Chapter XXVIII: Front Matter (28)

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy Guinea

Economy - overview:
Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural
resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country
possesses almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the
second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for
over 70% of exports in 2004. Long-run improvements in government
fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if
the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra
Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have
caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor
confidence. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation
and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving
multilateral aid; the IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in
2003. Growth rose slightly in 2005, primarily due to increases in
global demand and commodity prices on world markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.65 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.576 billion (2005 est.)

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

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.7%
industry: 36.2%
services: 40.1% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
3 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 32% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.3 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
25% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $305.6 million
expenditures: $590.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas,
sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

Industries:
bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and
agricultural processing industries

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
775 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 45.5%
hydro: 54.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
720.8 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
8,400 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:
$-268.4 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$612.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural
products

Exports - partners:
Russia 14.6%, South Korea 11.3%, Spain 10.2%, Ukraine 7.9%, US
6.1%, Ireland 6%, France 5.7%, Germany 5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005)

Imports:
$680 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,
textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
China 8.5%, US 7.3%, France 7.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.2%, Italy 4.7%,
Belgium 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$69.83 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$3.46 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$237.5 million (2003)

Currency (code):
Guinean franc (GNF)

Currency code:
GNF

Exchange rates:
Guinean francs per US dollar - 2,550 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9
(2003), 1,975.8 (2002), 1,950.6 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:
26,200 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
189,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small
radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay
system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave
3 (2001)

Radios:
357,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 low-power stations (2001)

Televisions:
85,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gn

Internet hosts:
367 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2001)

Internet users:
46,000 (2005)

Transportation Guinea

Airports:
16 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Railways:
total: 837 km
standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 44,348 km
paved: 4,342 km
unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

Waterways:
1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Kamsar

Military Guinea

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 24 months (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,852,534
females age 18-49: 1,827,560 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,034,006
females age 18-49: 1,032,885 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$119.7 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.9% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Guinea

Disputes - international:
conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in
neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in
domestic instability; Sierra Leone has pressured Guinea to remove
its forces from the town of Yenga, occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 127,256 (Liberia) 7,165 (Sierra
Leone) 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 82,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Cote d'Ivoire) (2005)

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Guinea-Bissau

Introduction Guinea-Bissau

Background:
Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has
experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a
military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo
'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market
economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by
the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political
rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s
failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the
country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting
civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In
February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to
opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in
transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in
office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and
businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In
August 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president in the
second round of presidential polling. Since formally assuming office
in October 2005, Vieira has pledged to pursue economic development
and national reconciliation.

Geography Guinea-Bissau

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea
and Senegal

Geographic coordinates:
12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 36,120 sq km
land: 28,000 sq km
water: 8,120 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 724 km
border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Coastline:
350 km

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

Climate:
tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season
(June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to
May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain:
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the
country 300 m

Natural resources:
fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone,
unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 8.31%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 84.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:
250 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry
season; brush fires

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

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

Geography - note:
this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying
further inland

People Guinea-Bissau

Population:
1,442,029 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.4% (male 297,623/female 298,942)
15-64 years: 55.6% (male 384,559/female 417,811)
65 years and over: 3% (male 18,048/female 25,046) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 19 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 19.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.07% (2006 est.)

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

Death rate:
16.53 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 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 105.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 115.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.87 years
male: 45.05 years
female: 48.75 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
10% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
17,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,200 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Guinean(s)
adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups:
African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga
13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Languages:
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.4%
male: 58.1%
female: 27.4% (2003 est.)

Government Guinea-Bissau

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
local short form: Guine-Bissau
former: Portuguese Guinea

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Bissau
geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau,
Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have
been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence:
24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10
September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution:
16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993,
9 June 1993, NA 1996

Legal system:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1
October 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Aristides GOMES (since 2 November
2005)
cabinet: NA
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held
in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after
consultation with party leaders in the legislature
election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of
vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malan Bacai SANHA
47.6%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional
Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a
maximum of four years)
elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%,
PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by
party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine
justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final
court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one
in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court
decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over
$1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained
lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal
cases)

Political parties and leaders:
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde
or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Democratic Social Front or FDS;
Electoral Union or UE; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD
[Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA];
Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD,
secretary general]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD,
FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United
Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional),
WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Guinea-Bissau does
not have official representation in Washington, DC; Guinea-Bissau's
representative in Washington is Henrique Adriano DA SILVA, P.O. Box
33813, Washington, DC 20033, telephone: (301)947-3958

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of
violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and
military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to
Guinea-Bissau

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a
vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed
star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors
of Ethiopia

Economy Guinea-Bissau

Economy - overview:
One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends
mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased
remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in
cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with
small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the
major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between
Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed
much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to
the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that
year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade
reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the
country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The
tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private
sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high
costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral
resources is not a near-term prospect. However, offshore oil
prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the
long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most
extreme in the world. The government and international donors
continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a
lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP
were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the
amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total
national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, have
resulted in continued low growth in 2002-05.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.171 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$280 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 62%
industry: 12%
services: 26% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
480,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82%
industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA

Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm
kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Industries:
agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate:
4.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
56 million kWh (2003)

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

Electricity - consumption:
52.08 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
2,450 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.)

Exports:
$116 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Exports - partners:
India 72%, Nigeria 17.1%, Ecuador 4% (2005)

Imports:
$176 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
Italy 25.3%, Senegal 18.6%, Portugal 15.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3%
(2005)

Debt - external:
$941.5 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$115.4 million (1995)

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

Currency code:
XOF; GWP

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47
(2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the
euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guinea-Bissau

Telephones - main lines in use:
10,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
67,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: country code - 245

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002)

Radios:
49,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
NA (2005)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.gw

Internet hosts:
5 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2002)

Internet users:
26,000 (2005)

Transportation Guinea-Bissau

Airports:
28 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 20 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 4,400 km
paved: 453 km
unpaved: 3,947 km (1999)

Waterways:
four largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets
and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Military Guinea-Bissau

Military branches:
People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and
Air Force), paramilitary force

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 287,542
females age 18-49: 297,295 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 152,681
females age 18-49: 161,033 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9.46 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.1% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Guinea-Bissau

Disputes - international:
attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling,
and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's
Casamance region

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Guyana

Introduction Guyana

Background:
Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had
become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black
settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants
from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide
has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved
independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled
mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was
elected president in what is considered the country's first free and
fair election since independence. After his death five years later,
his wife, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to
poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.

Geography Guyana

Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Suriname and Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:
5 00 N, 59 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries:
total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

Coastline:
459 km

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

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy
seasons (May to August, November to January)

Terrain:
mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Land use:
arable land: 2.23%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 97.63% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,500 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial
chemicals; deforestation

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, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and
Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories
are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively

People Guyana

Population:
767,245
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
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.4 years
male: 26.9 years
female: 27.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.25% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-7.49 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.86 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 68.65 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
11,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups:
East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and
mixed 7%

Religions:
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%

Languages:
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

Government Guyana

Country name:
conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East
Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice,
Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper
Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Independence:
26 May 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution:
6 October 1980

Legal system:
based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999);
note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN
and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006
head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992,
except for a period as chief of state after the death of President
Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature
elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party
list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every
five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006
(next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of
vote 54.6%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote,
also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two
non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the
president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%,
AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5,
other 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the
Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the
Caribbean Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN];
Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N.
SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman
Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat
JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United
Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision
Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert
ROOPNARAINE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana
Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public
Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union
Congress

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170
Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170
telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909
FAX: [592] 225-8497

Flag description:
green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black
border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border
between the yellow and the green

Economy Guyana

Economy - overview:
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02,
based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more
favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic
exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of
international organizations. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back
gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it
slowed again in 2005. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled
labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a
sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public
investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near
term from restructuring and partial privatization. Export earnings
from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import
bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance
into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006
might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw
materials sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.439 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$782 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 37%
industry: 20.3%
services: 42.7% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
418,000 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Unemployment rate:
9.1% (understated) (2000)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.9% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
34.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $320.1 million
expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of
$93.4 million (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy
products; fish, shrimp

Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
779 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.4%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
724.5 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
11,300 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:
$-112 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$587.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber

Exports - partners:
Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%,
Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$681.6 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Imports - partners:
US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$261 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient:
$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC)
$253 million (1997)

Currency (code):
Guyanese dollar (GYD)

Currency code:
GYD

Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004),
193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use:
110,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US
satellite services) (1997)

Televisions:
46,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.gy

Internet hosts:
1,046 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
160,000 (2005)

Transportation Guyana

Airports:
90 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 81
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 65 (2006)

Railways:
total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge
note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)

Roadways:
total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (1999)

Waterways:
Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing
vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT
by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1)
registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
3, unknown 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Georgetown

Military Guyana

Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 206,098 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 137,964 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$6.48 million (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues Guyana

Disputes - international:
all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by
Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana
has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims
before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with
Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of
land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute
over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration
under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of
the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily
Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money
laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Haiti

Introduction Haiti

Background:
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of
Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were
virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the
early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola,
and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the
island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on
forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest
in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African
slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th
century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint
L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first
black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by
political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion
led to the departure of President Jean-Betrand ARISTIDE in February
2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections
under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays have
prompted repeated postponements, and Haiti missed the
constitutionally-mandated presidential inauguration date of 7
February 2006.

Geography Haiti

Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the
Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline:
1,771 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:
920 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes;
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is
being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion;
inadequate supplies of potable water

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

Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western
one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

People Haiti

Population:
8,308,504
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
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,770,523/female 1,749,853)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 2,201,957/female 2,301,886)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 125,298/female 158,987) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 18.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.3% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.31 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 71.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 78.01 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 65.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.23 years
male: 51.89 years
female: 54.6 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
280,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
24,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%,
Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%
note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo

Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 54.8%
female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Government Haiti

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti
local short form: Haiti/Ayiti

Government type:
elected government

Capital:
name: Port-au-Prince
geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite,
Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud,
Sud-Est

Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution:
approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles
reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a
military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military
government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to
constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution remains
technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's
departure in 2004

Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30
May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February
2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote -
Rene PREVAL 51%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the
Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate
in each department receiving the most votes in the last election
serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves
four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two
years
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be
determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be
held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006,
run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held
in 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS
1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION
15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3,
FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1,
PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:
Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention
for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to
Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or
ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and
Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph
JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or
L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations
Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants'
Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front
coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY];
Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and
Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or
MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or
Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National
Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and
National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL
[Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL];
Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH
(merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and
National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES];
Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA];
Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY];
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU];
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc
BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or
UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction
of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New
Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes
LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude
ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL
[Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL)
[Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE
[Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole
ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of
Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or
KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy
APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement
or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering
Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH (as of October 2005)
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan
(Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 222-0200
FAX: [509] 223-9038

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered
white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree
flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto
L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

Economy Haiti

Economy - overview:
In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the
population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians
depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence
farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural
disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation.
The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999.
Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a
severe trade deficit. In early 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the
World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The
government is reliant on formal international economic assistance
for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of
foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP in 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$13.97 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.321 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 20%
services: 52% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.6 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25%

Unemployment rate:
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds
of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
27.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $400 million
expenditures: $600.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly
industries based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
546 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60.3%
hydro: 39.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
507.8 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
11,800 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:
$23 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$390.7 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes

Exports - partners:
US 80.8%, Dominican Republic 6.9%, Canada 4% (2005)

Imports:
$1.471 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels,
raw materials

Imports - partners:
US 49.3%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Colombia 3.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$100 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.313 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$153 million (FY05 est.)

Currency (code):
gourde (HTG)

Currency code:
HTG

Exchange rates:
gourdes per US dollar - 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367
(2003), 29.251 (2002), 24.429 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Haiti

Telephones - main lines in use:
140,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
400,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;
international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Radios:
415,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Televisions:
38,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ht

Internet hosts:
6 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
500,000 (2005)

Transportation Haiti

Airports:
12 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 4,160 km
paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (1999)

Ports and terminals:
Cap-Haitien

Military Haiti

Military branches:
the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force
- have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are
constitutionally abolished

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force
(2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,626,491
females age 18-49: 1,637,657 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 948,320
females age 18-49: 931,972 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 98,554
females age 18-49: 97,690 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$25.96 million (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues Haiti

Disputes - international:
since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite
efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic
privation and civil unrest continue to cross into the Dominican
Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims
US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:
Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and
Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics
traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions;
pervasive corruption

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Introduction Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Background:
These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred
from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal
and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.

Geography Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Location:
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from
Madagascar to Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:
53 06 S, 72 31 E

Map references:
Antarctic Region

Area:
total: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
101.9 km

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

Climate:
antarctic

Terrain:
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by
a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak);
McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m

Natural resources:
fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km

Natural hazards:
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Environment - current issues:
NA

People Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Population:
uninhabited (July 2006 est.)

Government Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald
Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
abbreviation: HIMI

Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the
Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment
and Heritage

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used

Economy Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Economy - overview:
No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government
allows limited fishing around the islands.

Communications Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Internet country code:
.hm

Transportation Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only

Military Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts
fisheries patrols

Transnational Issues Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Holy See (Vatican City)

Introduction Holy See (Vatican City)

Background:
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula
for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many
of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of
Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when
Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner"
popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties,
which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted
Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat
between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier
treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the
Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include
religious freedom, international development, the Middle East,
terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the
application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and
globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic
faith.

Geography Holy See (Vatican City)

Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Geographic coordinates:
41 54 N, 12 27 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 0.44 sq km
land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry
summers (May to September)

Terrain:
urban; low hill

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Natural resources:
none

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond
the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929
grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome
and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel
Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)

People Holy See (Vatican City)

Population:
932 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.01% (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: none
adjective: none

Ethnic groups:
Italians, Swiss, other

Religions:
Roman Catholic

Languages:
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%

Government Holy See (Vatican City)

Country name:
conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Government type:
ecclesiastical

Capital:
name: Vatican City
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed
with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the
full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial
extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the
years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the
8th century

National holiday:
Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)

Constitution:
new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November
2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law
of 1929)

Legal system:
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it

Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old