from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign
investment, and declining exports of manufactures. Faced with
untenable budgetary deficits, high inflation, and hemorrhaging
foreign exchange reserves, the government agreed to an International
Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008. Between 2004-07,
GDP growth in the 6-8% range was spurred by gains in the industrial
and service sectors, despite severe electricity shortfalls. Poverty
levels decreased by 10% since 2001, and Islamabad steadily raised
development spending in recent years. In 2008 the fiscal deficit - a
result of chronically low tax collection and increased spending -
exceeded Islamabad's target of 4% of GDP. Inflation remains the top
concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to 20.8% in
2008, primarily because of rising world fuel and commodity prices.
In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated significantly as a
result of political and economic instability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$431.2 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
$417 billion (2007 est.)
$393.4 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$164.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
6% (2007 est.)
6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
$2,500 (2007 est.)
$2,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.4%
industry: 26.6%
services: 53% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
50.58 million
country comparison to the world: 11
note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use
of child labor (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 43%
industry: 20.3%
services: 36.6% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
13.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
5.6% (2007 est.)
note: substantial underemployment exists
Population below poverty line:
24% (FY05/06 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.6 (FY07/08)
country comparison to the world: 110
41 (FY98/99)
Investment (gross fixed):
20% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
Budget:
revenues: $22.3 billion
expenditures: $32.35 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
51.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
71.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
7.6% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
15% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 42
10% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$52.76 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$18.42 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$65.05 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$23.49 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 54
$70.26 billion (31 December 2007)
$45.52 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef,
mutton, eggs
Industries:
textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction
materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp
Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Electricity - production:
90.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
Electricity - consumption:
72.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
61,870 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
Oil - consumption:
383,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Oil - exports:
30,090 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
Oil - imports:
319,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Oil - proved reserves:
339 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - production:
37.5 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Natural gas - consumption:
37.5 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 134
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - proved reserves:
885.3 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Current account balance:
-$15.68 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
-$8.297 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$21.09 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$18.12 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather
goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs
Exports - partners:
US 16%, UAE 11.7%, Afghanistan 8.6%, UK 4.5%, China 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$38.19 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
$28.76 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation
equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea
Imports - partners:
China 14.1%, Saudi Arabia 12%, UAE 11.2%, Kuwait 5.4%, India 4.8%,
US 4.7%, Malaysia 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$8.903 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
$15.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$46.39 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
$38.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$25.44 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
$20.01 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.017 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$982 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar - 70.64 (2008 est.), 60.6295
(2007), 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004)
Communications ::Pakistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.546 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 33
Telephones - mobile cellular:
91.44 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 9
Telephone system:
general assessment: the telecommunications infrastructure is
improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments in
fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile-cellular subscribership has
skyrocketed, reaching some 91 million in 2009, up from only about
300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the
country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen
only marginally over the same period and there are still
difficulties getting main line service to rural areas
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
cellular, and satellite networks
international: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia,
the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international
gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio
relay to neighboring countries (2009)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite channels)
(2006)
Internet country code:
.pk
Internet hosts:
226,236 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 61
Internet users:
18.5 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 20
Transportation ::Pakistan
Airports:
145 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 38
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 98
over 3,047 m: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 24 (2009)
Heliports:
19 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 10,402 km; oil 2,076 km; refined products 792 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 7,791 km
country comparison to the world: 28
broad gauge: 7,479 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 312 km 1.000-m gauge (2007)
Roadways:
total: 259,197 km
country comparison to the world: 20
paved: 172,827 km (includes 711 km of expressways)
unpaved: 86,370 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 15
country comparison to the world: 105
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4
registered in other countries: 19 (Comoros 4, Malta 2, Marshall
Islands 1, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim
Military ::Pakistan
Military branches:
Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and Maritime
Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17-23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot
be deployed for combat until age 18; the Pakistani Air Force and
Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors
(2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 42,633,765
females age 16-49: 40,114,017 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 33,690,322
females age 16-49: 32,602,910 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,089,936
female: 1,964,090 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Transnational Issues ::Pakistan
Disputes - international:
various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun
to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005
earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of
the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with
portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),
India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern
Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does
not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in
1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in
Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in
the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the
highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar
Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the
larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its
tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a
maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of
the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann
of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the
Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN
assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly
more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing;
Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a
fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border;
Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and
control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other
illegal activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,043,984 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South
Waziristan); 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those
displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006)
(2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium,
morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western markets, the Gulf
States, Africa, and Asia; financial crimes related to drug
trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems;
opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with
600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial authorities
continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced
eradication, fines, and arrests
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Palau (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Palau
Background:
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific
under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline
Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the
Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with
the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered
into force the following year when the islands gained independence.
Geography ::Palau
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of
the Philippines
Geographic coordinates:
7 30 N, 134 30 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 459 sq km
country comparison to the world: 197
land: 459 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,519 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
Terrain:
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of
Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier
reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Natural resources:
forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed
minerals
Land use:
arable land: 8.7%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 86.95% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons (June to December)
Environment - current issues:
inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the
marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing
practices, and overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six
island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II
battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands
People ::Palau
Population:
20,796 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,458/female 2,314)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,207/female 6,521)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 401/female 895) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.2 years
male: 32 years
female: 32.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.428% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Birth rate:
11.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Death rate:
7.89 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Net migration rate:
0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Urbanization:
urban population: 81% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.26 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.45 male(s)/female
total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.14 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 136
male: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.22 years
country comparison to the world: 129
male: 68.08 years
female: 74.54 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.82 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan
Ethnic groups:
Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%,
Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%,
Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%
(2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous
to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%,
Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000
census)
Languages:
Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese
and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and
Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%,
English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other
Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90% (1980 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2000)
Education expenditures:
10.3% of GDP (2002)
country comparison to the world: 4
Government ::Palau
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Palau
conventional short form: Palau
local long form: Beluu er a Belau
local short form: Belau
former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District
Government type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the
Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Capital:
name: Melekeok
geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror,
Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar,
Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol
Independence:
1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Constitution:
1 January 1981
Legal system:
based on 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 Johnson TORIBIONG (since 15 January 2009);
Vice President Kerai MARIUR (since 15 January 2009); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Johnson TORIBIONG (since 15 January
2009); Vice President Kerai MARIUR (since 15 January 2009)
cabinet: NA
elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)
election results: Johnson TORIBIONG (51%) defeats Elias Camsek CHIN
(49%) for president; Kerai MARIUR elected vice president
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of
the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population
basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in
November 2012); House of Delegates - last held 4 November 2008 (next
to be held in November 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats -
independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats -
independents 16
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Common Pleas; Land Court
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC,
IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA
chancery: 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC
20006
telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814
FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281
consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Mark BEZNER
embassy: Koror (no street address)
mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940
telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990
FAX: [680] 488-2911
Flag description:
light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted
slightly to the hoist side
Economy ::Palau
Economy - overview:
The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture,
and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force
relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The Compact of
Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN
trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provided Palau with up to $700
million in US aid for the following 15 years in return for
furnishing military facilities. Business and tourist arrivals
numbered 85,000 in 2007. The population enjoys a per capita income
roughly 50% higher than that of the Philippines and much of
Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been
greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the
rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the
willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$164 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
$124.5 million (2004 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP estimate includes US subsidy
GDP (official exchange rate):
$164 million (2008)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,100 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$7,600 (2005 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.2%
industry: 12%
services: 81.8% (2003)
Labor force:
9,777 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 209
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
4.2% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $114.8 million
expenditures: $99.5 million (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish
Industries:
tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction,
garment making
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Current account balance:
$15.09 million (FY03/04)
country comparison to the world: 61
Exports:
$5.882 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 213
Exports - commodities:
shellfish, tuna, copra, garments
Imports:
$107.3 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs
Debt - external:
$0 (FY99/00)
country comparison to the world: 204
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Palau
Telephones - main lines in use:
7,500 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 209
Telephones - mobile cellular:
12,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 211
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services available with a
combined subscribership of more than 90 per 100 persons
international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (cable) (2005)
Internet country code:
.pw
Internet hosts:
2 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 228
Transportation ::Palau
Airports:
3 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 195
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2009)
Roadways:
note: estimated to have 60 km of roads as of 1996
Ports and terminals:
Koror
Military ::Palau
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,973 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,177
females age 16-49: 3,936 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 207
female: 214 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free
Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted
access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any
military forces there (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Palau
Disputes - international:
maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines,
Indonesia
page last updated on October 28, 2009