water supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. Malta's
geographic position between the EU and Africa makes it a recipient
of illegal immigration, which has strained Malta's political and
economic resources. The financial services industry has grown in
recent years, but is not fully modernized. Malta's economy is
dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing - especially electronics
and pharmaceuticals - and tourism all of which have been negatively
affected by the global economic downturn. Malta adopted the euro on
1 January 2008. The Maltese government in 2009 will be challenged to
contain the budget deficit, which ballooned in 2008 to about 4.1% of
GDP, placing it above the euro zone's 3% maximum.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.933 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$9.707 billion (2007 est.)
$9.317 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$8.37 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
4.2% (2007 est.)
3.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$24,600 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
$24,200 (2007 est.)
$23,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 18%
services: 80.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
173,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 170
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 29.6%
services: 68% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
26 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 127
Investment (gross fixed):
16.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
Budget:
revenues: $3.378 billion
expenditures: $3.77 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
1.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3% (31 December 2008)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal
lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro
area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.89% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 130
6.24% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.639 billion (31 January 2008)
country comparison to the world: 56
$4.603 billion (31 December 2007)
note: this figure represents the US dollar value of Maltese liri in
circulation prior to Malta joining the Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU); see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro
area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 16 members of the EMU; individual members of the EMU do not
control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within
their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
$8.771 billion (31 January 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
$7.645 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$16.17 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
$10.99 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 84
$5.633 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.504 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut
flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
Industries:
tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food
and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
2.146 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity - consumption:
1.832 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Oil - consumption:
19,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
Oil - imports:
17,910 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 148
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
Current account balance:
-$445 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
-$468 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$3.06 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
$3.305 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
Exports - partners:
Germany 13.5%, Singapore 13%, France 12.2%, US 9.6%, UK 8.2%, Hong
Kong 6.7%, Japan 6.4%, Italy 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$4.792 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
$4.655 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and
semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco
Imports - partners:
Italy 28.1%, UK 13.5%, France 8.2%, Germany 7.4%, Singapore 6.4%
(2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$373.4 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
$3.798 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$188.8 million (2005)
country comparison to the world: 181
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), Maltese liri per US
dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004),
0.37723 (2003)
Communications ::Malta
Telephones - main lines in use:
241,100 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 120
Telephones - mobile cellular:
385,600 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 161
Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic system is adequate; combined
fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 150 per 100
persons
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to
Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
5 (2006)
Internet country code:
.mt
Internet hosts:
25,139 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 94
Internet users:
198,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 137
Transportation ::Malta
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 219
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 2,227 km
country comparison to the world: 171
paved: 2,014 km
unpaved: 213 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,438
country comparison to the world: 4
by type: bulk carrier 459, cargo 411, carrier 2, chemical tanker
171, container 80, liquefied gas 25, passenger 29, passenger/cargo
15, petroleum tanker 159, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off
37, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 17
foreign-owned: 1,343 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 2, Belgium
15, Bulgaria 5, Canada 1, China 12, Croatia 9, Cyprus 31, Denmark
30, Egypt 1, Estonia 11, France 5, Germany 91, Greece 452, Hong Kong
1, Iceland 5, India 2, Iran 79, Israel 18, Italy 50, Japan 8, South
Korea 2, Latvia 19, Lebanon 11, Libya 3, Lithuania 1, Norway 93,
Pakistan 2, Poland 24, Portugal 3, Romania 8, Russia 58, Slovenia 4,
Spain 3, Sweden 2, Switzerland 20, Syria 6, Turkey 176, Ukraine 30,
UAE 5, UK 19, US 23)
registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta
Military ::Malta
Military branches:
Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements)
(2007)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 96,309
females age 16-49: 92,242 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 80,186
females age 16-49: 76,426 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,695
female: 2,533 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Transnational Issues ::Malta
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western
Europe
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Marshall Islands (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Marshall Islands
Background:
After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost
part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall
Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free
Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear
testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall
Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile
Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.
Geography ::Marshall Islands
Location:
Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up
of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific
Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia
Geographic coordinates:
9 00 N, 168 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 216
land: 181 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and
includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro,
Rongelap, and Utirik
Area - comparative:
about the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
370.4 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border
typhoon belt
Terrain:
low coral limestone and sand islands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Natural resources:
coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land: 11.11%
permanent crops: 44.44%
other: 44.45% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
infrequent typhoons
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon
from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the islands of Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites;
Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground, surrounds
the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile test range;
the island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the
Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most
densely populated locations in the Pacific
People ::Marshall Islands
Population:
64,522 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.6% (male 12,683/female 12,217)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 19,302/female 18,459)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 902/female 959) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.2 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 21.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.08% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Birth rate:
30.7 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Death rate:
4.49 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
Net migration rate:
-5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Urbanization:
urban population: 71% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.7% 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.45 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 87
male: 28.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.19 years
country comparison to the world: 130
male: 69.15 years
female: 73.34 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.59 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese
Ethnic groups:
Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006)
Religions:
Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot
nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none
1.5% (1999 census)
Languages:
Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)
note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 93.6%
female: 93.7% (1999)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
11.8% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 3
Government ::Marshall Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands
local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
local short form: Marshall Islands
abbreviation: RMI
former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands
District
Government type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the
Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and
the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Capital:
name: Majuro
geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur,
Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo,
Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili,
Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik,
Wotho, Wotje
Independence:
21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Constitution:
1 May 1979
Legal system:
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jurelang ZEDKAIA (since 2 November 2009);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Jurelang ZEDKAIA (since 2 November
2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of
the legislature
elections: president elected by Nitijela (legislature) from among
its members for a four-year term; election last held 7 January 2008
(next to be held in 2012)
election results: Litokwa TOMEING removed as president by no
confidence vote on 21 October 2009; legislature elects ZEDKAIA
president on 26 October 2009
Legislative branch:
unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 November 2007 (next to be held by November
2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
independents 4
note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised
of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and
practice
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court
Political parties and leaders:
traditionally there have been no formally organized political
parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or
interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal
platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have
competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad
Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa
TOMEING]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles A.
PAUL
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236
consulate(s) general: Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clyde BISHOP
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro
mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall
Islands 96960-1379
telephone: [692] 247-4011
FAX: [692] 247-4012
Flag description:
blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner -
orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays
and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes
Economy ::Marshall Islands
Economy - overview:
US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island
economy. The Marshall Islands received more than $1 billion in aid
from the US from 1986-2002. Agricultural production, primarily
subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important
commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry
is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist
industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than
10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added
income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far
exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free
Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the
Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made
up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts.
Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline
in tourism, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel
licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past
decade.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$133.5 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
$115 million (2001 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$161.7 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
3.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
$2,900 (2005 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 31.7%
industry: 14.9%
services: 53.4% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
14,680 (2000)
country comparison to the world: 205
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 21.4%
industry: 20.9%
services: 57.7% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
36% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
30.9% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $123.3 million
expenditures: $1.213 billion (2008)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
3% (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Industries:
copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items (from seashells, wood,
and pearls)
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Exports:
$19.4 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
$9.1 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities:
copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish
Imports:
$79.4 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
$54.7 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco
Debt - external:
$87 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
$86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Marshall Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,400 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 215
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 219
Telephone system:
general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services
include telex, cellular, Internet, international calling, caller ID,
and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
and mini-satellite telephones
international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications
system on Kwajalein (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the American Armed Forces
Radio and Television Service (Central Pacific Network) operates one
FM and one AM station on Kwajalein Island) (2005)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls Broadcasting Service, a
cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005)
Internet country code:
.mh
Internet hosts:
6 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 224
Internet users:
2,200 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 208
Transportation ::Marshall Islands
Airports:
15 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 145
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 174
Merchant marine:
total: 1,049
country comparison to the world: 10
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 284, cargo 71, carrier 1,
chemical tanker 191, combination ore/oil 4, container 188, liquefied
gas 47, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 221,
refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 14, specialized tanker 2,
vehicle carrier 6
foreign-owned: 990 (Australia 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6,
Chile 4, China 7, Croatia 6, Cyprus 37, Denmark 10, Germany 235,
Greece 269, Hong Kong 4, Iceland 3, India 1, Ireland 1, Isle of Man
1, Italy 3, Japan 17, South Korea 10, Latvia 16, Malaysia 3, Mexico
4, Monaco 13, Netherlands 8, Norway 66, Pakistan 1, Panama 1,
Romania 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 18, Slovenia 4, Spain
1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 12, Taiwan 1, Turkey 50, UAE 15, UK 10, US
123) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Majuro
Military ::Marshall Islands
Military branches:
no regular military forces; under the 1983 Compact of Free
Association, the US has full authority and responsibility for
security and defense of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands
Police (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,708 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,041
females age 16-49: 13,199 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 540
female: 521 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues ::Marshall Islands
Disputes - international:
claims US territory of Wake Island
page last updated on November 2, 2009
======================================================================
@Mauritania (Africa)
Introduction ::Mauritania
Background: