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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Abbreviations
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This information is included in Appendix A: Abbreviations, which
includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in the Factbook, with
their expansions.
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Acronyms
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An acronym is an abbreviation coined from the initial letter of each
successive word in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym made up solely
from the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered
in all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
an exception would be ASEAN for Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
In general, an acronym made up of more than the first letter of the major
words in the expanded form is rendered with only an initial capital letter
(Comsat from Communications Satellite Corporation; an exception would
be NAM from Nonaligned Movement). Hybrid forms are sometimes used to
distinguish between initially identical terms (WTO: WTrO for World Trade
Organization and WToO for World Tourism Organization.)
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Administrative divisions
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This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order
administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names
(BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by BGN are
noted.
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Age structure
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This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age.
Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years,
65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation’s
key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage
under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older
populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in
the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict
potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult
population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.
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Agriculture - products
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This entry is a rank ordering of major crops and products starting with
the most important.
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Airports
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This entry gives the total number of airports. The runway(s) may be paved
(concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel
surfaces), but must be usable. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control.
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Airports - with paved runways
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This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways (concrete
or asphalt surfaces). For airports with more than one runway, only the
longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1)
over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523
m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included
in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance,
or air traffic control.
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Airports - with unpaved runways
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This entry gives the total number of airports with unpaved runways (grass,
dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces). For airports with more than one runway,
only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups
- (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914
to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are
included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control
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Appendixes
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This section includes Factbook-related material by topic.
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Area
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This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of
all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or
coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited
by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water
bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of all
water surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines,
including inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers).
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Area - comparative
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This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents.
Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states
based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of
the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178
sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi,
146 acres).
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Background
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This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues
and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.
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Birth rate
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This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per
1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth
rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the
rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and
the age structure of the population.
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Budget
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This entry includes revenues, total expenditures, and capital expenditures.
These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not
in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Capital
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This entry gives the location of the seat of government.
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Climate
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This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout
the year.
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Coastline
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This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area
(including islands) and the sea.
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Communications
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This category deals with the means of exchanging information and includes
the telephone, radio, television, and Internet service provider entries.
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Communications - note
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This entry includes miscellaneous communications information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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Constitution
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This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments.
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Country data codes
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see Data codes
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Country map
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Most versions of the Factbook provide a country map in color.
The maps were produced from the best information available at the time
of preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed subsequently.
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Country name
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This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US
Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional
long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy),
local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form
(Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation.
Also see the Terminology note.
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Currency
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This entry identifies the national medium of exchange and its basic subunit.
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Currency code
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This entry gives the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
4217 alphabetic currency code for each country.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Data codes
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This information is presented in Appendix D: Cross-Reference List
of Country Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of
Hydrographic Data Codes. This appendix includes the US Government
approved Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes, the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) codes, and Internet codes for land
entities. The appendix also includes the International Hydrographic Organization
(IHO) codes, Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC; now a part
of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency or NIMA) codes, and Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) codes for hydrographic entities. The US Government
has not yet approved a standard for hydrographic data codes similar to
the FIPS 10-4 standard for country data codes.
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Date of information
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In general, information available as of 1 January 2001, was used in the
preparation of this edition.
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Death rate
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This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per
1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death
rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country,
accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth.
This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most
countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite
of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility
results in an aging population.
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Debt - external
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This entry gives the total amount of public foreign financial obligations.
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Dependency status
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This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular nonindependent
entity and an independent state.
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Dependent areas
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This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all nonindependent entities
associated in some way with a particular independent state.
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Diplomatic representation
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The US Government has diplomatic relations with 185 independent states,
including 183 of the 189 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba,
Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic
relations with 2 independent states that are not in the UN - Holy See
and Switzerland.
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Diplomatic representation from the US
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This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address,
mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, branch
office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate
locations.
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Disputes - international
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This entry includes a wide variety of situations that range from traditional
bilateral boundary disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another.
Information regarding disputes over international terrestrial and maritime
boundaries has been reviewed by the US Department of State. References
to other situations involving borders or frontiers may also be included,
such as resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues;
however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute official acceptance
or recognition by the US Government.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Economic aid - donor
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This entry refers to net official development assistance (ODA) from OECD
nations to developing countries and multilateral organizations. ODA is
defined as financial assistance that is concessional in character, has
the main objective to promote economic development and welfare of the
less developed countries (LDCs), and contains a grant element of at least
25%. The entry does not cover other official flows (OOF) or private flows.
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Economic aid - recipient
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This entry, which is subject to major problems of definition and statistical
coverage, refers to the net inflow of Official Development Finance (ODF)
to recipient countries. The figure includes assistance from the World
Bank, the IMF, and other international organizations and from individual
nation donors. Formal commitments of aid are included in the data. Omitted
from the data are grants by private organizations. Aid comes in various
forms including outright grants and loans. The entry thus is the difference
between new inflows and repayments.
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Economy
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This category includes the entries dealing with the size, development,
and management of productive resources, i.e., land, labor, and capital.
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Economy - overview
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This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree
of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important
natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes
major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months
and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic
trends.
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Electricity - consumption
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This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports
and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between
the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed
and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.
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Electricity - exports
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This entry is the total exported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
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Electricity - imports
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This entry is the total imported electricity in kilowatt-hours.
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Electricity - production
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This entry is the annual electricity generated expressed in kilowatt-hours.
The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported
and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission
and distribution.
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Electricity - production by source
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This entry indicates the percentage share of annual electricity production
of each energy source. These are fossil fuel, hydro, nuclear, and other
(solar, geothermal, and wind).
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Elevation extremes
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This entry includes both the highest point and the lowest point.
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Entities
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Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of special sovereignty,
and governments included in this publication are not independent, and
others are not officially recognized by the US Government. "Independent
state" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign
state with a definite territory. "Dependencies" and "areas
of special sovereignty" refer to a broad category of political entities
that are associated in some way with an independent state. "Country"
names used in the table of contents or for page headings are usually the
short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names and may
include independent states, dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty,
or other geographic entities. There are a total of 267 separate geographic
entities in The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES
191 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,
Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African
Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia,
Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras,
Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South
Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia,
Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,
Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau,
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania,
Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,
Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
OTHER
1 Taiwan
DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY
6 Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island
2 China - Hong Kong, Macau
2 Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland
16 France - Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French
Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso
Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia,
Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
2 Netherlands - Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
3 New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
3 Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
15 UK - Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey,
Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South
Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis
Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island,
Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands,
Wake Island
MISCELLANEOUS
6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West
Bank, Western Sahara
OTHER ENTITIES
5 oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean,
Southern Ocean
1 World
267 total
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Environment - current issues
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This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems.
The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation
and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem
nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more
neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain).
acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur
dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly
to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale
where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and
values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4
(the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.
aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas,
smoke, or fog.
afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting
trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that
have been cut or destroyed by fire.
asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used
in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in
particulate form.
biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of
species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community,
and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem’s ability
to recover from natural or man-induced disruption.
bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance,
and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.
biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given
area or volume.
carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon
(in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean,
terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits.
catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and
runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited
freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless
insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was
banned in the US in 1972.
defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially;
often used in agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental
impacts on human and ecosystem health.
deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable
forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over
exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth.
desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or
semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive
soils, or climate change.
dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also,
a technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g.,
shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction
of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.
drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally
anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in an
over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial marine
species (by-catch) by its effect of “sweeping the ocean clean”.
ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of
organisms and their specific environments.
effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial
waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting
it.
endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction
either by direct hunting or habitat destruction.
freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources
include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
greenhouse gas - a gas that “traps” infrared radiation in the lower
atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous
oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse
gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth
often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the
source for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by
Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply into
a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure
project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly and controversial;
objections to the project include claims that it forces people from their
homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources.
Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 125,000 Inuits
of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental
issues; a panel convenes every three years to determine the focus of the
ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of pollutants,
sustainable development, and climate change.
metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science,
technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated
and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of ground water and
air when not properly disposed.
noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.
overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than
it can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover,
a common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land.
ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3)
that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs
solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms.
poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern
with respect to endangered or threatened species.
pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made
waste.
potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.
salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes
salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process;
also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation
of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil
incapable of supporting crops.
siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted
with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.
slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in
which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary
agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which
point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is
sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for
regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do
not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment
.
soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because
of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides
or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil,
eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products.
soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind,
compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing,
and desertification.
ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy
emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the
ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living organisms and has been
linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in humans.
water-born diseases - those in which the bacteria survive in, and
is transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an
untreated water supply.
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Environment - international agreements
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This entry separates country participation in international environmental
agreements into two levels - party to and signed but not ratified.
Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of
the full name.
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Environmental agreements
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This information is presented in Appendix C: Selected International
Environmental Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date
opened for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties
by category.
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Ethnic groups
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This entry provides a rank ordering of ethnic groups starting with the
largest and normally includes the percent of total population.
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Exchange rates
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This entry provides the official value of a country's monetary unit at
a given date or over a given period of time, as expressed in units of
local currency per US dollar and as determined by international market
forces or official fiat.
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Executive branch
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This entry includes several subfields. Chief of state includes
the name and title of the titular leader of the country who represents
the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved
with the day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government
includes the name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated
to manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in
the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is the
head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief of state
and the head of government. Cabinet includes the official name
for this body of high-ranking advisers and the method for selection of
members. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession
to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election
results includes the percent of vote for each candidate in the last
election.
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Exports
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This entry provides the total US dollar amount of exports on an f.o.b.
(free on board) basis.
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Exports - commodities
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This entry provides a rank ordering of exported products starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
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Exports - partners
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This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Fiscal year
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This entry identifies the beginning and ending months for a country's
accounting period of 12 months, which often is the calendar year but which
may begin in any month. All yearly references are for the calendar year
(CY) unless indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY).
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Flag description
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This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual flags
or the best information available at the time the entry was written. The
flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there
is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas
do not have flags.
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Flag graphic
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Most versions of the Factbook include a color flag at the beginning
of the country profile. The flag graphics were produced from actual flags
or the best information available at the time of preparation. The flags
of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an
officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not
have flags.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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GDP
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This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final
goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. GDP dollar
estimates in the Factbook are derived from purchasing power parity
(PPP) calculations. See the note on GDP methodology for more information.
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GDP methodology
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In the Economy section, GDP dollar estimates for all countries
are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations rather than
from conversions at official currency exchange rates. The PPP method involves
the use of standardized international dollar price weights, which are
applied to the quantities of final goods and services produced in a given
economy. The data derived from the PPP method provide the best available
starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well-being between
countries. The division of a GDP estimate in domestic currency by the
corresponding PPP estimate in dollars gives the PPP conversion rate.
Whereas PPP estimates for OECD countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates
for developing countries are often rough approximations. Most of the
GDP estimates are based on extrapolation of PPP numbers published by the
UN International Comparison Program (UNICP) and by Professors Robert Summers
and Alan Heston of the University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues.
In contrast, the currency exchange rate method involves a variety of international
and domestic financial forces that often have little relation to domestic
output. In developing countries with weak currencies the exchange rate
estimate of GDP in dollars is typically one-fourth to one-half the PPP
estimate. Furthermore, exchange rates may suddenly go up or down by 10%
or more because of market forces or official fiat whereas real output
has remained unchanged. On 12 January 1994, for example, the 14 countries
of the African Financial Community (whose currencies are tied to the French
franc) devalued their currencies by 50%. This move, of course, did not
cut the real output of these countries by half. One important caution:
the proportion of, say, defense expenditures as a percentage of GDP in
local currency accounts may differ substantially from the proportion when
GDP accounts are expressed in PPP terms, as, for example, when an observer
tries to estimate the dollar level of Russian or Japanese military expenditures.
Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic data can not be chained
together from successive volumes of the Factbook because of changes
in the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by statistical agencies,
use of new or different sources of information, and changes in national
statistical methods and practices.
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GDP - composition by sector
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This entry gives the percentage contribution of agriculture, industry,
and services to total GDP.
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GDP - per capita
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This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population
as of 1 July for the same year.
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GDP - real growth rate
|
This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation
and expressed as a percent.
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Geographic coordinates
|
This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the purpose
of finding the approximate geographic center of an entity and is based
on the Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August 1988,
US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources.
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Geographic names
|
This information is presented in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List
of Geographic Names. It includes a listing of various alternate names,
former names, local names, and regional names referenced to one or more
related Factbook entries. Spellings are normally, but not always,
those approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names
and additional information are included in parentheses.
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Geography
|
This category includes the entries dealing with the natural environment
and the effects of human activity.
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Geography - note
|
This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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GNP
|
Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and services
produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned by its citizens
abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic production. The
Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather than
GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize that
in certain countries net remittances from citizens working abroad may
be important to national well-being.
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Government
|
This category includes the entries dealing with the system for the adoption
and administration of public policy.
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Government type
|
This entry gives the basic form of government (e.g., republic, constitutional
monarchy, federal republic, parliamentary democracy, military dictatorship).
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Government - note
|
This entry includes miscellaneous government information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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Gross domestic product
|
see GDP
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Gross national product
|
see GNP
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Gross world product
|
see GWP
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GWP
|
This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value of
all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Heliports
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This entry gives the total number of established helicopter takeoff and
landing sites (which may or may not have fuel or other services).
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Highways
|
This entry includes the total length of the highway system as
well as the length of the paved and unpaved components.
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HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate
|
This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49)
living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing
the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the
total adult population at yearend.
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HIV/AIDS – deaths
|
This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who
died of AIDS during a given calendar year.
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HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS
|
This entry gives an estimate of all people (adults and children) alive
at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms
of AIDS.
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Household income or consumption by percentage share
|
Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys,
the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different standards
and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on
income will normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based
on consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet caution
is still necessary in making inter-country comparisons.
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Hydrographic data codes
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see Data codes
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Illicit drugs
|
This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs
- narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis.
These categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by
doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of medical
channels.
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides
hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot,
Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish
(hash), and hashish oil (hash oil).
Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain
the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with cocoa,
which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa, and
cocoa butter.
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush.
Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety
and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal,
phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude),
glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid).
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental,
emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance
that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment
in an individual.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-awareness,
and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and
peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB),
phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy,
TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn).
Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa).
Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine.
Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.
Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa).
Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as mandrax
in Southwest Asia and Africa.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and refer
to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics
include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol),
codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussan AC), and
thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack), and hydromorphone
(Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol,
Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil).
Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod
of the opium poppy.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and
semisynthetic narcotics.
Poppy straw concentrate is the alkaloid derived from the mature,
dried opium poppy.
Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha
edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea.
Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical
depressant.
Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy
and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn,
Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor, Adam), phenmetrazine
(Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).
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Imports
|
This entry provides the total US dollar amount of imports on a c.i.f.
(cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis.
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Imports - commodities
|
This entry provides a rank ordering of imported products starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
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Imports - partners
|
This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with
the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar
value.
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Independence
|
For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved
and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries,
the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict
sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional
founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment,
fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent
areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of
their dependency status. Also see the Terminology note.
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Industrial production growth rate
|
This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production
(includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).
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Industries
|
This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest
by value of annual output.
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Infant mortality rate
|
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in
a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. This rate is often
used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)
|
This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices compared
with the previous year’s consumer prices.
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Internet country code
|
This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and
used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded
top-level domains (ccTLDs).
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
|
This entry supplies the number of Internet Service Providers within
a country. An ISP is defined as a company that provides access to the
Internet.
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Internet users
|
This entry gives the number of users within a country that access the
Internet. Statistics vary from country to country and may include users
who access the Internet at least several times a week to those who access
it only once within a period of several months.
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International disputes
|
see Disputes - international
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International organization participation
|
This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international
organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates
in some other way.
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International organizations
|
This information is presented in Appendix B: International Organizations
and Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, date established,
aim, and members by category.
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Introduction
|
This category includes one entry, Background.
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Irrigated land
|
This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is
artificially supplied with water.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Judicial branch
|
This entry contains the name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description
of the selection process for members.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Labor force
|
This entry contains the total labor force figure.
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Labor force - by occupation
|
This entry contains a rank ordering of component parts of the labor force
by occupation.
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Land boundaries
|
This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual
lengths for each of the contiguous border countries.
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Land use
|
This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for five
different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for
crops that are replanted after each harvest like wheat, maize, and rice;
permanent crops - land cultivated for crops that are not replanted
after each harvest like citrus, coffee, and rubber; permanent pastures
- land permanently used for herbaceous forage crops; forests and woodland
- land under dense or open stands of trees; other - any land type
not specifically mentioned above, such as urban areas, roads, desert,
etc.
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Languages
|
This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the largest
and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking that language.
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Legal system
|
This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's historical
roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice
(ICJ) jurisdiction.
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Legislative branch
|
This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral,
tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections
includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of
the last election, and date of the next election. Election results
includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party
in the last election.
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Life expectancy at birth
|
This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group
of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant
in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male
and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall
quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages.
It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment
in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial
measures.
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Literacy
|
This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages
for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions
and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based
on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified
age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the
ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook.
Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results,
is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons.
Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic
development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven
world.
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Location
|
This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries,
and adjacent bodies of water.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Map references
|
This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on
which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may
be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
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Maritime claims
|
This entry includes the following claims: contiguous zone, continental
shelf, exclusive economic zone, exclusive fishing zone, extended fishing
zone, none (usually for a landlocked country), other (unique maritime
claims like Libya’s Gulf of Sidra Closing Line or North Korea’s Military
Boundary Line), and territorial sea. The proximity of neighboring states
may prevent some national claims from being extended the full distance.
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Merchant marine
|
Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of
goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships),
which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a grouping
of merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry contains information
in two subfields - total and ships by type. Total
includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for
those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage
is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc. that a ship can
carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register
tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume
of the ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons
on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship
between GRT and DWT. Ships by type includes a listing of barge
carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination
bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied
gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers,
petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers,
refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger
ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers.
A captive register is a register of ships maintained by a territory,
possession, or colony primarily or exclusively for the use of ships owned
in the parent country; it is also referred to as an offshore register,
the offshore equivalent of an internal register. Ships on a captive register
will fly the same flag as the parent country, or a local variant of it,
but will be subject to the maritime laws and taxation rules of the offshore
territory. Although the nature of a captive register makes it especially
desirable for ships owned in the parent country, just as in the internal
register, the ships may also be owned abroad. The captive register then
acts as a flag of convenience register, except that it is not the register
of an independent state.
A flag of convenience register is a national register offering registration
to a merchant ship not owned in the flag state. The major flags of convenience
(FOC) attract ships to their registers by virtue of low fees, low or nonexistent
taxation of profits, and liberal manning requirements. True FOC registers
are characterized by having relatively few of the registered ships actually
owned in the flag state. Thus, while virtually any flag can be used for
ships under a given set of circumstances, an FOC register is one where
the majority of the merchant fleet is owned abroad. It is also referred
to as an open register.
A flag state is the nation in which a ship is registered and which
holds legal jurisdiction over operation of the ship, whether at home or
abroad. Maritime legislation of the flag state determines how a ship is
crewed and taxed and whether a foreign-owned ship may be placed on the
register.
An internal register is a register of ships maintained as a subset
of a national register. Ships on the internal register fly the national
flag and have that nationality but are subject to a separate set of maritime
rules from those on the main national register. These differences usually
include lower taxation of profits, use of foreign nationals as crewmembers,
and, usually, ownership outside the flag state (when it functions as an
FOC register). The Norwegian International Ship Register and Danish International
Ship Register are the most notable examples of an internal register. Both
have been instrumental in stemming flight from the national flag to flags
of convenience and in attracting foreign-owned ships to the Norwegian
and Danish flags.
A merchant ship is a vessel that carries goods against payment of
freight; it is commonly used to denote any nonmilitary ship but accurately
restricted to commercial vessels only.
A register is the record of a ship's ownership and nationality as
listed with the maritime authorities of a country; also, it is the compendium
of such individual ships' registrations. Registration of a ship provides
it with a nationality and makes it subject to the laws of the country
in which registered (the flag state) regardless of the nationality of
the ship's ultimate owner.
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Military
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This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military
structure, manpower, and expenditures.
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Military branches
|
This entry lists the names of the ground, naval, air, marine, and other
defense or security forces.
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Military expenditures - dollar figure
|
This entry gives current military expenditures in US dollars; the figure
is calculated by multiplying the estimated defense spending in percentage
terms by the gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on an exchange rate
basis not purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. However,
in the case of Russia, estimates of military expenditures have been made
using PPP. Dollar figures for military expenditures should be treated
with caution because of different price patterns and accounting methods
among nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of their currencies.
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP
|
This entry gives current military expenditures as an estimated percent
of gross domestic product (GDP).
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Military manpower - availability
|
This entry gives the total numbers of males and females age 15-49 and
assumes that every individual is fit to serve.
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Military manpower - fit for military service
|
This entry gives the number of males and females age 15-49 fit for military
service. This is a more refined measure of potential military manpower
availability which tries to correct for the health situation in the country
and reduces the maximum potential number to a more realistic estimate
of the actual number fit to serve.
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Military manpower - military age
|
This entry gives the minimum age at which an individual may volunteer
for military service or be subject to conscription.
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually
|
This entry gives the number of draft-age males and females entering the
military manpower pool in any given year and is a measure of the availability
of draft-age young adults.
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Military - note
|
This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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Money figures
|
All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless
otherwise indicated.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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National holiday
|
This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence
day.
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Nationality
|
This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun
and adjective.
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Natural hazards
|
This entry lists potential natural disasters.
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Natural resources
|
This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other
resources of commercial importance.
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Net migration rate
|
This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number
of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons
(based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country
is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population);
an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26
migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution
of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of
migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential
ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force,
perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving).
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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People
|
This category includes the entries dealing with the characteristics of
the people and their society.
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People - note
|
This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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Personal Names - Capitalization
|
The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals
for the convenience of our users who are faced with a world of different
cultures and naming conventions. An example would be President SADDAM
Husayn of Iraq. Saddam is his name and Husayn is his father's name.
He may be referred to as President SADDAM Husayn or President SADDAM,
but not President Husayn. The need for capitalization, bold type,
underlining, italics, or some other indicator of the individual's surname
is apparent in the following examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz,
George W. BUSH, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan
Hisammuddin Alam Shah. By knowing the surname, a short form without all
capital letters can be used with confidence as in President Saddam, President
Castro, Chairman Mao, President Bush, or Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The
same system of capitalization is extended to the names of leaders with
surnames that are not commonly used such as Queen ELIZABETH II.
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Personal Names - Spelling
|
The romanization of personal names in the Factbook normally follows
the same transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names
for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly
indicates a preference for, or the media or official documents regularly
use, a romanized spelling that differs from the transliteration derived
from the US Government standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses
the alternative spelling.
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Personal Names - Titles
|
The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it)
immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is lowercased.
Examples: President PUTIN and President BUSH are chiefs of state. In
Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is the head of
the government, while in the US, the president is both chief of state
and head of government.
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Pipelines
|
This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting
products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.
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Political parties and leaders
|
This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations
and their leaders.
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Political pressure groups and leaders
|
This entry includes a listing of organizations with leaders involved
in politics, but not standing for legislative election.
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Population
|
This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on
statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems,
or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about
future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the
potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note:
starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some
countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects
of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently:
The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia,
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana,
Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia,
and Zimbabwe.
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Population below poverty line
|
National estimates of the percentage of the population lying below the
poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted
by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably
among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous
standards of poverty than poor nations.
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Population growth rate
|
The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a
surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants
entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative.
The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be
imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure
(e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water,
electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening
by neighboring countries.
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Ports and harbors
|
This entry lists the major ports and harbors selected on the basis of
overall importance to each country. This is determined by evaluating
a number of factors (e.g., dollar value of goods handled, gross tonnage,
facilities, military significance).
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Radio broadcast stations
|
This entry includes the total number of AM, FM, and shortwave broadcast
stations.
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Radios
|
This entry gives the total number of radio receivers.
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Railways
|
This entry includes the total route length of the railway network
and of its component parts by gauge: broad, dual, narrow,
standard, and other.
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Reference maps
|
This section includes world, regional, and special or current interest
maps.
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Religions
|
This entry includes a rank ordering of religions by adherents starting
with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Sex ratio
|
This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups
- at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years
and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth
has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination
in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian
countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide
due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage
patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among
young adult males who are unable to find partners.
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Suffrage
|
This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to
vote is universal or restricted.
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Telephone numbers
|
All telephone numbers in the Factbook consist of the country code
in brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and
the local number. The one component that is not presented is the international
access code, which varies from country to country. For example, an international
direct dial telephone call placed from the US to Madrid, Spain, would
be as follows:
011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where
011 is the international access code for station-to-station calls;
01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls,
[34] is the country code for Spain,
(1) is the city code for Madrid,
577 is the local exchange, and
xxxx is the local telephone number.
An international direct dial telephone call placed from another country
to the US would be as follows:
international access code + [1] (202) 939-xxxx, where
[1] is the country code for the US,
(202) is the area code for Washington, DC,
939 is the local exchange, and
xxxx is the local telephone number.
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Telephone system
|
This entry includes a brief characterization of the system with details
on the domestic and international components. The following
terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Africa ONE - a fiber-optic submarine cable link encircling the continent
of Africa.
Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia).
Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).
CB - citizen’s band mobile radio communications.
cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio
transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency
and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area
(cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a regular telephone
exchange.
Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay
system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each
other.
coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of
a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical
conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available
within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.
Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).
DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network
or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense
Communications System (US Department of Defense).
Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris).
fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a
thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal
(voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.
GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised
by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization,
Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982.
HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz
range.
Inmarsat - International Mobile Satellite Organization (London);
provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress,
and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.
Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Washington, DC).
Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications
(Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East European
countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth stations
in North America, Africa, and East Asia.
landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed
on poles or buried in the ground.
Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the
Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.
Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate
in the Inmarsat system.
Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network,
primarily by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt,
Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia,
and Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications
Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean
Telecommunications Network.
microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone
calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that
are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical
path.
NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system
that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities
of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).
Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a
packet-switched digital telephone network.
radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception
of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone
handsets.
PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).
satellite communication system - a communication system consisting
of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide
long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system
usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the
earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.
satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave
radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting
equipment for communicating with satellites.
satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth
station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link
from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission)
or two-way (telephone channels).
SHF – super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to
30,000-MHz range.
shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above
the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long
distances.
Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international
telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.
Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications.
submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.
TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity
submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.
telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the
public switched telephone network or the international Datel network.
telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated
electric impulse transmission.
telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected
by wire through automatic exchanges.
tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in
which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the
incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas
are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon
communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single
hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long
distances.
trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel
trunk lines.
UHF – ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-MHz
range.
VHF – very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz
range.
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Telephones - main lines in use
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This entry gives the total number of main telephone lines in use.
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Telephones - mobile cellular
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This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephones in use.
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Television - broadcast stations
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This entry gives the total number of separate broadcast stations plus
any repeater stations.
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Televisions
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This entry gives the total number of television sets.
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Terminology
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Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database,
some collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word Country
in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities
in addition to the traditional countries or independent states. Military
is also used as an umbrella term for various civil defense, security,
and defense activities in many entries. The Independence entry
includes the usual colonial independence dates and former ruling states
as well as other significant nationhood dates such as the traditional
founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment,
or state succession that are not strictly independence dates. Dependent
areas have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.
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Terrain
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This entry contains a brief description of the topography.
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Total fertility rate
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This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would
be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing
years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age.
The total fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of fertility
than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator
shows the potential for population growth in the country. High rates will
also place some limits on the labor force participation rates for women.
Large numbers of children born to women indicate large family sizes that
might limit the ability of the families to feed and educate their children.
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Transnational Issues
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This category includes only two entries at the present time - Disputes
- international and Illicit drugs - that deal with current
issues going beyond national boundaries.
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Transportation
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This category includes the entries dealing with the means for movement
of people and goods.
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Transportation - note
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This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of significance
not included elsewhere.
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Top of Page
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Unemployment rate
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This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs.
Substantial underemployment might be noted.
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Top of Page
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Waterways
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This entry gives the total length and individual names of navigable rivers,
canals, and other inland bodies of water.
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Top of Page
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A B C D E
F G H I
J L M N
P R S T
U W Y
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Years
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All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as
fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12 months
from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting period
of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.
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Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled
from material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence
Community estimates.
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