7.6% of GDP (2004)
Government
Iceland
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland
local long form: Lydveldid Island
local short form: Island
Government type:
constitutional republic
Capital:
name: Reykjavik
geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W
time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra,
Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland
Independence:
1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown);
17 June 1944 (from Denmark)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 June (1944)
Constitution:
16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times
Legal system:
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August
1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by
popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last
held 26 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008); following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister
election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON
12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party
36.6%, Social Democratic Alliance 26.8%, Progressive Party 11.7%,
Left-Green Movement 14.3%, Liberal Party 7.3%, other 3.3%; seats by
party - Independence Party 25, Social Democratic Alliance 18,
Progressive Party 7, Left-Green Alliance 9, Liberal Party 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by
the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are
appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)
Political parties and leaders:
Independence Party or IP [Geir H. HAARDE]; Left-Green Movement or
LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon
KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Gudni AGUSTSSON]; Social
Democratic Alliance or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] (includes
People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's
List)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Icelandic Psychiatric Human Rights Group
International organization participation:
Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA,
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen
Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Albert JONSSON
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653
FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik
mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place,
Washington, D.C. 20521-5640
telephone: [354] 562-9100
FAX: [354] 562-9118
Flag description:
blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of
the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy
Iceland
Economy - overview:
Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet
with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing
subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of
income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for
abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the
fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs
6% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining
fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main
exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon.
Substantial foreign investment in the aluminum and hydropower
sectors has boosted economic growth which, nevertheless, has been
volatile and characterized by recurrent imbalances. Government
policies include reducing the current account deficit, limiting
foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and
fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. The government
remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders'
concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's
economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service
industries in the last decade, and new developments in software
production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place.
The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in
ecotourism and whale watching. The 2006 closure of the US military
base at Keflavik had very little impact on the national economy;
Iceland's low unemployment rate aided former base employees in
finding alternate employment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.19 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$20 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$40,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 25.7%
services: 69.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
181,000 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 23%
services: 71.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
25 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
27.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $9.64 billion
expenditures: $8.602 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
15.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
19.29% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.64 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$15.05 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of domestic credit:
$49.67 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish
Industries:
fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production;
geothermal power, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
9% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
11.71 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
9.312 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.1%
hydro: 82.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 17.5% (geothermal) (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
21,120 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
860.8 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
17,450 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.)
Current account balance:
-$3.189 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$4.793 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon,
diatomite
Exports - partners:
Netherlands 21.3%, Germany 13.3%, UK 13.2%, Ireland 7.7%, US 7.3%,
Spain 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2007)
Imports:
$6.181 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners:
US 13.7%, Germany 12.2%, Sweden 10.2%, Denmark 7.5%, Netherlands
5.7%, UK 5.4%, China 5.1%, Norway 4.6% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
$6.7 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.436 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.073 billion (2002)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$27.8 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Icelandic krona (ISK)
Currency code:
ISK
Exchange rates:
Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar - 63.391 (2007), 70.195 (2006),
62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003)
Communications
Iceland
Telephones - main lines in use:
186,700 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
347,500 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is modern and
fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations, fiber-optic cables,
and an extensive broadband network
domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning
in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the
mobile services segment of the market
international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1
submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe
Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional
connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations -
2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
260,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (plus 156 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
98,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.is
Internet hosts:
263,980 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
20 (2001)
Internet users:
202,300 (2007)
Transportation
Iceland
Airports:
99 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 94
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 63 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 13,058 km
paved/oiled gravel: 4,397 km (does not include urban roads)
unpaved: 8,661 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 2
by type: passenger/cargo 2
registered in other countries: 37 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas
1, Belize 2, Denmark 2, Faroe Islands 1, Gibraltar 1, Malta 5,
Marshall Islands 3, Norway 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7)
(2008)
Ports and terminals:
Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik
Military
Iceland
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Icelandic National Police (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 74,896 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 62,342 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,393
female: 2,317 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0% of GDP (2005 est.)
Military - note:
Iceland has no standing military force; under a 1951 bilateral
agreement - still valid - its defense was provided by the US-manned
Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik; however,
all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn as of October 2006;
although wartime defense of Iceland remains a NATO commitment, in
April 2007, Iceland and Norway signed a bilateral agreement
providing for Norwegian aerial surveillance and defense of Icelandic
airspace (2008)
Transnational Issues
Iceland
Disputes - international:
Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe
Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@India
Introduction
India
Background:
Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian
subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier
Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The
Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its
zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age
ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a
flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Arab incursions
starting in the 8th century and Turkic in the 12th were followed by
those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By
the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually
all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a
vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British
colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought
independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular
state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war
between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming
the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons testing
in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. The
dispute between the countries over the state of Kashmir is ongoing,
but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to
decreased tensions since 2002. Despite impressive gains in economic
investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as
significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive
poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.
Geography
India
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 14,103 km
border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463
km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:
7,000 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain:
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along
the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources:
coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese,
mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37% (2005)
Irrigated land:
558,080 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
1,907.8 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)
per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive
flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air
pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water
pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap
water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing
population is overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean
trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world,
lies on the border with Nepal
People
India
Population:
1,147,995,904 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.5% (male 189,238,487/female 172,168,306)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 374,157,581/female 352,868,003)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 28,285,796/female 31,277,725) (2008
est.)
Median age:
total: 25.1 years
male: 24.7 years
female: 25.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.578% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
22.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.25 years
male: 66.87 years
female: 71.9 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5.1 million (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese
encephalitis, and malaria
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups:
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions:
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%,
unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
Languages:
Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu
5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi
2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
note: English enjoys associate status but is the most important
language for national, political, and commercial communication;
Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 41% of the
people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu,
Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi,
Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular
variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is
not an official language (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61%
male: 73.4%
female: 47.8% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 9 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2005)
Government
India
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
local short form: India/Bharat
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name: New Delhi
geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E
time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*,
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry*, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
West Bengal
Independence:
15 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Constitution:
26 January 1950; amended many times
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; separate
personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Pratibha PATIL (since 25 July 2007); Vice
President Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of
the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held
21 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012); vice president elected
by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last
held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister
chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following
legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to
be held May 2009)
election results: Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote
- 65.8%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or
Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members up to 12
of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by
the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members
serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545
seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May
2004 (next must be held by May 2009)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - INC 147, BJP 129, CPI (M) 43, SP 38, RJD 23, DMK
16, BSP 15, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 10, JD (U) 8, SAD 8, PMK 6,
JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, TDP 4, TRS 4, independent 6, other 29, vacant
13; note - seats by party as of December 2006
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are
appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the
age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")
Political parties and leaders:
Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
[Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist
Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of
India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or
DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia
GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Jharkhand
Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Left Front (an alliance of Indian
leftist parties); Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN];
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [V. Gopalswamy
VAIKO]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali
Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD
[Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV];
Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS
[Bal THACKERAY]; Telangana Rashtriya Samithi or TRS [K.
Chandrashekhar RAO]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU];
United Progressive Alliance or UPA [Sonia GANDHI] (India's ruling
party coalition of 12 political parties); note - India has dozens of
national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions
with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed
Political pressure groups and leaders: