Читать книгу The 2004 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency - Страница 53
ОглавлениеCommunications Equatorial Guinea
Telephones - main lines in use:
9,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
41,500 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 240; international communications from
Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)
Radios:
180,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)
Televisions:
4,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gq
Internet hosts:
3 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
1,800 (2002)
Transportation Equatorial Guinea
Highways:
total: 2,880 km (1999 est.)
Pipelines:
condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km
(2004)
Ports and harbors:
Bata, Luba, Malabo
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports:
3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Equatorial Guinea
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 120,463 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 61,084 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$75.1 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (2003)
Transnational Issues Equatorial Guinea
Disputes - international:
in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of
Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of
Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an
island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined
coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi
allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; creation of a
maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with Gabon is
hampered by dispute over Mbane Island, administered and occupied by
Gabon since the 1970s
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Eritrea
Introduction Eritrea
Background:
Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation.
Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later
sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with
Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was
overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year
border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN
auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN
peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary
Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international
commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its
findings in 2002 but final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian
objections.
Geography Eritrea
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 39 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 121,320 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 1,626 km
border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline:
2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea
1,083 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the
central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in
western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September
except in coastal desert
Terrain:
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands,
descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest
to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression −75 m
highest point: Soira 3,018 m
Natural resources:
gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish
Land use: arable land: 4.95% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.02% (2001)
Irrigated land:
220 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
frequent droughts; locust swarms
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of
infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping
lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the
Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993
People Eritrea
Population:
4,447,307 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 44.8% (male 998,404; female 993,349)
15–64 years: 51.9% (male 1,140,892; female 1,166,481)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 72,776; female 75,405) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.3 years
female: 17.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.57% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
39.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
13.36 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from
Sudan in 2001 following the restoration of diplomatic relations
between the two countries in 2000 (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 75.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 83.03 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.7 years
male: 51.32 years
female: 54.12 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
60,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,300 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean
Ethnic groups:
ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea
coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%
Religions:
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages:
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Literacy: definition: NA total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.)
Government Eritrea
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea
local long form: Hagere Ertra
former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
local short form: Ertra
Government type:
transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23–25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December
2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal
party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Capital:
Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions:
6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub, Debubawi
K'eyih Bahri, Gash Barka, Ma'akel, Semenawi Keyih Bahri
Independence:
24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 May (1993)
Constitution:
the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced
by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented
Legal system:
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions;
new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted
laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority;
members appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last
held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National
Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as
anticipated)
election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections
to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of
the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution
stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the
National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible
voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were
postponed indefinitely
Judicial branch:
High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have
military and special courts
Political parties and leaders: People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it
Political pressure groups and leaders: Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ [leader NA] (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement) [leader NA]); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement) [leader NA]; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom
telephone: [1] (202) 319–1991
consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)
FAX: [1] (202) 319–1304
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Scott H. DELISI
embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara
mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara
telephone: [291] (1) 120004
FAX: [291] (1) 127584
Flag description:
red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag
into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one
is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on
the hoist side of the red triangle
Economy Eritrea
Economy - overview:
Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced
the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the
economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on
subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in
farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998–2000 severely
hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to
−12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern
Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss,
including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The
attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive
region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war,
Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new
roads, improving its ports, and repairing war damaged roads and
bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm
grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and
party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda.
Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists
from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding
down growth in 2002. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its
ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment,
and low skills, and to open its economy to private enterprise so the
diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $3.3 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.4% industry: 25.3% services: 62.4% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
26.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
53% (1993/94)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.3% (2003)
Labor force:
NA (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and services 20%
Unemployment rate:
NA (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $235.7 million
expenditures: $375 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2003 est.)
Agriculture - products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
220.5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
205.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh NA kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh NA kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-159 million (2003)
Exports:
$56 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000)
Exports - partners:
Malaysia 65.1%, Italy 10.4%, France 4.4% (2003)
Imports:
$600 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000)
Imports - partners:
US 39.7%, Italy 19.1%, Turkey 6.8%, Russia 5.4%, France 4.7% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$28 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$311 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$77 million (1999)
Currency:
nakfa (ERN)
Currency code:
ERN
Exchange rates:
nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - NA (2003), 13.9582 (2002), 11.3095
(2001), 9.5 (2000), 7.6 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Eritrea
Telephones - main lines in use:
38,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government
is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: country code - 291; note - international connections
exist
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)
Radios:
345,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2000)
Televisions:
1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.er
Internet hosts:
1,047 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)
Internet users:
9,500 (2003)
Transportation Eritrea
Railways:
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge
note: railway is being rebuilt; 117 km open (2003)
Highways:
total: 4,010 km
paved: 874 km
unpaved: 3,136 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Merchant marine:
total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll
on/roll off 1
Airports:
18 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Eritrea
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 16 months (2004)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
NA (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$77.9 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
11.8% (2003)
Transnational Issues Eritrea
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea
Border Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but demarcation
has been delayed, despite intense international intervention, by
Ethiopian insistence that the decision ignored "human geography,"
made technical errors in the delimitation, and incorrectly awarded
Badme, the focus of the 1998–2000 war, and other areas to Eritrea
and Eritrea's insistence on not deviating from the commission's
decision; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)
continues to monitor a 25km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea
until the demarcation; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese
rebel groups; Eritrea protests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish
Islands awarded to Eritrea by the ICJ in 1999
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998–2000; most IDPs
are near the central border region) (2004)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Estonia
Introduction Estonia
Background:
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule,
Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into
the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse
of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994,
Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with
Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Geography Estonia
Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland,
between Latvia and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
59 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 45,226 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
water: 2,015 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Land boundaries: total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Coastline:
3,794 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with
neighboring states
Climate:
maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Terrain:
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Natural resources:
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite,
arable land, sea mud
Land use: arable land: 16.04% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 83.51% (2001)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Environment - current issues:
air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power
plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to
the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less
than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to
water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in
connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the
pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400
natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural
areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain
locations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore
lie more than 1,500 islands
People Estonia
Population:
1,341,664 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 16% (male 110,452; female 104,363)
15–64 years: 67.5% (male 431,493; female 474,255)
65 years and over: 16.5% (male 72,819; female 148,282) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.8 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 42.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
−0.66% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
9.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
13.27 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
−3.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.38 years
male: 65.78 years
female: 77.33 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,800 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian
Ethnic groups:
Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%,
Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998)
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist,
Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word
of Life, Jewish
Languages:
Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Government Estonia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
Tallinn
Administrative divisions:
15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn),
Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa
(Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa
(Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare),
Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa
(Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in
parentheses
Independence:
20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is
the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20
August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet
Union
Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Juhan PARTS (since 10 April 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament
election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September
2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following
Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's
successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 186 votes
to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots
were either left blank or invalid
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if
he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds
of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up
of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the
president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest
percentage of votes; election last held 21 September 2001 (next to
be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the
president and approved by Parliament
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res
Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro
Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%;
seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19,
Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party
Moodukad 6
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)
Judicial branch:
National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Political parties and leaders:
Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman];
Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman];
Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian
United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman];
Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica
[Juhan PARTS, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's
Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social
Liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians, former Center Party members)
[Peeter Kreitzberg]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member),
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NIB, NSG,
OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO,
UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588–0108
telephone: [1] (202) 588–0101
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] 668–8100
FAX: [372] 668–8134
Flag description:
pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal
horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
Economy Estonia
Economy - overview:
Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization, is
steadily moving toward a modern market economy with increasing ties
to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The
economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications
sectors. Estonia has been invited to join the European Union and
will do so in May 2004. The economy is greatly influenced by
developments in Finland, Sweden, Russia, and Germany, four major
trading partners. The high current account deficit remains a
concern. However, the state budget enjoyed a surplus of $130 million
in 2003.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.35 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.7% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $12,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.9% industry: 30.3% services: 64.8% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
30.2% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
654,000 (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 11%, industry 20%, services 69% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.1% (2003)
Budget:
revenues: $3.806 billion
expenditures: $3.648 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)
Public debt:
7.4% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Industries:
engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile;
information technology, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.937 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
6.192 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
1.19 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
5,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$-1.15 billion (2003)
Exports:
$4.075 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food
products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Exports - partners:
Finland 21.9%, Sweden 12.5%, Russia 11.4%, Germany 8.4%, Latvia
7.4%, Lithuania 4% (2003)
Imports:
$5.535 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles
10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Imports - partners:
Finland 15.9%, Germany 11.1%, Russia 10.2%, Sweden 7.7%, Ukraine
4.3%, China 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.377 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$7.002 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$108 million (2000)
Currency:
Estonian kroon (EEK)
Currency code:
EEK
Exchange rates:
krooni per US dollar - 13.8564 (2003), 16.6118 (2002), 17.4781
(2001), 16.9686 (2000), 14.6776 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Estonia
Telephones - main lines in use:
475,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
881,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint
business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial
fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in
the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of
the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by
September 2000
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet
services is available throughout the country
international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,
Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched
service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios:
1.01 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (2001)
Televisions:
605,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ee
Internet hosts:
82,142 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
38 (2001)
Internet users:
444,000 (2002)
Transportation Estonia
Railways:
total: 958 km
broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified)
note: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear
on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2003)
Highways:
total: 51,411 km
paved: 10,334 km (including 94 km of expressways)
unpaved: 41,077 km (2000)
Waterways:
500 km (2003)
Pipelines:
gas 859 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn
Merchant marine:
total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 212,998 GRT/177,488 DWT
by type: bulk 2, cargo 12, container 4, petroleum tanker 2, roll
on/roll off 7, short-sea/passenger 5
foreign-owned: Netherlands 1
registered in other countries: 45 (2004 est.)
Airports:
29 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 6 (2003 est.)
Military Estonia
Military branches:
Estonia Defense Forces (including Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force),
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer
Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard
note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of
the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is
subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian
Navy in wartime
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 11-month service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women up to 2010; 17 years of age for volunteers (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 326,803 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 257,386 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 10,884 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$155 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues Estonia
Disputes - international:
Russia continues to reject signing and ratifying the joint December
1996 technical border agreement with Estonia
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia
and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western
Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to
Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible
precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money
laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a
concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Ethiopia
Introduction Ethiopia
Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy
maintained its freedom from colonial rule, one exception being the
Italian occupation of 1936–41. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg,
deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and
established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings,
wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was
finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A
constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty
elections were held in 1995. A two and a half year border war with
Eritrea ended with a peace treaty on 12 December 2000. Final
demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian
objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to
surrender sensitive territory.
Geography Ethiopia
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,127,127 sq km
water: 7,444 sq km
land: 1,119,683 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,328 km
border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km,
Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain:
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift
Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Denakil Depression −125 m
highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
Natural resources:
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 10.71% permanent crops: 0.75% other: 88.54% (2001)
Irrigated land:
1,900 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor
management
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the
de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the
chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk
(Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to
have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
People Ethiopia
Population:
67,851,281
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 44.7% (male 15,189,921; female 15,109,870)
15–64 years: 52.5% (male 17,857,758; female 17,767,411)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 855,103; female 1,071,218) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.4 years
female: 17.4 years (2004 est.)
male: 17.3 years
Population growth rate:
1.89% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
39.23 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
20.36 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: repatriation of Ethiopians who fled to Sudan for refuge from
war and famine in earlier years is expected to continue for several
years; some Sudanese and Somali refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from
the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to
their homes (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 102.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 91.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 112.22 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.88 years
male: 40.03 years
female: 41.75 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.5 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
120,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, leishmaniasis (cutaneous), schistosomiasis,
rabies
overall degree of risk: high (2004)
Nationality:
noun: Ethiopian(s)
adjective: Ethiopian
Ethnic groups:
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali
6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%
Languages:
Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other
local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.7%
male: 50.3%
female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
Government Ethiopia
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
abbreviation: FDRE
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions:
9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2
self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular -
astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara),
Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples),
Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali),
Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations,
Nationalities and Peoples)
Independence:
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the
world - at least 2,000 years
National holiday:
National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Constitution:
ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995
Legal system:
currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August
1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994
constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and
approved by the House of People's Representatives
elections: president elected by the House of People's
Representatives for a six-year term; election last held 8 October
2001 (next to be held NA October 2007); prime minister designated by
the party in power following legislative elections
election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of
vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper
chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve
five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower
chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
note: irregularities and violence at some polling stations
necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies;
voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - OPDO 177,
ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10,
ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional
political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the
Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and
appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other
federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's
Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal
Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP [leader NA]; Amhara National
Democratic Movement or ANDM [ADDISU Legesse]; Bench Madji People's
Democratic Organization or BMPDO [leader NA]; Benishangul Gumuz
People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [leader NA]; Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an
alliance of ANDM, OPDO, SEPDF, and TPLF); Gedeyo People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front or GPRDF [leader NA]; Gurage
Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM [leader NA]; Kafa Shaka
People's Democratic Organization or KSPDO [leader NA]; Kembata,
Alabaa and Tembaro or KAT [leader NA]; Oromo People's Democratic
Organization or OPDO [JUNEDI Sado]; Sidamo People's Democratic
Organization or SPDO [leader NA]; South Omo People's Democratic
Movement or SOPDM [leader NA]; Tigrayan People's Liberation Front or
TPLF [MELES Zenawi]; Walayta, Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, and Konta People's
Democratic Organization or WGGPDO [leader NA]; dozens of small
parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF [leader NA];
Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia or
CAFPDE [BEYANE Petros]; Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic
Coalition or SEPDC [BEYANE Petros]
