the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to
Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are
represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain);
mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034
Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (93) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (93)
280-6175
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red
with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat
of arms features a quartered shield
note: similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a
national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which
does bear a national emblem
Economy
Andorra
Economy - overview:
Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy,
accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million
tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and
by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage
has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain
have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and
lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven"
status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural
production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most
food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep
raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars,
and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is
treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs)
and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.77 billion (2005)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,800 (2005)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
42,420 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.3%
industry: 20.3%
services: 79.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
0% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $333.5 million
expenditures: $386.6 million (2005)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2005)
Agriculture - products:
small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep
Industries:
tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking,
tobacco, furniture
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - exports:
NA kWh
Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France;
Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower
Electricity - production by source:
NA
Exports:
$148.7 million f.o.b. (2005)
Exports - commodities:
tobacco products, furniture
Imports:
$1.879 billion (2005)
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, food, electricity
Economic aid - recipient:
$0
Debt - external:
$NA
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041
(2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications
Andorra
Telephones - main lines in use:
37,200 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
68,500 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections
between exchanges
international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and
Spain
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (1997)
Televisions:
27,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ad
Internet hosts:
23,368 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
58,900 (2007)
Transportation
Andorra
Roadways:
total: 270 km
Military
Andorra
Military branches:
no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,685 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,976 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412
female: 395 (2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Transnational Issues
Andorra
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Angola
Introduction
Angola
Background:
Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil
war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by
Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace
seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but
UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls.
Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people
displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in
2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on
power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will
be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for
sometime in 2009.
Geography
Angola
Location:
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia
and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:
12 30 S, 18 30 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,198 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of
which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province),
Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km
Coastline:
1,600 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry
season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold,
bauxite, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 2.65%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 97.12% (2005)
Irrigated land:
800 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
184 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%)
per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Environment - current issues:
overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to
population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical
rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical
timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of
biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and
siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of
the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo
People
Angola
Population:
12,531,357 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 2,760,264/female 2,707,665)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 3,416,914/female 3,302,552)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 151,609/female 192,353) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18 years
male: 18 years
female: 18 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.136% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
44.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
24.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 182.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 194.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 169.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 37.92 years
male: 36.99 years
female: 38.9 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
240,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
21,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Angolan(s)
adjective: Angolan
Ethnic groups:
Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European
and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998
est.)
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.4%
male: 82.9%
female: 54.2% (2001 est.)
Education expenditures:
2.4% of GDP (2005)
Government
Angola
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Angola
conventional short form: Angola
local long form: Republica de Angola
local short form: Angola
former: People's Republic of Angola
Government type:
republic; multiparty presidential regime
Capital:
name: Luanda
geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 14 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela,
Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene,
Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico,
Namibe, Uige, Zaire
Independence:
11 November 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 11 November (1975)
Constitution:
adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992
Legal system:
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; modified to
accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21
September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21
September 1979); Antonio Paulo KASSOMA was named prime minister by
MPLA on 26 September 2008
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year
term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under
the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in
1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for
reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September
1992 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI
40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held
because SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the
civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the
president
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats;
members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5-6 September 2008 (next to be held in
September 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 81.6%, UNITA
10.4%, PRS 3.2%, ND 1.2%, FNLA 1.1%, other 2.5%; seats by party -
MPLA 191, UNITA 16, PRS 8, ND 2, FNLA 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed
by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA];
National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed
between Ngola KABANGU and Lucas NGONDA]; National Union for the
Total Independence of Angola or UNITA (largest opposition party)
[Isaias SAMAKUVA]; Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or
MPLA (ruling party in power since 1975) [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS];
Social Renewal Party or PRS [Eduardo KUANGANA]
note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections
but only won a few seats; they and more than 100 other smaller
parties have little influence in the National Assembly
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita
Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer),
OPEC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITE
chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dan MOZENA
embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of
Luanda), Luanda
mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda;
pouch: US Embassy Luanda, US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place,
Washington, DC 20521-2550
telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000
FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered
yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a
cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)
Economy
Angola
Economy - overview:
Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with record
oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production and its
supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Increased oil
production supported growth averaging more than 15% per year from
2004 to 2007. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of
displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction
and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is
still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war.
Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the
countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established
after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002.
Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the
people, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In
2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit,
since increased to $7 billion, from China to rebuild Angola's public
infrastructure, and several large-scale projects were completed in
2006. Angola also has large credit lines from Brazil, Portugal,
Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an
exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves
to buy kwanzas out of circulation. This policy became more
sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings; it has
significantly reduced inflation. Although consumer inflation
declined from 325% in 2000 to under 13% in 2007, the stabilization
policy has put pressure on international net liquidity. Angola
became a member of OPEC in late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a
production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day, somewhat less than
the 2-2.5 million bbl Angola's government had wanted. To fully take
advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive
forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will
need to implement government reforms, increase transparency, and
reduce corruption. The government has rejected a formal IMF
monitored program, although it continues Article IV consultations
and ad hoc cooperation. Corruption, especially in the extractive
sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign
exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$95.46 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$61.36 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
16.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,800 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.5%
industry: 65.8%
services: 24.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
7.148 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 85%
industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half
the population (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
70% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
9.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $20.18 billion
expenditures: $15.53 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
12% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.2% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
19.57% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.7% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.153 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$7.216 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.385 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca),
tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish
Industries:
petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite,
uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing;
food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship
repair
Industrial production growth rate:
23.9% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.513 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
3.084 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 36.4%
hydro: 63.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
1.91 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
55,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
1.23 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
19,550 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
9.035 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
680 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
680 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
269.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$13.58 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$45.03 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal,
fish and fish products, timber, cotton
Exports - partners:
US 32.1%, China 32%, France 5.9%, Taiwan 5.3%, South Africa 4.5%
(2007)
Imports:
$12.29 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts;
medicines, food, textiles, military goods
Imports - partners:
Portugal 19.7%, US 10.9%, China 10.5%, Brazil 10.3%, South Africa
6.6%, France 6.3%, UK 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$441.8 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.357 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$17.23 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$227 million (2006 est.)
Currency (code):
kwanza (AOA)
Currency code:
AOA
Exchange rates:
kwanza (AOA) per US dollar - 76.6 (2007), 80.4 (2006), 88.6 (2005),
83.541 (2004), 74.606 (2003)
Communications
Angola
Telephones - main lines in use:
98,200 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.307 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: system inadequate; fewer than one fixed-line per
100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density
exceeded 25 telephones per 100 persons in 2007
domestic: state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until
2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and services
poor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the first
private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network;
Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993
and the network has been extended to larger towns; a
privately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operations
in 2001
international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2001)
Radios:
815,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2000)
Televisions:
196,000 (2000)
Internet country code:
.ao
Internet hosts:
3,562 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
100,000 (2007)
Transportation
Angola
Airports:
232 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 31
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 201
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 30
914 to 1,523 m: 95
under 914 m: 69 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 234 km; liquid petroleum gas 85 km; oil 896 km; oil/gas/water 5
km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,761 km
narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 51,429 km
paved: 5,349 km
unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)
Waterways:
1,300 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 6
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 6) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Namibe
Military
Angola
Military branches:
Angolan Armed Forces (FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra, MdG),
Angolan National Air Force (FANA) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 2 years plus time for training (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,856,492
females age 16-49: 2,755,864 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,430,658
females age 16-49: 1,371,689 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 142,791
female: 139,539 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.7% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Angola
Disputes - international:
Cabindan separatists continue to return to the Angolan exclave from
exile in neighboring states and Europe since the 2006 ceasefire and
peace agreement
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 12,615 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 61,700 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs
already have returned) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western
Europe and other African states, particularly South Africa
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Anguilla
Introduction
Anguilla
Background: