Chapter XLV: Front Matter (45)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
107,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.nc

Internet hosts:
13,962 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
76,000 (2005)

Transportation New Caledonia

Airports:
25 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Heliports:
6 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 5,432 km (2000)

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Noumea

Military New Caledonia

Military branches:
no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces
(includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 50,874 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 40,822 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 1,907 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues New Caledonia

Disputes - international:
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France
and Vanuatu

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@New Zealand

Introduction New Zealand

Background:
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In
1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the
Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen
Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the
British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of
land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native
peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent
dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars.
New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances
lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to
address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geography New Zealand

Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km
water: NA
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands,
Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
15,134 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:
temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain:
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold,
limestone

Land use:
arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 87.54% (2005)

Irrigated land:
2,850 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by
invasive species

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

Geography - note:
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the
southernmost national capital in the world

People New Zealand

Population:
4,076,140 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.1% (male 439,752/female 419,174)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,374,850/female 1,361,570)
65 years and over: 11.8% (male 210,365/female 270,429) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 33.9 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 34.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.99% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.81 years
male: 75.82 years
female: 81.93 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,400 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups:
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%,
other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)

Religions:
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist
2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other
3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

Languages:
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)

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

Government New Zealand

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Wellington
geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends
third Sunday in March
note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham
Island

Administrative divisions:
16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury,
Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui,
Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman,
Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Dependent areas:
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence:
26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday:
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the
anniversary of the 1915 landing of troops of the Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April

Constitution:
consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of
the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act
1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987,
effective 1 January 1987

Legal system:
based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts
for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August
2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December
1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation 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 a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament
(120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member
constituencies including seven Maori constituencies, and 51
proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later
than 15 November 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%,
NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand
1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7,
Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1
note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats
increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat
than its entitlement under the party vote

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed
by the Governor-General

Political parties and leaders:
ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS];
Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY];
New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor
Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim)
ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986),
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C,
CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP
96531-1034
telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000
FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490
consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with
four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer
half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross
constellation

Government - note:
while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless
bird, represents New Zealand

Economy New Zealand

Economy - overview:
Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand
from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market
access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can
compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but
left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and
deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector,
and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen
for eight consecutive years and was more than $25,500 in 2006 in
purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have
driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after
struggling for several years. Exports are equal to about 28% of GDP,
down from 33 percent of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been
resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on
health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to
output.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$106 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$98.77 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$26,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.3%
industry: 26.9%
services: 68.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.18 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 25%
services: 65% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
8.3% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA (1991 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.2 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $41.51 billion
expenditures: $36.99 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
19.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef,
lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish

Industries:
food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Industrial production growth rate:
1.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
41.1 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 31.6%
hydro: 57.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 10.7% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
38.22 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
27,860 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
150,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
30,220 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
119,700 bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
33.36 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$-7.944 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$23.69 billion (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery

Exports - partners:
Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005)

Imports:
$25.23 billion (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum,
electronics, textiles, plastics

Imports - partners:
Australia 20.9%, US 11%, Japan 11%, China 10.9%, Germany 4.9% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$10 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$47 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $276 million

Currency (code):
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.55677 (2006), 1.4203 (2005),
1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications New Zealand

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,800,500 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.53 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA
international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and
Fiji; 8 satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7
other

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
3.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
1.926 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.nz

Internet hosts:
1,050,197 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
36 (2000)

Internet users:
3.2 million (2005)

Transportation New Zealand

Airports:
118 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 45
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 4 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 73
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 40 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil
280 km; refined products 288 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 92,931 km
paved: 59,783 km (including 171 km of expressways)
unpaved: 33,148 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum
tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1)
registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook
Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Auckland, Lyttelton, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei

Military New Zealand

Military branches:
New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New
Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be
deployed until the age of 18 (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 984,700
females age 17-49: 965,170 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 809,519
females age 17-49: 802,069 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 29,738
females age 17-49: 28,523 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.147 billion (FY03/04)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (FY02)

Transnational Issues New Zealand

Disputes - international:
asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see
Antarctica]

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Nicaragua

Introduction Nicaragua

Background:
The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from
Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was
declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in
1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the
19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in
subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation
and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a
short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas
to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador
caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through
much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, saw the
Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of
former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's
infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and
by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt.

Geography Nicaragua

Location:
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of New York

Land boundaries:
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline:
910 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate:
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain:
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior
mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural resources:
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use:
arable land: 14.81%
permanent crops: 1.82%
other: 83.37% (2005)

Irrigated land:
610 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely
susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater
body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

People Nicaragua

Population:
5,570,129 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,031,897/female 994,633)
15-64 years: 60.5% (male 1,677,633/female 1,691,353)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 76,758/female 97,855) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.9 years
male: 20.5 years
female: 21.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.89% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.17 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: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 24.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.63 years
male: 68.55 years
female: 72.81 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,400 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%,
Amerindian 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal
0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census)

Languages:
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Government Nicaragua

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Managua
geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time)

Administrative divisions:
15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2
autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region
autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo,
Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz,
Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:
9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000

Legal system:
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 15 January
2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 15
January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January
2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term so
long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006
(next to be held by November 2011)
election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) elected president -
38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE (ALN) 29%, Jose RIZO (PLC) 26.21%,
Edmundo JARQUIN (MRS) 6.44%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats;
members are elected by proportional representation and party lists
to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat
for the runner-up in previous presidential election)
elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November
2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate
Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election),
MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year
terms by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon]; Central
American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS]; Christian
Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative
Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Independent Liberal Party or
PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent
Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo];
Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal
Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal
Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or
PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or
FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS
[Dora Maria TELLEZ]; Unity Alliance or AU

Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of
eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC,
Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs
Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National
Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of
Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,
Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of
Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an
umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including -
Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of
Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor
or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan
Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior
Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of
business groups

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: vacant
chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San
Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI
embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address: P.O. Box 327
telephone: [505] 266-6010
FAX: [505] 266-3861

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE
NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to
the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by
the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in
the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five
blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Economy Nicaragua

Economy - overview:
Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,
has low per capita income and widespread underemployment.
Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe.
While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in
the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet
the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international
economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations.
Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4.5 billion in foreign
debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative and in November 2006 obtained over $800 million in debt
relief from the Inter-American Development Bank. In October 2005,
Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA), which will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract
investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. Energy
shortages, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$16.83 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.816 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.3%
industry: 25.8%
services: 56.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.261 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 30.5%
industry: 17.3%
services: 52.2% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
3.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2006 est.)

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 45% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
55.1 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.4% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
29.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $945.3 million
expenditures: $1.254 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
82.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame,
soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp,
lobsters

Industries:
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles,
clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear,
wood

Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.766 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 83.9%
hydro: 7.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 8.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.573 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
22 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
23 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:
758.9 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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

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

Current account balance:
$-883 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$1.714 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Exports - partners:
US 34.1%, El Salvador 14.3%, Honduras 7.9%, Costa Rica 6.1%,
Guatemala 5.2%, Mexico 5.1%, Spain 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$3.202 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
US 20.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Costa Rica 8.9%, Mexico 8.3%, Guatemala
7%, El Salvador 5.1%, Japan 4.5%, Ecuador 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$723 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$3.763 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$419.5 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code):
gold cordoba (NIO)

Currency code:
NIO

Exchange rates:
gold cordobas per US dollar - 17.5815 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937
(2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Nicaragua

Telephones - main lines in use:
220,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.119 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign
investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being
expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
320,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ni

Internet hosts:
24,452 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
140,000 (2005)

Transportation Nicaragua

Airports:
176 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2006)

Pipelines:
oil 54 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 19,036 km
paved: 2,299 km
unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Waterways:
2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Military Nicaragua

Military branches:
Army (includes Navy, Air Force)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,309,970
females age 17-49: 1,315,186 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 1,051,425
females age 17-49: 1,129,649 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 65,170
females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$32.27 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Nicaragua

Disputes - international:
Memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in
Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia
at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the
western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007;
the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a
tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf
of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal
dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with
Costa Rica

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and
transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Niger

Introduction Niger

Background:
Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced
single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was
forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which
resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting
brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by
Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military
officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections
that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year.
TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries
in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds
to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and
subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended
droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa.

Geography Niger

Location:
Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates:
16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,697 km
border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km,
Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Terrain:
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains
in south; hills in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Niger River 200 m
highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Natural resources:
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum,
salt, petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 11.43%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 88.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:
730 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
recurring droughts

Environment - current issues:
overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife
populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion)
threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern
four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for
livestock and limited agriculture

People Niger

Population:
12,525,094 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,994,022/female 2,882,273)
15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,262,114/female 3,083,522)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 150,982/female 152,181) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 16.5 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.92% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 118.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 122.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 114.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.76 years
male: 43.8 years
female: 43.73 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
70,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified
among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a
negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens
who have close contact with birds (2007)

Nationality:
noun: Nigerien(s)
adjective: Nigerien

Ethnic groups:
Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri)
4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French
expatriates

Religions:
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian

Languages:
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 17.6%
male: 25.8%
female: 9.7% (2003 est.)

Government Niger

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Niger
conventional short form: Niger
local long form: Republique du Niger
local short form: Niger

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Niamey
geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district*
(communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua,
Tillaberi, Zinder

Independence:
3 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December
1999); Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was
appointed by the president and shares some executive
responsibilities with the president
cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); second round last held 4 December 2004
(next to be held December 2009)
election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of
vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83
seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 25, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

Judicial branch:
State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane
OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or
MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN;
Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or
ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy
or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and
Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive
Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress
or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or
RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Maiga Djibrilla TOURE
chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227
FAX: [1] (202)483-3169

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN
embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone: [227] 73 31 69
FAX: [227] 73 55 60

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with
a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white
band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel
centered in the white band

Economy Niger

Economy - overview:
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on
the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It
is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on
subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest
uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9%
population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a
common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the
Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other
members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger
qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary
Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded
an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC
initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service
obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care,
primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and
other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger
received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which
translates into the forgiveness of approximately $86 million USD in
debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC.
Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor
resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil,
gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have
increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust
infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million
Nigeriens.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.23 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.638 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (2001)

Labor force:
70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public
sector (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 90%
industry: 6%
services: 4%

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
63% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.5 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources
expenditures: $320 million; including capital expenditures of $178
million (2002 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice;
cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Industries:
uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing,
chemicals, slaughterhouses

Industrial production growth rate:
5.1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
232 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
415.8 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
200 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Exports:
$222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners:
France 47.9%, Nigeria 21.4%, US 20.3% (2005)

Imports:
$588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners:
France 14.5%, US 10.7%, French Polynesia 7.6%, Nigeria 7.5%, Italy
6.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.5%
(2005)

Debt - external:
$2.1 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$453.3 million (2003)

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

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)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Niger

Telephones - main lines in use:
24,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
299,900 (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone
communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the
southwestern area of Niger
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:
680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002)

Televisions:
125,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ne

Internet hosts:
189 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)

Internet users:
24,000 (2005)

Transportation Niger

Airports:
28 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 14,565 km
paved: 3,641 km
unpaved: 10,924 km (2004)

Waterways:
300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya
between September and March) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
none

Military Niger

Military branches:
Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army,
National Air Force (2005)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,367,828
females age 18-49: 2,217,568 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,349,863
females age 18-49: 1,256,569 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 129,045
females age 18-49: 121,230 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$44.78 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Niger

Disputes - international:
Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in
the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint
with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have
heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the
delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and
Niger-Nigeria boundaries

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Nigeria

Introduction Nigeria

Background:
British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew
through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War
II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960.
Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was
adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government
was completed. The president faces the daunting task of reforming a
petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through
corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In
addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding
ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation
for economic growth and political stability. Although the April 2003
elections were marred by some irregularities, Nigeria is currently
experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence.
The general elections set for April 2007 would mark the first
civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.

Geography Nigeria

Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and
Cameroon

Geographic coordinates:
10 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 923,768 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 4,047 km
border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger
1,497 km

Coastline:
853 km

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

Climate:
varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain:
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains
in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium,
lead, zinc, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 33.02%
permanent crops: 3.14%
other: 63.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:
2,820 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues:
soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water
pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil;
has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land;
rapid urbanization

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

Geography - note:
the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward
through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of
Guinea

People Nigeria

Population:
131,859,731
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 28,089,017/female 27,665,212)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 36,644,885/female 35,405,915)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 1,930,007/female 2,124,695) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 18.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.38% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
0.27 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 97.14 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 104.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 90.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.08 years
male: 46.52 years
female: 47.66 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.4% (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly
endemic areas for Lassa fever
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified
among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a
negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens
who have close contact with birds (2007)

Nationality:
noun: Nigerian(s)
adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups:
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than
250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and
politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo
(Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68%
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

Government Nigeria

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form: Nigeria

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
name: Abuja
geographic coordinates: 9 12 N, 7 11 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra,
Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo,
Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa,
Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger,
Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Independence:
1 October 1960 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

Constitution:
new constitution adopted May 1999

Legal system:
based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (in 12 northern
states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Federal Executive Council
elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 19 April 2003 (next
to be held 21 April 2007)
election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of
vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%,
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats - 3 from
each state plus 1 from Abuja, members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats,
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held 21
April 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003
(next to be held 21 April 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%,
ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP
27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%; seats by party - PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD
34, other 6; note - one seat is vacant

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of
Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice
of the Advisory Judicial Committee)

Political parties and leaders:
Action Congress or AC [Bise Akande]; Advanced Congress of Demorats
or ACD [Alex Anielo]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa
AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE];
All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [disputed leadership];
Democratic People's Party or DPP [Jerry Useni]; Fresh Democratic
Party [Chris OKOTIE]; Movement for the Restoration and Defense of
Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo JIMETA]; National Democratic Party
or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Dr.
Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe
MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United
Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [disputed leadership]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Professor George A. OBIOZOR
chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400
FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John CAMPBELL
embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja
mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205
FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

Economy Nigeria