Chapter IX: Front Matter (9)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Belarus

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,284,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.098 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading
telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom, is the
sole provider of fixed line local and long distance service;
modernization of the network to digital switching progressing slowly
domestic: fixed line penetration is improving although rural areas
continue to be underserved; four GSM wireless networks are
experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on
telecommunications technologies
international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the
Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line,
and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic
segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and
Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this
infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:
3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
2.52 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.by

Internet hosts:
33,641 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
23 (2002)

Internet users:
3,394,400 (2005)

Transportation Belarus

Airports:
86 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 41
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 12 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 35 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 5,223 km; oil 2,321 km; refined products 1,686 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 5,512 km
broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2005)

Roadways:
total: 93,055 km
paved: 93,055 km (2003)

Waterways:
2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by
shallowness) (2003)

Ports and terminals:
Mazyr

Military Belarus

Military branches:
Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,520,644
females age 18-49: 2,564,696 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,657,984
females age 18-49: 2,102,793 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 85,202
females age 18-49: 82,037 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$420.5 million (2006)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Belarus

Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over
unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing
border security; the whole boundary with Latvia and more than half
the boundary with Lithuania remains undemarcated; discussions toward
economic and political union with Russia proceed slowly

Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the
domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via
Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly
regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation
does not meet international standards; few investigations or
prosecutions of money-laundering activities

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Belgium

Introduction Belgium

Background:
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was
occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.

Geography Belgium

Location:
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the
Netherlands

Geographic coordinates:
50 50 N, 4 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km
water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:
about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
Netherlands 450 km

Coastline:
66.5 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
continental shelf: median line with neighbors

Climate:
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain:
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources:
construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Land use:
arable land: 27.42%
permanent crops: 0.69%
other: 71.89%
note: includes Luxembourg (2005)

Irrigated land:
400 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal
land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Environment - current issues:
the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human
activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry,
extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water
pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;
uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now
resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:
crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and
NATO

People Belgium

Population:
10,379,067 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 883,254/female 846,099)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,450,879/female 3,389,565)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,569/female 1,062,701) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.9 years
male: 39.6 years
female: 42.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.13% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.77 years
male: 75.59 years
female: 82.09 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups:
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Languages:
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less
than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

Government Belgium

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Government type:
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital:
name: Brussels
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch:
provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions;
Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles),
Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur,
Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities

Independence:
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from
the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne)

National holiday:
21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I

Constitution:
7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create
a federal state

Legal system:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or
the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament
note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat
in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular
vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and
a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch,
Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003
(next to be held no later than May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit
15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH
5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5,
VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected
senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD
15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR
11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit
23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8, Ecolo 4, other 2
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de
Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the
government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice
Council)

Political parties and leaders:
Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo
VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN!
(formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance
or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A
[Johan Vande LANOTTE]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now
associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank
VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,
Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of
CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reform
Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI
RUPO]; other minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of
Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and
medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural
interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax
Christi and groups representing immigrants

International organization participation:
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
consulate(s): Atlanta

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the design was based on the flag of France

Economy Belgium

Economy - overview:
This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its
central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and
diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated
mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural
resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw
materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its
economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly
three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt
is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has
succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is
relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in
January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of
the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$322.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$350.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$31,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 24%
services: 74.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
4.77 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.5%
services: 74.2% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
4% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
25 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $180.4 billion
expenditures: $180.5 billion; including capital expenditures of
$1.56 billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
94.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal,
pork, milk

Industries:
engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and
beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:
-0.2% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
78.77 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 38.4%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 59.3%
other: 1.8% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
79.66 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
8.3 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
14.7 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
13,060 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
450,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
1.042 million bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$6.305 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal
products, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%,
Italy 5.3% (2005)

Imports:
$264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals,
foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products

Imports - partners:
Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland
6.5%, US 5.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$12 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.072 billion (2002)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the
euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of
member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003),
1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Belgium

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.46 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 32; submarine cables - 5; satellite
earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
8.075 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
4.72 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.be

Internet hosts:
2,870,770 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
61 (2000)

Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)

Transportation Belgium

Airports:
43 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 1,561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 149,757 km
paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,647 km (2003)

Waterways:
2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 66 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,952,159 GRT/6,521,645 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 4, chemical tanker 2, container 10,
liquefied gas 15, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 4, Greece 4, UK 2)
registered in other countries: 113 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas
13, Bermuda 4, Cyprus 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 6,
Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Greece 12, Hong Kong 3, Luxembourg 9, Malta
10, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 4, Panama 11,
Portugal 8, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore
12, Sweden 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge

Military Belgium

Military branches:
Belgian Armed Forces: Land, Naval, and Air Operations Commands
(2005)

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise
approx. 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,436,736
females age 16-49: 2,369,463 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,998,003
females age 16-49: 1,940,918 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 64,263
females age 16-49: 61,402 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.999 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (2003)

Transnational Issues Belgium

Disputes - international:
none

Illicit drugs:
growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound
ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and
marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of
legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering
related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Belize

Introduction Belize

Background:
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their
decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and
Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it
formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial
disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of
Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation
until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current
concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South
American drug trade, and increasing urban crime.

Geography Belize

Location:
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and
Mexico

Geographic coordinates:
17 15 N, 88 45 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:
total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Coastline:
386 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from
the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's
territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,
1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for
negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with
Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry
season (February to May)

Terrain:
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m

Natural resources:
arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 3.05%
permanent crops: 1.39%
other: 95.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal
flooding (especially in south)

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents,
agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

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

Geography - note:
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North
Pacific Ocean

People Belize

Population:
287,730 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)
15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.6 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.31% (2006 est.)

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

Death rate:
5.72 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.3 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups:
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican
5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%,
Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

Languages:
English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.1% (2003 est.)

Government Belize

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time)

Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

Independence:
21 September 1981 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Constitution:
21 September 1981

Legal system:
English law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17
November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28
August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime
minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members
appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime
minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1
each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical
Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union
Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are
appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next
to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUP 21, UDP 8

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders:
People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party
or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele
CATZIM]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163
FAX: [501] 223-0802

Flag description:
blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges;
centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of
arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany
tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the
Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland

Economy Belize

Economy - overview:
In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism
industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by
marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The
government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in
September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in
1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit
and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction
of poverty with the help of international donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.778 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$908 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.2%
industry: 15.2%
services: 61.2% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel
(2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 27%
industry: 18%
services: 55% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
12.9% (2003)

Population below poverty line:
33% (1999 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $262 million
expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70
million (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber;
garments

Industries:
garment production, food processing, tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (1999)

Electricity - production:
120 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 59.9%
hydro: 40.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
111.6 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
6,000 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:
$-180 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood

Exports - partners:
US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005)

Imports:
$622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

Imports - partners:
US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China
4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$87 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency (code):
Belizean dollar (BZD)

Currency code:
BZD

Exchange rates:
Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2
(2002), 2 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Belize

Telephones - main lines in use:
33,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
93,100 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8
(Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
133,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)

Televisions:
41,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bz

Internet hosts:
3,905 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
35,000 (2005)

Transportation Belize

Airports:
43 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km
unpaved: 2,384 km (1999)

Waterways:
825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll
on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3,
Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4,
Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1,
Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6,
Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Belize City

Military Belize

Military branches:
Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and
Volunteer Guard

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for
conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has
never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available
positions by 3:1 (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 61,201
females age 18-49: 60,048 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 44,238
females age 18-49: 43,633 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 3,213
females age 18-49: 3,100 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$19 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Belize

Disputes - international:
Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited
rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002
failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment
to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint
ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK
financial package

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Belize is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked mainly
from Central America, and exploited in prostitution; children are
trafficked to Belize for labor exploitation; Belize's largely
unmonitored borders with Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico facilitate
the movement of illegal migrants who are vulnerable to traffickers;
girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation,
sometimes with the consent and complicity of their close relatives;
there are unconfirmed reports that Indian and Chinese migrants are
trafficked for involuntary servitude in homes and shops
tier rating: Tier 3 - Belize has failed to show evidence of
significant law enforcement or victim protection efforts

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of
cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity
related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Benin

Introduction Benin

Background:
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African
kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French
Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the
Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in
1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment
of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to
representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free
elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as
president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa
from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by
elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were
alleged.

Geography Benin

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and
Togo

Geographic coordinates:
9 30 N, 2 15 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km,
Togo 644 km

Coastline:
121 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Natural resources:
small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Land use:
arable land: 23.53%
permanent crops: 2.37%
other: 74.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:
120 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to
March

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife
populations; deforestation; desertification

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

Geography - note:
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural
harbors, river mouths, or islands

People Benin

Population:
7,862,944
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: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)
15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.73% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.04 years
male: 51.9 years
female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
68,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,800 (2003 est.)

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

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

Ethnic groups:
African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja,
Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages:
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in
south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.6%
male: 46.4%
female: 22.6% (2002 est.)

Government Benin

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Porto-Novo (official capital)
geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Cotonou (seat of government)

Administrative divisions:
12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines,
Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Independence:
1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
National Day, 1 August (1960)

Constitution:
December 1990

Legal system:
based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006
(next to be held March 2011)
election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote -
YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD,
AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small
parties) 31

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy
and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or
PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD;
Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS;
Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of
People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or
NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du
Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile)
[Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]
note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone: [229] 30-06-50
FAX: [229] 30-06-70

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a
vertical green band on the hoist side

Economy Benin

Economy - overview:
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on
subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years,
but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to
raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign
investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the
development of new food processing systems and agricultural
products, and encourage new information and communication
technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's
application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for
which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy
continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture
in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral
creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin
benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while
pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be
hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing
list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in
increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.419 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.34 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2005 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 31.6%
industry: 13.8%
services: 54.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.211 million

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
33% (2001 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $766.8 million
expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts;
livestock

Industries:
textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Industrial production growth rate:
8.3% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
69 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 14.2%
hydro: 85.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
538.2 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
474 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
400 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-400 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa

Exports - partners:
China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%,
Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%,
Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$676 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
$342.6 million (2000)

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

Currency code:
XOF

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

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Benin

Telephones - main lines in use:
76,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
386,700 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7
(Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)

Radios:
660,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)

Televisions:
66,000 (2000)

Internet country code:
.bj

Internet hosts:
867 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)

Internet users:
425,000 (2005)

Transportation Benin

Airports:
5 (2006)

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

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

Railways:
total: 578 km
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 16,000 km
paved: 1,400 km
unpaved: 14,600 km (2005)

Waterways:
150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Cotonou

Military Benin

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in
practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are
eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months
(2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 21-49: 1,295,230
females age 21-49: 1,301,936 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 21-49: 749,774
females age 21-49: 751,329 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 76,661
females: 75,068 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$100.9 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Benin

Disputes - international:
Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of
riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of
Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains
undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a
consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land
boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border
persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the
boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary
stones

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian
trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western
Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly
regulated financial infrastructure

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Bermuda

Introduction Bermuda

Background:
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists
headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American
winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be
important to the island's economy, although international business
has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a
highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum
on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the
present government has reopened debate on the issue.

Geography Bermuda

Location:
North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east
of South Carolina (US)

Geographic coordinates:
32 20 N, 64 45 W

Map references:
North America

Area:
total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
103 km

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

Climate:
subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter

Terrain:
low hills separated by fertile depressions

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m

Natural resources:
limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism

Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
hurricanes (June to November)

Environment - current issues:
sustainable development

Geography - note:
consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall,
but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US
Government from 1941 to 1995

People Bermuda

Population:
65,773 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,146/female 6,098)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,562/female 22,954)
65 years and over: 12.2% (male 3,479/female 4,534) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.2 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.61% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.85 years
female: 80.1 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.297% (2005)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
163 (2005)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
392 (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian

Ethnic groups:
black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified
0.4% (2000 census)

Religions:
Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%,
other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%,
none 14% (2000 census)

Languages:
English (official), Portuguese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (2005 est.)

Government Bermuda

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda
former: Somers Islands

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
parliamentary; self-governing territory

Capital:
name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 46 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*,
Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's,
Southampton, Warwick

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Bermuda Day, 24 May

Constitution:
8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003

Legal system:
English law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002)
head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006);
Deputy Premier Paula COX
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body
appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the
House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held
not later than July 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%;
seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:
Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party
or UBP [Wayne FURBERT]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union
or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed
BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3
mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate
General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place,
Washington, DC 20520-5300
telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342
FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233

Flag description:
red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion
holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea
Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag

Economy Bermuda

Economy - overview:
Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more
than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based
on providing financial services for international business and
luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies
relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after
Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already
robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry -
which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to
struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital
equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is
small, although construction continues to be important; the average
cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is
limited with only 20% of the land being arable.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.5 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
NA

GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$69,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 10%
services: 89% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
38,360 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%,
professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%,
sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.1% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
19% (2000)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (November 2005)

Budget:
revenues: $738 million
expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey

Industries:
international business, tourism, light manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
682.5 million kWh (2005)

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

Electricity - consumption:
616.7 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
4,658 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Exports:
$1.469 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
reexports of pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners:
France 65.6%, Spain 11.7%, US 4.5% (2005)

Imports:
$982 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction
materials, chemicals, food and live animals

Imports - partners:
Kazakhstan 51%, France 19%, South Korea 10.2%, US 7.6% (2005)

Debt - external:
$160 million (FY99/00)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA

Currency (code):
Bermudian dollar (BMD)

Currency code:
BMD

Exchange rates:
Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the
US dollar)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Bermuda

Telephones - main lines in use:
56,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
49,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good
domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic
trunk lines
international: country code - 1-441; submarine cables - 3 (fiber
optic); satellite earth stations - 3 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:
82,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (2005)

Televisions:
66,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.bm

Internet hosts:
8,114 (2006)