National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993
by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following
ouster of president; amended November 1993
Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed
forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election
day
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January
2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14
January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term
(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 September
2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011)
election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent
of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September
2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%,
PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48,
GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD
1
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's
highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year
terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13
members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of
the Court each year from among their number; the president of the
Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the
country, who are named to five-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or
FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel CONDE
Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand
National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National
Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican
Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN
[Ruben Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM
Caballeros]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina];
Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or
UCN [Sidney SHAW]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI;
Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of
Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or
CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM
International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon
chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952
FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, Providence, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND
embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City
mailing address: APO AA 34024
telephone: [502] 2326-4000
FAX: [502] 2326-4654
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and
light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the
coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird)
and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE
1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed
on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed
by a wreath
Economy
Guatemala
Economy - overview:
Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries
with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil,
and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-tenth of
GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee,
sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar exports
benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The 1996
signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed
a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has
pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July
2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into
force between the US and Guatemala and has since spurred increased
investment in the export sector. The distribution of income remains
highly unequal with about 56% of the population below the poverty
line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government
revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors,
upgrading both government and private financial operations,
curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the
trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the
United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central
America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income
equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$64.76 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$33.69 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.3%
industry: 25.8%
services: 60.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
3.958 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 50%
industry: 15%
services: 35% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
56.2% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
55.1 (2007)
Investment (gross fixed):
17.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.38 billion
expenditures: $4.872 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
20.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.84% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.227 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$8.928 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$13.96 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep,
pigs, chickens
Industries:
sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum,
metals, rubber, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.643 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
6.617 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
131.9 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
8.11 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 51.9%
hydro: 35.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 12.9% (2001)
Oil - production:
15,820 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
74,230 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
15,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - imports:
72,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
83.07 million 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:
2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.663 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$6.94 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables,
cardamom
Exports - partners:
US 42.2%, El Salvador 9.6%, Honduras 8.6%, Mexico 6.5%, Costa Rica
4.5% (2007)
Imports:
$12.62 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials,
grain, fertilizers, electricity
Imports - partners:
US 34.9%, Mexico 9.9%, China 6.8%, El Salvador 4.6%, Costa Rica 4.1%
(2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$253.6 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.139 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.908 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed
Currency code:
GTQ; USD
Exchange rates:
quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339
(2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)
Communications
Guatemala
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.355 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.15 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of
Guatemala
domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the
late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity
11 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity 80 per 100 persons
international: country code - 502; landing point for both the
Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber
optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to
South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)
Radios:
835,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
1.323 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.gt
Internet hosts:
124,095 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)
Internet users:
1.32 million (2006)
Transportation
Guatemala
Airports:
402 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 390
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 82
under 914 m: 301 (2007)
Pipelines:
oil 480 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 886 km
narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 14,095 km
paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)
Waterways:
990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable
during high-water season (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla
Military
Guatemala
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for
military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24
months; women can serve as officers (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,861,696
females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,310,272
females age 16-49: 2,622,450 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 161,550
female: 159,760 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Guatemala
Disputes - international:
annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the
Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue
to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the
Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002
Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary
to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of
Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of
impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the
porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: undetermined (the UN does not estimate there are any IDPs,
although some NGOs estimate over 200,000 IDPs as a result of over
three decades of internal conflict that ended in 1996) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination
country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the
purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; human
trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the country;
Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the country for
commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico and the United
States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are also trafficked
within the country, and to Mexico and the United States, for forced
labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,
Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide
evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons,
particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders are
appropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutors
initiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problems
in court with application of Guatemala's comprehensive
anti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to its
protection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in
2007 (2008)
Illicit drugs:
major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated
100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source
of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of
pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption;
proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs
(particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem;
corruption is a major problem
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Guernsey
Introduction
Guernsey
Background:
Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants
of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France
and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by
German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown
dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is
constitutionally responsible for its defense and international
representation.
Geography
Guernsey
Location:
Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates:
49 28 N, 2 35 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other
smaller islands
Area - comparative:
about one-half the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
50 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are
overcast
Terrain:
mostly level with low hills in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Natural resources:
cropland
Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
People
Guernsey
Population:
65,726 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.6% (male 4,849/female 4,727)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 22,013/female 22,380)
65 years and over: 17.9% (male 4,988/female 6,769) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 42.1 years
male: 41 years
female: 43 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.228% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
8.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.65 years
male: 77.64 years
female: 83.76 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.4 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: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups:
UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other
European countries
Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational,
Methodist
Languages:
English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy:
NA
Education expenditures:
NA
Government
Guernsey
Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey
Dependency status:
British crown dependency
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Saint Peter Port
geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint
Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint
Saviour, Torteval, Vale
Independence:
none (British crown dependency)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; justice is administered
by the Royal Court
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28
October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Lyndon TROTT (since 1 May 2008)
cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation
elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed
by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Deliberation
election results: Lyndon TROTT elected chief minister, percent of
vote of the States of Deliberation NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by
popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark have
parliaments
elections: last held 23 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents
Judicial branch:
Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)
Political parties and leaders:
none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Stop Traffic Endangering Pedestrian Safety or STEPS; No More Masts
[Colin FALLAIZE]
International organization participation:
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Flag description:
white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England)
extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of
William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross
Economy
Guernsey
Economy - overview:
Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account
for about 23% of employment and about 55% of total income in this
tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and
horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining.
Financial services, construction, retail, and the public sector have
been growing. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax
haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is
changing the environment under which Guernsey operates.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.742 billion (2005)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.742 billion (2005)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$44,600 (2005)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10%
services: 87% (2000)
Labor force:
31,470 (March 2006)
Unemployment rate:
0.9% (March 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $563.6 million
expenditures: $530.9 million (2005)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.4% (June 2006)
Agriculture - products:
tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit;
Guernsey cattle
Industries:
tourism, banking
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other
vegetables
Exports - partners:
UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners:
UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Debt - external:
$NA
Currency (code):
Guernsey pound
note: the British pound is also legal tender
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange rates:
Guernsey pound 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462
(2004), 0.6125 (2003)
note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
Communications
Guernsey
Telephones - main lines in use:
45,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
43,800 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.gg
Internet hosts:
156 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
36,000 (2005)
Transportation
Guernsey
Airports:
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Military
Guernsey
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 379
female: 353 (2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues
Guernsey
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Guinea
Introduction
Guinea
Background: