Chapter XXI: Front Matter (21)

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA,
EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE, Jr.
embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300
FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the
national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with
a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name
of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is
based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria,
which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus
an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white
band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

Economy Egypt

Economy - overview:
Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is
bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic
activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has
reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President
NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF reduced personal and
corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized
several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew nearly
5%. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise
living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue
providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have
contributed to a growing budget deficit - more than 8% of GDP in
2005 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign
direct investment remains low. To achieve higher GDP growth the
NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of
reform, especially in the energy sector. Egypt's export sectors -
particularly natural gas - have bright prospects.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$304.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$92.6 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.9%
industry: 35.7%
services: 49.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
21.34 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 32%
industry: 17%
services: 51% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
9.5% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
20% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.4%
highest 10%: 25% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.4 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.9% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $20.29 billion
expenditures: $27.68 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.7
billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
104.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water
buffalo, sheep, goats

Industries:
textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures

Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
84.26 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 81%
hydro: 19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
78.16 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
450 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
250 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
700,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
566,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
134,000 bbl/day NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
2.7 billion bbl (2005 est.)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.9 trillion cu m (2005)

Current account balance:
$2.207 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$14.33 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products,
chemicals

Exports - partners:
US 13.4%, Italy 9.4%, Spain 7.7%, Syria 5.7%, Germany 4.9%, France
4.9%, UK 4.1% (2005)

Imports:
$24.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
US 10.6%, Germany 7%, China 6.5%, France 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Saudi
Arabia 4.8% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$21.39 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$35.26 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $1.12 billion (2002)

Currency (code):
Egyptian pound (EGP)

Currency code:
EGP

Exchange rates:
Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509
(2003), 4.4997 (2002), 3.973 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Egypt

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,396,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
14,045,134 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading
during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular
service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1
Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan;
microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

Radios:
20.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
98 (September 1995)

Televisions:
7.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.eg

Internet hosts:
2,254 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2000)

Internet users:
5 million (2005)

Transportation Egypt

Airports:
88 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 72
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
under 914 m: 5 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Heliports:
3 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 464 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,021 km; liquid
petroleum gas 897 km; oil 5,120 km; oil/gas/water 36 km; refined
products 897 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 5,063 km
standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1999)

Waterways:
3,500 km
note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway,
and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including
approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m
(2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 76 ships (1000 GRT or over) 987,524 GRT/1,467,139 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 33, container 2, passenger/cargo 5,
petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9
foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2)
registered in other countries: 49 (Bolivia 2, Cambodia 8, Georgia 8,
Honduras 4, North Korea 2, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 3, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Sierra Leone
1, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Suez, Zeit

Military Egypt

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service
obligation (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,347,560
females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,540,234
females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 802,920
females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.44 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (2004)

Transnational Issues Egypt

Disputes - international:
Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the two triangular
areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along
the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt
is developing the Hala'ib Triangle north of the Treaty line; since
the attack on Taba and other Egyptian resort towns on the Red Sea in
October 2004, Egypt vigilantly monitors the Sinai and borders with
Israel and the Gaza Strip; Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to
some 70,000 persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who
largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently, UNHCR recognition
as refugees

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 70,245 (Palestinian Territories)
14,904 (Sudan) (2005)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked
from Eastern Europe to Israel for the purpose of sexual
exploitation; these women generally arrive as tourists and are
subsequently trafficked through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes;
men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to be
trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and Europe for labor
exploitation; some Egyptian children from rural areas are trafficked
within the country to work as domestic servants or laborers in the
agriculture industry
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the Tier 2 Watch
List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to
address trafficking over the past year, particularly in the area of
law enforcement

Illicit drugs:
transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and
opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for
Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax
enforcement of financial regulations

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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@El Salvador

Introduction El Salvador

Background:
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the
Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost
about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the
government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for
military and political reforms.

Geography El Salvador

Location:
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:
13 50 N, 88 55 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline:
307 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to
April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 31.37%
permanent crops: 11.88%
other: 56.75% (2005)

Irrigated land:
450 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive
earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to
hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of
soils from disposal of toxic wastes

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

Geography - note:
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline
on Caribbean Sea

People El Salvador

Population:
6,822,378 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.8 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 22.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.72% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
26.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
5.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.49 years
male: 67.88 years
female: 75.28 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.12 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups:
mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%, other 17%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout
the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador

Languages:
Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 80.2%
male: 82.8%
female: 77.7% (2003 est.)

Government El Salvador

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

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: San Salvador
geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time)

Administrative divisions:
14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);
Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz,
La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana,
Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
23 December 1983

Legal system:
based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June
2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1
June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21
March 2004 (next to be held March 2009)
election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president;
percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik
HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the
Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER, secretary
general]; Democratic Convergence or CD (formerly United Democratic
Center or CDU) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Farabundo Marti
National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ, coordinator
general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA,
president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio
SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene
AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar
HERNANDEZ Carcamo, coordinator general]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or
SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and
other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of
Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or
UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union
of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers
Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL;
business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or
ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran
Industrial Association or ASI

International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey),
Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales
(Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington, DC
consulate(s): Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone: [503] 2278-4444
FAX: [503] 2278-5522

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL
SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua,
which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it
features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on
top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern
centered in the white band

Economy El Salvador

Economy - overview:
The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third
largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping
to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to
open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize
the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the
Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El
Salvador was the first to ratify, is viewed as a key policy to help
achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by
annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16.6% of GDP in
2005 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its
currency in 2001, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy
and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$31.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.52 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,700 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.9%
industry: 30.2%
services: 59.9% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
2.81 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17.1%
industry: 17.1%
services: 65.8% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
6.5% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2005
est.)

Population below poverty line:
36.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52.5 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
15.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.84 billion
expenditures: $3.167 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
46.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef,
dairy products; shrimp

Industries:
food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals

Industrial production growth rate:
1.5% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.158 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 25.1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
4.45 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
91 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
473 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

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

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Current account balance:
$-778 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$3.586 billion (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,
chemicals, electricity

Exports - partners:
US 61%, Guatemala 12.1%, Honduras 7.4%, Nicaragua 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$6.678 billion (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,
petroleum, electricity

Imports - partners:
US 43.4%, Guatemala 8.2%, Mexico 7.8% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.833 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$8.087 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003)

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications El Salvador

Telephones - main lines in use:
971,500 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.412 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
2.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (1997)

Televisions:
600,000 (1990)

Internet country code:
.sv

Internet hosts:
4,682 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2000)

Internet users:
637,100 (2005)

Transportation El Salvador

Airports:
75 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 71
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 56 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Railways:
total: 283 km
narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge
note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by
disuse and lack of maintenance (2005)

Roadways:
total: 10,029 km
paved: 1,986 km
unpaved: 8,043 km (1999)

Waterways:
Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)

Ports and terminals:
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco

Military El Salvador

Military branches:
Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force
(Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month
service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,391,278
females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 960,315
females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 70,286
females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$161.7 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues El Salvador

Disputes - international:
in 1992, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the
delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El
Salvador-Honduras boundary, but despite Organization of American
States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full
demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling
advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf
of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador
continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ
decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana
produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Equatorial Guinea

Introduction Equatorial Guinea

Background:
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of
Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus
five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African
continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the
country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although
nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002
presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative
elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost
total control over the political system and has discouraged
political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid
economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves,
and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest
oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil
production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in
recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's
living standards.

Geography Equatorial Guinea

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon

Geographic coordinates:
2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline:
296 km

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

Climate:
tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain:
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum,
sand and gravel, clay

Land use:
arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues:
tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
insular and continental regions widely separated

People Equatorial Guinea

Population:
540,109 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.7% (male 113,083/female 111,989)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914/female 152,645)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886/female 11,592) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.8 years
male: 18.2 years
female: 19.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.05% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 95.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 83.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.54 years
male: 48 years
female: 51.13 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,900 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups:
Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily
Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Religions:
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan
practices

Languages:
Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi,
Ibo

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.7%
male: 93.3%
female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Government Equatorial Guinea

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee
equatoriale
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale
former: Spanish Guinea

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Malabo
geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko
Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas

Independence:
12 October 1968 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Constitution:
approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January
1995

Legal system:
partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA
(since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono
NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be
held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president
election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president;
percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino
Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de
Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PDGE 98, CPDS 2
note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all
executive authority in the president

Judicial branch:
Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:
Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO
Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro
OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); Party for Progress of
Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of
Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP
[Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP
[Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI
[Daniel OYONO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM,
OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to
Equatorial Guinea
embassy: adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note
- relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries
should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon
mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
telephone: [237] 220 15 00
FAX: [237] 220 16 20

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms
centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow
six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore
islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below
which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity,
Peace, Justice)

Economy Equatorial Guinea

Economy - overview:
The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have
contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry,
farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence
farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea
counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect
of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished
potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its
intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number
of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been
cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No
longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil
revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow"
fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses,
for the most part, are owned by government officials and their
family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron
ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong
in 2005, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the second highest
per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$25.69 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.644 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
18.6% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$50,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 90.6%
services: 6.2% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Unemployment rate:
30% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
39.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.973 billion
expenditures: $711.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
6.4% of GDP

Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil
nuts; livestock; timber

Industries:
petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
30% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
29.43 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 94.3%
hydro: 5.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
27.37 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$264 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$6.727 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners:
US 25.8%, China 22.9%, Spain 11.4%, Canada 7.7%, Taiwan 7.5%,
Portugal 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, France 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$1.864 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum sector equipment, other equipment

Imports - partners:
US 24.6%, Italy 20.7%, France 12.1%, Spain 10.8%, Cote d'Ivoire
8.7%, UK 7% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.103 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$353 million (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$33.8 million $NA

Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:
XAF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47
(2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Equatorial Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
96,900 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 240; international communications from
Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)

Radios:
180,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gq

Internet hosts:
19 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
5,000 (2005)

Transportation Equatorial Guinea

Airports:
4 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 46 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 47 km; oil 31 km (2006)

Roadways:
total: 2,880 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Malabo

Military Equatorial Guinea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 104,563
females age 18-49: 109,923 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 56,462
females age 18-49: 59,260 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$152.2 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.1% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Equatorial Guinea

Disputes - international:
in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of
Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of
Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an
island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined maritime
coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi
allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been
pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve the
sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create a
maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Equatorial Guinea is a transit and destination
country for women and children trafficked for forced labor,
involuntary domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation
from surrounding countries - primarily Benin, Nigeria, Mali, and
Cameroon; victims work in the agricultural and commercial sectors of
Malabo and Bata, where demand is high due to a booming oil sector;
children work as farmhands, street vendors, or household servants;
girls and women are also trafficked for commercial sexual
exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is placed on the
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide adequate evidence of
concrete measures to address trafficking over the past year

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Eritrea

Introduction Eritrea

Background:
Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation.
Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later
sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with
Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was
overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year
border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN
auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping
operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on
the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to
resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002 but final
demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections.

Geography Eritrea

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 39 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 121,320 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:
total: 1,626 km
border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Coastline:
2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the
central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June
to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Terrain:
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands,
descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest
to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m
highest point: Soira 3,018 m

Natural resources:
gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

Land use:
arable land: 4.78%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 95.19% (2005)

Irrigated land:
210 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
frequent droughts; locust swarms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of
infrastructure from civil warfare

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping
lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the
Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

People Eritrea

Population:
4,786,994 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,059,458/female 1,046,955)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 1,244,153/female 1,268,189)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 82,112/female 86,127) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.8 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.47% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
34.33 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 52.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.03 years
male: 57.44 years
female: 60.66 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.08 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
60,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,300 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean

Ethnic groups:
Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast
dwellers) 3%, other 3%

Religions:
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Languages:
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58.6%
male: 69.9%
female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

Government Eritrea

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
local short form: Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

Government type:
transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December
2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal
party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Capital:
name: Asmara (Asmera)
geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 53 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern),
Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel
(Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

Independence:
24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 May (1993)

Constitution:
a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced
by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented

Legal system:
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions;
new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted
laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority;
members appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8
June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did
not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections
to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of
the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution
stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the
National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible
voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were
postponed indefinitely

Judicial branch:
High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have
military and special courts

Political parties and leaders:
People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party
recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National
Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January
2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on
it

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic
Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement));
Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa
Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed];
Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS,
ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean
Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991
FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304
consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Scott H. DELISI
embassy: 179 Alaa Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone: [291] (1) 120004
FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Flag description:
red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag
into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one
is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on
the hoist side of the red triangle

Economy Eritrea

Economy - overview:
Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the
economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the
economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on
subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in
farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely
hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to
-12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern
Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss,
including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The
attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive
region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war,
Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new
roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and
bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm
grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and
party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda.
Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists
from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding
down growth in 2002-05. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its
ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment,
and low skills, as well as the willingness to open its economy to
private enterprise so that the diaspora's money and expertise can
foster economic growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.471 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.244 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10.2%
industry: 25.4%
services: 64.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
50% (2004 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
25.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $248.8 million
expenditures: $409.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal;
livestock, goats; fish

Industries:
food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, salt, cement,
commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
270.9 million kWh (2003)

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

Electricity - consumption:
251.9 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
4,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Current account balance:
$-291 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$33.58 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000)

Exports - partners:
Italy 39.3%, US 14.9%, Belarus 7.3%, Germany 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2005)

Imports:
$676.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000)

Imports - partners:
Germany 22.2%, Italy 20.3%, France 15.9%, US 12.8%, Ireland 8.2%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$30 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$311 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$77 million (1999)

Currency (code):
nakfa (ERN)

Currency code:
ERN

Exchange rates:
nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878
(2003), 13.958 (2002), 11.31 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Eritrea

Telephones - main lines in use:
37,700 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
40,400 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is
seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: country code - 291; note - international connections
exist

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Radios:
345,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.er

Internet hosts:
1,088 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)

Internet users:
70,000 (2005)

Transportation Eritrea

Airports:
17 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 13
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Railways:
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 4,010 km
paved: 874 km
unpaved: 3,136 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,506 GRT/23,649 DWT
by type: cargo 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll
off 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Assab, Massawa

Military Eritrea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 893,361
females age 18-49: 891,662 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 555,553
females age 18-49: 562,426 (2005)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 50,156
females age 18-49: 49,746 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$220.1 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
17.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Eritrea

Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but despite
international intervention, mutual animosities, accusations, and
armed posturing have prevented demarcation; Ethiopia refuses to
withdraw to the delimited boundary until claimed technical errors
made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed,
including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war;
Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implemented immediately
without modifications; in 2005 Eritrea began severely restricting
the operations of the UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and
Eritrea (UNMEE) monitoring the 25km-wide Temporary Security Zone in
Eritrea since 2000; Sudan sustains over 110,000 Eritrean refugees
and accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs
are near the central border region) (2005)

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Estonia

Introduction Estonia

Background:
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule,
Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into
the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse
of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994,
Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with
Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography Estonia

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

Geographic coordinates:
59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 45,226 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km
water: 2,015 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Land boundaries:
total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km

Coastline:
3,794 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with
neighboring states

Climate:
maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain:
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources:
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite,
arable land, sea mud

Land use:
arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Environment - current issues:
air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power
plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to
the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less
than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to
water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in
connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the
pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400
natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural
areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain
locations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore
lie more than 1,500 islands

People Estonia

Population:
1,324,333 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 103,367/female 97,587)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 427,043/female 468,671)
65 years and over: 17.2% (male 75,347/female 152,318) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.3 years
male: 35.8 years
female: 42.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.64% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
10.04 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
13.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2006 est.)