male: 56.42 years
female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab)
1%
Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs
10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely
Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 9 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2006)
Government
Kenya
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya
local short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Nairobi
geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*,
North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a
new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005
Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal
law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice
President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008);
head of government: Prime Minister Raila Amolo ODINGA (since 17
April 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest
number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must
also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven
provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27
December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote -
Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called
"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected
by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2
ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
ODM 99, PNU 43, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 38; ex-officio 2; seats
appointed by the president - TBD
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High
Court
Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari
KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People
[Simeon NYACHAE]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru
KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Raphael
TUJU]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange
Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of
National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or
SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris
MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI];
Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention
Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political
parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA];
Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon
Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches;
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur
al-BUSAIDY]
other: labor unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606
Village Market, Nairobi 00621
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000
FAX: [254] (20) 363-410
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red
band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed
spears is superimposed at the center
Economy
Kenya
Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has
been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary
goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended
Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the
government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A
severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,
causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.
As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had
resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again
halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute
several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains
in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low
investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at
1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,
meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.
In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old
reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable
economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in
rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI
government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006.
In 2006 the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the
government on corruption. The international financial institutions
and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the
government's part to deal with corruption. The scandals have not
weighed down growth, with estimated real GDP growth at more than 6
percent in 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$61.22 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$29.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.8%
industry: 16.7%
services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
11.85 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.5 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.924 billion
expenditures: $6.878 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Public debt:
48.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.7% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13.34% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$5.932 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$6.273 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.43 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products,
horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement,
commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
6.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
6.264 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
5.124 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 17.7%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 11.3% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption:
65,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
5,137 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
72,780 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:
-$1.147 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$4.127 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners:
Uganda 16.9%, UK 9.3%, Tanzania 8.2%, Netherlands 8.2%, US 6.4%,
Pakistan 5.2% (2007)
Imports:
$8.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor
vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
UAE 11.4%, China 9.9%, India 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa
6.9%, US 6.2%, Japan 5.9%, UK 4.6% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$768.3 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.249 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$47 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$11.38 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Kenyan shilling (KES)
Currency code:
KES
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006),
75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003)
Communications
Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
264,800 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.44 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small
and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;
business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole
provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple
providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a
boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios:
3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2001)
Televisions:
730,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
27,376 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
65 (2001)
Internet users:
3 million (2007)
Transportation
Kenya
Airports:
225 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 210
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 113
under 914 m: 85 (2007)
Pipelines:
refined products 900 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 63,265 km (interurban roads)
paved: 8,933 km
unpaved: 54,332 km
note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of
urban roads for a national total of 177,765 km (2004)
Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mombasa
Military
Kenya
Military branches:
Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year
obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,044,685
females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,688,259
females age 16-49: 5,396,166 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 411,032
female: 406,794 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Kenya
Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's
north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to
almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee
across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan
and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border,
which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that
separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi
Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan);
16,428 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on
opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country
for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant
potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status
as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively
high levels of narcotics-associated activities
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Kiribati
Introduction
Kiribati
Background:
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a
colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific
War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major
US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943.
The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and
complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US
relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line
Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Geography
Kiribati
Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and
Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of
its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands
group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands
under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International
Date Line
Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 811 sq km
land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy
migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines
and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in
Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
People
Kiribati
Population:
110,356 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 21,180/female 20,604)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 31,993/female 32,797)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,606/female 2,176) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.6 years
male: 20.1 years
female: 21.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.235% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
30.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 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: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 44.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 49.61 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.85 years
male: 59.79 years
female: 66.06 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.08 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: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of
God) 8% (1999)
Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
17.8% of GDP (2002)
Government
Kiribati
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in
addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line
Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island
councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama,
Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati,
Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea,
Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence:
12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
NA
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential
candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete
in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a
four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17
October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by
the president
election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats;
44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the
attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders
(representing Banaba Island); to serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next
to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;
National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Kiribati
Flag description:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a
yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal
wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy
Kiribati
Economy - overview: