chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and
federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state
assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's
Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing
legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327,
CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1,
others 6, undeclared 2
note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did
not take their seats
Judicial branch:
Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the
Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and
appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other
federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's
Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal
Judicial Administrative Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's
Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for
Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamisso] (awarded to
AYELE by the National Electoral Board on 11 January 2008, but AYELE
has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other CUD MPs must
now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor parties);
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES
Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM,
Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian
People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation
Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM;
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro
People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's
Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF
[BEYENE Petros]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National
Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA
chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200
FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO
embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00
FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a
yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles
between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands;
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three
main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African
countries upon independence that they became known as the
pan-African colors
Economy
Ethiopia
Economy - overview:
Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture,
accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total
employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought
and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian
economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically
low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement
income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have
buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November
2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted
to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's
constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases
to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the
industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as
collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to
a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped
agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$56.05 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$19.43 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 47%
industry: 13.2%
services: 39.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
27.27 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 8%
services: 12% (1985)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (2000)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.231 billion
expenditures: $3.785 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
8 July - 7 July
Public debt:
44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17.2% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7% (31 December 2006)
Stock of money:
$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money:
$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat,
cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals
processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
11% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.268 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
2.941 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 97.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.2% (2001)
Oil - production:
7.334 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
30,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
29,820 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
428,000 bbl (1 January 2008 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:
24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$826.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.288 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Germany 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 7%, US 6.9%, Djibouti 6.6%, China 6.5%,
Italy 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)
Imports:
$5.165 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,
machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 17%, China 15.9%, India 7.8%, Italy 5.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.6 billion (FY05/06)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.294 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
birr (ETB)
Currency code:
ETB
Exchange rates:
birr (ETB) per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005),
8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003)
note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a
daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Communications
Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:
880,100 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.208 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed
lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base;
combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per
100 persons
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in
the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the
national trunk service
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;
microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
15.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
682,000 (2002)
Internet country code:
.et
Internet hosts:
128 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
291,000 (2007)
Transportation
Ethiopia
Airports:
84 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 69
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Railways:
total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railroad)
narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but
remains largely inoperable (2006)
Roadways:
total: 36,469 km
paved: 6,980 km
unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 9
by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and
Berbera in Somalia
Military
Ethiopia
Military branches:
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian
Air Force (ETAF) (2008)
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in
Eritrean possession
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can
conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,666,967
females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,060,775
females age 16-49: 9,854,710 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 887,061
female: 896,048 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Ethiopia
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither
party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006
EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and
Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary
Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in
2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced
force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line
has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within
Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian
forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from
Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port
facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil
unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous
boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia);
13,078 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic
clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency
in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces)
(2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia
and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in
southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional
export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three
countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the
country's utility as a money laundering center
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@European Union
Introduction
European Union
Preliminary statement:
The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic
agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's
supranational organization of 27 countries across the European
continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of
history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the
norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were
arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number
of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching
entity is truly unique.
Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far
more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or
Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with
independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and
currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy
in its dealings with other nations.
In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely
to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has
been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World
Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this
description is placed after the regular country entries.
Background:
Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the
20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became
convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to
unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both
economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister
Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first
step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel
industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal
and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium,
France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed
the Treaty of Paris.
The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was
made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957,
the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC)
and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six
member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves
by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three
communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC),
creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the
European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were
initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first
direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five
years since.
In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the
addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw
further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain
and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis
for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in
judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic
and monetary union - including a common currency. This further
integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria,
Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to
15.
A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1
January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU
states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002,
citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro
banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 -
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and
Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to
ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an
expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February
2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU
institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in
October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort,
undertaken in June 2007, calls for the creation of an
Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement, known as
the Reform Treaty, which is to serve as a constitution. Unlike the
constitution, however, the Reform Treaty would amend existing
treaties rather than replace them.
Geography
European Union
Location:
Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia,
Belarus, and Ukraine to the east
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 4,324,782 sq km
Area - comparative:
less than one-half the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 12,440.8 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050
km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km,
Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km,
Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811
km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km
note: data for European Continent only
Coastline:
65,992.9 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate;
mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Terrain:
fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the
central and southern areas
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands
-7 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border
between France and Italy
Natural resources:
iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite,
uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
Irrigated land:
168,050 sq km (2003 est.)
Natural hazards:
flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes
in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in
Spain; ice floes in the Baltic
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical
Timber 94
signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
People
European Union
Population:
491,018,683 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 37,208,905/female 35,254,445)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 155,807,769/female 153,690,235)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 32,592,595/female 46,273,197) (2008
est.)
Median age:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Population growth rate:
0.11% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.25 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.23 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: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.23 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.32 years
male: 74 years
female: 80.84 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Languages:
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French,
Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish,
Swedish
note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language
of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken
mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most
widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is
conversant with it (2007)
Government
European Union
Union name:
conventional long form: European Union
abbreviation: EU
Political structure:
a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization
Capital:
name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium,
the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France,
and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in
Luxembourg
Member states:
27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK;
note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French
Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes
listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain,
Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey
Independence:
7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1
November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
National holiday:
Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that
Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel
Community to achieve an organized Europe
Constitution:
based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of
Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single
European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in
1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in
2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October
2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either
by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled
to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch
referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback to the
ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council agreed on a
clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference to
form a political agreement and put it into legal form; this
agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a
constitution and was presented to the European Council in October
2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish
voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process
Legal system:
comparable to the legal systems of member states; first
supranational law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: