Chapter M: Major infectious diseases (93)

Fiji
males age 16-49: 195,414
females age 16-49: 206,386 (2010 est.)

Finland
males age 16-49: 958,949
females age 16-49: 916,818 (2010 est.)

France
males age 16-49: 12,053,912
females age 16-49: 11,763,951 (2010 est.)

French Polynesia
males age 16-49: 66,451
females age 16-49: 65,306 (2010 est.)

Gabon
males age 16-49: 198,970
females age 16-49: 192,807 (2010 est.)

Gambia, The
males age 16-49: 238,006
females age 16-49: 248,065 (2010 est.)

Gaza Strip
males age 16-49: 324,203
females age 16-49: 308,835 (2010 est.)

Georgia
males age 16-49: 901,307
females age 16-49: 946,357 (2010 est.)

Germany
males age 16-49: 15,564,748
females age 16-49: 14,723,200 (2010 est.)

Ghana
males age 16-49: 4,022,056
females age 16-49: 4,101,964 (2010 est.)

Gibraltar
males age 16-49: 5,955
females age 16-49: 5,687 (2010 est.)

Greece
males age 16-49: 2,050,018
females age 16-49: 2,033,450 (2010 est.)

Greenland
males age 16-49: 10,833
females age 16-49: 11,439 (2010 est.)

Grenada
males age 16-49: 22,487
females age 16-49: 22,535 (2010 est.)

Guam
males age 16-49: 37,983
females age 16-49: 36,469 (2010 est.)

Guatemala
males age 16-49: 2,494,903
females age 16-49: 2,827,208 (2010 est.)

Guernsey
males age 16-49: 12,404
females age 16-49: 12,510 (2010 est.)

Guinea
males age 16-49: 1,443,655
females age 16-49: 1,483,676 (2010 est.)

Guinea-Bissau
males age 16-49: 199,771
females age 16-49: 206,240 (2010 est.)

Guyana
males age 16-49: 132,188
females age 16-49: 147,296 (2010 est.)

Haiti
males age 16-49: 1,573,371
females age 16-49: 1,591,942 (2010 est.)

Honduras
males age 16-49: 1,483,292
females age 16-49: 1,502,788 (2010 est.)

Hong Kong
males age 16-49: 1,405,324
females age 16-49: 1,526,196 (2010 est.)

Hungary
males age 16-49: 1,884,232
females age 16-49: 1,923,902 (2010 est.)

Iceland
males age 16-49: 62,705
females age 16-49: 61,392 (2010 est.)

India
males age 16-49: 244,727,406
females age 16-49: 235,662,750 (2010 est.)

Indonesia
males age 16-49: 53,624,156
females age 16-49: 52,879,309 (2010 est.)

Iran
males age 16-49: 17,844,536
females age 16-49: 17,312,808 (2010 est.)

Iraq
males age 16-49: 6,402,171
females age 16-49: 6,232,674 (2010 est.)

Ireland
males age 16-49: 858,317
females age 16-49: 855,125 (2010 est.)

Isle of Man
males age 16-49: 14,748
females age 16-49: 14,392 (2010 est.)

Israel
males age 16-49: 1,496,542
females age 16-49: 1,425,537 (2010 est.)

Italy
males age 16-49: 11,092,984
females age 16-49: 10,452,910 (2010 est.)

Jamaica
males age 16-49: 581,033
females age 16-49: 590,437 (2010 est.)

Japan
males age 16-49: 22,564,075
females age 16-49: 21,720,375 (2010 est.)

Jersey
males age 16-49: 16,853
females age 16-49: 16,737 (2010 est.)

Jordan
males age 16-49: 1,416,681
females age 16-49: 1,358,608 (2010 est.)

Kazakhstan
males age 16-49: 2,902,859
females age 16-49: 3,543,467 (2010 est.)

Kenya
males age 16-49: 6,162,904
females age 16-49: 5,904,173 (2010 est.)

Kiribati
males age 16-49: 17,941
females age 16-49: 19,758 (2010 est.)

Korea, North
males age 16-49: 4,127,999
females age 16-49: 4,522,707 (2010 est.)

Korea, South
males age 16-49: 10,929,625
females age 16-49: 10,264,608 (2010 est.)

Kosovo
males age 16-49: 429,645
females age 16-49: 389,071 (2010 est.)

Kuwait
males age 16-49: 979,832
females age 16-49: 539,574 (2010 est.)

Kyrgyzstan
males age 16-49: 1,101,709
females age 16-49: 1,243,904 (2010 est.)

Laos
males age 16-49: 1,056,050
females age 16-49: 1,121,640 (2010 est.)

Latvia
males age 16-49: 406,592
females age 16-49: 456,071 (2010 est.)

Lebanon
males age 16-49: 917,404
females age 16-49: 940,238 (2010 est.)

Lesotho
males age 16-49: 267,825
females age 16-49: 273,348 (2010 est.)

Liberia
males age 16-49: 510,337
females age 16-49: 527,737 (2010 est.)

Libya
males age 16-49: 1,490,011
females age 16-49: 1,436,613 (2010 est.)

Liechtenstein
males age 16-49: 6,559
females age 16-49: 6,782 (2010 est.)

Lithuania
males age 16-49: 674,265
females age 16-49: 734,806 (2010 est.)

Luxembourg
males age 16-49: 96,585
females age 16-49: 95,519 (2010 est.)

Macau
males age 16-49: 124,074
females age 16-49: 149,799 (2010 est.)

Macedonia
males age 16-49: 442,953
females age 16-49: 425,981 (2010 est.)

Madagascar
males age 16-49: 3,268,291
females age 16-49: 3,541,256 (2010 est.)

Malawi
males age 16-49: 2,048,900
females age 16-49: 1,960,258 (2010 est.)

Malaysia
males age 16-49: 5,612,642
females age 16-49: 5,501,129 (2010 est.)

Maldives
males age 16-49: 137,181
females age 16-49: 83,837 (2010 est.)

Mali
males age 16-49: 1,760,901
females age 16-49: 1,900,025 (2010 est.)

Malta
males age 16-49: 79,961
females age 16-49: 76,067 (2010 est.)

Marshall Islands
males age 16-49: 13,277
females age 16-49: 13,374 (2010 est.)

Mauritania
males age 16-49: 464,959
females age 16-49: 562,765 (2010 est.)

Mauritius
males age 16-49: 279,405
females age 16-49: 283,023 (2010 est.)

Mayotte
males age 16-49: 37,001
females age 16-49: 36,018 (2010 est.)

Mexico
males age 16-49: 22,893,649
females age 16-49: 25,401,642 (2010 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of
males age 16-49: 21,909
females age 16-49: 23,410 (2010 est.)

Moldova
males age 16-49: 877,031
females age 16-49: 979,128 (2010 est.)

Monaco
males age 16-49: 4,680
females age 16-49: 4,691 (2010 est.)

Mongolia
males age 16-49: 715,585
females age 16-49: 748,083 (2010 est.)

Montenegro
males age 16-49: 151,798
females age 16-49: 134,267 (2010 est.)

Montserrat
males age 16-49: 1,127
females age 16-49: 1,217 (2010 est.)

Morocco
males age 16-49: 6,960,026
females age 16-49: 7,307,491 (2010 est.)

Mozambique
males age 16-49: 2,448,161
females age 16-49: 2,269,562 (2010 est.)

Namibia
males age 16-49: 341,783
females age 16-49: 304,496 (2010 est.)

Nauru
males age 16-49: 2,683
females age 16-49: 3,059 (2010 est.)

Nepal
males age 16-49: 5,053,600
females age 16-49: 5,730,116 (2010 est.)

Netherlands
males age 16-49: 3,213,954
females age 16-49: 3,133,972 (2010 est.)

New Caledonia
males age 16-49: 49,173
females age 16-49: 49,619 (2010 est.)

New Zealand
males age 16-49: 840,977
females age 16-49: 828,081 (2010 est.)

Nicaragua
males age 16-49: 1,318,762
females age 16-49: 1,374,652 (2010 est.)

Niger
males age 16-49: 2,104,378
females age 16-49: 2,129,985 (2010 est.)

Nigeria
males age 16-49: 20,298,351
females age 16-49: 19,355,456 (2010 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands
males age 16-49: 9,359
females age 16-49: 12,385 (2010 est.)

Norway
males age 16-49: 888,310
females age 16-49: 864,344 (2010 est.)

Oman
males age 16-49: 816,579
females age 16-49: 622,927 (2010 est.)

Pakistan
males age 16-49: 35,774,936
females age 16-49: 34,572,451 (2010 est.)

Palau
males age 16-49: 5,223
females age 16-49: 3,949 (2010 est.)

Panama
males age 16-49: 719,761
females age 16-49: 719,444 (2010 est.)

Papua New Guinea
males age 16-49: 1,103,479
females age 16-49: 1,107,479 (2010 est.)

Paraguay
males age 16-49: 1,375,610
females age 16-49: 1,400,597 (2010 est.)

Peru
males age 16-49: 6,045,256
females age 16-49: 6,501,224 (2010 est.)

Philippines
males age 16-49: 19,650,825
females age 16-49: 21,029,243 (2010 est.)

Poland
males age 16-49: 7,860,841
females age 16-49: 7,828,221 (2010 est.)

Portugal
males age 16-49: 2,104,945
females age 16-49: 2,034,912 (2010 est.)

Puerto Rico
males age 16-49: 704,833
females age 16-49: 788,234 (2010 est.)

Qatar
males age 16-49: 320,277
females age 16-49: 138,558 (2010 est.)

Romania
males age 16-49: 4,513,619
females age 16-49: 4,566,620 (2010 est.)

Russia
males age 16-49: 20,746,777
females age 16-49: 27,174,148 (2010 est.)

Rwanda
males age 16-49: 1,641,563
females age 16-49: 1,696,514 (2010 est.)

Saint Barthelemy
males age 16-49: 1,543
females age 16-49: 1,303 (2010 est.)

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
males age 16-49: 1,575
females age 16-49: 1,591 (2010 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis
males age 16-49: 10,736
females age 16-49: 10,913 (2010 est.)

Saint Lucia
males age 16-49: 32,406
females age 16-49: 36,216 (2010 est.)

Saint Martin
males age 16-49: 6,391
females age 16-49: 6,947 (2010 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
males age 16-49: 1,097
females age 16-49: 1,096 (2010 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
males age 16-49: 22,932
females age 16-49: 22,134 (2010 est.)

Samoa
males age 16-49: 37,674
females age 16-49: 37,492 (2010 est.)

San Marino
males age 16-49: 5,564
females age 16-49: 6,068 (2010 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe
males age 16-49: 26,530
females age 16-49: 28,450 (2010 est.)

Saudi Arabia
males age 16-49: 7,560,216
females age 16-49: 5,773,033 (2010 est.)

Senegal
males age 16-49: 2,109,080
females age 16-49: 2,287,510 (2010 est.)

Serbia
males age 16-49: 1,405,391
females age 16-49: 1,368,207 (2010 est.)

Seychelles
males age 16-49: 19,989
females age 16-49: 19,882 (2010 est.)

Sierra Leone
males age 16-49: 713,190
females age 16-49: 813,830 (2010 est.)

Singapore
males age 16-49: 1,027,701
females age 16-49: 1,097,762 (2010 est.)

Slovakia
males age 16-49: 1,162,282
females age 16-49: 1,147,526 (2010 est.)

Slovenia
males age 16-49: 397,440
females age 16-49: 385,505 (2010 est.)

Solomon Islands
males age 16-49: 125,928
females age 16-49: 126,999 (2010 est.)

Somalia
males age 16-49: 1,328,567
females age 16-49: 1,386,971 (2010 est.)

South Africa
males age 16-49: 7,676,331
females age 16-49: 6,521,338 (2010 est.)

Spain
males age 16-49: 8,040,207
females age 16-49: 7,798,254 (2010 est.)

Sri Lanka
males age 16-49: 4,518,582
females age 16-49: 4,701,942 (2010 est.)

Sudan
males age 16-49: 6,094,209
females age 16-49: 6,213,984 (2010 est.)

Suriname
males age 16-49: 108,555
females age 16-49: 111,927 (2010 est.)

Swaziland
males age 16-49: 196,633
females age 16-49: 172,602 (2010 est.)

Sweden
males age 16-49: 1,709,592
females age 16-49: 1,649,875 (2010 est.)

Switzerland
males age 16-49: 1,502,736
females age 16-49: 1,468,785 (2010 est.)

Syria
males age 16-49: 4,948,802
females age 16-49: 4,786,596 (2010 est.)

Taiwan
males age 16-49: 5,094,111
females age 16-49: 4,980,454 (2010 est.)

Tajikistan
males age 16-49: 1,461,896
females age 16-49: 1,642,240 (2010 est.)

Tanzania
males age 16-49: 5,667,987
females age 16-49: 5,690,331 (2010 est.)

Thailand
males age 16-49: 13,247,646
females age 16-49: 14,166,227 (2010 est.)

Timor-Leste
males age 16-49: 236,996
females age 16-49: 245,033 (2010 est.)

Togo
males age 16-49: 983,283
females age 16-49: 1,004,887 (2010 est.)

Tonga
males age 16-49: 27,404
females age 16-49: 28,509 (2010 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago
males age 16-49: 273,361
females age 16-49: 266,535 (2010 est.)

Tunisia
males age 16-49: 2,594,602
females age 16-49: 2,510,159 (2010 est.)

Turkey
males age 16-49: 17,447,579
females age 16-49: 17,173,063 (2010 est.)

Turkmenistan
males age 16-49: 1,046,907
females age 16-49: 1,168,960 (2010 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands
males age 16-49: 5,062
females age 16-49: 4,772 (2010 est.)

Tuvalu
males age 16-49: 1,981
females age 16-49: 2,005 (2010 est.)

Uganda
males age 16-49: 4,138,180
females age 16-49: 4,028,125 (2010 est.)

Ukraine
males age 16-49: 6,970,035
females age 16-49: 9,015,224 (2010 est.)

United Arab Emirates
males age 16-49: 2,157,211
females age 16-49: 816,363 (2010 est.)

United Kingdom
males age 16-49: 12,113,310
females age 16-49: 11,604,784 (2010 est.)

United States
males age 16-49: 60,388,734
females age 16-49: 59,217,809 (2010 est.)

Uruguay
males age 16-49: 713,223
females age 16-49: 697,197 (2010 est.)

Uzbekistan
males age 16-49: 6,456,675
females age 16-49: 6,658,475 (2010 est.)

Vanuatu
males age 16-49: 42,450
females age 16-49: 43,894 (2010 est.)

Venezuela
males age 16-49: 5,504,152
females age 16-49: 5,976,339 (2010 est.)

Vietnam
males age 16-49: 20,153,269
females age 16-49: 20,980,830 (2010 est.)

Virgin Islands
males age 16-49: 17,675
females age 16-49: 21,070 (2010 est.)

Wallis and Futuna
males age 16-49: 3,326
females age 16-49: 3,305 (2010 est.)

West Bank
males age 16-49: 562,570
females age 16-49: 531,532 (2010 est.)

Western Sahara
males age 16-49: 76,483
females age 16-49: 83,988 (2010 est.)

Yemen
males age 16-49: 3,902,186
females age 16-49: 3,952,370 (2010 est.)

Zambia
males age 16-49: 1,401,481
females age 16-49: 1,274,583 (2010 est.)

Zimbabwe
males age 16-49: 1,327,894
females age 16-49: 1,525,815 (2010 est.)

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

@2026

Field Listing :: Manpower reaching militarily significant age

annually

This entry gives the number of males and females entering the
military manpower pool (i.e., reaching age 16) in any given year and
is a measure of the availability of military-age young adults.
Country

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

Afghanistan
male: 378,996
female: 357,822 (2010 est.)

Albania
male: 35,249
female: 31,855 (2010 est.)

Algeria
male: 365,503
female: 352,009 (2010 est.)

American Samoa
male: 810
female: 796 (2010 est.)

Andorra
male: 396
female: 350 (2010 est.)

Angola
male: 151,237
female: 147,919 (2010 est.)

Anguilla
male: 111
female: 111 (2010 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda
male: 763
female: 758 (2010 est.)

Argentina
male: 340,570
female: 323,953 (2010 est.)

Armenia
male: 24,611
female: 22,682 (2010 est.)

Aruba
male: 738
female: 715 (2010 est.)

Australia
male: 144,232
female: 136,525 (2010 est.)

Austria
male: 49,455
female: 47,046 (2010 est.)

Azerbaijan
male: 84,441
female: 78,905 (2010 est.)

Bahamas, The
male: 2,840
female: 2,758 (2010 est.)

Bahrain
male: 6,590
female: 6,475 (2010 est.)

Bangladesh
male: 1,550,385
female: 1,676,137 (2010 est.)

Barbados
male: 1,897
female: 1,884 (2010 est.)

Belarus
male: 55,758
female: 52,572 (2010 est.)

Belgium
male: 60,726
female: 57,882 (2010 est.)

Belize
male: 3,678
female: 3,543 (2010 est.)

Benin
male: 105,468
female: 101,603 (2010 est.)

Bermuda
male: 436
female: 397 (2010 est.)

Bhutan
male: 7,432
female: 7,153 (2010 est.)

Bolivia
male: 108,336
female: 104,934 (2010 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
male: 26,134
female: 24,518 (2010 est.)

Botswana
male: 23,496
female: 22,944 (2010 est.)

Brazil
male: 1,712,427
female: 1,652,491 (2010 est.)

British Virgin Islands
male: 174
female: 167 (2010 est.)

Brunei
male: 3,509
female: 3,427 (2010 est.)

Bulgaria
male: 35,604
female: 34,199 (2010 est.)

Burkina Faso
male: 188,394
female: 185,975 (2010 est.)

Burma
male: 526,557
female: 510,538 (2010 est.)

Burundi
male: 111,829
female: 111,802 (2010 est.)

Cambodia
male: 168,519
female: 166,418 (2010 est.)

Cameroon
male: 213,538
female: 209,549 (2010 est.)

Canada
male: 220,538
female: 208,033 (2010 est.)

Cape Verde
male: 6,077
female: 6,075 (2010 est.)

Cayman Islands
male: 326
female: 347 (2010 est.)

Central African Republic
male: 54,024
female: 53,203 (2010 est.)

Chad
male: 125,073
female: 125,069 (2010 est.)

Chile
male: 143,778
female: 138,058 (2010 est.)

China
male: 10,699,186
female: 9,460,217 (2010 est.)

Colombia
male: 432,280
female: 416,051 (2010 est.)

Comoros
male: 8,519
female: 8,498 (2010 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
male: 842,020
female: 839,044 (2010 est.)

Congo, Republic of the
male: 48,365
female: 47,874 (2010 est.)

Cook Islands
male: 136
female: 115 (2010 est.)

Costa Rica
male: 42,486
female: 40,745 (2010 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire
male: 240,989
female: 237,180 (2010 est.)

Croatia
male: 27,670
female: 26,503 (2010 est.)

Cuba
male: 74,084
female: 70,445 (2010 est.)

Cyprus
male: 8,317
female: 7,542 (2010 est.)

Czech Republic
male: 55,139
female: 52,440 (2010 est.)

Denmark
male: 37,831
female: 35,930 (2010 est.)

Djibouti
male: 8,260
female: 8,503 (2010 est.)

Dominica
male: 729
female: 688 (2010 est.)

Dominican Republic
male: 98,394
female: 94,576 (2010 est.)

Ecuador
male: 150,296
female: 145,184 (2010 est.)

Egypt
male: 799,377
female: 764,602 (2010 est.)

El Salvador
male: 71,292
female: 68,821 (2010 est.)

Equatorial Guinea
male: 7,186
female: 6,920 (2010 est.)

Eritrea
male: 64,489
female: 64,476 (2010 est.)

Estonia
male: 6,945
female: 6,564 (2010 est.)

Ethiopia
male: 934,523
female: 947,103 (2010 est.)

Faroe Islands
male: 379
female: 368 (2010 est.)

Fiji
male: 9,131
female: 8,776 (2010 est.)

Finland
male: 33,297
female: 32,233 (2010 est.)

France
male: 389,956
female: 372,312 (2010 est.)

French Polynesia
male: 2,592
female: 2,481 (2010 est.)

Gabon
male: 17,283
female: 17,276 (2010 est.)

Gambia, The
male: 20,858
female: 20,762 (2010 est.)

Gaza Strip
male: 18,931
female: 18,010 (2010 est.)

Georgia
male: 30,314
female: 28,299 (2010 est.)

Germany
male: 421,227
female: 398,809 (2010 est.)

Ghana
male: 270,993
female: 263,961 (2010 est.)

Gibraltar
male: 250
female: 233 (2010 est.)

Greece
male: 53,222
female: 49,828 (2010 est.)

Greenland
male: 511
female: 484 (2010 est.)

Grenada
male: 987
female: 1,026 (2010 est.)

Guam
male: 1,687
female: 1,597 (2010 est.)

Guatemala
male: 168,959
female: 166,414 (2010 est.)

Guernsey
male: 347
female: 350 (2010 est.)

Guinea
male: 114,353
female: 111,873 (2010 est.)

Guinea-Bissau
male: 17,300
female: 17,523 (2010 est.)

Guyana
male: 8,842
female: 8,452 (2010 est.)

Haiti
male: 110,514
female: 108,208 (2010 est.)

Honduras
male: 94,501
female: 90,757 (2010 est.)

Hong Kong
male: 41,717
female: 38,240 (2010 est.)

Hungary
male: 58,894
female: 55,922 (2010 est.)

Iceland
male: 2,318
female: 2,263 (2010 est.)

India
male: 12,011,217
female: 10,639,158 (2010 est.)

Indonesia
male: 2,227,993
female: 2,156,427 (2010 est.)

Iran
male: 636,558
female: 604,658 (2010 est.)

Iraq
male: 323,328
female: 313,360 (2010 est.)

Ireland
male: 27,987
female: 26,240 (2010 est.)

Isle of Man
male: 469
female: 449 (2010 est.)

Israel
male: 61,613
female: 58,679 (2010 est.)

Italy
male: 280,255
female: 263,336 (2010 est.)

Jamaica
male: 32,723
female: 32,098 (2010 est.)

Japan
male: 626,115
female: 593,905 (2010 est.)

Jersey
male: 594
female: 555 (2010 est.)

Jordan
male: 73,554
female: 69,359 (2010 est.)

Kazakhstan
male: 133,884
female: 127,415 (2010 est.)

Kenya
male: 417,061
female: 412,438 (2010 est.)

Kiribati
male: 1,107
female: 1,083 (2010 est.)

Korea, North
male: 184,631
female: 178,565 (2010 est.)

Korea, South
male: 370,645
female: 321,765 (2010 est.)

Kuwait
male: 19,038
female: 19,787 (2010 est.)

Kyrgyzstan
male: 56,269
female: 54,004 (2010 est.)

Laos
male: 77,910
female: 77,761 (2010 est.)

Latvia
male: 11,536
female: 11,058 (2010 est.)

Lebanon
male: 37,856
female: 36,072 (2010 est.)

Lesotho
male: 19,435
female: 20,400 (2010 est.)

Liberia
male: 33,411
female: 35,264 (2010 est.)

Libya
male: 59,842
female: 57,357 (2010 est.)

Liechtenstein
male: 209
female: 208 (2010 est.)

Lithuania
male: 21,606
female: 20,536 (2010 est.)

Luxembourg
male: 3,211
female: 3,057 (2010 est.)

Macau
male: 4,488
female: 3,900 (2010 est.)

Macedonia
male: 15,338
female: 14,445 (2010 est.)

Madagascar
male: 242,334
female: 241,359 (2010 est.)

Malawi
male: 177,376
female: 176,905 (2010 est.)

Malaysia
male: 267,646
female: 253,529 (2010 est.)

Maldives
male: 4,369
female: 3,765 (2010 est.)

Mali
male: 153,198
female: 154,762 (2010 est.)

Malta
male: 2,570
female: 2,410 (2010 est.)

Marshall Islands
male: 602
female: 580 (2010 est.)

Mauritania
male: 35,322
female: 36,035 (2010 est.)

Mauritius
male: 10,565
female: 10,447 (2010 est.)

Mayotte
male: 2,627
female: 2,619 (2010 est.)

Mexico
male: 1,108,032
female: 1,069,885 (2010 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of
male: 1,270
female: 1,221 (2010 est.)

Moldova
male: 30,012
female: 28,450 (2010 est.)

Monaco
male: 147
female: 133 (2010 est.)

Mongolia
male: 29,240
female: 28,156 (2010 est.)

Montenegro
male: 3,407
female: 3,741 (2010 est.)

Montserrat
male: 38
female: 36 (2010 est.)

Morocco
male: 300,262
female: 298,227 (2010 est.)

Mozambique
male: 272,922
female: 272,062 (2010 est.)

Namibia
male: 26,152
female: 25,790 (2010 est.)

Nauru
male: 174
female: 168 (2010 est.)

Nepal
male: 374,882
female: 361,848 (2010 est.)

Netherlands
male: 104,694
female: 99,874 (2010 est.)

New Caledonia
male: 2,138
female: 2,061 (2010 est.)

New Zealand
male: 30,956
female: 29,236 (2010 est.)

Nicaragua
male: 71,171
female: 68,948 (2010 est.)

Niger
male: 177,985
female: 172,180 (2010 est.)

Nigeria
male: 1,731,734
female: 1,652,632 (2010 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands
male: 430
female: 346 (2010 est.)

Norway
male: 32,045
female: 30,610 (2010 est.)

Oman
male: 31,827
female: 30,148 (2010 est.)

Pakistan
male: 2,144,574
female: 2,000,479 (2010 est.)

Palau
male: 212
female: 218 (2010 est.)

Panama
male: 31,398
female: 30,182 (2010 est.)

Papua New Guinea
male: 66,139
female: 64,244 (2010 est.)

Paraguay
male: 72,455
female: 70,910 (2010 est.)

Peru
male: 312,375
female: 302,452 (2010 est.)

Philippines
male: 1,039,679
female: 1,001,448 (2010 est.)

Poland
male: 235,248
female: 224,801 (2010 est.)

Portugal
male: 62,628
female: 55,737 (2010 est.)

Puerto Rico
male: 30,616
female: 29,196 (2010 est.)

Qatar
male: 6,403
female: 5,144 (2010 est.)

Romania
male: 121,391
female: 115,258 (2010 est.)

Russia
male: 712,838
female: 678,623 (2010 est.)

Rwanda
male: 98,164
female: 97,839 (2010 est.)

Saint Barthelemy
male: 21
female: 21 (2010 est.)

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
male: 48
female: 47 (2010 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis
male: 402
female: 430 (2010 est.)

Saint Lucia
male: 1,627
female: 1,521 (2010 est.)

Saint Martin
male: 172
female: 165 (2010 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
male: 36
female: 34 (2010 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
male: 990
female: 979 (2010 est.)

Samoa
male: 2,219
female: 2,058 (2010 est.)

San Marino
male: 176
female: 164 (2010 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe
male: 1,997
female: 1,922 (2010 est.)

Saudi Arabia
male: 280,041
female: 269,580 (2010 est.)

Senegal
male: 157,468
female: 156,689 (2010 est.)

Serbia
male: 43,925
female: 41,342 (2010 est.)

Seychelles
male: 704
female: 672 (2010 est.)

Sierra Leone
male: 53,349
female: 56,307 (2010 est.)

Singapore
male: 27,430
female: 25,918 (2010 est.)

Slovakia
male: 33,915
female: 32,448 (2010 est.)

Slovenia
male: 9,979
female: 9,610 (2010 est.)

Solomon Islands
male: 7,256
female: 6,995 (2010 est.)

Somalia
male: 99,919
female: 99,771 (2010 est.)

South Africa
male: 492,743
female: 496,374 (2010 est.)

Spain
male: 193,038
female: 181,703 (2010 est.)

Sri Lanka
male: 172,081
female: 166,358 (2010 est.)

Sudan
male: 506,742
female: 487,434 (2010 est.)

Suriname
male: 4,046
female: 4,056 (2010 est.)

Swaziland
male: 16,024
female: 15,630 (2010 est.)

Sweden
male: 58,937
female: 56,225 (2010 est.)

Switzerland
male: 47,043
female: 43,033 (2010 est.)

Syria
male: 253,578
female: 241,777 (2010 est.)

Taiwan
male: 166,141
female: 155,070 (2010 est.)

Tajikistan
male: 77,585
female: 75,201 (2010 est.)

Tanzania
male: 498,815
female: 500,941 (2010 est.)

Thailand
male: 535,884
female: 511,444 (2010 est.)

Timor-Leste
male: 12,795
female: 12,443 (2010 est.)

Togo
male: 71,081
female: 69,969 (2010 est.)

Tonga
male: 1,448
female: 1,392 (2010 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago
male: 8,572
female: 7,966 (2010 est.)

Tunisia
male: 96,697
female: 90,599 (2010 est.)

Turkey
male: 695,326
female: 666,026 (2010 est.)

Turkmenistan
male: 55,805
female: 54,908 (2010 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands
male: 229
female: 223 (2010 est.)

Tuvalu
male: 120
female: 110 (2010 est.)

Uganda
male: 412,640
female: 408,521 (2010 est.)

Ukraine
male: 256,196
female: 244,473 (2010 est.)

United Arab Emirates
male: 27,256
female: 24,305 (2010 est.)

United Kingdom
male: 386,492
female: 369,185 (2010 est.)

United States
male: 2,174,260
female: 2,065,595 (2010 est.)

Uruguay
male: 27,631
female: 26,703 (2010 est.)

Uzbekistan
male: 306,743
female: 299,264 (2010 est.)

Vanuatu
male: 2,346
female: 2,249 (2010 est.)

Venezuela
male: 276,612
female: 273,819 (2010 est.)

Vietnam
male: 877,075
female: 816,076 (2010 est.)

Virgin Islands
male: 805
female: 849 (2010 est.)

Wallis and Futuna
male: 178
female: 153 (2010 est.)

West Bank
male: 30,547
female: 29,062 (2010 est.)

Western Sahara
male: 5,376
female: 5,280 (2010 est.)

Yemen
male: 279,283
female: 269,824 (2010 est.)

Zambia
male: 151,586
female: 150,839 (2010 est.)

Zimbabwe
male: 155,117
female: 152,875 (2010 est.)

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

@2028

Field Listing :: Background

This entry usually highlights major historic events and current
issues and may include a statement about one or two key future
trends.
Country

Background

Afghanistan
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and
founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between
the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from
notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy
ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet
Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist
regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew
in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported
anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars
saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline
Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the
country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., a US,
Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled
the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn
Conference in 2001 established a process for political
reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a
presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in
2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically
elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was
inaugurated the following December. Karzai was re-elected in August
2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable
central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial
instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain
serious challenges for the Afghan Government.

Akrotiri
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created
the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty
and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the
Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the
Western Sovereign Base Area.

Albania
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in
1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took
over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR
(until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s,
Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established
a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as
successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment,
widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure,
powerful organized crime networks, and combative political
opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development
since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies
remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free
and fair since the restoration of political stability following the
collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, there have been claims
of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist
elections. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and
its allies won a decisive victory on pledges to reduce crime and
corruption, promote economic growth, and decrease the size of
government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of
power, was considered an important step forward. Albania joined NATO
in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession.
Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still
one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy
and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.

Algeria
After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians
fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962.
Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front
(FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for
independence and has largely dominated politics since. The
Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in
response to public unrest, but the surprising first round success of
the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting
spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round
of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an
extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a
crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking
government targets, and fighting escalated into an insurgency, which
saw intense violence between 1992-98 resulting in over 100,000
deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by
extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s,
and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in
January 2000. Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the
military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election widely viewed as
fraudulent, was reelected to a second term in 2004, and
overwhelmingly won a third term in 2009 after the government amended
the constitution in 2008 to remove presidential term limits.
Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA, including
large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable
electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and
corruption, and the continuing activities of extremist militants.
The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in 2006 merged
with al-Qai'da to form al-Qai'da in the Lands of the Islamic
Maghreb, which has launched an ongoing series of kidnappings and
bombings targeting the Algerian Government and Western interests.

American Samoa
Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered"
by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries
in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899
treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.
The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern
islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.

Andorra
For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a
unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from
1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Seu
d'Urgell). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular
heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a
parliamentary democracy. For decades Andorra enjoyed its status as a
small refuge of fiscal and banking freedom and benefitted from
Spanish and French tourists attracted to the country's duty-free
shopping. The situation has changed in recent years as Andorra
started to tax foreign investment and other sectors. Tourism
accounts for over 80% of Andorra's gross domestic product.

Angola
Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year
civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by
Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace
seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but
fighting picked up again by 1996. Up to 1.5 million lives may have
been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century
of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and
strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. President DOS SANTOS held
legislative elections in September 2008 and, despite promising to
hold presidential elections in 2009, has since made a presidential
poll contingent on the drafting of a new constitution.

Anguilla
Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650,
Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th
century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants -
was incorporated into a single British dependency along with Saint
Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two
years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a
separate British dependency.

Antarctica
Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was
not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American
commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions
began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south
of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that
Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands or
an area of ocean. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the
early 20th century, but generally the area saw little human
activity. Following World War II, however, there was an upsurge in
scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set
up a range of year-round and seasonal stations, camps, and refuges
to support scientific research in Antarctica. Seven have made
territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In
order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the
continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies
nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in
1959, it entered into force in 1961.

Antigua and Barbuda
The Siboney were the first to inhabit the
islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians
populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in
1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by
the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run
the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands
became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of
Nations in 1981.

Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five
oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and
the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US
and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two
important seasonal waterways. In recent years the polar ice pack has
thinned allowing for increased navigation and raising the
possibility of future sovereignty and shipping disputes among
countries bordering the Arctic Ocean.

Argentina
In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared
their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay
went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina.
The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by
immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and
Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860
to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's
history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict
between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military
factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist populism and direct
and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was
followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy
returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland (Malvinas)
Islands by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the
most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02
that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations
of several presidents.

Armenia
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally
adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy,
over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires
including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During
World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey
instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh
practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths.
The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in
1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was
conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain
preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to
Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan
began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after
both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces
held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of
Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by
their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful
resolution. Turkey closed the common border with Armenia in 1994
because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and
surrounding areas, further hampering Armenian economic growth. In
2009, senior Armenian leaders began pursuing rapprochement with
Turkey, aiming to secure an opening of the border; this process is
currently dormant.

Aruba
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired
by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by
three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by
prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The
last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry.
Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a
separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in
1990.

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
These uninhabited islands came under
Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years
later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine
habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier
Island, a former bombing range, became a marine reserve in 2000.

Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the
world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the
Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal
(Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of
Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US)
are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the
International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to
delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion
of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

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

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

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and
majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to
1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet
Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to
resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily
Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized as part of Soviet
Azerbaijan in the 1920s after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the
status of the territory. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over
the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries
attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994,
when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only
Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding provinces in the
territory of Azerbaijan. Corruption in the country is ubiquitous,
and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a
2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the
poverty rate has been reduced in recent years due to revenue from
oil production, the promise of widespread wealth resulting from the
continued development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely
unfulfilled.

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

Bahrain
In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the
Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a
series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made
Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its
independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location
among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing
act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining
oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and
refining and has transformed itself into an international banking
center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in
1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations
with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in
2010 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest
Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the
elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shia discontent has
resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional
low-level violence.

Bangladesh
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of
Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to
dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947,
West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from
India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of
Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward
arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units
separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and
dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West
Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed,
emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned
for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and
root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street
rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years, the
parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were
mostly peaceful and Sheikh HASINA Wajed was elected prime minister.
About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during
the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Barbados
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the
British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on
the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy
remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production
through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social
and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete
independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and
manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

Belarus
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR,
Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer
political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former
Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state
union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic
integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the
accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his
election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr
LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian
means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press,
peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.

Belgium
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it
was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country
prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically
advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions
between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the
French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to
constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition
and autonomy.

Belize
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their
decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and
Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it
formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial
disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of
Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation
until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border
dispute. Guatemala and Belize plan to hold a simultaneous referendum
to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court
of Justice at The Hague, though they have not yet set a date.
Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns
include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment,
growing involvement in the South American drug trade, high crime
rates, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.

Benin
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West
African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became
a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960,
as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended
in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the
establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles.
A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later,
free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as
president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa
from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by
elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were
alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006
and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and
independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption
and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.

Bermuda
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English
colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North
American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism
continues to be important to the island's economy, although
international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has
developed into a highly successful offshore financial center.
Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly
defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the
issue.

Bhutan
In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu,
under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for
ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a
monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed
whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal
affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.
This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years
later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan
annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country
received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and
foreign relations. A refugee issue of over 100,000 Bhutanese in
Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the
government's draft constitution - which would introduce major
democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for
its approval. In December 2006, the King abdicated the throne to his
son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK, in order to give him experience
as head of state before the democratic transition. In early 2007,
India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty to allow Bhutan greater
autonomy in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu
continues to coordinate policy decisions in this area with New
Delhi. In July 2007, seven ministers of Bhutan's ten-member cabinet
resigned to join the political process, and the cabinet acted as a
caretaker regime until democratic elections for seats to the
country's first parliament were completed in March 2008. The king
ratified the country's first constitution in July 2008.

Bolivia
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR,
broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history
has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups.
Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have
faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and
illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected
Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the
widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule
in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's
traditional political class and empower the nation's poor,
indigenous majority. However, since taking office, his controversial
strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the
Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous
communities of the eastern lowlands. In December 2009, President
MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the
legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to
continue his process of change.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of
sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of
independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a
referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported
by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed
resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and
joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994,
Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from
three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in
Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that
brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final
agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace
Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries
and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with
conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized
was a second tier of government composed of two entities roughly
equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The
Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most
government functions. The Dayton Accords also established the Office
of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of
the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace Implementation
Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also gave the High
Representative the authority to impose legislation and remove
officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." In 1995-96, a NATO-led
international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in
Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the
agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization
Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities.
European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December
2004; their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout
the country. EUFOR's mission changed from peacekeeping to civil
policing in October 2007, with its presence reduced from nearly
7,000 to less than 2,500 troops. Troop strength at the end of 2009
stood at roughly 2,000. In January 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina
assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the
2010-11 term.

Botswana
Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana
adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of
uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and
significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic
economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining,
dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due
to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature
preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of
HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and
comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.

Bouvet Island
This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely
covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered
in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named.
No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In
1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied
the island the previous year. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet
Island and the adjacent territorial waters a nature reserve. Since
1977, it has run an automated meteorological station on the island.

Brazil
Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule,
Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical
system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the
subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889.
Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until
populist leader Getulio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. By far the
largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil underwent
more than half a century of populist and military government until
1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian
rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural
growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural
resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's
leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in
the area to begin an economic recovery. Highly unequal income
distribution and crime remain pressing problems. In January 2010,
Brazil assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for
the 2010-11 term.

British Indian Ocean Territory
Formerly administered as part of the
British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean
Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK
in 1965. A number of the islands of the territory were later
transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976.
Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups
comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of
the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support
facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Between 1967
and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the
islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the
Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the
establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as
compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians.
Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits
against the British Government seeking further compensation and the
right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British court
rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the 2004
BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from the
archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in the UK,
ruled in favor of the British Government by overturning the lower
court rulings and finding no right of return for the Chagossians.

British Virgin Islands
First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib
Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and
then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the
British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were
granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger
and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is
the legal currency.

Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th
and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of
northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently
entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal
succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In
1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was
achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six
centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas
fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.

Bulgaria
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the
local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first
Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with
the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the
end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman
Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of
Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having
fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within
the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in
1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its
first multiparty election since World War II and began the
contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a
market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption,
and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.