none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy,
headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address: Cuban
Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington,
DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy,
headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address: USINT, Swiss
Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone:
[53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX:
[53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland
Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom)
alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the
hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center
Economy ::Cuba
Economy - overview:
The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening
against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back
limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise
efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods,
and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a
lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused
by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late
2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it
currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum
products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the
services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela including some 30,000
medical professionals.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$108.4 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
$103.9 billion (2007 est.)
$96.9 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$54.71 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
7.3% (2007 est.)
12.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$9,500 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
$9,100 (2007 est.)
$8,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.4%
industry: 22.8%
services: 72.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.962 million
country comparison to the world: 74
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 19.4%
services: 60.6% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
1.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
1.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
10.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Budget:
revenues: $45.42 billion
expenditures: $49.96 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
34.8% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
36.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
3.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA%
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA%
Stock of money:
$NA
Stock of quasi money:
$NA
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock
Industries:
sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement,
agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
1.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
Electricity - production:
16.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Electricity - consumption:
13.93 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
52,630 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Oil - consumption:
176,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Oil - imports:
104,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Oil - proved reserves:
124 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
Natural gas - production:
400 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - consumption:
400 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
Natural gas - proved reserves:
70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Current account balance:
-$2.58 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
$412 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$3.68 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$3.701 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee
Exports - partners:
Canada 27.8%, China 26.6%, Spain 6.2%, Netherlands 5.5% (2008)
Imports:
$14.25 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
$10.08 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Venezuela 30%, China 11.9%, Spain 10.1%, Canada 6.4%, US 6.3% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.047 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
$4.747 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$19.04 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
$16.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$11.24 billion (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$4.138 billion (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
Exchange rates:
Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 0.9259 (2008 est.), 0.9259 (2007),
0.9231 (2006)
note: Cuba has two currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP)
and the convertible peso (CUC); in April 2005 the official exchange
rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1) both
for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos
(CUP) for each CUC sold or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought;
enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio.
Communications ::Cuba
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.104 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 74
Telephones - mobile cellular:
331,700 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 167
Telephone system:
general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the
establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and
Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;
wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos,
which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership
domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of
switches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line density
remains low at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular
service expanding but remains at only about 3 per 100 persons
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not
linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
58 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cu
Internet hosts:
3,637 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 138
Internet users:
1.45 million
country comparison to the world: 77
note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or
accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may
access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls;
some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take
advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the
government-controlled "intranet" (2008)
Transportation ::Cuba
Airports:
136 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 42
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 65
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 27 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 71
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 58 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 8,598 km
country comparison to the world: 24
standard gauge: 8,322 km 1.435-m gauge (176 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 276 km 1.000-gauge
note: 4,533 km of the track is used by sugar plantations; 4,257 km
is standard gauge; 276 km is narrow gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 60,858 km
country comparison to the world: 73
paved: 29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (2000)
Waterways:
240 km (2008)
country comparison to the world: 95
Merchant marine:
total: 11
country comparison to the world: 111
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3,
refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 13 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 1, Netherlands
Antilles 1, Panama 10) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas
Military ::Cuba
Military branches:
Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR):
Revolutionary Army (ER; includes Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia
de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT)), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de
Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR; includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary
Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (Ejercito
Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service
obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,094,388
females age 16-49: 3,024,876 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,532,495
females age 16-49: 2,468,631 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 75,969
female: 72,253 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
Military - note:
the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban Army of its
major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on
equipment numbers and serviceability; the army remains well trained
and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for
its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have
increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to
offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Cuba
Disputes - international:
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual
agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for women
and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; the
country is a destination for sex tourism including child sex
tourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cuban
nationals willingly migrate to the United States but are
subsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba is
also a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United States
and Canada
tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking in
Cuba is difficult to obtain because the government does not
acknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba;
tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or prevent
human trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during
2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US-
and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain
drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Cyprus (Europe)
Introduction ::Cyprus
Background:
A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following
years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek
Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in
December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia.
Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic
intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into
enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek
Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by
military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a
third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself
the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"), but it is
recognized only by Turkey. The election of a new Cypriot president
in 2008 served as the impetus for the UN to encourage both the
Turkish and Cypriot Governments to reopen unification negotiations.
In September 2008, the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish
Cypriot communities started negotiations under UN auspices aimed at
reuniting the divided island. The entire island entered the EU on 1
May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and
obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government
control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish
Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document
their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy
the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states.
Geography ::Cyprus
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 9,251 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
country comparison to the world: 170
land: 9,241 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 150.4 km (approximately)
border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia 103 km
(approximately)
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Terrain:
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but
significant plains along southern coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m
Natural resources:
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth
pigment
Land use:
arable land: 10.81%
permanent crops: 4.32%
other: 84.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
400 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.4 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.21 cu km/yr (27%/1%/71%)
per capita: 250 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
moderate earthquake activity; droughts
Environment - current issues:
water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal
disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest
aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from
sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife
habitats from urbanization
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and
Sardinia)
People ::Cyprus
Population:
796,740 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.1% (male 77,959/female 74,591)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 276,890/female 269,267)
65 years and over: 12.3% (male 42,961/female 55,072) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.5 years
male: 34.5 years
female: 36.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.519% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
Birth rate:
12.57 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Death rate:
7.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Net migration rate:
0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Urbanization:
urban population: 70% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 174
male: 8.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.33 years
country comparison to the world: 45
male: 75.91 years
female: 80.86 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.77 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Cypriot(s)
adjective: Cypriot
Ethnic groups:
Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)
Religions:
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and
Armenian Apostolic) 4%
Languages:
Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.6%
male: 98.9%
female: 96.3% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
6.3% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 35
Government ::Cyprus
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form: Cyprus
local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti
local short form: Kypros/Kibris
note: the Turkish Cypriot community, which administers the northern
part of the island, refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC")
Government type:
republic
note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the
island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this
separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in
July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave
the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots
control the only internationally recognized government; on 15
November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared
independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus" ("TRNC"), which is recognized only by Turkey
Capital:
name: Nicosia (Lefkosia)
geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos;
note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include
Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of
Nicosia (Lefkosia)
Independence:
16 August 1960 (from the UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed
self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these
proclamations are only recognized by Turkey
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots
celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day
Constitution:
16 August 1960
note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer
participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for
a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better
relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held
intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974
Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own
constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated
State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence
in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5
May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country
other than Turkey
Legal system:
based on English common law, with civil law modifications; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Demetris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28 February
2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the
1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot
head of government: President Demetris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28
February 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and
vice president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 17 and 24 February 2008 (next to be held in
February 2013)
election results: Demetris CHRISTOFIAS elected president; percent of
vote (first round) - Ioannis KASOULIDES 33.5%, Demetris CHRISTOFIAS
33.3%, Tassos PAPADOPOULOS 31.8%; (second round) Demetris
CHRISTOFIAS 53.4%, Ioannis KASOULIDES 46.6%
note: Mehmet Ali TALAT became "president" of the "TRNC", 24 April
2005, after "presidential" elections on 17 April 2005; results -
Mehmet Ali TALAT 55.6%, Dervis EROGLU 22.7%; Ferdi Sabit SOYER is
"TRNC prime minister" and heads the Council of Ministers (cabinet)
in coalition with "Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister"
Turgay AVCI
Legislative branch:
unicameral - area under government control: House of Representatives
or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots,
24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots
are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the
Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: area under government control: last held 21 May 2006
(next to be held in 2010); area administered by Turkish Cypriots:
last held 19 April 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: area under government control: House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 31.1%, DISY 30.3%,
DIKO 17.9%, EDEK 8.9%, EURO.KO 5.8%, Greens 2.0%; seats by party -
AKEL 18, DISY 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 4, EURO.KO 4, Greens 1; area
administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the Republic - percent
of vote by party - UBP 44.1%, CTP 29.3%, DP 10.6%, other 16%; seats
by party - UBP 26, CTP 15, DP 5, other 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and
vice president)
note: there is also a Supreme Court in the area administered by
Turkish Cypriots
Political parties and leaders:
area under government control: Democratic Party or DIKO [Marios
KAROYIAN]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADES]; European
Party or EURO.KO [Demetris SYLLOURIS]; Fighting Democratic Movement
or ADIK [Dinos MIKHAILIDES]; Green Party of Cyprus [George
PERDIKIS]; Movement for Social Democrats or EDEK [Yiannakis OMIROU];
Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party)
[Andros KYPRIANOU]; United Democrats or EDI [Michalis PAPAPETROU]