
[Etibar MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan
or SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani
Forces (UPAF)

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hafiz PASHAYEV
chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Reno L. HARNISH III
embassy: 83 Azadlyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007
mailing address: American Embassy Baku, Department of State, 7050
Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050
telephone: [9] (9412) 98-03-35, 36, 37
FAX: [9] (9412) 656-671

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a
crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

Economy Azerbaijan

Economy - overview:
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production
declined through 1997 but has registered an increase every year
since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with
foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to
long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to
spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first
of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company,
began in November 1997. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable
problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition
from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy
resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently
begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and
structures are slowly being replaced. One obstacle to economic
progress is the need for stepped up foreign investment in the
non-energy sector. A second obstacle is the continuing conflict with
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the
other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade
is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term
prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new
pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil
wealth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$30.01 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $3,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.1%
industry: 45.7%
services: 40.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
5.09 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and forestry 41%, industry 7%, services 52% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
1.2% (official rate) (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
49% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
65.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.715 billion
expenditures: $2.801 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
18.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco;
cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
17.55 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 89.7%
hydro: 10.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
17.37 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
505 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
1.558 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
312,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
140,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-2.899 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$3.168 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Italy 26.6%, Czech Republic 11.9%, Germany 8.1%, Indonesia 6.4%,
Romania 6.2%, Georgia 6%, Russia 5.3%, Turkey 5.2%, France 4.1%
(2004)

Imports:
$3.622 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 16.1%, UK 12.5%, Turkey 10.5%, Germany 7.8%, Ukraine 5.6%,
Netherlands 4.9%, US 4.1%, Italy 4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$875 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.832 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $140 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
Azerbaijani manat (AZM)

Currency code:
AZM

Exchange rates:
Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73
(2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001), 4,474.15 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Azerbaijan

Telephones - main lines in use:
923,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
870,000 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and
modernization; teledensity of 10 main lines per 100 persons is low
(2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable
and microwave is still serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey
enables Baku to reach about 200 additional countries, some of which
are directly connected to Baku by satellite providers other than
Turkey (1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
175,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)

Televisions:
170,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.az

Internet hosts:
586 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
300,000 (2002)

Transportation Azerbaijan

Railways:
total: 2,957 km
broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 28,030 km
paved: 25,890 km
unpaved: 2,130 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 4,451 km; oil 1,518 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Baku (Baki)

Merchant marine:
total: 81 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 253,004 GRT/318,922 DWT
by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker
41, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 2
registered in other countries: 3 (2005)

Airports:
50 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 15 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
2 (2004 est.)

Military Azerbaijan

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; law
passed December 2001 raises maximum conscription age from 28 to 35
(December 2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,961,973 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,314,955 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 82,358 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$121 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Azerbaijan

Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh
and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic
Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about
230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan
into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to
connect to Naxcivan exclave; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia
ratify Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance,
while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and
challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters;
bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed
and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and
Georgia cannot resolve the alignment of their boundary at certain
crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 571,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point
for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent
the rest of Europe

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Bahamas, The

Introduction Bahamas, The

Background:
Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus
first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British
settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony
in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The
Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and
investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments
to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.

Geography Bahamas, The

Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida, northeast of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
3,542 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 0.8%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 98.8% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind
damage

Environment - current issues:
coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

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: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
of which 30 are inhabited

People Bahamas, The

Population:
301,790
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: 27.9% (male 42,142/female 42,096)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 97,865/female 101,047)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 7,616/female 11,024) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.55 years
male: 26.78 years
female: 28.34 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.67% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.54 years
male: 62.11 years
female: 69.04 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions:
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal
8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%,
none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages:
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 94.7%
female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

Government Bahamas, The

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas

Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Nassau

Administrative divisions:
21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island,
Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay,
Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh
Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands,
Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence:
10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution:
10 July 1973

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Dame Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002)
and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
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 the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the
prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body
appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime
minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the
House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote
to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the
parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%,
independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts

Political parties and leaders:
Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive
Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM,
IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197,
Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC
20521-3370
telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)
FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and
aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Economy Bahamas, The

Economy - overview:
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily
dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts
for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of
the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and
a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had
led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US
economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in
these sectors in 2001-03. Financial services constitute the
second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for
about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government
enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international
businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture
together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little
growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.
Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US,
the source of more than 80% of the visitors. In addition to tourism
and banking, the government supports the development of a "third
pillar," e-commerce.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.295 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $17,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
156,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999
est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.2% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: 27% (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.2% (year ending September 2004)

Budget:
revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $106.7
million (FY03/04)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables; poultry

Industries:
tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite,
pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
1.716 billion kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
1.596 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

Oil - consumption:
23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$636 million (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals; fruit
and vegetables

Exports - partners:
US 40.2%, Poland 13.3%, Spain 11.6%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.3%
(2004)

Imports:
$1.63 billion (2003)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral
fuels; food and live animals

Imports - partners:
US 22.4%, South Korea 18.9%, Brazil 9.2%, Japan 7.9%, Italy 7.8%,
Venezuela 6.6% (2004)

Debt - external:
$308.5 million (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$9.8 million (1995)

Currency (code):
Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code:
BSD

Exchange rates:
Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1
(2001), 1 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Bahamas, The

Telephones - main lines in use:
131,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
121,800 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and
submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
215,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (2004)

Televisions:
67,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bs

Internet hosts:
302 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)

Internet users:
84,000 (2003)

Transportation Bahamas, The

Highways:
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point

Merchant marine:
total: 1,119
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 183, cargo 259, chemical
tanker 54, combination ore/oil 17, container 74, liquefied gas 28,
livestock carrier 2, passenger 116, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum
tanker 168, refrigerated cargo 130, roll on/roll off 20, specialized
tanker 2, vehicle carrier 24
foreign-owned: 968 (Angola 4, Australia 4, Belgium 17, Canada 9,
China 3, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 18, Estonia 1,
Finland 7, France 28, Germany 15, Greece 194, Hong Kong 11,
Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 7, Japan 49, Jordan 2, Kenya
1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 15, Netherlands 24, New Zealand 1,
Nigeria 2, Norway 229, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia
12, Serbia & Montenegro 2, Singapore 11, Slovenia 1, South Korea 1,
Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 4, Thailand 1, Trinidad & Tobago 2,
Turkey 7, UAE 12, United Kingdom 55, United States 154, Uruguay 2)
registered in other countries: 35 (2005)

Airports:
63 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Bahamas, The

Military branches:
Royal Bahamaian Defense Force (naval forces) (2004)

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Bahamas, The

Disputes - international:
have not been able to agree on the alignment of a maritime boundary
with the US; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees
fleeing economic privation and political instability

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and
Europe; offshore financial center

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Bahrain

Introduction Bahrain

Background:
Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf
countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign
affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves,
Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has
transformed itself into an international banking center. The new
amir, installed in 1999, has pushed economic and political reforms
and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In
February 2001, Bahraini voters approved a referendum on the National
Action Charter - the centerpiece of the amir's political
liberalization program. In February 2002, Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al
Khalifa proclaimed himself king. In October 2002, Bahrainis elected
members of the lower house of Bahrain's reconstituted bicameral
legislature, the National Assembly.

Geography Bahrain

Location:
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
26 00 N, 50 33 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 665 sq km
land: 665 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
161 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined

Climate:
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain:
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m

Natural resources:
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

Land use:
arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55% (2001)

Irrigated land:
50 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; dust storms

Environment - current issues:
desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable
land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation
(damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting
from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil
refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources,
groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs

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

Geography - note:
close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic
location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's
petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

People Bahrain

Population:
688,345
note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.8% (male 96,807/female 94,863)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 275,792/female 197,424)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 12,078/female 11,381) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 29.19 years
male: 32.16 years
female: 25.54 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.51% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.4 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
total population: 1.27 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 17.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.23 years
male: 71.76 years
female: 76.78 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups:
Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Religions:
Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001
census)

Languages:
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.1%
male: 91.9%
female: 85% (2003 est.)

Government Bahrain

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun

Government type:
constitutional hereditary monarchy

Capital:
Manama

Administrative divisions:
12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al
Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah
ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah,
Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama

Independence:
15 August 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date
of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of
independence from British protection

Constitution:
new constitution 14 February 2002

Legal system:
based on Islamic law and English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch,
born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa
(since NA 1971)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister
appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members
appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly
elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next
election to be held NA 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National
Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created
bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14
February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25
December 2002

Judicial branch:
High Civil Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders:
political parties prohibited but politically oriented societies are
allowed

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97, demanding
the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to
unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic
fundamentalist groups are active

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir al-BALUSHI
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111
FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE
embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club),
Block 331, Zinj District, Manama
mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE
09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama
telephone: [973] 1724-2700
FAX: [973] 1725-6242 (consular)

Flag description:
red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a
white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five
points represent the five pillars of Islam

Economy Bahrain

Economy - overview:
In well-to-do Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account
for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and
30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport
facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with
business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consist of petroleum
products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on
several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among
the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources
are major long-term economic problems. In September 2004 Bahrain
signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States - the
first such agreement undertaken by a Gulf state. Both countries must
ratify the FTA before it is enforced.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$13.01 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.7%
industry: 41%
services: 58.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
370,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1%, industry, commerce, and services 79%, government
20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15% (1998 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% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
12.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.825 billion
expenditures: $3.262 billion, including capital expenditures of $700
million (2004 est.)

Public debt:
63.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron
pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.86 billion kWh (2002)

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

Electricity - consumption:
6.379 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
44,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
126 million bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
32.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
32.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

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

Current account balance:
$586.1 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$8.205 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Exports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 3%, US 2.9%, UAE 2.2% (2004)

Imports:
$5.87 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 32.4%, Japan 7.3%, Germany 6.1%, US 5.6%, UK 5.4%,
France 4.8% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.141 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$6.215 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from each of
Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait (2002)

Currency (code):
Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Currency code:
BHD

Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376
(2002), 0.376 (2001), 0.376 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Bahrain

Telephones - main lines in use:
185,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
443,100 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network
with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 973; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and
UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to
Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
338,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (1997)

Televisions:
275,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bh

Internet hosts:
1,334 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
195,700 (2003)

Transportation Bahrain

Highways:
total: 3,459 km
paved: 2,653 km
unpaved: 806 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 20 km; oil 53 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 219,083 GRT/312,638 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 2, container 2, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Kuwait 2) (2005)

Airports:
4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2
1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

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

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Bahrain

Military branches:
Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense),
Navy, Air Force, National Guard

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 202,126 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 161,372 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 6,013 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$628.9 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
6.3% (2004)

Transnational Issues Bahrain

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Baker Island

Introduction Baker Island

Background:
The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano
deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second
half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at
colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland
Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned.
Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US
Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle
of the west coast.

Geography Baker Island

Location:
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and Australia

Geographic coordinates:
0 13 N, 176 31 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 1.4 sq km
land: 1.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
4.8 km

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

Climate:
equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Terrain:
low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 8 m

Natural resources:
guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime
hazard

Environment - current issues:
no natural fresh water resources

Geography - note:
treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses,
prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,
roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine
wildlife

People Baker Island

Population:
uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and
naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during
World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by
special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and
remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the
middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife
Service (2005 est.)

Government Baker Island

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the
Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

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

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Baker Island

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Baker Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat
landing area along the middle of the west coast

Airports:
1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely covered with
vegetation and unusable (2004 est.)

Transportation - note:
there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

Military Baker Island

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US
Coast Guard

Transnational Issues Baker Island

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Bangladesh

Introduction Bangladesh

Background:
Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan
seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this
extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy
season, hampering economic development.

Geography Bangladesh

Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries:
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline:
580 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin

Climate:
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March
to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Land use:
arable land: 62.11%
permanent crops: 3.07%
other: 34.82% (2001)

Irrigated land:
38,440 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during
the summer monsoon season

Environment - current issues:
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate
flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water;
water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use
of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally
occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling
water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil
degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation

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

Geography - note:
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing
from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel
of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty
into the Bay of Bengal

People Bangladesh

Population:
144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.1% (male 24,590,207/female 23,162,420)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 46,764,824/female 44,868,733)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,650,683/female 2,282,761) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.87 years
male: 21.88 years
female: 21.85 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.09% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 63.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.08 years
male: 62.13 years
female: 62.02 years (2005 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
650 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups:
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)

Religions:
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Languages:
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

Government Bangladesh

Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Dhaka

Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and
Sylhet

Independence:
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the
date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known
as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state
of Bangladesh

National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date
of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day
and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

Constitution:
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following
coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002);
note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the
13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government
Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when
Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at
presidential direction - to supervise the elections
head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October
2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term; election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since
Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in
on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by NA 2007); following
legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most
seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission
elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote
- NA

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected
by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the
constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above
the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve
five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP
(Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the
election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned
with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya
Jote, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by
the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or
BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP
[Khaleda ZIA, chairperson]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul
Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya
Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party
(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB,
OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Harry K. THOMAS, Jr.
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500
FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744

Flag description:
green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center;
the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to achieve
independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside, and
secondarily, the traditional color of Islam

Economy Bangladesh

Economy - overview:
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve
economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor,
overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although half of GDP is
generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as
the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth
include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned
enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor
force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting
energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and
slow implementation of economic reforms. Economic reform is stalled
in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all
levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition
from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested
interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda
ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms,
but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key
areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the
past several years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$275.7 billion (2004 est.)

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

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 21.2%
industry: 27.1%
services: 51.7% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
65.49 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman,
Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion
in 1998-99 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 63%, industry 11%, services 26% (FY95/96)

Unemployment rate:
40% (includes underemployment) (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.6 (FY95/96)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.921 billion
expenditures: $8.262 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
43% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses,
oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Industries:
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint,
cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
16.45 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 93.7%
hydro: 6.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
15.3 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
3,581 bbl/day (2001 est.)