accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total
employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought
and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian
economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically
low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement
income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have
buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November
2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF
forgave Ethiopia's debt. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state
owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the
system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as
entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans.
Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP
in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth
recover during 2004-08.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$70.23 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
$62.93 billion (2007 est.)
$56.64 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.39 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
11.1% (2007 est.)
10.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 214
$800 (2007 est.)
$700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 44.9%
industry: 12.8%
services: 42.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
37.9 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 15
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80.2%
industry: 6.6%
services: 13.2% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30 (2000)
country comparison to the world: 114
40 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
Budget:
revenues: $4.517 billion
expenditures: $5.34 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
32% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
44.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
17.2% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 121
7% (31 December 2006)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat,
cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals
processing, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
10.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - production:
3.46 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - consumption:
3.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
Oil - consumption:
37,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - imports:
33,590 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Oil - proved reserves:
430,000 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 60
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
Natural gas - proved reserves:
24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Current account balance:
-$1.806 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
-$827.9 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.555 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
$1.285 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners:
Germany 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 8.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, US 8.1%,
Switzerland 7.7%, Italy 6.1%, China 6%, Sudan 5.5%, Japan 4.4% (2008)
Imports:
$7.206 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
$5.156 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,
machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners:
China 16.3%, Saudi Arabia 12%, India 8.7%, Italy 6%, Japan 4.9%, US
4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$870.5 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
$1.29 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.155 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
$2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
birr (ETB) per US dollar - 9.57 (2008 est.), 8.96 (2007), 8.69
(2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004)
note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a
daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Communications ::Ethiopia
Telephones - main lines in use:
908,900 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 84
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.168 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 107
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed
lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base;
combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 5 per
100 persons
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in
the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the
national trunk service
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;
microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code:
.et
Internet hosts:
136 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 195
Internet users:
360,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 116
Transportation ::Ethiopia
Airports:
63 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 78
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 46
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Railways:
total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railroad)
country comparison to the world: 106
narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge
note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is
largely inoperable (2008)
Roadways:
total: 36,469 km
country comparison to the world: 93
paved: 6,980 km
unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 9
country comparison to the world: 115
by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and
Berbera in Somalia
Military ::Ethiopia
Military branches:
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian
Air Force (ETAF) (2008)
note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the
secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in
Eritrean possession
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can
conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,666,967
females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 11,078,847
females age 16-49: 12,017,073 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 908,384
female: 916,354 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 49
Transnational Issues ::Ethiopia
Disputes - international:
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither
party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006
EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and
Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary
Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in
2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced
force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line
has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within
Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian
forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from
Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port
facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil
unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous
boundary with Ethiopia
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia);
13,078 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic
clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency
in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces)
(2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia
and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in
southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional
export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three
countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the
country's utility as a money laundering center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@European Union (Europe)
Introduction ::European Union
Preliminary statement:
The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic
agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's
supranational organization of 27 countries across the European
continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of
history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the
norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were
arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number
of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching
entity is truly unique.
Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far
more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or
Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with
independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and
currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy
in its dealings with other nations.
In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely
to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has
been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World
Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this
description is placed after the regular country entries.
Background:
Following the two devastating World Wars in the first half of the
20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became
convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to
unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both
economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister
Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first
step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel
industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal
and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium,
France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed
the Treaty of Paris.
The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was
made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957,
the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC)
and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six
member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves
by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three
communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC),
creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the
European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were
initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first
direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five
years since.
In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the
addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw
further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain
and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis
for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in
judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic
and monetary union - including a common currency. This further
integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria,
Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to
15.
A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1
January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU
states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002,
citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro
banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 -
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and
Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to
ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an
expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February
2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU
institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in
October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort,
undertaken in June 2007, created an Intergovernmental Conference to
formulate a political agreement - initially known as the Reform
Treaty but subsequently referred to as the Treaty of Lisbon - which
would serve as a constitution. Unlike the constitution, however, the
Treaty of Lisbon sought to amend existing treaties rather than
replace them. In October 2009, an Irish referendum approved the
Treaty (overturning a previous rejection) and cleared the way for an
ultimate unanimous endorsement - the Czech Republic signed on soon
after. Treaty implementation is set to begin on 1 December 2009.
Geography ::European Union
Location:
Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia,
Belarus, and Ukraine to the east
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 4,324,782 sq km
Area - comparative:
less than one-half the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 12,440.8 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050
km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km,
Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km,
Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811
km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km
note: data for European Continent only
Coastline:
65,992.9 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate;
mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Terrain:
fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the
central and southern areas
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands
-7 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border
between France and Italy
Natural resources:
iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite,
uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
Irrigated land:
168,050 sq km (2003 est.)
Natural hazards:
flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes
in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in
Spain; ice floes in the Baltic
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94
signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
People ::European Union
Population:
491,582,852 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.44% (male 38,975,981/female 36,925,704)
15-64 years: 67.22% (male 166,277,341/female 164,183,829)
65 years and over: 17.34% (male 35,372,684/female 49,847,313) (2009
est.)
Median age:
note - see individual country entries of member states (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.108 % (2009 est.)
Birth rate:
9.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate:
10.28 deaths/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.72 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 182
male: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.67 years
country comparison to the world: 41
male: 75.54 years
female: 81.97 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.51 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
note - see individual country entries of member states
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
note - see individual country entries of member states
Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Languages:
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French,
Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish,
Swedish
note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language
of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken
mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most
widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is
conversant with it (2007)
Government ::European Union
Union name:
conventional long form: European Union
abbreviation: EU
Political structure:
a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization
Capital:
name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 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
note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium;
the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France;
the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg
Member states:
27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK;
note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French
Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes
listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain,
Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey
Independence:
7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1
November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
National holiday:
Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that
Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel
Community to achieve an organized Europe
Constitution:
none
note: based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set
up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the
Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC)
and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the
Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union
(Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the
Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty,
signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for
ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum
before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in
French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback
to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council
agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental
Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form;
this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a
constitution and was presented to the European Council in October
2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish
voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process; the
Reform Treaty, more recently known as the Treaty of Lisbon, was
again circulated for ratification, and by November 2009 was approved
by all 27 countries; it is scheduled to come into effect on 1
December 2009
Legal system:
comparable to the legal systems of member states; first
supranational law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel
DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)
cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each
member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy
areas)
elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by
member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament;
working from member state recommendations, the Commission president
then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European
Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the
last confirmation process was held 16 September 2009 (next to be
held in 2014)
election results: European Parliament approved the European
Commission by a vote of 382 to 219 with 117 abstentions
note: the European Council brings together heads of state and
government and the president of the European Commission and meets at
least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the
major political issues relating to European integration and to issue
general policy guidelines
Legislative branch:
two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of the European
Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the number of
votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population; note -
the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU) and the
European Parliament (736 seats; seats allocated among member states
in proportion to population; members elected by direct universal
suffrage for a five-year term)
elections: last held 4-7 June 2009 (next to be held in June 2014)