Chapter XL: Part 40

revenues: $6.178 billion expenditures: $8.35 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

186.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.26% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$57.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

929 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

97,590 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.046 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.077 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Exports - partners:

Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2007)

Imports:

$11.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery

Imports - partners:

Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%, Germany 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

of the $7.6 billion in grants and loans pledged to Lebanon at the Paris III conference in January 2007, Beirut as of mid-December 2007 had signed agreements for $3 billion, including $1 billion in project financing, $750 million in direct budget support, $750 million in private sector credit, and $285 million in in-kind aid; about $500 million of the $1.7 billion pledged for direct budget support has been disbursed to Lebanon; donors in August 2006 also pledged nearly $1.8 billion in aid to help Lebanon recover from the 2006 Israel-Hizballah war; during the conflict, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait provided $1.5 billion in concessional loans to the Lebanese central bank to maintain confidence in the Lebanese currency. (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$8.279 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code:

LBP

Exchange rates:

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003)

Communications Lebanon

Telephones - main lines in use:

681,400 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.26 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

2.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.18 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.lb

Internet hosts:

36,681 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

22 (2000)

Internet users:

950,000 (2006)

Transportation Lebanon

Airports:

7 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 43 km (2007)

Railways:

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

Roadways:

total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 33 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2) registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros 4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1, Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Beirut, Tripoli

Military Lebanon

Military branches:

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army (includes Navy), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,106,879 females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 934,828 females age 16-49: 948,327 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 32,815 female: 31,610 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Lebanon

Disputes - international:

lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq) IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000 (July-August 2006 war) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug trafficking

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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

@Lesotho

Introduction Lesotho

Background:

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.

Geography Lesotho

Location:

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

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

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

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

Terrain:

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:

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

Natural resources:

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Land use:

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

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

5.2 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.05 cu km/yr (40%/40%/20%) per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

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

Environment - international agreements:

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

Geography - note:

landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

People Lesotho

Population:

2,128,180 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.3% (male 377,784/female 372,840) 15-64 years: 59.8% (male 621,687/female 649,981) 65 years and over: 5% (male 42,348/female 63,540) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.2 years male: 20.6 years female: 21.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.129% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

24.41 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 78.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 83.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 74.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 40.17 years male: 40.97 years female: 39.34 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

28.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

320,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

29,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

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

Ethnic groups:

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions:

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages:

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

Literacy:

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

13% of GDP (2006)

Government Lesotho

Country name:

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

Government type:

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Maseru geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

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

Independence:

4 October 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution:

2 April 1993

Legal system:

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

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4

Judicial branch:

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Thabang MATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)

International organization participation:

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia MOHOBANE chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert NOLAN embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116

Flag description:

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

Economy Lesotho

Economy - overview:

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007, Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.063 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 15.2% industry: 45% services: 39.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

838,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

45% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

49% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

63.2 (1995)

Investment (gross fixed):

51.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $779.9 million expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12.82% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$439.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$160.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

12% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

200 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

226 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$49 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$853 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Exports - partners:

US 71.5%, Belgium 25.6%, Canada 1.2% (2007)

Imports:

$1.536 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

China 30%, Hong Kong 29.6%, India 10%, South Korea 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, Pakistan 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$68.82 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$852 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Currency (code):

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:

LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates:

maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Communications Lesotho

Telephones - main lines in use:

53,100 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

456,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a subscribership approaching 25 per 100 persons; rural services are scant international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

NA (2002)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2000)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.ls

Internet hosts:

83 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

70,000 (2007)

Transportation Lesotho

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 7,091 km paved: 1,404 km unpaved: 5,687 km (2003)

Military Lesotho

Military branches:

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 525,203 females age 16-49: 522,485 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 262,101 females age 16-49: 238,350 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 26,084 female: 26,006 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

Lesotho's declared policy is maintenance of its independent sovereignty and preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa; restructuring of the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) and Ministry of Defense and Public Service over the past five years has focused on subordinating the defense apparatus to civilian control and restoring the LDF's cohesion; the restructuring has considerably improved capabilities and professionalism, but the LDF is disproportionately large for a small, poor country; the government has outlined a reduction to a planned 1,500-man strength, but these plans have met with vociferous resistance from the political opposition and from inside the LDF (2008)

Transnational Issues Lesotho

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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

@Liberia

Introduction Liberia

Background:

Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country will take many years.

Geography Liberia

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 111,370 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,050 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:

total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline:

579 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

232 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%) per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - current issues:

tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

People Liberia

Population:

3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44% (male 734,375/female 731,287) 15-64 years: 53.3% (male 879,848/female 896,319) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,175/female 47,583) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.661% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

42.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

21.45 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

15.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 143.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 159.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 127.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 41.13 years male: 39.85 years female: 42.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

100,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

7,200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups:

indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions:

Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Languages:

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 8 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government Liberia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Independence:

26 July 1847

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution:

6 January 1986

Legal system:

dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: demobilized former military officers

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Milton Nathaniel BARNES chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Linda THOMAS-GREENFIELD embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 98, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 7-705-4826 FAX: [231] 7-701-0370

Flag description:

11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Economy Liberia

Economy - overview:

Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.525 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$730 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

85% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

80% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: NA expenditures: NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$145.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$49.89 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.157 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Industries:

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

320 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

297.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

3,687 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

23.37 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3,593 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$224 million (2007)

Exports:

$1.197 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Exports - partners:

Malaysia 27.5%, Poland 18.5%, Germany 11.5%, US 10.5%, Spain 8.2%, Norway 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$7.143 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

South Korea 31.4%, Singapore 22.1%, Japan 14.9%, China 10.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$236.2 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$3.2 billion (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Liberian dollar (LRD)

Currency code:

LRD

Exchange rates:

Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)

Communications Liberia

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

563,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators domestic: fixed line service stagnant and extremely limited; mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity approaching 20 per 100 persons international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007)

Radios:

790,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007)

Televisions:

70,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.lr

Internet hosts:

7 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2001)

Internet users:

1,000 (2002)

Transportation Liberia

Airports:

53 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2007)

Railways:

total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2008)

Roadways:

total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 2,204 by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 390, cargo 107, chemical tanker 241, combination ore/oil 7, container 750, liquefied gas 84, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 460, refrigerated cargo 103, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 36 foreign-owned: 2,109 (Argentina 3, Belgium 4, Brazil 3, Canada 7, China 11, Croatia 2, Cyprus 63, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 849, Gibraltar 5, Greece 358, Hong Kong 44, India 2, Indonesia 2, Isle of Man 5, Israel 23, Italy 41, Japan 116, South Korea 3, Latvia 21, Lebanon 2, Mexico 2, Monaco 8, Netherlands 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 40, Poland 13, Qatar 4, Romania 2, Russia 94, Saudi Arabia 27, Singapore 32, Slovenia 3, Sweden 10, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 91, Turkey 7, Ukraine 25, UAE 23, UK 20, US 98, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Buchanan, Monrovia

Military Liberia

Military branches:

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 729,813 females age 16-49: 741,223 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 371,287 females age 16-49: 373,265 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 30,448 female: 29,902 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues Liberia

Disputes - international:

although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 12,600 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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

@Libya

Introduction Libya

Background:

The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. During the 1990s, QADHAFI began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and to renounce terrorism. QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. Libya has responded in good faith to legal cases brought against it in US courts for terrorist acts that predate its renunciation of violence. Claims for compensation in the Lockerbie bombing, LaBelle disco bombing, and UTA 772 bombing cases are ongoing. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In late 2007, Libya was elected by the General Assembly to a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-09 term.

Geography Libya

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 4,348 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Coastline:

1,770 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Terrain:

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Land use:

arable land: 1.03% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2005)

Irrigated land:

4,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.6 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 4.27 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%) per capita: 730 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:

desertification; limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

Environment - international agreements:

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

Geography - note:

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

People Libya

Population:

6,173,579 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.2% (male 1,046,400/female 1,002,148) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,988,038/female 1,875,034) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 128,386/female 133,573) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.6 years male: 23.7 years female: 23.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.216% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.07 years male: 74.81 years female: 79.44 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.15 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

10,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan

Ethnic groups:

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%

Languages:

Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (1999)

Government Libya

Country name:

conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma local short form: none

Government type:

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

Capital:

name: Tripoli geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions

Independence:

24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Constitution:

none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority

Legal system:

based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held March 2006 (next to be held NA) election results: NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile Movement; Islamic elements

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali Suleiman AUJALI chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601 FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Christopher STEVENS embassy: Serraj Area, Tripoli mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850 telephone: [218] 91-220-0125

Flag description:

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

Economy Libya

Economy - overview:

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past five years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2015. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water demands.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$74.72 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$57.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2% industry: 83.1% services: 14.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.83 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 17% industry: 23% services: 59% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

30% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

7.4% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $39.88 billion expenditures: $19.48 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

4.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$18.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.192 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

Industries:

petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

5.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

23.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

20.71 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.845 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

278,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.455 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

575.3 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

41.46 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

14.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.39 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.419 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$26.38 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$42.97 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Exports - partners:

Italy 40.5%, Germany 12.2%, US 7.4%, Spain 7.4%, France 6.3% (2007)

Imports:

$14.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products

Imports - partners:

Italy 18.9%, Germany 7.7%, China 7.3%, Tunisia 6.8%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5.4%, US 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $24.44 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$79.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.837 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$6.286 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$3.333 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Libyan dinar (LYD)

Currency code:

LYD

Exchange rates:

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003)

Communications Libya

Telephones - main lines in use:

852,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.5 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approached 90 telephones per 100 persons in 2007 domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:

1.35 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)

Televisions:

730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ly

Internet hosts:

31 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

260,000 (2006)

Transportation Libya

Airports:

141 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 60 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 81 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 882 km; gas 3,425 km; oil 6,956 km (2007)

Railways:

0 km note: Libya has announced plans to build seven lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track (2006)

Roadways:

total: 100,024 km paved: 57,214 km unpaved: 42,810 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 17 by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Syria 2) registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah

Military Libya

Military branches:

Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,682,183 females age 16-49: 1,611,001 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,439,941 females age 16-49: 1,381,914 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 61,305 female: 58,788 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Libya

Disputes - international:

Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking offenses; Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Liechtenstein

Introduction Liechtenstein

Background:

The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleanic wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the Germanic Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money-laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US went into effect in 2003.

Geography Liechtenstein

Location:

Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Geographic coordinates: