disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that
hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the
Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would
have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and
several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute;
Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic
zone in the Adriatic; as a European Union peripheral state, Slovenia
imposed a hard border Schengen regime with non-member Croatia in
December 2007
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 2,900-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to
Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime
shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Cuba
Introduction
Cuba
Background:
The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the
European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and
following its development as a Spanish colony during the next
several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to
work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the
launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from
Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became
increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and
occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US
intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally
overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established
Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year
transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959;
his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five
decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of
his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution, with
Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa
during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly
recovering from a severe economic downturn in 1990, following the
withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6
billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of
the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US -
using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the
southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard
intercepted 2,864 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of
Florida in fiscal year 2006.
Geography
Cuba
Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
Geographic coordinates:
21 30 N, 80 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 110,860 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 29 km
border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of
Cuba
Coastline:
3,735 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April);
rainy season (May to October)
Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in
the southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
Natural resources:
cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica,
petroleum, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 27.63%
permanent crops: 6.54%
other: 65.83% (2005)
Irrigated land:
8,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
38.1 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 8.2 cu km/yr (19%/12%/69%)
per capita: 728 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in
general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year);
droughts are common
Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater
Antilles
People
Cuba
Population:
11,423,952 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.5% (male 1,088,311/female 1,030,499)
15-64 years: 70.5% (male 4,029,381/female 4,025,154)
65 years and over: 10.9% (male 569,002/female 681,605) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.8 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 37.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.251% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
11.27 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.27 years
male: 75.02 years
female: 79.64 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,300 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban
Ethnic groups:
white 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002 census)
Religions:
nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power;
Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also
represented
Languages:
Spanish
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
9.1% of GDP (2006)
People - note:
illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart
the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers,
direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime
routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and
over-land via the southwest border
Government
Cuba
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
Government type:
Communist state
Capital:
name: Havana
geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special
municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila,
Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla
de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio,
Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara
Independence:
20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US
from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a
day of independence
National holiday:
Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)
Constitution:
24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002
Legal system:
based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal
concepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of
the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24
February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and
First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon
MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President of the Council of State and President
of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24
February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and
First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon
MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the
Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the
31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its
behalf when it is not in session
elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National
Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 24 February
2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of
legislative vote - 100%; Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura elected
vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional
del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly is based
on population; 614 seats; members elected directly from slates
approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 January 2008 (next to be held in January
2013)
election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party,
and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed
Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice
president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Human Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers
International organization participation:
ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962),
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy,
headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address: Cuban
Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington,
DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy,
headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address: USINT, Swiss
Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone:
[53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX:
[53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland
Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom)
alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the
hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center
Economy
Cuba
Economy - overview:
The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening
against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back
limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise
efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods,
and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a
lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused
by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late
2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it
currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum
products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the
services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 20,000
medical professionals. In 2007, high metals prices continued to
boost Cuban earnings from nickel and cobalt production. Havana
continued to invest in the country's energy sector to mitigate
electrical blackouts that had plagued the country since 2004.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$125.5 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$45.58 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 25%
services: 69.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
4.956 million
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 19.4%
services: 60.6% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
1.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $41.84 billion
expenditures: $43.9 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
36.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
NA
Stock of quasi money:
NA
Stock of domestic credit:
NA
Agriculture - products:
sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock
Industries:
sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement,
agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
2.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
16.97 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
14.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 93.9%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.4% (2001)
Oil - production:
61,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
203,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
123,200 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
124 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
1.058 billion cu m (2006)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.058 billion cu m (2006)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$240 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$3.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee
Exports - partners:
China 27.5%, Canada 26.9%, Netherlands 11.1%, Spain 4.7% (2007)
Imports:
$10.08 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Venezuela 29.6%, China 13.4%, Spain 10.4%, Canada 6%, US 5.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$87.8 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.247 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$16.79 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed
to Russia (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$11.24 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$4.138 billion (2006 est.)
Currency (code):
Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC)
Currency code:
CUP (nonconvertible Cuban peso) and CUC (convertible Cuban peso)
Exchange rates:
Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 0.9259 (2007), 0.9231 (2006)
note: Cuba has two currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP)
and the convertible peso (CUC); in April 2005 the official exchange
rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1),
both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban
pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC
bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1
ratio.
Communications
Cuba
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.043 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
198,300 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the
establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and
Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;
wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos
which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership
domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of
switches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line density
remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular
service expanding but remains at only about 2 per 100 persons
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not
linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
3.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
58 (1997)
Televisions:
2.64 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.cu
Internet hosts:
3,664 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)
Internet users:
1.31 million
note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or
accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may
access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls;
some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take
advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the
government-controlled "intranet" (2007)
Transportation
Cuba
Airports:
165 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 70
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 31 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 95
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 71 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 4,226 km
standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified)
note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations;
about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge
(2006)
Roadways:
total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (2000)
Waterways:
240 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 11
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3,
refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 13 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 1, Netherlands
Antilles 1, Panama 10) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas
Military
Cuba
Military branches:
Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR):
Revolutionary Army (ER; includes Territorial Militia Troops, MTT),
Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR; includes
Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR),
Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service
obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,094,388
females age 16-49: 3,024,876 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,543,044
females age 16-49: 2,481,823 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 79,945
female: 76,014 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Military - note:
the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban Army of its
major economic and logistic support, and had a significant impact on
equipment numbers and serviceability; the army remains well trained
and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for
its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have
increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to
offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2008)
Transnational Issues
Cuba
Disputes - international:
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual
agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for women
and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; the
country is a destination for sex tourism, including child sex
tourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cuban
nationals willingly migrate to the United States, but are
subsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba is
also a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United States
and Canada
tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking in
Cuba is difficult to obtain because the government does not
acknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba;
tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or prevent
human trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during
2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US-
and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain
drug-related crimes in 1999
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Cyprus
Introduction
Cyprus
Background:
A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following
years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek
Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in
December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia.
Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic
intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into
enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek
Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by
military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a
third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself
the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is
recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered
talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island -
ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an
April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May
2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and
obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government
control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish
Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document
their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy
the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states.
The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the
impetus for the UN to encourage both the Turkish and Cypriot
Governments to reopen unification negotiations.
Geography
Cyprus
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 150.4 km (approximately)
border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia 103 km
(approximately)
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Terrain:
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but
significant plains along southern coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m
Natural resources:
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth
pigment
Land use: