6 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ar
Internet hosts:
4.906 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 16
Internet users:
11.212 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 28
Transportation ::Argentina
Airports:
1,130 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 6
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 156
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
914 to 1,523 m: 51
under 914 m: 10 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 974
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 44
914 to 1,523 m: 522
under 914 m: 406 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 28,138 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 5,939 km; refined
products 3,629 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 31,409 km
country comparison to the world: 8
broad gauge: 27,301 km 1.676-m gauge (94 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,780 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,328 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 231,374 km
country comparison to the world: 22
paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways)
unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)
Waterways:
11,000 km (2007)
country comparison to the world: 11
Merchant marine:
total: 46
country comparison to the world: 72
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 9, chemical tanker 2, container 1,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated
cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 14 (Brazil 1, Chile 7, Spain 2, UK 4)
registered in other countries: 19 (Liberia 3, Panama 8, Paraguay 5,
Uruguay 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada,
Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin
Military ::Argentina
Military branches:
Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino), Navy of the Argentine Republic
(Armada Republica; includes naval aviation and naval infantry),
Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires
parental permission); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,029,488
females age 16-49: 9,889,002 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,264,853
females age 16-49: 8,268,498 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 341,590
female: 326,342 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Military - note:
the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the
country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently
experienced a strong recovery, and the military is implementing a
modernization plan aimed at making the ground forces lighter and
more responsive (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Argentina
Disputes - international:
Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South
Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the
Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement
by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and
Chilean claims; unruly region at convergence of
Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering,
smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising
for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and
Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim
River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; in 2006,
Argentina went to the ICJ to protest, on environmental grounds, the
construction of two pulp mills in Uruguay on the Uruguay River,
which forms the boundary; both parties presented their pleadings in
2007 with Argentina's reply in January and Uruguay's rejoinder in
July 2008; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and
Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited
boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de
Hielo Sur)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Argentina is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most victims are
trafficked within the country, from rural to urban areas; child sex
tourism is a problem; foreign women and children, primarily from
Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, are trafficked to
Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation; Argentine women and
girls are also trafficked to neighboring countries, Mexico, and
Western Europe for sexual exploitation; a significant number of
Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans are trafficked into the
country for forced labor in sweatshops, agriculture, and as domestic
servants
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentina
remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for
its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human
trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance
to victims and curbing official complicity with trafficking
activity, especially on the provincial and local levels; the
Argentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-needed
and first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2009)
Illicit drugs:
a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe, heroin headed
for the US, and ephedrine and pseudoephedrine headed for Mexico;
some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area;
law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals;
increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers,
especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Armenia (Middle East)
Introduction ::Armenia
Background:
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt
Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over
the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires
including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During
World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey
instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh
practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths.
The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in
1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was
conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain
preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to
Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan
began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after
both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces
held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of
Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by
their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful
resolution. Turkey closed the common border with Armenia because of
the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and
surrounding areas.
Geography ::Armenia
Location:
Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 45 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 29,743 sq km
country comparison to the world: 142
land: 28,203 sq km
water: 1,540 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
Terrain:
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing
rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m
Natural resources:
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
Land use:
arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.21% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,860 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
10.5 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%)
per capita: 977 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Environment - current issues:
soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis
of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for
firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the
draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a
source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of
Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a
seismically active zone
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake
Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range
People ::Armenia
Population:
2,967,004 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.2% (male 289,119/female 252,150)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 986,764/female 1,123,708)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 122,996/female 192,267) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.5 years
male: 28.8 years
female: 34.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.03% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
Birth rate:
12.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Death rate:
8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Net migration rate:
-4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Urbanization:
urban population: 64% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 106
male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.68 years
country comparison to the world: 116
male: 69.06 years
female: 76.81 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.36 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
Nationality:
noun: Armenian(s)
adjective: Armenian
Ethnic groups:
Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001
census)
Religions:
Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist
with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
Languages:
Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2001)
country comparison to the world: 139
Government ::Armenia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia
local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Yerevan
geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir,
Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots'
Dzor, Yerevan
Independence:
21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September (1991)
Constitution:
adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted
through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April
2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008
(next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the
prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National
Assembly refuses to accept their program
election results: Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote
- Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur
BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131
seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by party
list and 41 by direct vote; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 33.9%, Prosperous
Armenia 15.1%, ARF (Dashnak) 13.2%, Rule of Law 7.1%, Heritage Party
6%, other 24.7%; seats by party - HHK 64, Prosperous Armenia 18, ARF
(Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 9, Heritage Party 7, independent 17
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)
Political parties and leaders:
Armenian National Congress or ANC [Levon TER-PETROSSIAN]; Armenian
National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABIAN]; Armenian People's Party
[Tigran KARAPETIAN]; Armenian Ramkavar Azadagan Party Alliance or
HRAK (includes former Dashink Party, National Revival Party, and
Ramkavar Liberal Party); Armenian Revolutionary Federation
("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARIAN]; Heritage Party [Raffi
HOVHANNISIAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN];
National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National Unity
Party [Artashes GEGHAMIAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan
DEMIRCHIAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSAROUKIAN]; Republic Party
[Aram SARKISIAN]; Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [Serzh
SARGSIAN]; Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN];
Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURIAN]; United Labor
Party [Gurgen ARSENIAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINIAN]; Yerkrapah Union [Manvel
GRIGORIAN]
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAPC,
EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN
chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH
embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082
mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State,
7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020
telephone: [374](10) 464-700
FAX: [374](10) 464-742
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange; the
color red recalls the blood shed for liberty, blue the Armenian
skies as well as hope, and orange the land and the courage of the
workers who farm it
Economy ::Armenia
Economy - overview:
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has made
progress in implementing many economic reforms including
privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The
conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region
of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the
early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an
ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that
resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over
10% in recent years. However, with the global economic downturn,
Armenia's growth rate dropped to 6.8% in 2008. Armenia has managed
to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and
privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under the old
Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern
industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other
manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw
materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale
agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the
Soviet era. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor in the 1970s were
closed following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, though they sustained
no damage. One of the two reactors was re-opened in 1995, but the
Armenian government is under international pressure to close it due
to concerns that the Soviet era design lacks important safeguards.
Metsamor provides 40 percent of the country's electricity -
hydropower accounts for about one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia
remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity
distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's
RAO-UES in 2005. Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas
from Iran to Armenia was completed in December 2008 and after
testing is expected to be operational in Spring 2009, though it is
unlikely significant quantities of gas will flow through it until
the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant renovation is completed in 2010.
Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite). Pig iron,
unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals are Armenia's highest
valued exports. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset
somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working
abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in
January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and
customs administration in recent years, but anti-corruption measures
will be more difficult to implement. Despite strong economic growth,
Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Armenia will need to
pursue additional economic reforms in order to improve its economic
competitiveness and to build on recent improvements in poverty and
unemployment, especially given its economic isolation from two of
its nearest neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The disruption of rail
transit into Armenia during the Georgia-Russia conflict in August
2008 highlighted how vulnerable Armenia's supply chains for key
goods - such as gasoline - are to instances of regional instability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.81 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$17.62 billion (2007 est.)
$15.48 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.92 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
13.8% (2007 est.)
13.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,300 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
$5,900 (2007 est.)
$5,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.7%
industry: 33.8%
services: 49.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
1.481 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 46.2%
industry: 15.6%
services: 38.2% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Population below poverty line:
26.5% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 77
44.4 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
39% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Budget:
revenues: $2.481 billion
expenditures: $2.626 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
4.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
7.25% (2 December 2008)
NA% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the Refinancing Rate, the key monetary policy
instrument of the Armenian National Bank
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.05% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 27
17.52% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.359 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 80
$1.507 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$950.1 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 96
$765.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.98 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 93
$1.256 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 110
$105 million (31 December 2007)
$60.17 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Industries:
diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing
machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk
fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry
manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
Electricity - production:
5.584 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
Electricity - consumption:
4.776 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
Electricity - exports:
451.3 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia;
includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
418.7 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran
(2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
Oil - consumption:
48,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Oil - imports:
45,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
Natural gas - consumption:
1.93 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 202
Natural gas - imports:
1.93 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Current account balance:
-$1.355 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
-$589.6 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.124 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
$1.197 billion (2007 est.)