Chapter XXXIV: Front Matter (34)

Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense
industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose
health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe
in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the
Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and
leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural
salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown
into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil
pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from
poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and
Russia extended the lease to 2050

People Kazakhstan

Population:
15,233,244 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 1,792,685/female 1,717,294)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 5,122,027/female 5,357,819)
65 years and over: 8.2% (male 438,541/female 804,878) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.8 years
male: 27.2 years
female: 30.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.33% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-3.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.89 years
male: 61.56 years
female: 72.52 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,500 (2001 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,
German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)

Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in
everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (1999 est.)

Government Kazakhstan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: Qazaqstan
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch

Capital:
name: Astana
geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 30 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Kazakhstan is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala,
singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy
(Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy
(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,
Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy
(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr
(Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the
lease to 2050

Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new
constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June
2003); Deputy Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 19 January 2006)
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 4 December 2005 (next to be
held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president;
percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A.
TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6%
note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that
extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers:
only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss
the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his
discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators
are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local
government bodies, 2 from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of
Astana, and the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note -
formerly composed of 47 seats) and the Mazhilis (77 seats; 10 out of
the 77 Mazhilis members are elected from the winning party's lists;
members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be
held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 19 September and 3 October 2004
(next to be held in September 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Mazhilis -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11,
ASAR (All Together) 4, Aq Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1
(party refused to take the seat due to criticism of the election and
seat remained unoccupied), independent 18; note - most independent
candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other
pro-government institutions

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, co-chair, Zeynulla
ALSHIMBAYEV, co-chair, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, co-chair, Yerkin
ONGARBAYEV, co-chair, Tolegan SYDYKOV, co-chair] (formerly
Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Aq Zhol Party (Bright Path)
[Alikhan BAIMENOV, chairman]; AUL (Village) [Gani KALIYEV,
chairman]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn
ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan
[Vladislav KOSAREV, first secretary]; Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV,
acting chairman] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with
Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV, chairman]; Rukhaniyat
(Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA, chairwoman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];
Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a Just
Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV]; For Fair Elections
[Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash
NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights
[Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pensioners Movement or
Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of
International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International
[Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY
embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (3172) 70-21-00
FAX: [7] (3172) 34-08-90

Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun
with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on
the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold

Economy Kazakhstan

Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in
territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves
and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a
large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a growing
machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for
Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a
short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan
enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 9% or more per year in
2002-05 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to
economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. The opening
of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western
Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised
export capacity. Kazakhstan also has begun work on an ambitious
cooperative construction effort with China to build an oil pipeline
that will extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the
Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy
designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the
oil sector by developing light industry. The policy aims to reduce
the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The
government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil
companies over the terms of production agreements; tensions
continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2005
due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$125.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$47.39 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 38.6%
services: 54.7% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
7.85 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 30%
services: 50% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.1% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
19% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.5 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.6% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
26.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $12.19 billion
expenditures: $12.44 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
10.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock

Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper,
titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel;
tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors,
construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
60.33 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 84.3%
hydro: 15.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
52.55 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
6 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
2.45 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
1.3 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
221,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
890,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
47,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves:
26 billion bbl (1 January 2004)

Natural gas - production:
18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
15.2 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
4.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
NA cu m

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3 trillion cu m (1 January 2004)

Current account balance:
$-485.7 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%,
machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)

Exports - partners:
Bermuda 12.5%, Russia 11.1%, Germany 10.7%, China 10%, Italy 7.9%,
France 7.7%, Romania 4.5%, US 4% (2005)

Imports:
$17.51 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8%
(2001)

Imports - partners:
Russia 35.9%, China 21.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.07 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$41.66 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004)

Currency (code):
tenge (KZT)

Currency code:
KZT

Exchange rates:
tenge per US dollar - 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003),
153.28 (2002), 146.74 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Kazakhstan

Telephones - main lines in use:
2.5 million (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.955 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other
former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave
radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:
6.47 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:
3.88 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.kz

Internet hosts:
21,187 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (with their own international channels) (2001)

Internet users:
400,000 (2005)

Transportation Kazakhstan

Airports:
150 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 67
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 10 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 53 (2006)

Heliports:
4 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 658 km; gas 11,019 km; oil 10,338 km; refined products
1,095 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 13,700 km
broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 258,029 km
paved: 247,347 km
unpaved: 10,682 km (2003)

Waterways:
4,000 km (on the Ertis (Irtysh) (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya)
rivers) (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,173 GRT/43,475 DWT
by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Oman 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),
Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Military Kazakhstan

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican
Guard

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - two years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,758,255
females age 18-49: 3,822,845 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,473,529
females age 18-49: 3,168,048 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 173,129
females age 18-49: 168,697 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Transnational Issues Kazakhstan

Disputes - international:
in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitation
with Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary with
Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistant
seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the
Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water
column among any of the littoral states

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 13,684 (Russia) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as
well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit
point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of
Europe

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Kenya

Introduction Kenya

Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led
Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when
President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional
succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969
until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made
itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and
external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The
ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power
in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and
fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the
Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following
fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate
of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow
Coalition, defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the
presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption
platform.

Geography Kenya

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and
Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline:
536 km

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

Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley;
fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources:
limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite,
gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 8.01%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other: 91.02% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,030 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of
water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;
water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil
erosion; desertification; poaching

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

Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful
agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on
Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography
supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic
value

People Kenya

Population:
34,707,817
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: 42.6% (male 7,454,765/female 7,322,130)
15-64 years: 55.1% (male 9,631,488/female 9,508,068)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 359,354/female 432,012) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.2 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 18.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.57% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to
233,778 refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia
153,627, Sudan 67,556, Ethiopia 12,595 (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 61.92 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.93 years
male: 49.78 years
female: 48.07 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab)
1%

Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim
10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely

Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Government Kenya

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya
local short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Nairobi
geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*,
North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution:
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001

Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,
tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002);
Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002);
Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest
number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must
also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven
provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27
December 2002 (next to be held December 2007); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote -
Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called
"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected
by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2
ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed
by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High
Court

Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People
[Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU
[Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI]
(the governing party)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National
Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of
political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA];
Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava
MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme
Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606
Village Market Nairobi
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (20) 537-800
FAX: [254] (20) 537-810

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the
red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering
crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Economy Kenya

Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has
been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary
goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended
Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the
government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A
severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,
causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.
As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had
resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again
halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute
several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains
in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low
investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at
1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,
meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.
In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old
reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable
economic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made in
rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support. GDP grew more
than 5% in 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$37.89 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.11 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 18.8%
services: 65.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
11.85 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.5 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.715 billion
expenditures: $3.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
50.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries,
textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, oil
refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair,
tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.342 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 17.7%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 11.3% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
4.238 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
200 million kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
52,000 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:
$-1.543 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$3.173 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,
cement

Exports - partners:
Uganda 13.9%, UK 10.5%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.2%, Egypt 5.1%,
Tanzania 4.7%, Pakistan 4.5% (2005)

Imports:
$5.126 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor
vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners:
UAE 13.6%, Saudi Arabia 9.9%, US 9.8%, India 8.3%, South Africa
7.9%, China 7.1%, UK 5.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.799 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$7.391 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$453 million (1997)

Currency (code):
Kenyan shilling (KES)

Currency code:
KES

Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004),
75.936 (2003), 78.749 (2002), 78.563 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Kenya

Telephones - main lines in use:
281,800 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.612 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except
for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (2002)

Televisions:
730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ke

Internet hosts:
13,274 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
65 (2001)

Internet users:
1,054,900 (2005)

Transportation Kenya

Airports:
225 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 210
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 115
under 914 m: 84 (2006)

Pipelines:
refined products 894 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 63,000 km (interurban roads)
paved: 7,623 km
unpaved: 55,377 km
note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of
urban roads for a national total of 177,500 km (2004)

Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT
by type: passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Mombasa

Military Kenya

Military branches:
Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2006)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,303,153
females age 18-49: 7,083,726 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,963,532
females age 18-49: 3,471,926 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$280.5 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.6% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Kenya

Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's
north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to
approximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans who
flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; the Kenya-Somalia border is open to
pastoralists and is susceptible to cross-border clan insurgencies;
Kenya's administrative limits extend beyond the treaty border into
the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 153,627 (Somalia) 12,595 (Ethiopia)
67,556 (Sudan)
IDPs: 360,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s)
(2005)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Kenya is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and
sexual exploitation; children are trafficked within the country for
domestic servitude, street vending, agricultural labor, and sexual
exploitation; men, women, and girls are trafficked to the Middle
East, other African nations, Western Europe, and North America for
domestic servitude, enslavement in massage parlors and brothels, and
manual labor; Chinese women trafficked for sexual exploitation
reportedly transit Nairobi and Bangladeshis may transit Kenya for
forced labor in other countries
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kenya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch
List due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat
severe forms of trafficking

Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country
for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant
potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status
as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively
high levels of narcotics-associated activities

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Kiribati

Introduction Kiribati

Background:
The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and
complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US
relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line
Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography Kiribati

Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from
Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed
that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert
Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line
Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the
International Date Line

Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 811 sq km
land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,143 km

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

Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

Land use:
arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
very sensitive to changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy
migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines
and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk

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

Geography - note:
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in
Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru

People Kiribati

Population:
105,432 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.6% (male 20,608/female 20,060)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 30,216/female 31,004)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,517/female 2,027) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.24% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 47.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 52.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.08 years
male: 59.06 years
female: 65.24 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of
God (1999)

Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)

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

Government Kiribati

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in
addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line
Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island
councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama,
Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati,
Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea,
Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)

Independence:
12 July 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Constitution:
12 July 1979

Legal system:
NA

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential
candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete
in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a
four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 4
July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA
9.1%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats;
39 elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney
general, 1 appointed to represent Banaba, and 1 other; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 (next to be
held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;
National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu

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

Flag description:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a
yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal
wavy white stripes to represent the ocean

Economy Kiribati

Economy - overview:
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few
natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were
exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and
fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy
has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is
constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure,
and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more
than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of
development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives.
Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and
China equals about 20% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant
ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati
receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from
an Australian trust fund.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$142.9 million
note: supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources
(2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$76.4 million

GDP - real growth rate:
0.3% (2005)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (1998 est.)

Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001
est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
2.70213%, 32%, 65.3%

Unemployment rate:
2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.5% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY05)

Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Industries:
fishing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
0.7% (1991 est.)

Electricity - production:
12 million kWh (2003)

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

Electricity - consumption:
11.16 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
200 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:
$-19.87 million

Exports:
$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners:
US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%,
Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured
goods, fuel

Imports - partners:
Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2005)

Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004)

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004),
1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)

Fiscal year:
NA

Communications Kiribati

Telephones - main lines in use:
4,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
600 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally good quality national and
international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati
(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF
radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999
international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the
Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should
improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)

Radios:
17,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (not reported to be active) (2002)

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ki

Internet hosts:
42 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
2,000 (2004)

Transportation Kiribati

Airports:
19 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 670 km (1999)

Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Betio

Military Kiribati

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law
enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts
are on all islands)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is
provided by Australia and NZ

Transnational Issues Kiribati

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Korea, North

Introduction Korea, North

Background:
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was
occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five
years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following
World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under
Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean
War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in
the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder
President KIM Il-so'ng, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic
and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or
Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the
ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded
propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies
around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of
Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM
Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in
1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the
elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement
and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied
heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing
to expend resources to maintain an army of 1 million. North Korea's
long-range missile development, as well as its nuclear, chemical,
and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed
forces, are of major concern to the international community. In
December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a
nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a
1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its
existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it
declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation
Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade
plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Since August
2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with
China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve
the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of
Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All
parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among
other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of
verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful
manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning
all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at
an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits
the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK
denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that
it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to
attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and
DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's
implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other
longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision
of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to
implement the elements of the agreement.

Geography Korea, North

Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the
Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 120,540 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km
water: 130 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries:
total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

Coastline:
2,495 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the
exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign
vessels and aircraft without permission are banned

Climate:
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys;
coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources:
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper,
gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional
typhoons during the early fall

Environment - current issues:
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne
disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

People Korea, North

Population:
23,113,019 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331)
15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522)
65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 32 years
male: 30.7 years
female: 33.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.84% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.65 years
male: 68.92 years
female: 74.51 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups:
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few
ethnic Japanese

Religions:
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and
syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom

Languages:
Korean

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%

Government Korea, North

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: Choson
abbreviation: DPRK

Government type:
Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital:
name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si,
singular and plural)
provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),
Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),
Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin),
Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)

Constitution:
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
April 1992, and September 1998

Legal system:
based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and
Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3
September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA)
reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a
position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA
reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with
responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic
credentials; SPA appointed PAK Pong Ju premier
head of government: Premier PAK Pong Ju (since 3 September 2003);
Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun
(since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's
Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September
2008)
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees
for positions and ran unopposed

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected
without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties

Judicial branch:
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor
parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control),
Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO,
ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as
consular protecting power

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is
a white disk with a red five-pointed star

Economy Korea, North