(no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be
held 29 November 2009 after being repeatedly postponed by the
government; the UN Security Council has extended the government's
mandate); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote
- Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other
2.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats;
members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on
14 January 2001 (elections originally scheduled for 2005 have been
repeatedly postponed by the government)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2
note: a Senate was scheduled to be created in October 2006 elections
that never took place
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial
Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases,
Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative
Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of
members
Political parties and leaders:
Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; Democratic
Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular
Front or FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT
[Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Innocent
Augustin ANAKY]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane
OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI
[Toikeuse MABRI]; over 144 smaller registered parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of University and High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire
or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and
Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE
GOUDE]
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC,
OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,
UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI
chancery: 2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300
FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT
embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan
mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01
telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00
FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green
note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the
colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also
similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white,
and red; design was based on the flag of France
Economy ::Cote d'Ivoire
Economy - overview:
Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa
beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm
oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations
in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent,
in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the
economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related
activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Since 2006, oil
and gas production have become more important engines of economic
activity than cocoa. According to IMF statistics, earnings from oil
and refined products were $1.3 billion in 2006, while cocoa-related
revenues were $1 billion during the same period. Cote d'Ivoire's
offshore oil and gas production has resulted in substantial crude
oil exports and provides sufficient natural gas to fuel electricity
exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso. Oil
exploration by a number of consortiums of private companies
continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has expressed hope that
daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels per day (b/d) by the
end of the decade. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political
turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss
of foreign investment and slow economic growth. GDP grew by nearly
2% in 2007 and 3% in 2008. Per capita income has declined by 15%
since 1999.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$34.12 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
$33.36 billion (2007 est.)
$32.79 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$23.51 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
1.7% (2007 est.)
0.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
$1,700 (2007 est.)
$1,700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 21.6%
services: 50.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.346 million (68% agricultural) (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 68%
industry and services: NA (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
note: unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the
civil war
Population below poverty line:
42% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 34% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.6 (2002)
country comparison to the world: 46
36.7 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
9.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
Budget:
revenues: $4.823 billion
expenditures: $4.915 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
66.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
74.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
1.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.75% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 116
4.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$7.071 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 75
$8.353 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.155 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc
(tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber
Industries:
foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus
assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity,
ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - production:
5.275 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
Electricity - consumption:
3.231 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - exports:
772 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
60,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Oil - consumption:
25,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
Oil - exports:
115,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
Oil - imports:
80,960 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Natural gas - production:
1.3 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 168
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Natural gas - proved reserves:
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Current account balance:
$488 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
-$146 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$10.09 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
$8.476 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm
oil, fish
Exports - partners:
Germany 10.9%, US 10.1%, Netherlands 9.7%, Nigeria 9.3%, France
6.4%, Burkina Faso 4% (2008)
Imports:
$6.76 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
$5.932 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Nigeria 31.5%, France 14.9%, China 7.2% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.252 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
$2.519 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$14.05 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
$13.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 447.81
(2008 est.), 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29
(2004)
note: since 1 January 1999, the West African CFA franc (XOF) has
been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro;
West African CFA franc (XOF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in
countries using Central African CFA francs (XAF), and vice versa,
even though the two currencies trade at par
Communications ::Cote d'Ivoire
Telephones - main lines in use:
356,500 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 107
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10.449 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 60
Telephone system:
general assessment: well developed by African standards;
telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational
fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time; with multiple
cellular service providers competing in the market, cellular usage
has increased sharply to roughly 55 per 100 persons
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
14 (1998)
Internet country code:
.ci
Internet hosts:
9,822 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 116
Internet users:
660,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 101
Transportation ::Cote d'Ivoire
Airports:
28 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 122
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 86 km; gas 180 km; oil 92 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 660 km
country comparison to the world: 108
narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge
note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina
Faso (2008)
Roadways:
total: 80,000 km
country comparison to the world: 59
paved: 6,500 km
unpaved: 73,500 km
note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt
roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are
impassable (2006)
Waterways:
980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons)
(2008)
country comparison to the world: 67
Ports and terminals:
Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro
Military ::Cote d'Ivoire
Military branches:
Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSCI): Army, Navy, Air
Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female
military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,369,735
females age 16-49: 4,287,042 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,122,106
females age 16-49: 2,936,391 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 236,159
female: 232,617 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Transnational Issues ::Cote d'Ivoire
Disputes - international:
despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote
d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict still leaves displaced hundreds
of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country as well as driven
out migrants from neighboring states who worked in Ivorian cocoa
plantations; the March 2007 peace deal between Ivorian rebels and
the government brought significant numbers of rebels out of hiding
in neighboring states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 25,615 (Liberia)
IDPs: 709,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
Cote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination country for
women and children trafficked for forced labor and commercial sexual
exploitation; trafficking within the country is more prevalent than
international trafficking and the majority of victims are children;
women and girls are trafficked from northern areas to southern
cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor, and sexual
exploitation; boys are trafficked internally for agricultural and
service labor and transnationally for forced labor in agriculture,
mining, construction, and in the fishing industry; women and girls
are trafficked to and from other West and Central African countries
for domestic servitude and forced street vending
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts
to eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to its
law enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims;
in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms of
trafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; utility
as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe reduced by ongoing
political instability; while rampant corruption and inadequate
supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering,
the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's
utility as a major money-laundering center (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Croatia (Europe)
Introduction ::Croatia
Background:
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the
Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as
Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal
independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO.
Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991,
it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before
occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under
UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was
returned to Croatia in 1998. In January 2008, Croatia assumed a
nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term,
and in April 2008 it joined NATO. Croatia is a candidate for
eventual EU accession.
Geography ::Croatia
Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates:
45 10 N, 15 30 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 56,594 sq km
country comparison to the world: 126
land: 55,974 sq km
water: 620 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,982 km
border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,
Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 455 km
Coastline:
5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with
hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Terrain:
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low
mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Dinara 1,830 m
Natural resources:
oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum,
natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 25.82%
permanent crops: 2.19%
other: 71.99% (2005)
Irrigated land:
110 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
105.5 cu km (1998)
Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is
damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic
waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure
consequent to 1992-95 civil strife
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and
Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of
Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks
People ::Croatia
Population:
4,489,409 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.6% (male 358,360/female 340,098)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,506,364/female 1,522,789)
65 years and over: 17% (male 295,960/female 465,838) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 41 years
male: 39.1 years
female: 42.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.052% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
Birth rate:
9.64 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Death rate:
11.75 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Net migration rate:
1.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
Urbanization:
urban population: 57% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.37 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 178
male: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.35 years
country comparison to the world: 79
male: 71.72 years
female: 79.18 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.42 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 10 (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis
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 (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective: Croatian
Ethnic groups:
Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian,
Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim
1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages:
Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including
Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.1%
male: 99.3%
female: 97.1% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 89
Government ::Croatia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska
former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia
Government type:
presidential/parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Zagreb
geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -
singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska, Brodsko-Posavska,
Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria),
Karlovacka, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Krapinsko-Zagorska,
Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska, Osjecko-Baranjska,
Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska,
Sibensko-Kninska, Sisacko-Moslavacka, Splitsko-Dalmatinska
(Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska, Viroviticko-Podravska,
Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Zadarska, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka
Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day
the Croatian parliament voted for independence; following a
three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the
Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8
October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia
Constitution:
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
Legal system:
based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Jadranka KOSOR (since 6 July
2009); Deputy Prime Ministers Bozidar PANKRETIC (since 6 July 2009),
Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC (since 12
January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and
approved by the parliamentary assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005
(next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party
or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the president and then approved by the assembly
election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote
in the second round - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected from party
lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November
2011)