tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain:
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and
flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 4.81%
other: 89.48% (2005)
Irrigated land:
8,650 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
432 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 16.98 cu km/yr (12%/5%/82%)
per capita: 1,283 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution;
pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas
of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
People
Ecuador
Population:
13,927,650 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.1% (male 2,274,986/female 2,189,437)
15-64 years: 62.7% (male 4,355,909/female 4,381,141)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 340,861/female 385,316) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.2 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 24.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.935% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
21.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.81 years
male: 73.94 years
female: 79.84 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
21,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,700 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish
and others 7%, black 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92.3%
female: 89.7% (2001 census)
Education expenditures:
1% of GDP (2001)
Government
Ecuador
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Quito
geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar,
Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos,
Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo,
Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los
Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence:
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution:
10 August 1998
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages
18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January
2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15
January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January
2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same
ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve
consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff
election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)
election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent
of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats;
members are elected through a party-list proportional representation
system to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held in October
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5;
other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are
commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats
held by the various parties; as of 29 November 2007, Congress is on
indefinite recess while a Constituent Assembly is convened
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new
justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004,
however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a
simple-majority resolution)
Political parties and leaders:
Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian
Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero]; Democratic Left or
ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED
[Leon ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and National Action Party or
PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New
Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge GUAMAN]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP
[Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Ciro
GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz,
director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO];
Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE
[Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS
[F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of
Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of
Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA
CRUZ, president]
International organization participation:
CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,
ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver,
Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,
New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Heather HODGES
embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras
telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000
FAX: [593] (2) 398-5100
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red
with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag;
similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear
a coat of arms
Economy
Ecuador
Economy - overview:
Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which
have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings
and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In
1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with GDP
contracted by more than 6%, with a significant increase in poverty.
The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its
external debt later that year. In March 2000, Congress approved a
series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of
the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy,
and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by
high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports.
From 2002-06 the economy grew 5.5%, the highest five-year average in
25 years. The poverty rate declined but remained high at 38% in
2006. In 2006 the government of Alfredo PALACIO (2005-07) seized the
assets of Occidental Petroleum for alleged contract violations and
imposed a windfall revenue tax on foreign oil companies, leading to
the suspension of free trade negotiations with the US. These
measures, combined with chronic underinvestment in the state oil
company, Petroecuador, led to a drop in petroleum production in
2007. PALACIO's successor, Rafael CORREA, raised the specter of debt
default - but Ecuador has paid its debt on time. He also decreed a
higher windfall revenue tax on private oil companies, then sought to
renegotiate their contracts to overcome the debilitating effect of
the tax. This generated economic uncertainty; private investment has
dropped and economic growth has slowed significantly.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$98.71 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$44.18 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 35.1%
services: 58.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
4.51 million (urban) (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 24%
services: 68% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
8.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
38.3% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 35%
note: data for urban households only (October 2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46
note: data are for urban households (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $13.46 billion
expenditures: planned $11.96 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
33.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10.72% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.08% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.395 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$7.974 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$8.926 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains,
sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa
wood; fish, shrimp
Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
Industrial production growth rate:
1.4% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
14.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
12.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
38.53 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
861 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 81%
hydro: 19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
511,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
160,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
421,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:
47,060 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
4.517 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
280 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
280 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:
9.369 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$1.064 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$14.37 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood,
fish
Exports - partners:
US 41.9%, Peru 8.5%, Chile 4.9%, Russia 4.8%, Colombia 4.7% (2007)
Imports:
$12.76 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 23.7%, Colombia 10.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 5.3%, Japan 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$209.5 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.521 billion (30 November 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$17.12 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$16.31 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.456 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.04 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Communications
Ecuador
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.805 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.086 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned
enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private
ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about
13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a
subscribership of nearly 75 per 100 persons
international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM
submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west
coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending
onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Radios:
5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)
Televisions:
2.5 million (2001)
Internet country code:
.ec
Internet hosts:
45,404 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
31 (2001)
Internet users:
1.549 million (2006)
Transportation
Ecuador
Airports:
406 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 104
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 54 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 302
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 268 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,389 km; refined
products 1,185 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 43,670 km
paved: 6,472 km
unpaved: 37,198 km (2006)
Waterways:
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 37
by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8,
petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 5 (China 1, Panama 4) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
Military
Ecuador
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard),
Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month
service obligation (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,536,602
females age 16-49: 3,559,188 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,030,664
females age 16-49: 3,037,892 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 144,821
female: 139,091 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Ecuador
Disputes - international:
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across
Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to
escape the violence in their home country
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 11,526 (Colombia); note - UNHCR
estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in
Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of
deportation (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and
Peru, with over half of the US-bound cocaine passing through
Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in
production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for
cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of
dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased
activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and
Colombian insurgents
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Egypt
Introduction
Egypt
Background:
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled
with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west,
allowed for the development of one of the world's great
civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series
of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last
native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were
replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who
introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who
ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the
Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the
conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the
completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important
world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt.
Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of
Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman
Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in
1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the
British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High
Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the
time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology
of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab
world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue
to overtax resources and stress society. The government has
struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through
economic reform and massive investment in communications and
physical infrastructure.
Geography
Egypt
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and
the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the
Asian Sinai Peninsula
Geographic coordinates:
27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2,665 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km,
Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline:
2,450 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain:
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone,
gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 2.92%
permanent crops: 0.5%
other: 96.58% (2005)
Irrigated land:
34,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
86.8 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%)
per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides;
hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms,
sandstorms
Environment - current issues:
agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands;
increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification;
oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats;
other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and
industrial effluents; limited natural fresh water resources away
from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid
growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and
remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link
between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition
to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics;
dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues;
prone to influxes of refugees
People
Egypt
Population:
81,713,520 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.8% (male 13,292,961/female 12,690,711)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 26,257,440/female 25,627,390)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,636,560/female 2,208,455) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.5 years
male: 24.1 years
female: 24.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.682% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
22.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.85 years
male: 69.3 years
female: 74.52 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
700 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups:
Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)
Religions:
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated
classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.4%
male: 83%
female: 59.4% (2005 est.)