mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to
Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables
provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East,
and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
5.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
36 (plus 1,341 repeaters); also 2 stations in the US Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service (1995)
Televisions:
2.54 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.gr
Internet hosts:
1.626 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
27 (2000)
Internet users:
2.54 million (2007)
Transportation
Greece
Airports:
81 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 66
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 9 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 12 (2007)
Heliports:
9 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,571 km
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail
system) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 117,533 km
paved: 107,895 km (includes 880 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,638 km (2005)
Waterways:
6 km
note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens
sea voyage by 325 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 869
by type: bulk carrier 260, cargo 66, carrier 1, chemical tanker 66,
combination ore/oil 2, container 45, liquefied gas 10, passenger 13,
passenger/cargo 115, petroleum tanker 274, roll on/roll off 15,
specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 64 (Belgium 16, Cyprus 7, Turkey 1, UK 32, US 8)
registered in other countries: 2,357 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas
209, Barbados 12, Belize 1, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Cambodia 3, Cayman
Islands 16, China 2, Comoros 6, Cyprus 259, Denmark 4, Dominica 10,
Egypt 8, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 22, Isle of
Man 50, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Liberia 358,
Maldives 1, Malta 452, Marshall Islands 269, Norway 3, Panama 510,
Philippines 4, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 71, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia
3, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 15, Slovakia 2, Turkey 1, UAE 3,
Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki
Military
Greece
Military branches:
Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos
Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki
Aeroporia, EPA) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime
the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of
inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of
age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all
services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,535,174
females age 16-49: 2,517,273 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,084,469
females age 16-49: 2,065,956 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 53,858
female: 50,488 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Greece
Disputes - international:
Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex
maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea;
Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name
Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of unemployed
Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly
Greece and Italy
Illicit drugs:
a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin
from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor
chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is
consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and
organized crime
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Greenland
Introduction
Greenland
Background:
Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped.
Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish
colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an
integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community
(now the EU) with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985 over a
dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted
self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into
effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of
Greenland's foreign affairs in consultation with Greenland's Home
Rule Government.
Geography
Greenland
Location:
Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates:
72 00 N, 40 00 W
Map references:
Arctic Region
Area:
total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km
ice-covered) (2000 est.)
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
44,087 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Climate:
arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain:
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum,
niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower,
possible oil and gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Environment - current issues:
protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit
traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting
Geography - note:
dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe;
sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close
to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's
second largest ice cap
People
Greenland
Population:
57,564 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.5% (male 6,867/female 6,634)
15-64 years: 69.9% (male 21,683/female 18,575)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,892/female 1,913) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.5 years
male: 34.9 years
female: 31.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.064% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
14.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.46 years
male: 66.81 years
female: 72.25 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups:
Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others
12% (2000)
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran
Languages:
Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2001 est.)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government
Greenland
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Dependency status:
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government type:
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Nuuk (Godthab)
geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: Greenland is divided into four time zones
Administrative divisions:
3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland),
Kitaa (Vestgronland)
note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland
Independence:
none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign
affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively
participates in international agreements relating to Greenland)
National holiday:
June 21 (longest day)
Constitution:
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system:
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January
1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December
2002)
cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament
(Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed
by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the
leader of the majority party);
election results: Hans ENOKSEN reelected prime minister
note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected
by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by
December 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%,
Demokratiit 22.8%, IA 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit
4.1%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, IA 7,
Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or
Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011);
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 1
Judicial branch:
High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or
Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen)
Political parties and leaders:
Atassut Party (Solidarity) [Finn KARLSEN] (a conservative party
favoring continuing close relations with Denmark); Demokratiit [Per
BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood) [Josef
MOTZFELDT] (a leftist party favoring complete independence from
Denmark rather than home rule); Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List)
(an independent right-of-center party with no official platform);
Siumut (Forward Party) [Hans ENOKSEN] (a social democratic party
advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy
from Denmark)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: conservationists; environmentalists
International organization participation:
Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk
slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is
red, the bottom half is white
Economy
Greenland
Economy - overview:
The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and a
substantial subsidy from the Danish Government, which supplies about
half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly
owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in
the economy. Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration
activities are ongoing. Press reports in early 2007 indicated that
two international aluminum companies were considering building
smelters in Greenland to take advantage of local hydropower
potential. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term
potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high
costs. Air Greenland began summer-season direct flights to the US
east coast in May 2007, potentially opening a major new tourism
market.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.1 billion (2001 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.7 billion (2005)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$20,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
32,120 (2004)
Unemployment rate:
9.3% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $1.36 billion
expenditures: $1.27 billion (2005)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish
Industries:
fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold,
niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts,
hides and skins, small shipyards
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
305 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
283.7 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%
note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil
fuel to hydropower production (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
3,927 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
149.5 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
4,089 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:
$480 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) (2001 est.)
Exports - partners:
Denmark 61.8%, Japan 9.9%, Canada 7.3%, China 5.8% (2007)
Imports:
$712 million c.i.f. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food,
petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Denmark 68.1%, Sweden 19.3%, Canada 2.5% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$512 million; note - subsidy from Denmark (2005)
Debt - external:
$25 million (1999)
Currency (code):
Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code:
DKK
Exchange rates:
Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006),
5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)
Communications
Greenland
Telephones - main lines in use:
36,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
66,400 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate domestic and international service
provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally
digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12
Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
30,000 (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus some local low-power stations, and 3 Armed Forces Radio and
Television Service (AFRTS) stations (1997)
Televisions:
30,000 (1998 est.)
Internet country code:
.gl
Internet hosts:
14,132 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
52,000 (2007)
Transportation
Greenland
Airports:
14 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Roadways:
note: although there are short roads in towns, there are no roads
between towns; inter-urban transport takes place either by sea or
air (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 2
by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Sisimiut
Military
Greenland
Military branches:
no regular military forces
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,221 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,739 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 534
female: 503 (2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Transnational Issues
Greenland
Disputes - international:
managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the
Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Grenada
Introduction
Grenada
Background:
Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island
in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The
French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar
estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took
the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the
19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export
crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In
1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full
independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada one of the
smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada
was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six
days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six
other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and
their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted
the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane
Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.
Geography
Grenada
Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean,
north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates:
12 07 N, 61 40 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
121 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
volcanic in origin with central mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m
Natural resources:
timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors
Land use:
arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41%
other: 64.71% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
NA
Natural hazards:
lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to
November
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided
between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada
People
Grenada
Population:
90,343 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.4% (male 14,725/female 14,524)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 30,911/female 27,502)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,310/female 1,371) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.4 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.406% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
21.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-11.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.6 years
male: 63.74 years
female: 67.47 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian
Ethnic groups:
black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian
5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian
Religions:
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Languages:
English (official), French patois
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: NA
female: NA (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2003)
Government
Grenada
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Saint George's
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*,
Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark,
Saint Patrick
Independence:
7 February 1974 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
Constitution:
19 December 1973
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by Governor General Carlyle Arnold GLEAN (since 27
November 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tillman THOMAS (since 9 July 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10 appointed
by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the
House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and
a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and
resides in Grenada)
Political parties and leaders:
Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National
Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or
NNP [Keith MITCHELL]