Chapter XX: Front Matter (20)

Economy - overview:
The economy is based on service activities connected with the
country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in
northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital
city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall
limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must
be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for
the region and an international transshipment and refueling center.
Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation
is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help
support its balance of payments and to finance development projects.
An unemployment rate of at least 50% continues to be a major
problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of
the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value
of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of
payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the
last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high
population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced
with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen
in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to
meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$619 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$702 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.9%
industry: 22.5%
services: 59.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
282,000 (2000)

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

Unemployment rate:
50% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

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

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

Budget:
revenues: $135 million
expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Industries:
construction, agricultural processing

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production:
200 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
186 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
11,900 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners:
Somalia 66.3%, Ethiopia 21.5%, Yemen 3.4% (2005)

Imports:
$987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 21.9%, India 18.7%, China 10.1%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France
4.7%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005)

Debt - external:
$394 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$64.1 million (2004)

Currency (code):
Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code:
DJF

Exchange rates:
Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004),
177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Djibouti

Telephones - main lines in use:
11,100 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
34,500 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti
are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to
outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez,
Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional
microwave radio relay telephone network

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:
52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)

Televisions:
28,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dj

Internet hosts:
1,540 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
9,000 (2005)

Transportation Djibouti

Airports:
13 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Railways:
total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005)

Roadways:
total: 2,890 km
paved: 364 km
unpaved: 2,526 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Djibouti

Military Djibouti

Military branches:
Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 95,328
females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 46,020
females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$29.05 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Djibouti

Disputes - international:
Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with
"Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to
various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await
repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 9,828 (Somalia) (2006)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and destination
country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation and possibly forced labor; small numbers are trafficked
from Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic migrants
from these countries also fall victim to trafficking upon reaching
Djibouti City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and
children from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti to
Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in forced labor or
sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not fully comply with
the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however,
it is making significant efforts to do so based partly on the
government's commitments to undertake future action

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Dominica

Introduction Dominica

Background:
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by
Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs.
France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the
island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence,
Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical
administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the
first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office
for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are
the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Geography Dominica

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
148 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain:
rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 6.67%
permanent crops: 21.33%
other: 72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be
expected during the late summer months

Environment - current issues:
NA

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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its
spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected
by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the
Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and
include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in
the world

People Dominica

Population:
68,910 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,084/female 8,885)
15-64 years: 66% (male 23,419/female 22,079)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,186/female 3,257) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.1 years
male: 29.8 years
female: 30.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.08% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-9.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.87 years
male: 71.95 years
female: 77.93 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:
black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2%

Languages:
English (official), French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (2003 est.)

Government Dominica

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Roseau
geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,
Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul,
Saint Peter

Independence:
3 November 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Constitution:
3 November 1978

Legal system:
based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October
2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8
January 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held
October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of
legislative vote - NA%

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21
elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010);
note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five
years of the last election, but technically it is five years from
the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace
period
election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.07%, UWP 43.6%,
DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal
and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges
must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary
Jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor
Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or
UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,
ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Swinburne A.S. LESTRADE
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to
Barbados is accredited to Dominica

Flag description:
green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical
part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal
part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center
of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10
green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent
the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

Economy Dominica

Economy - overview:
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas,
and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and
international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the
government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination.
Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however,
because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of
an international airport. The government began a comprehensive
restructuring of the economy in 2003 - including elimination of
price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax
increases - to address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF
targets. In order to diversify the island's production base, the
government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and
is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the
island.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$384 million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$279 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 32.8%
services: 49.5% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
25,000 (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 32%
services: 28%

Unemployment rate:
23% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
30% (2002 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.1% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and
fishery potential not exploited

Industries:
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Industrial production growth rate:
-10% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
83.88 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 47.1%
hydro: 52.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
78.01 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
900 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$74 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Exports - partners:
UK 26.8%, Jamaica 10%, South Korea 8.9%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.8%,
Guyana 7.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, US 4%, Saint Lucia 4% (2005)

Imports:
$234 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 25.5%, China 20.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.4%, South Korea 7.1%,
Japan 4.7%, UK 4.4% (2005)

Debt - external:
$213 million (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
$29.2 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:
XCD

Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Dominica

Telephones - main lines in use:
21,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
41,800 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF
radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF
radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
46,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2004)

Televisions:
6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.dm

Internet hosts:
263 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)

Internet users:
20,500 (2005)

Transportation Dominica

Airports:
2 (2006)

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

Roadways:
total: 780 km
paved: 393 km
unpaved: 387 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 48 ships (1000 GRT or over) 634,668 GRT/1,100,558 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 24, chemical tanker 4, container 2,
petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1,
vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 45 (Estonia 11, Germany 1, Greece 5, Latvia 1, Norway
1, NZ 4, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 9, Syria 1, Turkey 3,
UAE 2, Ukraine 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Portsmouth, Roseau

Military Dominica

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
(includes coast guard)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,227 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,136 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 602 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Dominica

Disputes - international:
Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's
sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island
nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human
habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large
portion of the Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe;
minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak,
making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Dominican Republic

Introduction Dominican Republic

Background:
Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in
1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish
conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain
recognized French dominion over the western third of the island,
which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then
known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821,
but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally
attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861,
the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two
years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865.
A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed,
capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from
1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed
in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an
intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to
restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an
election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on
power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to
flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then,
regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition
candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000)
Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004
following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve
more than one term.

Geography Dominican Republic

Location:
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 70 40 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km

Coastline:
1,288 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 6 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal
variation in rainfall

Terrain:
rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Natural resources:
nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use:
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26%
other: 67.25% (2005)

Irrigated land:
2,750 sq km (2003)

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

Environment - current issues:
water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs;
deforestation

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

Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

People Dominican Republic

Population:
9,183,984 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.1 years
male: 24 years
female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.79 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.73 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 73.33 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
88,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:
mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%

Languages:
Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.7%
male: 84.6%
female: 84.8% (2003 est.)

Government Dominican Republic

Country name:
conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: The Dominican
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: La Dominicana

Government type:
representative democracy

Capital:
name: Santo Domingo
geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district*
(distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*,
Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia,
La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor
Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata,
Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San
Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez,
Santo Domingo, Valverde

Independence:
27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Constitution:
28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

Legal system:
based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in
2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons
regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August
2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August
2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16
August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16
August 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second
consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held
in May 2008)
election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of
vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez
(PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de
Diputados (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May
2008); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be
held in May 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the
National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of
both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and
an additional non-governing party congressional representative)

Political parties and leaders:
Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];
Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National
Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social
Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective
of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building
and Justice (FINJUS)

International organization participation:
ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo
chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280
FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto
Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto
Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL
embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo
Navarro, Santo Domingo
mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500
telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171
FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437

Flag description:
a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag
into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red,
and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of
arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a
palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield
a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God,
Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
appears on a red ribbon

Economy Dominican Republic

Economy - overview:
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that
enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long
been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco,
in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the
economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade
zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major
bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of
about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004-06. With the
help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an
IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's
financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a
respectable rate, high unemployment and inflation remain important
challenges. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the
poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP,
while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The
Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the
ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$73.74 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$19.91 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.2% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 30.6%
services: 58.2% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
3.896 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 24.3%
services: 58.7% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:
16% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
25%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
47.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.2% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
15.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.852 billion
expenditures: $5.947 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1
billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
45.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes,
corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs

Industries:
tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles,
cement, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production:
15.02 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 7.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
13.96 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
11.95 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
127,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
129,900 bbl/day (2003)

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

Natural gas - consumption:
130 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
130 million cu m

Current account balance:
$-1.124 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$6.495 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats,
consumer goods

Exports - partners:
US 78.9%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9% (2005)

Imports:
$11.39 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:
US 50%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.106 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$8.634 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$571.6 million (2004)

Currency (code):
Dominican peso (DOP)

Currency code:
DOP

Exchange rates:
Dominican pesos per US dollar - 33.6046 (2006), 30.409 (2005),
42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Dominican Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:
894,500 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.623 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave
radio relay network
international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
1.44 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
25 (2003)

Televisions:
770,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.do

Internet hosts:
91,895 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
24 (2000)

Internet users:
938,300 (2005)

Transportation Dominican Republic

Airports:
33 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 10 (2006)

Railways:
total: 517 km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge
note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m,
0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2005)

Roadways:
total: 12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo

Military Dominican Republic

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,133,142
females age 18-49: 2,032,840 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,671,493
females age 18-49: 1,536,257 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 91,699
females age 18-49: 87,550 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$0 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0% (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues Dominican Republic

Disputes - international:
increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic
cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the
Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial
money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the
Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@East Timor

Introduction East Timor

Background:
The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early
16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the
Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which
Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan
occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial
authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor
declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and
was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It
was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East
Timor. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the
next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000
individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised
popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of East
Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum
and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late
September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and
supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale,
scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed
approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into
West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's
infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply
systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical
grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led
peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor
(INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an
end. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an
independent state. In March of 2006, a military strike led to
violence and a near breakdown of law and order. Over 2,000
Australian, New Zealand, and Portuguese police and peacekeepers
deployed to East Timor in late May. Although many of the
peacekeepers were replaced by UN police officers, 850 Australian
soldiers remained as of 1 January 2007.

Geography East Timor

Location:
Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda
Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note -
East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the
Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of
Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

Geographic coordinates:
8 50 S, 125 55 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 15,007 sq km
land: NA sq km
water: NA sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km

Coastline:
706 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

Terrain:
mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m

Natural resources:
gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

Land use:
arable land: 8.2%
permanent crops: 4.57%
other: 87.23% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,065 sq km (est.)

Natural hazards:
floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical
cyclones

Environment - current issues:
widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to
deforestation and soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:
NA

Geography - note:
Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is
part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of
the Lesser Sunda Islands

People East Timor

Population:
1,062,777
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.3% (male 196,293/female 189,956)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 328,111/female 315,401)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 16,072/female 16,944) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.8 years
female: 20.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.08% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 45.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 52.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.26 years
male: 63.96 years
female: 68.67 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Timorese
adjective: Timorese

Ethnic groups:
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority

Religions:
Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)

Languages:
Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English
note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,
Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58.6%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2002)

Government East Timor

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form: East Timor
local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum];
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
former: Portuguese Timor

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Dili
geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro
(Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos),
Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque

Independence:
28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from
Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international
recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia

National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

Constitution:
22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)

Legal system:
UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place
but are to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese
law; these have passed but have not been promulgated

Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May
2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is
able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national
elections; he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO
head of government: Prime Minister Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 10 July
2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Estanlislau Maria Alexio da SILVA
(since 10 July 2006); Second Deputy Prime Minister Rui Maria do
ARAUJO (since 10 July 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 14 April 2002 (next
to be held 9 April 2007)
election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent
of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL
17.3%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum
requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of
office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an
exceptional basis
elections: (next to be held in May 2007); direct elections for
national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the
national convention adopted a constitution and named themselves
legislators instead of having elections; hence the exceptional
numbers for this term of the national parliament
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD
8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT
2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by
party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT
2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be
appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior
Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established,
Court of Appeals is highest court

Political parties and leaders:
Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do
AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio
XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da
Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO];
People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front
of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Francisco Guterres Lu OLO];
Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO];
Socialist Party of Timor or PST [Pedro da COSTA]; Sons of the
Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or
KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT
[Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or PTT [Paulo Freitas DA
SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO]

International organization participation:
ACP, ARF, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Constancio
PINTO
chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: 202 966-3202
FAX: 202 966-3205
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William
Gary GRAY
embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili
mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place,
Washington, DC 20521-8250
telephone: (670) 332-4684
FAX: (670) 331-3206

Flag description:
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to
the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the
black triangle

Economy East Timor

Economy - overview:
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East
Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence
militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three
years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000
peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to
substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end
of 2005, all refugees either returned or resettled in Indonesia. The
country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of
infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and
generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The
development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters has begun to
supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above
expectations - the result of high petroleum prices - but the
technology-intensive industry does little to create jobs for the
unemployed, because there are no production facilities in Timor and
the gas is piped to Australia. The parliament in June 2005
unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a
repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of East
Timor's petroleum wealth for future generations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$370 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$349 million (2005)

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

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

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 23.1%
services: 68.4% (2004)

Labor force:
NA

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

Unemployment rate:
50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data
do not include underemployed (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
42% (2003 est.)

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38 (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (2005)

Budget:
revenues: $107.7 million
expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage,
mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industries:
printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate:
8.5%

Electricity - production:
NA kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Exports:
$10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla
exports

Exports - partners:
Indonesia 100% (2005)

Imports:
$202 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

Debt - external:
$0

Economic aid - recipient:
$153 million (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications East Timor

Telephones - main lines in use:
NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
NA

Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios:
NA

Television broadcast stations:
East Timor has a state-run media oversight authority, which
oversees at least one television and one radio station.

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005

Internet hosts:
68 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA

Internet users:
1,000 (2004)

Transportation East Timor

Airports:
8 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Heliports:
9 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 5,000 km
paved: 2,500 km
unpaved: 2,500 km (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Dili

Military East Timor

Military branches:
East Timor Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL):
Army, Navy (Armada) (2005)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 235,198
females age 18-49: 223,069 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 179,422
females age 18-49: 184,533 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 12,740
females age 18-49: 12,438 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.4 million (FY03)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues East Timor

Disputes - international:
UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) has maintained about
1,000 peacekeepers in East Timor since 2002; East Timor-Indonesia
Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land
boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the
Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest
the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu
Sinai, which prevents delimitation of the northern maritime
boundaries; many refugees who left East Timor in 2003 still reside
in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and East Timor
agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50
years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint
Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty;
dispute with Australia has hampered creation of a southern maritime
boundary with Indonesia

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 150,000 (2006)

Illicit drugs:
NA

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Ecuador

Introduction Ecuador

Background:
What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until
the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish
colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New
Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada
(Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence by 1819
and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew
in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic
of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in
a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru
that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25
years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by
political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the
mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected
Presidents.

Geography Ecuador

Location:
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator,
between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates:
2 00 S, 77 30 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries:
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline:
2,237 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath

Climate:
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations;
tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain:
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and
flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 4.81%
other: 89.48% (2005)

Irrigated land:
8,650 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution;
pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas
of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

People Ecuador

Population:
13,547,510 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 2,281,499/female 2,195,551)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 4,178,653/female 4,210,766)
65 years and over: 5% (male 319,719/female 361,322) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 23.6 years
male: 23.1 years
female: 24 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.5% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-3.11 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: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 22.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.42 years
male: 73.55 years
female: 79.43 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
21,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,700 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish
and others 7%, black 3%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Languages:
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 94%
female: 91% (2003 est.)

Government Ecuador

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Quito
geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)

Administrative divisions:
22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar,
Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos,
Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo,
Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence:
24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution:
10 August 1998

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages
18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January
2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO (since 15 January 2007); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15
January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO (since 15 January 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same
ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve
consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff
election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held October 2010)
election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent
of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats;
members are elected through a party-list proportional representation
system to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5;
other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are
commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats
held by the various parties

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new
justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004,
however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a
simple-majority resolution)

Political parties and leaders:
Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM];
Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; Ethical and Democratic
Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; National Action Institutional Renewal
Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity
Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic
Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or
DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD
[Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian
ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz,
director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO];
Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE
[Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F.
Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or
FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous
Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ,
president]

International organization participation:
CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO