IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer),
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union
Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
chancery: 1400 16th Street, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
FAX: [1] (202) 234-3763
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New
Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2),
Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington
(DC), Woodbridge (Virginia), Woodstock (Georgia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023; 3450 San Salvador Place,
Washington, DC 20521-3450
telephone: [503] 2501-2999
FAX: [503] 2501-2150
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the
national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms
features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL
SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua,
which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it
features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on
top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern
centered in the white band
Economy
El Salvador
Economy - overview:
The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third
largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Robust
growth in non-traditional exports have offset declines in the
maquila exports, while remittances and external aid offset the trade
deficit from high oil prices and strong import demand for consumer
and intermediate goods. El Salvador leads the region in remittances
per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export income.
Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic
Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the first to
ratify, has strengthened an already positive export trend. With the
adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost
control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a
disciplined fiscal policy. The current government has pursued
economic diversification, with some success in promoting textile
production, international port services, and tourism through tax
incentives. It is committed to opening the economy to trade and
investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending
to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. In
late 2006, the government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation
signed a five-year, $461 million compact to stimulate economic
growth and reduce poverty in the country's northern region through
investments in education, public services, enterprise development,
and transportation infrastructure.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$41.63 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$20.37 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10.8%
industry: 30.8%
services: 58.4% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
2.913 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 19%
industry: 23%
services: 58% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.2% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007
est.)
Population below poverty line:
30.7% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 38.8% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52.4 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.659 billion
expenditures: $3.709 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
37.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$764.1 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$9.729 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef,
dairy products; shrimp
Industries:
food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate:
3.4% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
5.338 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
4.426 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
8.64 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
11.08 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 25.1% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption:
44,330 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
4,963 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
45,210 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.119 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$4.035 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,
chemicals, electricity
Exports - partners:
US 51%, Guatemala 13.6%, Honduras 11.2%, Nicaragua 5.5% (2007)
Imports:
$8.108 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,
petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners:
US 35.7%, Mexico 9.8%, Guatemala 8.5%, China 4.7% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$267.6 million of which $55 million from US (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.199 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$9.574 billion (December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.918 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$384 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$3.623 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001
Communications
El Salvador
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.08 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.137 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: multiple mobile-cellular service providers are
expanding services rapidly and in 2007 mobile-cellular density stood
at nearly 90 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has
slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 52, FM 144, shortwave 0 (2005)
Radios:
2.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
5 (1997)
Televisions:
600,000 (1990)
Internet country code:
.sv
Internet hosts:
11,434 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2000)
Internet users:
700,000 (2006)
Transportation
El Salvador
Airports:
65 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 61
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 48 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 562 km
narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge
note: railways not in operation since 2005 because of disuse and
high costs that led to a lack of maintenance (2007)
Roadways:
total: 10,886 km
paved: 2,827 km (includes 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,059 km (2000)
Waterways:
Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco
Military
El Salvador
Military branches:
Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force
(Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years
of age for voluntary service; service obligation - 8 months, but 11
months for officers and NCOs (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,634,816
females age 16-49: 1,775,474 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,168,406
females age 16-49: 1,519,375 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 73,915
female: 71,252 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
5% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
El Salvador
Disputes - international:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of
"bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary,
in 1992, with final agreement by the parties in 2006 after an
Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ
ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution
to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran
access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo
Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf
of Fonseca
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced
for local consumption; significant use of cocaine
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Equatorial Guinea
Introduction
Equatorial Guinea
Background:
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of
Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus
five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African
continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the
country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although
nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002
presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative
elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost
total control over the political system and has discouraged
political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid
economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves,
and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest
oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil
production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in
recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's
living standards.
Geography
Equatorial Guinea
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and
Gabon
Geographic coordinates:
2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 28,051 sq km
land: 28,051 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 539 km
border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline:
296 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain:
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum,
sand and gravel, clay
Land use:
arable land: 4.63%
permanent crops: 3.57%
other: 91.8% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
26 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.11 cu km/yr (83%/16%/1%)
per capita: 220 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
violent windstorms, flash floods
Environment - current issues:
tap water is not potable; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
insular and continental regions widely separated
People
Equatorial Guinea
Population:
616,459 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 131,696/female 127,253)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 162,458/female 169,445)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 11,394/female 14,213) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.9 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.732% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
37.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 83.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 82.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.23 years
male: 60.36 years
female: 62.13 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.16 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5,900 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
370 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic groups:
Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other
1.4% (1994 census)
Religions:
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
Languages:
Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes French (official),
Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87%
male: 93.4%
female: 80.5% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 9 years (2000)
Education expenditures:
0.6% of GDP (2003)
Government
Equatorial Guinea
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea
local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee
equatoriale
local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale
former: Spanish Guinea
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Malabo
geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko
Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Independence:
12 October 1968 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Constitution:
approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January
1995
Legal system:
partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)
head of government: Prime Minister Ignacio Milan TANG (since 8 July
2008);
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be
held in December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president
election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president;
percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino
Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de
Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held 4 May 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PDGE 98, CPDS 2
note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all
executive authority in the president
Judicial branch:
Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders:
Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MICO Abogo];
Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party)
[Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial
Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or
APGE [Avelino MOCACHE]; Popular Union or UP
Political pressure groups and leaders:
ASODEGUE (Madrid-based pressure group for democratic reform); Global
Witness (anti-corruption)
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, CPLP (associate), FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO
chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
embassy: K-3, Carreterade Aeropuerto, al lado de Restaurante El
Paraiso, Malabo; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited
functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US
Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon
mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
telephone: [237] 2220-1500
FAX: [237] 2220-1572
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms
centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow
six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore
islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below
which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity,
Peace, Justice)
Economy
Equatorial Guinea
Economy - overview:
The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have
contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry,
farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence
farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea
counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect
of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished
potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its
intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number
of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been
cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No
longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil
revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow"
fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Government
officials and their family members own most businesses. Undeveloped
natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium,
and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2007, led by oil.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$15.54 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.49 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
12.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$28,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 92.2%
services: 4.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
NA
Unemployment rate:
30% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.963 billion
expenditures: $2.494 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
1.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$835.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$174.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil
nuts; livestock; timber
Industries:
petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas
Industrial production growth rate:
10.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
27 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
25.11 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 94.3%
hydro: 5.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
368,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
918.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
375,400 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
1,070 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$415 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$9.904 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa
Exports - partners:
US 20.6%, China 18.8%, Spain 13.9%, Taiwan 13.4%, France 7.5%, Japan
6.5%, Portugal 6.4% (2007)
Imports:
$3.083 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum sector equipment, other equipment
Imports - partners:
US 19.6%, Spain 13.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, France 9.6%, China 7.7%,
Italy 6.6%, UK 6.4%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$39 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.846 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$338 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code:
XAF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.83
(2007), 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
Communications
Equatorial Guinea
Telephones - main lines in use:
10,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
220,000 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: digital fixed-line network in most major urban
areas and good mobile coverage
domestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2007 stood
at about 40 percent of the population
international: country code - 240; international communications from
Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2001)
Radios:
180,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Televisions:
4,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gq
Internet hosts:
9 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
8,000 (2006)
Transportation
Equatorial Guinea
Airports:
5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 42 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 80 km; oil 54 km (2007)
Roadways:
total: 2,880 km (2000)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
by type: cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bata, Malabo
Military
Equatorial Guinea
Military branches:
National Guard (Guardia Nacional (Army), with Coast Guard (Navy) and
Air Wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for compulsory military service (2008)