males age 16-49: 1,866,602
females age 16-49: 1,947,076 (2008 est.)
Seychelles
males age 16-49: 17,942
females age 16-49: 20,436 (2008 est.)
Sierra Leone
males age 16-49: 671,418 (2008 est.)
Singapore
males age 16-49: 1,038,603 (2008 est.)
Slovakia
males age 16-49: 1,166,833
females age 16-49: 1,156,874 (2008 est.)
Slovenia
males age 16-49: 406,951
females age 16-49: 395,444 (2008 est.)
Solomon Islands
males age 16-49: 116,891 (2008 est.)
Somalia
males age 16-49: 1,274,783
females age 16-49: 1,317,991 (2008 est.)
South Africa
males age 16-49: 6,042,498
females age 16-49: 5,471,103 (2008 est.)
Spain
males age 16-49: 8,228,426
females age 16-49: 7,990,678 (2008 est.)
Sri Lanka
males age 16-49: 4,477,437
females age 16-49: 4,683,716 (2008 est.)
Sudan
males age 16-49: 5,586,468
females age 16-49: 5,678,427 (2008 est.)
Suriname
males age 16-49: 105,770
females age 16-49: 109,666 (2008 est.)
Swaziland
males age 16-49: 122,260 (2008 est.)
Sweden
males age 16-49: 1,699,115
females age 16-49: 1,637,868 (2008 est.)
Switzerland
males age 16-49: 1,513,984
females age 16-49: 1,478,761 (2008 est.)
Syria
males age 16-49: 4,242,401
females age 16-49: 4,218,648 (2008 est.)
Taiwan
males age 16-49: 5,112,737
females age 16-49: 5,036,346 (2008 est.)
Tajikistan
males age 16-49: 1,391,287
females age 16-49: 1,561,826 (2008 est.)
Tanzania
males age 16-49: 5,278,833 (2008 est.)
Thailand
males age 16-49: 12,968,674
females age 16-49: 14,058,779 (2008 est.)
Timor-Leste
males age 16-49: 224,096
females age 16-49: 231,901 (2008 est.)
Togo
males age 16-49: 897,195
females age 16-49: 913,327 (2008 est.)
Tonga
males age 16-49: 25,520
females age 16-49: 26,893 (2008 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago
males age 16-49: 215,310
females age 16-49: 180,526 (2008 est.)
Tunisia
males age 16-49: 2,539,962
females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)
Turkey
males age 16-49: 17,011,635
females age 16-49: 16,433,364 (2008 est.)
Turkmenistan
males age 16-49: 1,064,965
females age 16-49: 1,136,553 (2008 est.)
Uganda
males age 16-49: 3,856,365
females age 16-49: 3,769,120 (2008 est.)
Ukraine
males age 16-49: 7,141,814
females age 16-49: 9,428,876 (2008 est.)
United Arab Emirates
males age 16-49: 2,004,558
females age 16-49: 760,637 (2008 est.)
United Kingdom
males age 16-49: 12,121,602
females age 16-49: 11,616,582 (2008 est.)
United States
males age 16-49: 59,413,358
females age 16-49: 59,187,183 (2008 est.)
Uruguay
males age 16-49: 703,955
females age 16-49: 690,296 (2008 est.)
Uzbekistan
males age 16-49: 5,684,540
females age 16-49: 6,432,976 (2008 est.)
Vanuatu
males age 16-49: 40,577 (2008 est.)
Venezuela
males age 16-49: 5,280,974
females age 16-49: 5,768,814 (2008 est.)
Vietnam
males age 16-49: 18,849,274
females age 16-49: 20,575,884 (2008 est.)
Yemen
males age 16-49: 3,585,947
females age 16-49: 3,619,195 (2008 est.)
Zambia
males age 16-49: 1,329,343
females age 16-49: 1,218,114 (2008 est.)
Zimbabwe
males age 16-49: 1,643,036
females age 16-49: 1,404,663 (2008 est.)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2026 Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
Afghanistan
male: 371,451
female: 351,295 (2008 est.)
Albania
male: 36,340
female: 33,077 (2008 est.)
Algeria
male: 374,365
female: 360,942 (2008 est.)
American Samoa
male: 806
female: 781 (2008 est.)
Andorra
male: 412
female: 395 (2008 est.)
Angola
male: 142,791
female: 139,539 (2008 est.)
Anguilla
male: 103
female: 103 (2008 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda
male: 744
female: 742 (2008 est.)
Argentina
male: 348,310
female: 332,944 (2008 est.)
Armenia
male: 30,548
female: 29,170 (2008 est.)
Aruba
male: 705
female: 719 (2008 est.)
Australia
male: 144,934
female: 137,511 (2008 est.)
Austria
male: 50,869
female: 48,246 (2008 est.)
Azerbaijan
male: 94,402
female: 89,686 (2008 est.)
Bahamas, The
male: 3,016
female: 3,024 (2008 est.)
Bahrain
male: 6,543
female: 6,429 (2008 est.)
Bangladesh
male: 1,311,850
female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)
Barbados
male: 2,157
female: 2,155 (2008 est.)
Belarus
male: 64,232
female: 60,788 (2008 est.)
Belgium
male: 64,659
female: 61,881 (2008 est.)
Belize
male: 3,580
female: 3,449 (2008 est.)
Benin
male: 97,543
female: 94,008 (2008 est.)
Bermuda
male: 426
female: 445 (2008 est.)
Bhutan
male: 7,847
female: 7,530 (2008 est.)
Bolivia
male: 107,051
female: 103,620 (2008 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
male: 30,246
female: 28,189 (2008 est.)
Botswana
male: 23,007
female: 22,551 (2008 est.)
Brazil
male: 1,666,791
female: 1,608,363 (2008 est.)
British Virgin Islands
male: 184
female: 179 (2008 est.)
Brunei
male: 3,223
female: 3,182 (2008 est.)
Bulgaria
male: 39,477
female: 37,339 (2008 est.)
Burkina Faso
male: 176,358
female: 173,856 (2008 est.)
Burma
male: 423,809
female: 415,843 (2008 est.)
Burundi
male: 98,105
female: 98,533 (2008 est.)
Cambodia
male: 185,959
female: 182,558 (2008 est.)
Cameroon
male: 212,205
female: 207,545 (2008 est.)
Canada
male: 227,435
female: 215,556 (2008 est.)
Cape Verde
male: 5,566
female: 5,441 (2008 est.)
Cayman Islands
male: 336
female: 336 (2008 est.)
Central African Republic
male: 54,655
female: 54,420 (2008 est.)
Chad
male: 116,824
female: 117,831 (2008 est.)
Chile
male: 147,518
female: 141,139 (2008 est.)
China
male: 10,760,380
female: 9,710,032 (2008 est.)
Colombia
male: 442,403
female: 433,192 (2008 est.)
Comoros
male: 7,901
female: 7,894 (2008 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
male: 783,762
female: 780,922 (2008 est.)
Congo, Republic of the
male: 45,671
female: 45,248 (2008 est.)
Cook Islands
male: 157
female: 133 (2008 est.)
Costa Rica
male: 40,767
female: 38,899 (2008 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire
male: 234,032
female: 230,799 (2008 est.)
Croatia
male: 27,500
female: 25,893 (2008 est.)
Cuba
male: 79,945
female: 76,014 (2008 est.)
Cyprus
male: 6,482
female: 6,208 (2008 est.)
Czech Republic
male: 63,124
female: 59,786 (2008 est.)
Denmark
male: 36,561
female: 34,603 (2008 est.)
Djibouti
male: 5,618
female: 5,609 (2008 est.)
Dominica
male: 756
female: 713 (2008 est.)
Dominican Republic
male: 96,971
female: 93,116 (2008 est.)
Ecuador
male: 144,821
female: 139,091 (2008 est.)
Egypt
male: 825,300
female: 786,590 (2008 est.)
El Salvador
male: 73,915
female: 71,252 (2008 est.)
Equatorial Guinea
male: 6,784
female: 6,543 (2008 est.)
Eritrea
male: 60,490
female: 60,639 (2008 est.)
Estonia
male: 8,322
female: 7,846 (2008 est.)
Ethiopia
male: 887,061
female: 896,048 (2008 est.)
Faroe Islands
male: 400
female: 387 (2008 est.)
Fiji
male: 9,077
female: 8,728 (2008 est.)
Finland
male: 34,152
female: 32,870 (2008 est.)
France
male: 401,379
female: 382,409 (2008 est.)
French Polynesia
male: 2,699
female: 2,589 (2008 est.)
Gabon
male: 16,558
female: 16,577 (2008 est.)
Gambia, The
male: 19,650
female: 19,582 (2008 est.)
Gaza Strip
male: 19,275
female: 18,309 (2008 est.)
Georgia
male: 35,917
female: 34,566 (2008 est.)
Germany
male: 442,972
female: 420,801 (2008 est.)
Ghana
male: 273,265
female: 267,204 (2008 est.)
Gibraltar
male: 190
female: 185 (2008 est.)
Greece
male: 53,858
female: 50,488 (2008 est.)
Greenland
male: 534
female: 503 (2008 est.)
Grenada
male: 1,034
female: 970 (2008 est.)
Guam
male: 1,665
female: 1,547 (2008 est.)
Guatemala
male: 161,550
female: 159,760 (2008 est.)
Guernsey
male: 379
female: 353 (2008 est.)
Guinea
male: 106,967
female: 104,631 (2008 est.)
Guinea-Bissau
male: 16,634
female: 16,841 (2008 est.)
Guyana
male: 6,713
female: 6,451 (2008 est.)
Haiti
male: 105,655
female: 104,376 (2008 est.)
Honduras
male: 90,876
female: 87,292 (2008 est.)
Hong Kong
male: 42,173
female: 38,753 (2008 est.)
Hungary
male: 62,197
female: 59,267 (2008 est.)
Iceland
male: 2,393
female: 2,317 (2008 est.)
India
male: 11,592,516
female: 10,636,857 (2008 est.)
Indonesia
male: 2,181,303
female: 2,110,397 (2008 est.)
Iran
male: 766,668
female: 727,654 (2008 est.)
Iraq
male: 302,926
female: 294,747 (2008 est.)
Ireland
male: 28,610
female: 27,095 (2008 est.)
Isle of Man
male: 471
female: 447 (2008 est.)
Israel
male: 60,602
female: 57,532 (2008 est.)
Italy
male: 290,740
female: 273,569 (2008 est.)
Jamaica
male: 32,000
female: 31,428 (2008 est.)
Japan
male: 622,168
female: 590,153 (2008 est.)
Jersey
male: 587
female: 540 (2008 est.)
Jordan
male: 68,067
female: 65,512 (2008 est.)
Kazakhstan
male: 145,495
female: 140,149 (2008 est.)
Kenya
male: 411,032
female: 406,794 (2008 est.)
Kiribati
male: 1,247
female: 1,226 (2008 est.)
Korea, North
male: 199,628
female: 192,388 (2008 est.)
Korea, South
male: 371,108
female: 325,408 (2008 est.)
Kuwait
male: 17,737
female: 18,519 (2008 est.)
Kyrgyzstan
male: 60,706
female: 58,721 (2008 est.)
Laos
male: 73,973
female: 72,758 (2008 est.)
Latvia
male: 14,506
female: 13,982 (2008 est.)
Lebanon
male: 32,815
female: 31,610 (2008 est.)
Lesotho
male: 26,084
female: 26,006 (2008 est.)
Liberia
male: 30,448
female: 29,902 (2008 est.)
Libya
male: 61,305
female: 58,788 (2008 est.)
Liechtenstein
male: 202
female: 222 (2008 est.)
Lithuania
male: 25,907
female: 24,735 (2008 est.)
Luxembourg
male: 3,066
female: 2,909 (2008 est.)
Macau
male: 4,601
female: 4,171 (2008 est.)
Macedonia
male: 15,141
female: 14,434 (2008 est.)
Madagascar
male: 230,088
female: 229,932 (2008 est.)
Malawi
male: 168,858
female: 168,946 (2008 est.)
Malaysia
male: 260,725
female: 247,309 (2008 est.)
Maldives
male: 4,749
female: 4,084 (2008 est.)
Mali
male: 144,293
female: 136,381 (2008 est.)
Malta
male: 2,815
female: 2,657 (2008 est.)
Marshall Islands
male: 512
female: 494 (2008 est.)
Mauritania
male: 38,191
female: 38,638 (2008 est.)
Mauritius
male: 11,089
female: 10,843 (2008 est.)
Mayotte
male: 2,407
female: 2,401 (2008 est.)
Mexico
male: 1,110,544
female: 1,073,223 (2008 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of
male: 1,310
female: 1,262 (2008 est.)
Moldova
male: 33,053
female: 31,712 (2008 est.)
Monaco
male: 191
female: 182 (2008 est.)
Mongolia
male: 29,990
female: 29,256 (2008 est.)
Montenegro
male: 4,426
female: 4,201 (2008 est.)
Montserrat
male: 31
female: 39 (2008 est.)
Morocco
male: 355,479
female: 343,016 (2008 est.)
Mozambique
male: 257,261
female: 259,114 (2008 est.)
Namibia
male: 25,525
female: 25,182 (2008 est.)
Nauru
male: 173
female: 159 (2008 est.)
Nepal
male: 335,747
female: 312,297 (2008 est.)
Netherlands
male: 105,735
female: 100,747 (2008 est.)
Netherlands Antilles
male: 1,855
female: 1,760 (2008 est.)
New Caledonia
male: 2,202
female: 2,121 (2008 est.)
New Zealand
male: 31,834
female: 30,243 (2008 est.)
Nicaragua
male: 72,689
female: 70,452 (2008 est.)
Niger
male: 150,728
female: 143,379 (2008 est.)
Nigeria
male: 1,663,025
female: 1,585,224 (2008 est.)
Northern Mariana Islands
male: 572
female: 594 (2008 est.)
Norway
male: 32,185
female: 30,683 (2008 est.)
Oman
male: 34,238
female: 33,139 (2008 est.)
Pakistan
male: 2,062,065
female: 1,936,916 (2008 est.)
Palau
male: 179
female: 165 (2008 est.)
Panama
male: 31,042
female: 29,969 (2008 est.)
Papua New Guinea
male: 62,865
female: 61,102 (2008 est.)
Paraguay
male: 72,109
female: 70,509 (2008 est.)
Peru
male: 306,260
female: 296,819 (2008 est.)
Philippines
male: 1,012,779
female: 977,030 (2008 est.)
Poland
male: 257,605
female: 245,832 (2008 est.)
Portugal
male: 64,910
female: 58,599 (2008 est.)
Puerto Rico
male: 30,760
female: 29,469 (2008 est.)
Qatar
male: 6,224
female: 4,845 (2008 est.)
Romania
male: 127,706
female: 121,852 (2008 est.)
Russia
male: 821,103
female: 781,570 (2008 est.)
Rwanda
male: 111,791
female: 112,131 (2008 est.)
Saint Barthelemy
male: 21
female: 20 (2008 est.)
Saint Helena
male: 47
female: 43 (2008 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
male: 367
female: 352 (2008 est.)
Saint Lucia
male: 1,591
female: 1,504 (2008 est.)
Saint Martin
male: 186
female: 162 (2008 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
male: 61
female: 58 (2008 est.)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
male: 1,224
female: 1,169 (2008 est.)
Samoa
male: 2,571
female: 2,454 (2008 est.)
San Marino
male: 156
female: 154 (2008 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe
male: 2,437
female: 2,394 (2008 est.)
Saudi Arabia
male: 271,905
female: 261,795 (2008 est.)
Senegal
male: 141,832
female: 139,541 (2008 est.)
Serbia
male: 66,263
female: 62,165 (2008 est.)
Seychelles
male: 770
female: 750 (2008 est.)
Sierra Leone
male: 70,068
female: 73,930 (2008 est.)
Singapore
male: 27,742
female: 26,325 (2008 est.)
Slovakia
male: 38,183
female: 36,388 (2008 est.)
Slovenia
male: 10,516
female: 9,934 (2008 est.)
Solomon Islands
male: 6,924
female: 6,679 (2008 est.)
Somalia
male: 95,446
female: 95,339 (2008 est.)
South Africa
male: 529,201
female: 522,678 (2008 est.)
Spain
male: 203,650
female: 191,352 (2008 est.)
Sri Lanka
male: 174,065
female: 168,593 (2008 est.)
Sudan
male: 488,679
female: 469,547 (2008 est.)
Suriname
male: 4,329
female: 4,350 (2008 est.)
Swaziland
male: 15,951
female: 15,728 (2008 est.)
Sweden
male: 64,605
female: 61,110 (2008 est.)
Switzerland
male: 49,205
female: 45,220 (2008 est.)
Syria
male: 215,734
female: 203,106 (2008 est.)
Taiwan
male: 164,883
female: 152,085 (2008 est.)
Tajikistan
male: 84,137
female: 81,777 (2008 est.)
Tanzania
male: 478,812
female: 479,557 (2008 est.)
Thailand
male: 531,315
female: 511,288 (2008 est.)
Timor-Leste
male: 13,045
female: 12,670 (2008 est.)
Togo
male: 69,156
female: 69,200 (2008 est.)
Tonga
male: 1,464
female: 1,412 (2008 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago
male: 8,671
female: 8,153 (2008 est.)
Tunisia
male: 101,794
female: 95,198 (2008 est.)
Turkey
male: 660,452
female: 638,527 (2008 est.)
Turkmenistan
male: 57,615
female: 55,426 (2008 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands
male: 222
female: 214 (2008 est.)
Tuvalu
male: 128
female: 125 (2008 est.)
Uganda
male: 384,638
female: 381,990 (2008 est.)
Ukraine
male: 288,605
female: 276,324 (2008 est.)
United Arab Emirates
male: 25,856
female: 23,085 (2008 est.)
United Kingdom
male: 400,927
female: 383,593 (2008 est.)
United States
male: 2,186,440
female: 2,079,688 (2008 est.)
Uruguay
male: 27,082
female: 26,075 (2008 est.)
Uzbekistan
male: 324,094
female: 323,923 (2008 est.)
Vanuatu
male: 2,385
female: 2,290 (2008 est.)
Venezuela
male: 275,323
female: 274,106 (2008 est.)
Vietnam
male: 903,734
female: 845,306 (2008 est.)
Virgin Islands
male: 861
female: 897 (2008 est.)
Wallis and Futuna
male: 172
female: 170 (2008 est.)
West Bank
male: 29,866
female: 28,372 (2008 est.)
Western Sahara
male: 4,658
female: 4,545 (2008 est.)
Yemen
male: 268,468
female: 258,196 (2008 est.)
Zambia
male: 147,358
female: 146,771 (2008 est.)
Zimbabwe
male: 144,601
female: 147,627 (2008 est.)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2028 Background
Afghanistan
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and
founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between
the British and Russian empires until it won independence from
notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy
ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet
Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist
regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew
in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported
anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars
saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline
Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the
country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban
Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering
Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001
established a process for political reconstruction that included the
adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and
National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI
became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and
the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December.
Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a
resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability -
particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges
for the Afghan Government.
Akrotiri
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created
the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty
and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the
Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the
Western Sovereign Base Area.
Albania
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in
1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took
over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR
(until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s,
Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established
a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as
successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment,
widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure,
powerful organized crime networks, and combative political
opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development
since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies
remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free
and fair since the restoration of political stability following the
collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections,
the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on
pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth,
and decreasing the size of government. The election, and
particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an
important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to
grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by
a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation
infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in
managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is
continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the
global war on terrorism.
Algeria
After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians
fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962.
Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front
(FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the
subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to
counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising
first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the
December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and
postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular
elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming
power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS
supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government
later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate
religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who
progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an
insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which
resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate
massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the
upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic
Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of
armed militants persist in confronting government forces and
conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army
placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a
fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide
reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face
BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority
Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a
shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies,
government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing
activities of extremist militants. The 2006 merger of the Salafist
Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) with al-Qaida (followed by a
name change to al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb)
signaled an increase in bombings, including high-profile,
mass-casualty suicide attacks targeted against the Algerian
government and Western interests. Algeria must also diversify its
petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but
which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and
infrastructure problems.
American Samoa
Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered"
by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries
in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899
treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.
The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern
islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
Andorra
For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a
unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from
1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of
Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular
heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a
parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous
Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through
its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are
attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
Angola
Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year
civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by
Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace
seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but
UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls.
Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people
displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in
2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on
power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will
be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for
sometime in 2009.
Anguilla
Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650,
Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th
century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants -
was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint
Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two
years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming
a separate British dependency.