DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)
cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each
member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy
areas)
elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by
member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament;
working from member state recommendations, the Commission president
then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European
Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the
last confirmation process was held 18 November 2004 (next to be held
in 2009)
election results: European Parliament approved the European
Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions
note: the European Council brings together heads of state and
government and the president of the European Commission and meets at
least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the
major political issues relating to European integration and to issue
general policy guidelines
Legislative branch:
two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of the European
Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the number of
votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population; note -
the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU) and the
European Parliament (785 seats, as of 1 January 2007; seats
allocated among member states by proportion to population; members
elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term)
elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPP-ED 268,
PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27,
independents 28; note - seats by party as of 1 December 2007 -
EPP-ED 275, PES 217, ALDE 104, UEN 44, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41,
IND/DEM 24, independents 34, 4 unaccounted for
Judicial branch:
Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the
treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU;
resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) - 27
justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term;
note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13
justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27
justices appointed for a six-year term
Political parties and leaders:
Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or
EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats
or EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of
Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and
Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group or
ITS [Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM
[Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European
Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations
Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]
International organization participation:
European Union: ARF (dialogue member), ASEAN (dialogue member), IDA,
OAS (observer), PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), UN (observer)
European Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10,
LAIA, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, WCO, WTO, ZC (observer)
European Central Bank: BIS
European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON
chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500
FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kristen SILVERBERG
embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: same as above
telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111
FAX: [32] (2) 508-2063
Flag description:
blue field with 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle in
the center, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the
number of stars is fixed
Economy
European Union
Economy - overview:
Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade barriers, adopt a
common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards.
Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and
its political and economic power. Because of the great differences
in per capita income among member states (from $7,000 to $69,000)
and historic national animosities, the EU faces difficulties in
devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003
Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation
to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3%
deficit. In 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 10 and two countries,
respectively, that are, in general, less advanced technologically
and economically than the other 15. Eleven established EU member
states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January
1999 (Greece did so two years later), but the UK, Sweden, and
Denmark chose not to participate. Of the 12 most recent member
states, only Slovenia (1 January 2007) and Cyprus and Malta (1
January 2008) have adopted the euro; the remaining nine are legally
required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and monetary
convergence criteria.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.43 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.62 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$32,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.1%
industry: 27.1%
services: 70.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
222.7 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.4%
industry: 27.1%
services: 67.1%
note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector
industries and services (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8.5% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.2% (2001 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.7 (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Fiscal year:
NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (2006 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5%
note: This is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal
lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks from the
Eurosystem (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.03% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$5.742 trillion
note: this is the quantity of money, M1, for the Euro Area,
converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date
indicated; it excludes the stock of money carried by non-Eurozone
members of the European Union
Stock of quasi money:
$10.93 trillion
note: this is the quantity of quasi money, M2, for the Euro Area,
converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date
indicated; it excludes the stock of quasi money carried by
non-Eurozone members of the European Union
Stock of domestic credit:
$20.94 trillion
note: this figure refers to the Euro area only; it excludes credit
data for members of the EU outside the Eurozone (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products,
cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish
Industries:
among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the
European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous
metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal,
cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation
equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction
equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power
equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems,
electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and
beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.056 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
2.858 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports:
NA kWh
Electricity - imports:
NA kWh
Oil - production:
2.674 million bbl/day (2007)
Oil - consumption:
14.39 million bbl/day (2007)
Oil - exports:
6.979 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
17.71 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
6.144 billion bbl (1 January 2008)
Natural gas - production:
197.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
500.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
76.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
361.2 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.476 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$NA
Exports:
$1.33 trillion; note - external exports, excluding intra-EU trade
(2005)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and
other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp
and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic
beverages.
Exports - partners:
US 23.3%, Switzerland 7.6%, Russia 5.2%, China 4.8% (2006)
Imports:
$1.466 trillion; note - external imports, excluding intra-EU trade
(2005)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals,
textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:
US 13.8%, China 13.4%, Russia 8.2%, Japan 6.2% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$11.64 trillion (2006)
Currency (code):
euro, British pound, Bulgarian lev, Czech koruna, Danish krone,
Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas,
Polish zloty, Romanian leu, Slovak koruna, Swedish krona
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005),
0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications
European Union
Telephones - main lines in use:
238 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
466 million (2005)
Telephone system:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 930, FM 13,655, shortwave 71 (1998); note - sum of individual
country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide
station (Euroradio)
Television broadcast stations:
2,700 (1995); note - sum of individual country television broadcast
stations excluding repeaters; there is also a European-wide station
(Eurovision)
Internet country code:
.eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member states
for individual country codes
Internet hosts:
31,693 (2008); note - this sum reflects the number of internet hosts
assigned the .eu internet country code
Internet users:
247 million (2006)
Transportation
European Union
Airports:
3,393 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1,991
over 3,047m: 110
2,438 to 3,047m: 347
1,524 to 2,437m: 545
914 to 1,523m: 420
under 914m: 569 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1,373
over 3,047m: 2
2,438 to 3,047m: 5
1,524 to 2,437m: 30
914m to 1,523m: 267
under 914m: 1,043 (2007)
Heliports:
100 (2007)
Railways:
total: 236,436 km
broad gauge: 28,250 km
standard gauge: 200,401 km
narrow gauge: 7,771 km
other: 23 km (2007)
Roadways:
total: 5,454,446 km (2008)
Waterways:
52,332 km (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Braila (Romania), Bremen
(Germany), Burgas (Bulgaria), Constanta (Romania), Copenhagen
(Denmark), Galati (Romania), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany),
Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre
(France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples
(Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia), Tulcea
(Romania), Varna (Bulgaria)
Military
European Union
Military - note:
the five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany,
Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has deployed troops and police on
peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and assumed command of the ISAF in
Afghanistan in August 2004; Eurocorps directly commands the
5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support
Brigade, and EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina; in November 2004, the
EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating 13 1,500-man
battle groups by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises
on a rotating basis; 22 of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply
troops; France, Italy, and the UK formed the first of three battle
groups in 2005; Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland established the
Nordic Battle Group effective 1 January 2008; nine other groups are
to be formed; a rapid-reaction naval EU Maritime Task Group was
stood up in March 2007 (2007)
Transnational Issues
European Union
Disputes - international:
as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring
countries, but Estonia has no land boundary agreements with Russia,
Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and
Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco and with
the UK over Gibraltar; the EU has set up a Schengen area -
consisting of 22 EU member states that have signed the convention
implementing the Schengen agreements or "acquis" (1985 and 1990) on
the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border
controls in Europe; these agreements became incorporated into EU law
with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May
1999; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the
Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996
(full members in 2001), and Switzerland since 2008 bringing the
total current membership to 25; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland
(since 2002) take part in only some aspects of the Schengen area,
especially with respect to police and criminal matters; nine of the
12 new member states that joined the EU since 2004 joined Schengen
on 21 December 2007; of the three remaining EU states, Cyprus is
expected to join by 2009, while Romania and Bulgaria continue to
enhance their border security systems
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Introduction
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Background:
Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first
landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in
1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until
1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the
islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first
between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The
UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval
garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April
1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed
seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine
surrender on 14 June 1982.
Geography
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Location:
Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of
southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates:
51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 12,173 sq km
land: 12,173 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and
about 200 small islands
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,288 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on
more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches
in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and
February, but does not accumulate
Terrain:
rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources:
fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:
overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were
introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is
the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the
1986 Chornobyl disaster
Geography - note:
deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing
season
People
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Population:
3,140 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate:
0.011% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Death rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
NA (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Falkland Islander(s)
adjective: Falkland Island
Ethnic groups:
British
Religions:
Christian 67.2%, none 31.5%, other 1.3% (2006 census)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
NA
Government
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Stanley
geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends
third Sunday in April
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:
3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Legal system:
English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006);
Chief Executive Dr. Tim THOROGOOD (since 3 January 2008)
cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative
Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial
secretary), and the governor
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the
monarch
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats; 2 members are ex officio
and 8 are elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms);
presided over by the governor
elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November
2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court
(senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions);
Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders:
none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Falkland Islands Association (supports freedom of the people from
external causes)
International organization participation:
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the
flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once
the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose
crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the
motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
Economy
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Economy - overview:
The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming,
but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In
1987, the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign
trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing
zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which
help support the island's health, education, and welfare system.
Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports
domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature
shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage
stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for
defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil
exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic
surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000
barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified.
An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse
licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign
interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially
eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in
2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the
government has in the bank. The British military presence also
provides a sizeable economic boost.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$75 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 95%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
1,724 (est.) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
industry and services: 5% (1996)
Unemployment rate:
full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $66.2 million
expenditures: $67.9 million (FY98/99 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (1998)
Agriculture - products:
fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products; fish, squid
Industries:
fish and wool processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
16 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
14.88 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
252.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
248.9 bbl/day (2005)
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.)
Exports:
$125 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
wool, hides, meat, fish, squid
Exports - partners:
Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2006)
Imports:
$90 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners:
UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$0 (1997 est.)
Debt - external:
$NA
Currency (code):
Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code:
FKP
Exchange rates:
Falkland pounds (FKP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006),
0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)
note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Communications
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Telephones - main lines in use:
2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2001)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB
radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all
points on both islands
international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other
countries
Radio broadcast stations: