Chapter XXXVI: Front Matter (36)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.49 years
male: 53.45 years
female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,700 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic groups:
Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung
(highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic
Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Religions:
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian
denominations 1.5%)

Languages:
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.4%
male: 77.4%
female: 55.5% (2002)

Government Laos

Country name:
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos PDR or Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none

Government type:
Communist state

Capital:
name: Vientiane
geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality*
(kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone**
(khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai,
Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang,
Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*,
Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

Independence:
19 July 1949 (from France)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

Constitution:
promulgated 14 August 1991

Legal system:
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures,
and socialist practice

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8
June 2006) and Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June
2006); Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002),
Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit [since 8 June
2006], Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February
1998), and Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March
2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next
to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and
elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term
election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG
Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote -
100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of
National Assembly vote - 97%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LPRP 113, independents 2

Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court
is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)

Political parties and leaders:
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone];
other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:
noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders
fled the country in 1975

International organization participation:
ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM,
OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, Box V, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] 21-26 7000
FAX: [856] 21-26 7074

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red
with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy Laos

Economy - overview:
The government of Laos, one of the few remaining official Communist
states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private
enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low
base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during
the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning
in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with
a primitive infrastructure. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road
system, and limited external and internal telecommunications, though
the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system
with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a
few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice,
accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment.
The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other
international sources and from new foreign investment in food
processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic
driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain
steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with
the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on
exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the
European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao
Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO
membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region,
however, prospects for tourism could dim.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.29 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.523 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.3% (2005 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 45.5%
industry: 28.7%
services: 25.8% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
2.8 million (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
34% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $319.3 million
expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco,
cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Industries:
copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power,
agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement

Industrial production growth rate:
13% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.767 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.4%
hydro: 98.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.298 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
435 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
230 million kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
2,950 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:
$-134 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$379 million (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin

Exports - partners:
Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$541 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$249 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.49 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
$243 million (2001 est.)

Currency (code):
kip (LAK)

Currency code:
LAK

Exchange rates:
kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003),
10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Laos

Telephones - main lines in use:
90,067 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
520,546 (2006)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public is poor but
improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to
communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)

Radios:
730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from
Hanoi (2006)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.la

Internet hosts:
1,108 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
25,000 (2005)

Transportation Laos

Airports:
44 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 21 (2006)

Pipelines:
refined products 540 km (2006)

Roadways:
total: 32,620 km
paved: 4,590 km
unpaved: 28,030 km (2002)

Waterways:
4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)

Military Laos

Military branches:
Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,500,625
females age 15-49: 1,521,116 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 954,816
females age 15-49: 1,006,082 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 73,167
females age 15-49: 71,432 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$11.04 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2005 est.)

Military - note:
Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao
People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively
resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding
to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely
to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry
centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics
transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on
the Lao-Burma border (2005)

Transnational Issues Laos

Disputes - international:
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check
the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation
with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong
River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members
that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect
water levels

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Laos is a source country for men and women
trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;
a significant number are economic migrants who are subjected to
commercial sexual exploitation or conditions of forced or bonded
labor in Thailand; to a lesser extent, Laos is a transit and
destination country for women who are trafficked for sexual
exploitation including a small number of victims from China and
Vietnam trafficked to work as street vendors and for sexual
exploitation in prostitution
tier rating: Tier 3 - Laos does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so

Illicit drugs:
estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease
from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons,
a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Latvia

Introduction Latvia

Background:
After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars,
Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its
independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the
Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to
Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography Latvia

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and
Lithuania

Geographic coordinates:
57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 64,589 sq km
land: 63,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,368 km
border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km,
Russia 282 km

Coastline:
531 km

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

Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain:
low plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m

Natural resources:
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 28.19%
permanent crops: 0.45%
other: 71.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:
200 sq km
note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not
irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land
has been improved by drainage (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service
industries after the country regained independence; the main
environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality
and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as
well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU
accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full
enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with
some hills in the east

People Latvia

Population:
2,274,735 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 162,562/female 155,091)
15-64 years: 69.6% (male 769,004/female 815,042)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 121,646/female 251,390) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.4 years
male: 36.3 years
female: 42.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.67% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.33 years
male: 66.08 years
female: 76.85 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,600 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups:
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%,
Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)

Religions:
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Languages:
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3%
(2000 census)

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

Government Latvia

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
conventional short form: Latvia
local long form: Latvijas Republika
local short form: Latvija
former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Riga
geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles
Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons,
Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons,
Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas
Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons,
Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons,
Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu
Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*,
Ventspils Rajons

Independence:
21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is
the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4
May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August
1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:
15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human
Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented
the constitution

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December
2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
appointed by the Parliament
elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term
(no term limits); election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held
by June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president;
parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL
16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party -
TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)

Political parties and leaders:
First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a
United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the
Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or
TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS];
Latvian Green Party or ZZS [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS,
Raimonds VEJONIS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts
BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social
Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP
[Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS]; New Democrats
or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's
Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis
SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)
[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new
member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS
chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine TODD BAILEY
embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510
mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE
09723
telephone: [371] 703-6200
FAX: [371] 782-0047

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and
maroon

Economy Latvia

Economy - overview:
Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian
financial crisis, largely due to the government's budget stringency
and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries,
lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of
companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the
state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia
officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU
membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current
account deficit - 11.5% of GDP in 2005 - remains a major concern. A
growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit
activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$31.46 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.43 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
10.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$13,700 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 26.1%
services: 69.9% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
1.11 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 25%
services: 60% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.5% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
Below $2.15 per day (PPP): 3%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.1% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
27.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.673 billion
expenditures: $5.889 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
10.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs;
fish

Industries:
buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers,
agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios,
electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note -
dependent on imports for energy and raw materials

Industrial production growth rate:
5.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
3.97 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.1%
hydro: 70.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.839 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
38 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
2.7 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
47,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
47,000 bbl/day (2004)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m NA (2003)

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

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

Natural gas - imports:
1.76 billion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$-1.959 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$4.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles,
foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Lithuania 11%, Estonia 10.8%, Germany 10.2%, UK 10.2%, Russia 7.9%,
Sweden 7.8%, Denmark 5.3%, Poland 5.3% (2005)

Imports:
$8.19 billion f.o.b. (2005)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Imports - partners:
Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 13.6%, Russia 8.6%, Estonia 7.9%, Poland
6.4%, Finland 5.9%, Belarus 5.8%, Sweden 5.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.361 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$10.8 billion (1 January 2006)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.2 billion (2004-06)

Currency (code):
Latvian lat (LVL)

Currency code:
LVL

Exchange rates:
lati per US dollar - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003),
0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Latvia

Telephones - main lines in use:
731,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.872 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition
to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of
fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom,
the incumbent monopoly
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now
connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.76 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lv

Internet hosts:
65,858 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
41 (2001)

Internet users:
1.03 million (2005)

Transportation Latvia

Airports:
46 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,303 km
broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 69,919 km
paved: 69,919 km (2003)

Waterways:
300 km (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 250,559 GRT/336,136 DWT
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 105 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Bahamas
1, Belize 6, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 4, Dominica 1, Gibraltar 2, Liberia
14, Malta 40, Marshall Islands 7, Panama 3, Russia 2, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 18) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Riga, Ventspils

Military Latvia

Military branches:
Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force,
Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; plans are to
phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional
force by 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve
in the armed forces for life (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 517,713
females age 19-49: 519,631 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 361,098
females age 19-49: 422,913 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 19,137
females age 19-49: 18,505 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$87 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Latvia

Disputes - international:
Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian
insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing
Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands
better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; the Latvian
parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with
Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as
a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia
must implement the strict Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and
Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American
cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; despite
improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent
enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of
offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime
(including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and
prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Lebanon

Introduction Lebanon

Background:
Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by
Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this
territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France
granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war
(1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made
progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the
Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the
Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly
by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while
institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the
end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections,
most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country.
Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State
Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons.
During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if
Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly
east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its
continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests
and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the
constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from
southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese
groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage
of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria
to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese
affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's
presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive
demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar
Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military
forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held
its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free
of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc
led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son.

Geography Lebanon

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and
Syria

Geographic coordinates:
33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Coastline:
225 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Natural resources:
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit
region, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 16.35%
permanent crops: 13.75%
other: 69.9% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,040 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in
Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes;
pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills

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

Geography - note:
Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an
international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate,
protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion,
clan, and ethnicity

People Lebanon

Population:
3,874,050 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)
65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.8 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 28.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.23% (2006 est.)

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

Death rate:
6.21 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.88 years
male: 70.41 years
female: 75.48 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,800 (2003 est.)

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

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

Ethnic groups:
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but
rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be
called Phoenicians

Religions:
Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri),
Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic,
Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant),
other 1.3%
note: 17 religious sects recognized

Languages:
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Government Lebanon

Country name:
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
former: Greater Lebanon

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Beirut
geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar,
Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban,
Nabatiye

Independence:
22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution:
23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of
Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Legal system:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June
2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15
October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year
extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted
96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni
Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected
president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against,
10 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005
(next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group -
Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and
Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic
Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4;
Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2;
Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal
Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th
Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5

Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial
cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council
(called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws);
Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime
minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders:
Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left
[Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD];
Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement
leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement
[Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party
[Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese
Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD];
Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD];
National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet
Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian
National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli
Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality)
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box
2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place,
Washington, DC 20521-6070
telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136

Flag description:
three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle,
double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in
the white band

Economy Lebanon

Economy - overview:
The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In
the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical
and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from
domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national
debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program,
reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection,
and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government
met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek
bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at
lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations
stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the
debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI
government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt.
The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of
Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism
remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad
SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including
privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of
nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early
2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt
and increasing foreign investment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$22.78 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$20.7 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
0.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 21%
services: 67% (2000)

Labor force:
2.6 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(2001 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
18% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
28% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.953 billion
expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
180.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives,
tobacco; sheep, goats

Industries:
banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles,
mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil
refining, metal fabricating

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
10.67 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 97.2%
hydro: 2.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
10.67 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
750 million kWh (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
102,000 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:
$-4.239 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$1.782 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer
goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power
machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners:
Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia
6% (2005)

Imports:
$8.855 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and
live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco

Imports - partners:
Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US
5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$16.62 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$26 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans
pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference

Currency (code):
Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code:
LBP

Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004),
1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Lebanon

Telephones - main lines in use:
990,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
990,000 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,
severely damaged during the civil war, now complete
domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service;
political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new
technologies
international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations);
coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
2.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.18 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lb

Internet hosts:
3,307 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)

Internet users:
700,000 (2005)

Transportation Lebanon

Airports:
7 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 43 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m
note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during
fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,198 km
unpaved: 1,102 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1)
registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados
1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North
Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2)
(2006)

Ports and terminals:
Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli

Military Lebanon

Military branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 974,363
females age 18-49: 1,024,273 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 821,762
females age 18-49: 865,770 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$540.6 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.1% (2004)

Transnational Issues Lebanon

Disputes - international:
Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 404,170 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 300,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in
2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin
American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way
to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Lesotho

Introduction Lesotho

Background:
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence
from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first
two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to
Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government
was restored in 1993 after 7 years of military rule. In 1998,
violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious
election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African
and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern
African Development Community. Constitutional reforms have since
restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were
held in 2002.

Geography Lesotho

Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:
29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain:
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay,
building stone

Land use:
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89% (2005)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in
overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion;
desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and
redirects water to South Africa

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

Geography - note:
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous,
more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level

People Lesotho

Population:
2,022,331
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: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.3 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 21 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.46% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.68 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 34.4 years
male: 35.55 years
female: 33.21 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
28.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
320,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
29,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions:
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8%
male: 74.5%
female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

Government Lesotho

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland

Government type:
parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital:
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru,
Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence:
4 October 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution:
2 April 1993

Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of
legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note -
King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to
February 1995, while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none - according to the constitution, the leader of the
majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister;
the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution,
which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is
a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession,
or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not
of mature age

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22
principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120
in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC
7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18

Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court;
customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:
Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE];
Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho
National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang
Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD
[Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party
or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone
MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou
Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or
NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief
Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho
RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social
Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party
or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,
NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116

Flag description:
three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the
proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and
prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black
Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was
unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

Economy Lesotho

Economy - overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances
from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the
Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government
revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax
system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major
hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to
South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number
of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a
small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that
support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well
as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown
significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade
benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The
economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture,
especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural
activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income
remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty
Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.008 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.362 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 44.3%
services: 39.4% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
838,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence
agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in
South Africa
industry and services: 14%

Unemployment rate:
45% (2002)

Population below poverty line:
49% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
63.2 (1995)

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

Investment (gross fixed):
29.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $738.5 million
expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts,
construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
15.5% (1999)

Electricity - production:
350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
363.5 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,400 bbl/day (2003)

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:
$-92 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and
mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners:
Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005)

Imports:
$1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum
products (2000)

Imports - partners:
US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$573 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$735 million (2002)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $4.4 million

Economic aid - recipient:
$41.5 million (2000)

Currency (code):
loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:
LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates:
maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003),
10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Lesotho

Telephones - main lines in use:
48,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
245,100 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a
small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone
communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)