Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with
the 2004 Agreement, ending their centuries-long border disputes; the
sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri,
Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern
Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the
Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by
Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty
formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agree
on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the land boundary
and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas
such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge
in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed equidistance
boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the littoral states have no
consensus on dividing the water column; Russia and Norway dispute
their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights
beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty
zone; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia
(Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following the
Second World War but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial
demands; in May 2005, Russia recalled its signatures to the 1996
border agreements with Estonia (1996) and Latvia (1997), when the
two Baltic states announced issuance of unilateral declarations
referencing Soviet occupation and ensuing territorial losses; Russia
demands better treatment of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia;
Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the
boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the
now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within
Estonia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their
boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty
ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania
operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling
from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still
conforming, as an EU member state with an EU external border, where
strict Schengen border rules apply; preparations for the demarcation
delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine have commenced; the
dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the
Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December
2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions;
Kazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation was ratified on November
2005 and field demarcation should commence in 2007; Russian Duma has
not yet ratified 1990 Bering Sea Maritime Boundary Agreement with
the US
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 18,000-160,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia)
(2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for various
purposes; it remains a significant source of women trafficked to
over 50 countries for commercial sexual exploitation; Russia is also
a transit and destination country for men and women trafficked from
Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Korea to Central and Western
Europe and the Middle East for purposes of forced labor and sexual
exploitation; internal trafficking remains a problem in Russia with
women trafficked from rural areas to urban centers for commercial
sexual exploitation, and men trafficked internally and from Central
Asia for forced labor in the construction and agricultural
industries; debt bondage is common among trafficking victims, and
child sex tourism remains a concern
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of
increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the previous year,
particularly in providing assistance to victims of trafficking;
comprehensive trafficking victim assistance legislation, which would
address key deficiencies, has been pending before the Duma since
2003 and was neither passed nor enacted in 2007 (2008)
Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer
of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has
active illicit crop eradication program; used as transshipment point
for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for
growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central
Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source of heroin precursor
chemicals; corruption and organized crime are key concerns; major
consumer of opiates
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Rwanda (Africa)
Introduction ::Rwanda
Background:
In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority
ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the
next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some
150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of
these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several
political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions,
culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis
and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and
ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu
refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring
Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the
refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand remained in
the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; the former
Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda,
much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international
assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local
elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and
legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country
continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output,
and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived
Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and
intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across
the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in
the neighboring DRC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape
its bloody legacy.
Geography ::Rwanda
Location:
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:
2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 26,338 sq km
country comparison to the world: 148
land: 24,668 sq km
water: 1,670 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to
January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain:
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude
declining from west to east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources:
gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane,
hydropower, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 45.56%
permanent crops: 10.25%
other: 44.19% (2005)
Irrigated land:
90 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
5.2 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.15 cu km/yr (24%/8%/68%)
per capita: 17 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the
northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment - current issues:
deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel;
overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the
population predominantly rural
People ::Rwanda
Population:
10,473,282
country comparison to the world: 77
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 2,216,352/female 2,196,327)
15-64 years: 55.4% (male 2,897,003/female 2,909,994)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 100,920/female 152,686) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18.5 years
female: 18.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.782% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Birth rate:
39.67 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Death rate:
14.02 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Net migration rate:
2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Urbanization:
urban population: 18% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 81.61 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 17
male: 86.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.52 years
country comparison to the world: 206
male: 49.25 years
female: 51.83 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.25 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.8% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
150,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups:
Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%,
indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Languages:
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French
(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in
commercial centers
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.4%
male: 76.3%
female: 64.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 8 years
female: 9 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 115
People - note:
Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Government ::Rwanda
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda
conventional short form: Rwanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form: Rwanda
former: Ruanda, German East Africa
Government type:
republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital:
name: Kigali
geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
4 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in
Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French
- ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern), Kigali*, Nord
(Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern)
Independence:
1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution:
new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003
Legal system:
based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003
(next to be held in September 2010)
election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct
popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%,
Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members
elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the
Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher
learning; to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80
seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local
bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; serve
five-year terms)
elections: Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional
government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last
held 15 September 2008 (next to be held September 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%,
PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members
indirectly elected
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts;
District Courts; mediation committees
Political parties and leaders:
Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic
Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic
Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned);
Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL
[Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned);
Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic
Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
IBUKA (association of genocide survivors)
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIF, OPCW,
UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James KOMONYO
chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON
embassy: 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali
mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali
telephone: [250] 596-400
FAX: [250] 596-591
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and
green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue
band
Economy ::Rwanda
Economy - overview:
Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population
engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely
populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural
resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are
coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile
economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly
women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and
external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress
in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels,
although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and
inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food
production often does not keep pace with population growth,
requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid
money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received
Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The
government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce
poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and
domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although
energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of
adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to
handicap growth.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.729 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
$8.749 billion (2007 est.)
$8.108 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.459 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
7.9% (2007 est.)
7.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$900 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
$900 (2007 est.)
$800 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 43.2%
industry: 22.3%
services: 34.5% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.446 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 81
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 90%
industry and services: 10% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
60% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 38.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46.8 (2000)
country comparison to the world: 37
28.9 (1985)
Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Budget:
revenues: $930.4 million
expenditures: $1.023 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
11.25% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
12.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.51% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
15.84% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$233.6 million (31 December 2005)
country comparison to the world: 104
Stock of quasi money:
$227.4 million (31 December 2005)
country comparison to the world: 115
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$209.2 million (31 December 2005)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums),
bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Industries:
cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap,
furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate:
7.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity - production:
120 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
Electricity - consumption:
231.6 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Electricity - exports:
10 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
130 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Oil - imports:
5,623 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 125
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - proved reserves:
56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Current account balance:
-$292 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
-$147 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$210 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
$184 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners:
China 9.1%, Thailand 8.6%, Germany 7.3%, US 4.5%, Belgium 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$834 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
$637 million (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products,
cement and construction material
Imports - partners:
Kenya 15.2%, Uganda 13.3%, China 6.3%, Belgium 5.3%, Germany 4.5%
(2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$596 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
$552.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.4 billion (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
Exchange rates:
Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 550 (2008 est.), 585 (2007),
560 (2006), 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004)
Communications ::Rwanda
Telephones - main lines in use:
16,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 198
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.323 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 136
Telephone system:
general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily
serves business and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the
provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular
telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF
radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone
density is only about 13 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 250; international connections employ
microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite
communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations -
1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax
service)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 10 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of
repeaters; international FM programming includes the BBC, VOA, and
Deutchewelle) (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2004)
Internet country code:
.rw
Internet hosts:
81 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 203
Internet users:
300,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 127
Transportation ::Rwanda
Airports:
9 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 159
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 14,008 km
country comparison to the world: 125
paved: 2,662 km
unpaved: 11,346 km (2004)
Waterways:
Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Military ::Rwanda
Military branches:
Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,430,469
females age 16-49: 2,392,933 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,452,768
females age 16-49: 1,456,207 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 106,741
female: 106,935 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Transnational Issues ::Rwanda
Disputes - international:
fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels,
armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes region
transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago
due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation, and efforts
by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000
Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states, including
Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to
escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts
investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border
verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the
border remains in place
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the
Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Saint Barthelemy (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Saint Barthelemy
Background:
Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his
brother Bartolomeo, St. Barthelemy was first settled by the French
in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, who renamed
the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and
made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply
center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France
repurchased the island in 1878 and placed it under the
administration of Guadeloupe. St. Barthelemy retained its free port
status along with various Swedish appellations such as Swedish
street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of
arms. In 2003, the populace of the island voted to secede from
Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas
collectivity.
Geography ::Saint Barthelemy
Location:
located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe
Geographic coordinates:
17 90 N, 62 85 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
21 sq km
Area - comparative:
less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Climate:
tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two
seasons (dry and humid)
Terrain:
hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with 20
beaches
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m
Natural resources:
has few natural resources, its beaches being the most important
Environment - current issues:
with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply,
especially in summer, and provided by desalinization of sea water,
collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker
People ::Saint Barthelemy
Population: