Chapter VII: Front Matter (7)

Terrain:
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June;
clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in
the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the
southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand
and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,
precious stones

Natural hazards:
icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the
northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been
spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships
subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from
October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to
September; hurricanes (May to December)

Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions,
turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of
fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal
sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern
Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and
municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and
Mediterranean Sea

Geography - note:
major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar,
access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the
Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound
(Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic
Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

Economy Atlantic Ocean

Economy - overview:
The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily
trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of
natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The
Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

Transportation Atlantic Ocean

Ports and terminals:
Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona
(Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon
(Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands,
Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille
(France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)

Transportation - note:
Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways;
significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal
Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico
coast of US

Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean

Disputes - international:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Australia

Introduction Australia

Background:
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia
about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in
the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770,
when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain.
Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they
federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new
country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop
agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major
contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent
decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally
competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's
fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in
large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term
concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone
layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially
the Great Barrier Reef.

Geography Australia

Location:
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific
Ocean

Geographic coordinates:
27 00 S, 133 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
25,760 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:
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical
in north

Terrain:
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium,
nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of
cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.81% (2005)

Irrigated land:
25,450 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires

Environment - current issues:
soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development,
urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due
to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for
agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique
animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast
coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by
increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited
natural fresh water resources

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

Geography - note:
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population
concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the
invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the
city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent
winds in the world

People Australia

Population:
20,264,082 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,031,313/female 1,936,802)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,881,863/female 6,764,709)
65 years and over: 13.1% (male 1,170,589/female 1,478,806) (2006
est.)

Median age:
total: 36.9 years
male: 36 years
female: 37.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.85% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
3.85 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.5 years
male: 77.64 years
female: 83.52 years (2006 est.)

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

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian

Ethnic groups:
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%

Religions:
Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist
1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001
Census)

Languages:
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified
5.8% (2001 Census)

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

Government Australia

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

Government type:
federal parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Canberra
geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 08 E
time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last
Sunday in March
note: Australia is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New
South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia,
Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Dependent areas:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling)
Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island

Independence:
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

National holiday:
Australia Day, 26 January (1788); 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:
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

Legal system:
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael
JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11
March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament,
candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to
serve as government ministers
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as
prime minister by the governor general
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12
from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland
territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years
by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members
are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150
seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms
of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no
later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9
October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor
Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor
Party 60, independents 3

Judicial branch:
High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed
by the governor general)

Political parties and leaders:
Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN];
Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen
CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John
Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE]

International organization participation:
ANZUS, 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, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club,
PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New
York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as
the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of
the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for
each of the six original states and one representing all of
Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a
representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one
small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars

Economy Australia

Economy - overview:
Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a
per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business
and consumer confidence, and high export prices for raw materials
and agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's
emphasis on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are
other key factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of
drought and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up in
recent years, although the trade balance improved in 2006. Housing
prices probably peaked in 2005, diminishing the prospect that
interest rates would be raised to prevent a speculative bubble.
Conservative fiscal policies have kept Australia's budget in surplus
since 2002.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$666.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$645.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.8% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$32,900 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 26.2%
services: 70% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
10.66 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 21.2%
services: 75.2% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.2 (1994)

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

Investment (gross fixed):
26.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $267 billion
expenditures: $258 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
14.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
chemicals, steel

Industrial production growth rate:
-3.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
225.3 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 8.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.9% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
209.5 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
530,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
877,300 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
523,400 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
530,800 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-41.62 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$117 billion (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment

Exports - partners:
Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India
5% (2005)

Imports:
$127.7 billion (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6%
(2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$48.25 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$585.1 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3382 (2006), 1.3095 (2005),
1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Australia

Telephones - main lines in use:
11.46 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
18.42 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10
Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian
and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
25.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
104 (1997)

Televisions:
10.15 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.au

Internet hosts:
7,772,888 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
571 (2002)

Internet users:
14,663,622 (2006)

Transportation Australia

Airports:
455 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 311
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 133
914 to 1,523 m: 143
under 914 m: 13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 144
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 111
under 914 m: 15 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km;
oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 47,738 km
broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified)
dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 810,641 km
paved: 336,962 km
unpaved: 473,679 km (2004)

Waterways:
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling
river systems) (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3)
registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2,
Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2,
Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK
3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,
Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

Military Australia

Military branches:
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian
Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in
Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,943,676
females age 18-49: 4,821,264

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,092,717
females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 142,158
females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$17.84 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Australia

Disputes - international:
East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed
portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon
revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered
by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of
a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and
Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over
Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime
identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to
Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims
to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to
extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic
claims

Illicit drugs:
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate
products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium
poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Austria

Introduction Austria

Background:
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World
War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent
occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status
remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended
the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade
unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year
declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for
Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and
Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the
meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country,
Austria entered the EU Economic Monetary Union in 1999.

Geography Austria

Location:
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:
47 20 N, 13 20 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 83,870 sq km
land: 82,444 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,562 km
border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366
km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330
km, Switzerland 164 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and
some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with
occasional showers

Terrain:
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern
and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

Natural resources:
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony,
magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 16.59%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 82.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:
some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil
pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air
pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power
stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria
between northern and southern Europe

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe
with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river
is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

People Austria

Population:
8,192,880 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 40.9 years
male: 39.8 years
female: 42 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.09% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
1.94 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.07 years
male: 76.17 years
female: 82.11 years (2006 est.)

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

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

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

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

Nationality:
noun: Austrian(s)
adjective: Austrian

Ethnic groups:
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes,
Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified
2.4% (2001 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%,
unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Languages:
German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia),
Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA
female: NA

Government Austria

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Austria
conventional short form: Austria
local long form: Republik Oesterreich
local short form: Oesterreich

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
name: Vienna
geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,
Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),
Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria),
Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Independence:
976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy
of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12
November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of
the law on permanent neutrality

Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)
head of government: Chancellor Alfred GUSENBAUER (SPOe) (since 11
January 2007); Vice Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERE (OeVP) (since 11
January 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held
25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor formally
chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties
forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the
president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%
note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal
Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members chosen by state
parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to
its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the
National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by
direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next
scheduled for the fall of 2010)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe
35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by
party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7

Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative
Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or
Verfassungsgerichtshof

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Peter WESENTHALER];
Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERE]; Freedom Party of
Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party
of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN
DER BELLEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but
primarily Social Democratic) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber;
OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic
Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other
non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human
rights

International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE,
Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY
chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW
embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0
FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

Economy Austria

Economy - overview:
Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard
of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially
Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong
commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance
sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy
features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a
small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the
EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's
access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU
economies. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a
comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining
government, creating a more competitive business environment,
further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment
location, and implementing effective pension reforms; however, lower
taxes in 2005-2006 have lead to a small budget deficit in 2006. Weak
domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe have held the economy
to growth rates below 3% in 2002-05. Due to higher growth across
Europe, Austrian grew 3.3 percent in 2006. To meet increased
competition from both EU and Central European countries,
particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to continue
restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy,
and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor
participation by its aging population.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$279.5 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$309.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$34,100 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 30.4%
services: 67.8% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
3.52 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 27%
services: 70% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
5.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31 (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.6% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
21% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $155.9 billion
expenditures: $161.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
63% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle,
pigs, poultry; lumber

Industries:
construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals,
chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,
communications equipment, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
65.56 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.3%
hydro: 67.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 3.5% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
64.07 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
13.5 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
16.6 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
25,360 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
282,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
30,140 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
152,600 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:
84.3 million bbl (2004)

Natural gas - production:
1.963 billion cu m (2004)

Natural gas - consumption:
8.981 billion cu m (2004)

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$5.913 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$144.4 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and
paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2%
(2005)

Imports:
$138.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods,
oil and oil products; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$8.413 billion (August 2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$593.9 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $681 million (2004)

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

Currency code:
EUR

Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.79669 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Austria

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.705 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.16 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber
optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet
services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in
addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals)
(2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
6.08 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
4.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.at

Internet hosts:
2,062,035 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
37 (2000)

Internet users:
4.65 million (2005)

Transportation Austria

Airports:
55 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 25
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 15 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 26 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 6,011 km
standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km
electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 133,718 km
paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways:
358 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT
by type: cargo 6, container 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)
registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Military Austria

Military branches:
Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age
for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory
military service obligation will be reduced from eight months to six
(2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,914,800
females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,550,441
females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 48,967
females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.497 billion (FY01/02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (2004)

Transnational Issues Austria

Disputes - international:
Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the
Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear
power plant in the Czech Republic

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American
cocaine destined for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Azerbaijan

Introduction Azerbaijan

Background:
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population
- was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its
independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite
a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with
Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely
Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and
must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result
of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of
widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.

Geography Azerbaijan

Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:
total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800
km est.)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe

Terrain:
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below
sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag
Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi
(Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Land use:
arable land: 20.62%
permanent crops: 2.61%
other: 76.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:
14,550 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
droughts

Environment - current issues:
local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron
Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be
the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe
air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil
spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic
defoliants used in the production of cotton

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

Geography - note:
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are
landlocked

People Azerbaijan

Population:
7,961,619 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 26.3 years
female: 29.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.66% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-4.38 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: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.85 years
male: 59.78 years
female: 68.13 years (2006 est.)

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

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

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri

Ethnic groups:
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other
3.9% (1999 census)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region

Religions:
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other
1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Languages:
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995
est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.5%
female: 98.2% (2003 est.)

Government Azerbaijan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: Azarbaycan
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Baku (Baki, Baky)
geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar
- singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)
rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,
Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda
Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,
Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,
Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,
Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,
Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,
Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax
Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,
Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi
Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,
Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar
Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab
Rayonu
cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran
Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit
Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari
autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

Independence:
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

Constitution:
adopted 12 November 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003
(next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy
prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the
National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote -
Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other
parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform"
faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic
Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party
[Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz
AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for
Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas
ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA];
Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan
Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar
MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP
[Araz ALIZADE]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani
Forces (UPAF); Karabakh Liberation Organization

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hafiv Mir Jalal PASHAYEV
chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911
Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE
embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007
mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050
Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050
telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337
FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a
crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

Economy Azerbaijan

Economy - overview:
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production
declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year
since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with
foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to
long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to
spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first
of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company,
began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies began
pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early
2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists estimate that by 2010
revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP.
Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet
republics in making the transition from a command to a market
economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its
long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on
economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly
being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic
progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the
non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive corruption. Trade with
Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in
importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of
Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the
location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to
manage its oil wealth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$58.1 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.05 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
32.5% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.1%
industry: 45.7%
services: 40.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
5.191 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 41%
industry: 7%
services: 52% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
1.2% official rate (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
49% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.5 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
44.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $6.008 billion
expenditures: $5.804 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
10.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco;
cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
50% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
20.35 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 89.7%
hydro: 10.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
20.57 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
510 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
2.15 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
120,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$2.737 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$12.51 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan
6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005)

Imports:
$5.176 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%,
Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.483 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $140 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
Azerbaijani manat (AZM)

Currency code:
AZM

Exchange rates:
Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 0.89131 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005),
4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002)
note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000
old manats equal to 1 new manat

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Azerbaijan

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,091,400 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.242 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and
modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low
(2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable
and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2
(2005)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
175,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)

Televisions:
170,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.az

Internet hosts:
880 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
678,800 (2005)

Transportation Azerbaijan

Airports:
36 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,957 km
broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:
total: 59,141 km
paved: 29,210 km
unpaved: 29,931 km (2004)

Merchant marine:
total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT
by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker
43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3
registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Baku (Baki)

Military Azerbaijan

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military service age and obligation:
men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of
age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18
months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,961,973
females age 18-49: 2,033,186 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,314,955
females age 18-49: 1,676,408 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 82,358
females age 18-49: 78,067 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$121 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Azerbaijan

Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh
and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan;
over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the
occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were
driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks
transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave;
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues
to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify
Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while
Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and
challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters;
bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed
and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and
Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at
certain crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 2,800 (Russia)
IDPs: 580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh)
(2006)

Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point
for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent
the rest of Europe

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Bahamas, The

Introduction Bahamas, The

Background:
Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus
first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British
settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony
in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The
Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and
investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments
to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.

Geography Bahamas, The

Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida, northeast of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
3,542 km

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

Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 0.58%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 99.13% (2005)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind
damage

Environment - current issues:
coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

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

Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
of which 30 are inhabited

People Bahamas, The

Population:
303,770
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: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.8 years
male: 27.1 years
female: 28.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.64% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.6 years
male: 62.24 years
female: 69.03 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,600 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%