Chapter M: Major infectious diseases (33)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 82%

industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 28% (2002)

Budget:

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.8% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

Central bank discount rate:

4.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 120 4.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$142.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$12.04 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$46.44 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Industries:

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate:

4.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - production:

65 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196

Electricity - consumption:

60.45 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Oil - consumption:

3,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 177

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 145

Oil - imports:

2,545 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 142

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 130

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 143

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 144

Current account balance:

-$6 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Exports:

$133 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 186

Exports - commodities:

cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Exports - partners:

India 56.8%, Nigeria 35.6%, Pakistan 1.2% (2008)

Imports:

$200 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 200

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Portugal 24.5%, Senegal 17.2%, Pakistan 4.8%, France 4.6% (2008)

Debt - external:

$941.5 million (2000 est.) country comparison to the world: 155

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)

note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par

Communications ::Guinea-Bissau

Telephones - main lines in use:

4,600 (2008) country comparison to the world: 214

Telephones - mobile cellular:

500,200 (2008) country comparison to the world: 155

Telephone system:

general assessment: small system

domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approached 35 per 100 in 2008

international: country code - 245 (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2007)

Internet country code:

.gw

Internet hosts:

82 (2009) country comparison to the world: 202

Internet users:

37,100 (2008) country comparison to the world: 176

Transportation ::Guinea-Bissau

Airports:

9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 160

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 3 (2009)

Roadways:

total: 3,455 km country comparison to the world: 162 paved: 965 km

unpaved: 2,490 km (2002)

Waterways:

rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Military ::Guinea-Bissau

Military branches:

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age or younger with parental consent, for voluntary service (2009)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 344,087

females age 16-49: 347,886 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 194,110

females age 16-49: 200,660 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 16,957

female: 17,172 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Transnational Issues ::Guinea-Bissau

Disputes - international:

in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,454 (Senegal) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children trafficked primarily for forced begging and forced agricultural labor to other West African countries

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second year in a row, Guinea-Bissau is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, as evidenced by the continued failure to pass an anti-trafficking law and inadequate efforts to investigate or prosecute trafficking crimes or convict and punish trafficking offenders (2008)

Illicit drugs:

increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine enroute to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling

page last updated on November 11, 2009

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

@Guyana (South America)

Introduction ::Guyana

Background:

Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.

Geography ::Guyana

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:

5 00 N, 59 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 214,969 sq km country comparison to the world: 84 land: 196,849 sq km

water: 18,120 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries:

total: 2,949 km

border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

Coastline:

459 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Terrain:

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Land use:

arable land: 2.23%

permanent crops: 0.14%

other: 97.63% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

241 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)

per capita: 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation

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, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively

People ::Guyana

Population:

772,298 country comparison to the world: 160 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 2009 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.7% (male 101,319/female 97,505)

15-64 years: 68.7% (male 268,058/female 262,595)

65 years and over: 5.5% (male 17,938/female 24,883) (2009 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.7 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 29.2 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.181% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 185

Birth rate:

17.56 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 117

Death rate:

8.31 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Net migration rate:

-7.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Urbanization:

urban population: 28% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 29.65 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 76 male: 33.02 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.68 years country comparison to the world: 157 male: 64.09 years

female: 69.4 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.03 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 127

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 26

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

13,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 74

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Nationality:

noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups:

East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

Religions:

Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim 7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)

Languages:

English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 98.8%

male: 99.1%

female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

8.3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 13

Government ::Guyana

Country name:

conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form: Guyana

former: British Guiana

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Georgetown

geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Independence:

26 May 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution:

6 October 1980

Legal system:

based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and was reelected in 2001, and again in 2006

head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature

elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN

chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900

FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297

consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John Melvin JONES

embassy: US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown

mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170

telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909

FAX: [592] 225-8497

Flag description:

green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green

Economy ::Guyana

Economy - overview:

The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in recent years and is based largely on agriculture and extractive industries. The economy is heavily dependent upon the export of six commodities - sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice - which represent nearly 60% of the country's GDP and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in commodity prices. Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment in the sugar and rice industries as well as the mining sector. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have remained flat as rising commodity prices have offset declining production, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy costs. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 48% of GDP, which along with other Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt forgiveness brought the debt-to-GDP ratio down from 183% in 2006 to 120% in 2007. Guyana became heavily indebted as a result of the inward-looking, state-led development model pursued in the 1970s and 1980s. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 has broadened the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.973 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174 $2.887 billion (2007 est.)

$2.739 billion (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.154 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 5.4% (2007 est.)

5.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 $3,800 (2007 est.)

$3,600 (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 24.9%

industry: 24.9%

services: 50.2% (2008 est.)

Labor force:

333,900 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 159

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

11% (2007) country comparison to the world: 131

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.3%

highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.2 (1999) country comparison to the world: 50

Investment (gross fixed):

35.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

Budget:

revenues: $488.7 million

expenditures: $552.6 million (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 12.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 66 6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.58% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 48 14.61% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$344.2 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 100 $315.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$817.6 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 $728.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$829.4 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 110 $739.3 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 105 $262.4 million (31 December 2007)

$187.4 million (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, edible oils; beef, pork, poultry

Industries:

bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate:

2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99

Electricity - production:

821 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Electricity - consumption:

667 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 190

Oil - consumption:

11,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 197

Oil - imports:

10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 138

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 175

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 70

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 171

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Current account balance:

-$362 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 -$165.7 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$797 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 155 $674.9 million (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber

Exports - partners:

Canada 20.8%, US 15.2%, UK 12.3%, Netherlands 7.2%, Portugal 4.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7%, Jamaica 4.5%, Ukraine 4.3% (2008)

Imports:

$1.294 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 $982.9 million (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Imports - partners:

US 23.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.3%, Finland 7.7%, Cuba 6.1%, China 5.7% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$355.9 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 $313 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$804.3 million (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 157 $1.2 billion (2002)

Exchange rates:

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 203.86 (2008 est.), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004)

Communications ::Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use:

125,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 140

Telephones - mobile cellular:

281,400 (2005) country comparison to the world: 168

Telephone system:

general assessment: fair system for long-distance service

domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005

international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)

Internet country code:

.gy

Internet hosts:

7,116 (2009) country comparison to the world: 129

Internet users:

205,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 134

Transportation ::Guyana

Airports:

99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 60

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 7 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 89

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 74 (2009)

Roadways:

total: 7,970 km country comparison to the world: 142 paved: 590 km

unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)

Waterways:

330 km country comparison to the world: 91 note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2008)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 country comparison to the world: 124 by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Georgetown

Military ::Guyana

Military branches:

Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 150,307

females age 16-49: 144,622 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,625

female: 6,365 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 90

Transnational Issues ::Guyana

Disputes - international:

all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guyana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most trafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in the country's interior; some women and girls are trafficked from northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean destinations

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007 (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling

page last updated on November 11, 2009

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

@Haiti (Central America and Caribbean)

Introduction ::Haiti

Background:

The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.

Geography ::Haiti

Location:

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 27,750 sq km country comparison to the world: 147 land: 27,560 sq km

water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km

border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline:

1,771 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain:

mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 28.11%

permanent crops: 11.53%

other: 60.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:

920 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

14 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

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

Environment - current issues:

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes

Geography - note:

shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

People ::Haiti

Population:

9,035,536 country comparison to the world: 88 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 2009 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383)

15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2009 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.2 years

male: 19.8 years

female: 20.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.838% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Birth rate:

29.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50

Death rate:

8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88

Net migration rate:

-2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 138

Urbanization:

urban population: 47% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 37 male: 66.18 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 53.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 60.78 years country comparison to the world: 181 male: 59.13 years

female: 62.48 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.81 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

120,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

7,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 38

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Nationality:

noun: Haitian(s)

adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups:

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%

note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Languages:

French (official), Creole (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 52.9%

male: 54.8%

female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 175

Government ::Haiti

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Haiti

conventional short form: Haiti

local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti

local short form: Haiti/Ayiti

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Port-au-Prince

geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Independence:

1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution:

approved March 1987

note: suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991 military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to constitutional rule in May 2006

Legal system:

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)

cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly

election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years

elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next regular election to be held in 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006 remain unknown

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:

Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:

ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH

chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090

FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s): Orlando (Florida)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON

embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince

mailing address: use mailing address

telephone: [509] 229-8000

FAX: [509] 229-8028

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes

Economy ::Haiti

Economy - overview:

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. While the economy has recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted apparel exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to the US. HOPE II, passed in October 2008, has further improved the export environment for the apparel sector by extending preferences to 2018; the apparel sector accounts for two-thirds of Haitian exports and nearly one-tenth of GDP. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the earnings from exports. Haiti suffers from high inflation, a lack of investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. Haiti is expected to receive debt forgiveness for about $525 million of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative by mid-2009. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$11.53 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 $11.38 billion (2007 est.)

$11 billion (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.943 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 168 3.4% (2007 est.)

2.3% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 203 $1,300 (2007 est.)

$1,300 (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 28%

industry: 20%

services: 52% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

3.643 million country comparison to the world: 93 note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 66%

industry: 9%

services: 25% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs

Population below poverty line:

80% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

59.2 (2001) country comparison to the world: 8

Investment (gross fixed):

28.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26

Budget:

revenues: $967.5 million

expenditures: $1.162 billion (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

15.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 194 8.5% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.81% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 2 46.99% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$704.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Agriculture - products:

coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Industries:

sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate:

0% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

Electricity - production:

448 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

Electricity - consumption:

273 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189

Oil - consumption:

12,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196

Oil - imports:

12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 69

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 171

Current account balance:

-$611 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 -$407 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$490 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 $522 million (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

Exports - partners:

US 70.7%, Dominican Republic 8.9%, Canada 3.1% (2008)

Imports:

$2.107 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 $1.618 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Imports - partners:

US 34%, Dominican Republic 23.1%, Netherlands Antilles 10.6%, China 4.5% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$708 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 $555 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.817 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 $1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Exchange rates:

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 39.216 (2008 est.), 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004)

Communications ::Haiti

Telephones - main lines in use:

108,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 142

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.2 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 105

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better; mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones in 2006

domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service

international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Internet country code:

.ht

Internet hosts:

9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 222

Internet users:

1 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 90

Transportation ::Haiti

Airports:

14 (2009) country comparison to the world: 151

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 8 (2009)

Roadways:

total: 4,160 km country comparison to the world: 155 paved: 1,011 km

unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:

Cap-Haitien

Military ::Haiti

Military branches:

no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2009)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,047,083

females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,518,840

females age 16-49: 1,530,043 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 108,444

female: 106,243 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 167

Transnational Issues ::Haiti

Disputes - international:

since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis

page last updated on November 11, 2009

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@Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Antarctica)

Introduction ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Background:

These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.

Geography ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Location:

islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:

53 06 S, 72 31 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 412 sq km country comparison to the world: 201 land: 412 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

101.9 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

antarctic

Terrain:

Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, the most recent being in 2005

People ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Population:

uninhabited

Government ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands

abbreviation: HIMI

Dependency status:

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Legal system:

the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Economy - overview:

The islands have no indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing in the surrounding waters.

Communications ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Internet country code:

.hm

Transportation ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols

Transnational Issues ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Disputes - international:

none

page last updated on September 14, 2009

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

@Holy See (Vatican City) (Europe)

Introduction ::Holy See (Vatican City)

Background:

Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

Geography ::Holy See (Vatican City)

Location:

Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Geographic coordinates:

41 54 N, 12 27 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 0.44 sq km country comparison to the world: 249 land: 0.44 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 3.2 km

border countries: Italy 3.2 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)

Terrain:

urban; low hill

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: unnamed location 19 m

highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)

People ::Holy See (Vatican City)

Population:

826 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 235

Population growth rate:

0.003% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 199

Urbanization:

urban population: 100% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: none

adjective: none

Ethnic groups:

Italians, Swiss, other

Religions:

Roman Catholic

Languages:

Italian, Latin, French, various other languages

Literacy:

definition: NA

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Government ::Holy See (Vatican City)

Country name:

conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)

conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)

local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)

local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Government type:

ecclesiastical

Capital:

name: Vatican City

geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 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:

none

Independence:

11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century

National holiday:

Election Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 19 April (2005)

Constitution:

Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaced the first Fundamental Law of 1929)

Legal system:

based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it

Suffrage:

limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Executive branch:

chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)

head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006)

cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope

elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope

election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI

Legislative branch:

unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

Judicial branch:

there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See

note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)

International organization participation:

CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI

chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121

FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Julieta NOYES

embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome

mailing address: PSC 833, Box 66, APO AE 09624

telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428

FAX: [39] (06) 575-3411

Flag description:

two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band

Economy ::Holy See (Vatican City)

Economy - overview:

The Holy See is supported financially by a variety of sources, including investments, real estate income, and donations from Catholic individuals, dioceses, and institutions; these help fund the Roman Curia (Vatican bureaucracy), diplomatic missions, and media outlets. The separate Vatican City State budget includes the Vatican museums and post office and is supported financially by the sale of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by publications sales. Moreover, an annual collection taken up in dioceses and direct donations go to a non-budgetary fund known as Peter's Pence, which is used directly by the Pope for charity, disaster relief, and aid to churches in developing nations. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Budget:

revenues: $374 million

expenditures: $388 million (2007)

Industries:

printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy; a small portion of electricity is self-produced from solar panels

Exchange rates: