total: 7,937 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)
India
total: 63,140 km (15,994 km electrified)
broad gauge: 45,099 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 14,776 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,265 km 0.762-m gauge and
0.610-m gauge (2003)
Indonesia
total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km
0.750-m gauge (2003)
Iran
total: 7,203 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,109 km 1.435-m gauge (189 km electrified) (2003)
Iraq
total: 1,963 km
standard gauge: 1,963 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Ireland
total: 3,312 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat
Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)
(2003)
Israel
total: 640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Italy
total: 19,507 km (11,651 km electrified)
standard gauge: 18,070 km 1.435-m gauge (11,375 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (88 km electrified); 1,314 km
0.950-m gauge (188 km electrified) (2003)
Jamaica
total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation
had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer
operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and
used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
Japan
total: 23,705 km (16,519 km electrified)
standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,393 km
1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km
electrified) (2003)
Jordan
total: 505 km
narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2003)
Kazakhstan
total: 13,601 km
broad gauge: 13,601 km 1.520-m gauge (3,661 km electrified) (2003)
Kenya
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Korea, North
total: 5,214 km
standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2003)
Korea, South
total: 3,125 km
standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2003)
Kyrgyzstan
total: 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)
Latvia
total: 2,303 km
broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2003)
Lebanon
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m
note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil
war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003)
Liberia
total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
note: none of the railways are in operation (2003)
Libya
0 km
note: Libya is working on 7 lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge
track; it hopes to open a 191 km line by the end of 2004 (2003)
Lithuania
total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (all service suspended) (2003)
Luxembourg
total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2003)
Macedonia
total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2003)
Madagascar
total: 732 km
narrow gauge: 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Malawi
total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)
Malaysia
total: 2,418 km (207 km electrified)
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 2,361 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2003)
Mali
total: 729 km
narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Man, Isle of
total: 61 km (35 km electrified) (2003)
Mauritania
717 km
standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Mexico
total: 19,510 km
standard gauge: 19,510 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Moldova
total: 1,138 km
broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Mongolia
1,810 km
broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2004)
Morocco
total: 1,907 km
standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2003)
Mozambique
total: 3,123 km
narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2003)
Namibia
total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)
Nepal
total: 59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2003)
Netherlands
total: 2,808 km
standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2003)
New Zealand
total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2003)
Nicaragua
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)
Nigeria
total: 3,557 km
narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge
standard gauge: 52 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Norway
total: 4,077 km
standard gauge: 4,077 km 1.435-m gauge (2,518 km electrified) (2003)
Pakistan
total: 8,163 km
broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Panama
total: 355 km
standard gauge: 76 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge (2003)
Paraguay
total: 441 km
standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Peru
total: 3,462 km
standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2003)
Philippines
total: 897 km
narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2003)
Poland
total: 23,852 km
broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 23,223 km 1.435-m gauge (11,962 km electrified)
(2003)
Portugal
total: 2,850 km
broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Puerto Rico
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Romania
total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)
standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge
broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)
Russia
total: 87,157 km
broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)
note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve
industries (2003)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane
plantations during harvest season (2003)
Saudi Arabia
total: 1,392 km
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2003)
Senegal
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (2003)
Serbia and Montenegro
total: 4,380 km
standard gauge: 4,380 km 1.435-m gauge (1,445 km electrified) (2003)
Slovakia
total: 3,661 km
broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 49 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2003)
Slovenia
total: 1,201 km
standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (499 km electrified) (2003)
South Africa
total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314
km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2003)
Spain
total: 14,268 km (7,718 km electrified)
broad gauge: 11,804 km 1.668-m gauge (6,409 km electrified)
standard gauge: 526 km 1.435-m gauge (526 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,910 km 1.000-m gauge (755 km electrified); 28 km
0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2003)
Sri Lanka
total: 1,449 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2003)
Sudan
total: 5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for
cotton plantations (2003)
Swaziland
total: 301 km
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)
Sweden
total: 11,481 km
standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2003)
Switzerland
total: 4,533 km
standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,004 km 1.000-m gauge (974 km electrified); 46 km
0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2003)
Syria
total: 2,711 km
standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2003)
Taiwan
total: 2,544 km
narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar
Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products
and limited numbers of passengers (2003)
Tajikistan
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)
Tanzania
total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Thailand
total: 4,071 km
narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Togo
total: 568 km
narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Tunisia
total: 2,152 km
standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2003)
Turkey
total: 8,671 km
standard gauge: 8,671 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2003)
Turkmenistan
total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)
Uganda
total: 1,241 km
narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Ukraine
total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2003)
United Kingdom
total: 17,186 km
standard gauge: 16,726 km 1.435-m gauge (5,243 km electrified)
broad gauge: 460 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2003)
United States
total: 228,464 km
standard gauge: 228,464 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Uruguay
total: 2,073 km
standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in
partial use (2003)
Uzbekistan
total: 3,950 km
broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2003)
Venezuela
total: 682 km
standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Vietnam
total: 2,600 km
standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435-m and 1.000-m
gauges (2003)
World
total: 1,115,205 km
broad gauge: 257,481 km
standard gauge: 671,413 km
narrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003)
Zambia
total: 2,173 km
narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
(TAZARA) (2003)
Zimbabwe
total: 3,077 km
narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2003)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@2122 Religions (%)
Afghanistan
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
Albania
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current
statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were
closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November
1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Algeria
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
American Samoa
Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant and other 30%
Andorra
Roman Catholic (predominant)
Angola
indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%
(1998 est.)
Anguilla
Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12%
Antigua and Barbuda
Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other
Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)
Argentina
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Armenia
Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi
(Zoroastrian/animist) 2%
Aruba
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian,
Jewish
Australia
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%,
non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%
Austria
Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other
0.1%, none 17.4%
Azerbaijan
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox
2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;
percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Bahamas, The
Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%,
Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or
unknown 3%, other 2%
Bahrain
Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Bangladesh
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Barbados
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%,
other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Belarus
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Belgium
Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Belize
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%,
Methodist 3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%,
Pentecostal 7.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14%
(2000)
Benin
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Bermuda
non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic
15%, other 19%
Bhutan
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced
Hinduism 25%
Bolivia
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%,
other 14%
Botswana
indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%
Brazil
Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%
British Virgin Islands
Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%,
Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2%
(1991)
Brunei
Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%,
indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic
1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4%
(1998)
Burkina Faso
indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly
Roman Catholic) 10%
Burma
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Burundi
Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),
indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Cambodia
Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Cameroon
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Canada
Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%, other 18%
note: based on the 1991 census
Cape Verde
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs);
Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Cayman Islands
United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational),
Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Central African Republic
indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%,
Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the
Christian majority
Chad
Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%
Chile
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish negligible
China
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Christmas Island
Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21%
(1997)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)
Colombia
Roman Catholic 90%
Comoros
Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant
20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and
indigenous beliefs 10%
Congo, Republic of the
Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
Cook Islands
Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook
Islands Christian Church)
Costa Rica
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Cote d'Ivoire
Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%
(2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim
(70%) and Christian (20%)
Croatia
Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.3%, Protestant
0.3%, others and unknown 6.2% (2001)
Cuba
nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power;
Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also
represented
Cyprus
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic,
and other 4%
Czech Republic
Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%,
other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Denmark
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
Djibouti
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Dominica
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%,
Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%),
none 2%, other 6%
Dominican Republic
Roman Catholic 95%
East Timor
Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%,
Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.)
Ecuador
Roman Catholic 95%
Egypt
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%
El Salvador
Roman Catholic 83%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout
the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman
Catholic, pagan practices
Eritrea
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Estonia
Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox,
Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,
Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish
Ethiopia
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%,
other 3%-8%
European Union
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
primarily Anglican, Roman
Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Faroe Islands
Evangelical Lutheran
Fiji
Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%,
Muslim 8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is
a Muslim minority (1986)
Finland
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%,
other 1%
France
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim
5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
French Guiana
Roman Catholic
French Polynesia
Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no
religion 6%
Gabon
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Gambia, The
Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Gaza Strip
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,
Jewish 0.6%
Georgia
Georgian Orthodox 65%, Muslim 11%, Russian Orthodox 10%,
Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
Germany
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%,
unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Ghana
Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21%
Gibraltar
Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%,
Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991)
Greece
Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Greenland
Evangelical Lutheran
Grenada
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Guadeloupe
Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%,
Protestant 1%
Guam
Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)
Guatemala
Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Guernsey
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist,
Congregational, Methodist
Guinea
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Guinea-Bissau
indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Guyana
Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
Haiti
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal
4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo
Holy See (Vatican City)
Roman Catholic
Honduras
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant minority
Hong Kong
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Hungary
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist
and other 7.5%
Iceland
Evangelical Lutheran 87.1%, other Protestant 4.1%, Roman
Catholic 1.7%, other 7.1% (2002)
India
Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other
groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Indonesia
Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%,
Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)
Iran
Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 2%
Iraq
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Ireland
Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9%
(1998)
Israel
Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian
2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Italy
predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish
communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Jamaica
Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%,
Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist
2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual
cults 34.7%
Japan
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including
Christian 0.7%)
Jersey
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church,
Methodist, Presbyterian
Jordan
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but
some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Kazakhstan
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Kenya
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%,
Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely
Kiribati
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church
of God (1999)
Korea, North
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian
and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Korea, South
no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%,
Confucianist 1%, other 1%
Kuwait
Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi,
and other 15%
Kyrgyzstan
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%
Laos
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various
Christian denominations 1.5%)
Latvia
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Lebanon
Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or
Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic,
Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman
Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: seventeen religious sects recognized
Lesotho
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Liberia
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Libya
Sunni Muslim 97%
Liechtenstein
Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%,
other 6.2% (June 2002)
Lithuania
Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox,
Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish
Luxembourg
87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
(2000)
Macau
Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997
est.)
Macedonia
Macedonian Orthodox 70%, Muslim 29%, other 1%
Madagascar
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Malawi
Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous
beliefs 3%, other 2%
Malaysia
Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in
addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Maldives
Sunni Muslim
Mali
Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Malta
Roman Catholic 98%
Man, Isle of
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Marshall Islands
Christian (mostly Protestant)
Martinique
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu
0.5%, other 3.5% (1997)
Mauritania
Muslim 100%
Mauritius
Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant
2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Mayotte
Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Mexico
nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Micronesia, Federated States of
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%
Moldova
Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5%
(2000)
Monaco
Roman Catholic 90%
Mongolia
Buddhist Lamaist 50%, none 40%, Shamanist and Christian 6%,
Muslim 4% (2004)
Montserrat
Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal,
Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Morocco
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Mozambique
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Namibia
Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous
beliefs 10% to 20%
Nauru
Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Nepal
Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)
Netherlands
Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other
3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998)
Netherlands Antilles
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day
Adventist
New Caledonia
Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
New Zealand
Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%,
Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none
33% (1986)
Nicaragua
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant
Niger
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian
Nigeria
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Niue
Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely
related to the London Missionary Society) 75%, Latter-Day Saints
10%, other 15% (mostly Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Seventh-Day Adventist)
Norfolk Island
Anglican 37.4%, Uniting Church in Australia 14.5%,
Roman Catholic 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, none 12.2%,
unknown 17.4%, other 3.9% (1996)
Northern Mariana Islands
Christian (Roman Catholic majority,
although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)
Norway
Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and
Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10% (1997)
Oman
Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Pakistan
Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and
other 3%
Palau
Christian (Roman Catholics 49%, Seventh-Day Adventists,
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission,
and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the
population observes this religion, which is indigenous to Palau)
Panama
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Papua New Guinea
Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%,
Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%,
Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant
10%, indigenous beliefs 34%
Paraguay
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant
Peru
Roman Catholic 90%
Philippines
Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist
and other 3%
Pitcairn Islands
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Poland
Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox,
Protestant, and other 5%
Portugal
Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)
Puerto Rico
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
Qatar
Muslim 95%
Reunion
Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
Romania
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 87%,
Protestant 6.8%, Catholic 5.6%, other (mostly Muslim) 0.4%,
unaffiliated 0.2% (2002)
Russia
Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Rwanda
Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim
4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
Saint Helena
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist,
Roman Catholic
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Saint Lucia
Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Roman Catholic 99%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman
Catholic 13%, Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant
Samoa
Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with
the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman
Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
San Marino
Roman Catholic
Sao Tome and Principe
Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical
Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Saudi Arabia
Muslim 100%
Senegal
Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly
Roman Catholic)
Serbia and Montenegro
Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%,
Protestant 1%, other 11%
Seychelles
Roman Catholic 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian
2.5%, other 4.1%
Sierra Leone
Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Singapore
Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu,
Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Slovakia
Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%,
Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%
Slovenia
Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%,
atheist 4.3%, other 22.9%
Solomon Islands
Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United
(Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%
Somalia
Sunni Muslim
South Africa
Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about
60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60%
of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%
Spain
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Sri Lanka
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
Sudan
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian
5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Suriname
Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant
25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%
Swaziland
Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral
worship) 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai,
Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30%
Sweden
Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim,
Jewish, Buddhist
Switzerland
Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none
8.9% (1990)
Syria
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%,
Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus,
Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Taiwan
mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian
4.5%, other 2.5%
Tajikistan
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Tanzania
mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs
35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Thailand
Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism
0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)
Togo
indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
Tokelau
Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%,
other 2%
note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on
Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with
the Congregational Christian Church predominant
Tonga
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Trinidad and Tobago
Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican
10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%
Tunisia
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Turkey
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians
and Jews)
Turkmenistan
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Turks and Caicos Islands
Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%,
Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
Tuvalu
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Uganda
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous
beliefs 18%
Ukraine
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate 19%, Ukrainian
Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%,
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38%
(2004 est.)
United Arab Emirates
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and
other 4%
United Kingdom
Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5
million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000,
Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000
United States
Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish
1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.)
Uruguay
Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population
attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing
or other 31%
Uzbekistan
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Vanuatu
Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 15%,
indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of
Christ 3.8%, other 15.7% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult)
Venezuela
nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
Vietnam
Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman
Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim
Virgin Islands
Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,
other 7%
Wallis and Futuna
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
West Bank
Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian
and other 8%
Western Sahara
Muslim
World
Christians 32.71% (of which Roman Catholics 17.28%,
Protestants 5.61%, Orthodox 3.49%, Anglicans 1.31%), Muslims 19.67%,
Hindus 13.28%, Buddhists 5.84%, Sikhs 0.38%, Jews 0.23%, other
religions 13.05%, non-religious 12.43%, atheists 2.41% (2002 est.)
Yemen
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small
numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Zambia
Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous
beliefs 1%
Zimbabwe
syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,
Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@2123 Suffrage
Afghanistan
18 years of age; universal
Albania
18 years of age; universal
Algeria
18 years of age; universal
American Samoa
18 years of age; universal
Andorra
18 years of age; universal
Angola
18 years of age; universal
Anguilla
18 years of age; universal
Antigua and Barbuda
18 years of age; universal
Argentina
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Armenia
18 years of age; universal
Aruba
18 years of age; universal
Australia
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Austria
18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential
elections
Azerbaijan
18 years of age; universal
Bahamas, The
18 years of age; universal
Bahrain
18 years of age; universal
Bangladesh
18 years of age; universal
Barbados
18 years of age; universal
Belarus
18 years of age; universal
Belgium
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Belize
18 years of age; universal
Benin
18 years of age; universal
Bermuda
18 years of age; universal
Bhutan
each family has one vote in village-level elections; note -
in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law
Bolivia
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21
years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
18 years of age, universal
Botswana
18 years of age; universal
Brazil
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military
conscripts do not vote
British Virgin Islands
18 years of age; universal
Brunei
none
Bulgaria
18 years of age; universal
Burkina Faso
universal
Burma
18 years of age; universal
Burundi
NA years of age; universal adult
Cambodia
18 years of age; universal
Cameroon
20 years of age; universal
Canada
18 years of age; universal
Cape Verde
18 years of age; universal
Cayman Islands
18 years of age; universal
Central African Republic
21 years of age; universal
Chad
18 years of age; universal
Chile
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
China
18 years of age; universal
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA
Colombia
18 years of age; universal
Comoros
18 years of age; universal
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
18 years of age; universal and
compulsory
Congo, Republic of the
18 years of age; universal
Cook Islands
NA years of age; universal adult
Costa Rica
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Cote d'Ivoire
18 years of age; universal
Croatia
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Cuba
16 years of age; universal
Cyprus
18 years of age; universal
Czech Republic
18 years of age; universal
Denmark
18 years of age; universal
Djibouti
18 years of age; universal adult
Dominica
18 years of age; universal
Dominican Republic
18 years of age, universal and compulsory;
married persons regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote
East Timor
17 years of age; universal
Ecuador
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons
ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Egypt
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
El Salvador
18 years of age; universal
Equatorial Guinea
18 years of age; universal adult
Eritrea
18 years of age; universal
Estonia
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Ethiopia
18 years of age; universal
European Union
18 years of age; universal
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
18 years of age; universal
Faroe Islands
18 years of age; universal
Fiji
21 years of age; universal
Finland
18 years of age; universal
France
18 years of age; universal
French Guiana
18 years of age; universal
French Polynesia
18 years of age; universal
Gabon
21 years of age; universal
Gambia, The
18 years of age; universal
Georgia
18 years of age; universal
Germany
18 years of age; universal
Ghana
18 years of age; universal
Gibraltar
18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who
have been residents six months or more
Greece
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Greenland
18 years of age; universal
Grenada
18 years of age; universal
Guadeloupe
18 years of age; universal
Guam
18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US
presidential elections
Guatemala
18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the
armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on
election day)
Guernsey
18 years of age; universal
Guinea
18 years of age; universal
Guinea-Bissau
18 years of age; universal
Guyana
18 years of age; universal
Haiti
18 years of age; universal
Holy See (Vatican City)
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Honduras
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Hong Kong
direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent
residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven
years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of
functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn
from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central
government bodies
Hungary
18 years of age; universal
Iceland
18 years of age; universal
India
18 years of age; universal
Indonesia
17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless
of age
Iran
15 years of age; universal
Iraq
formerly 18 years of age; universal
Ireland
18 years of age; universal
Israel
18 years of age; universal
Italy
18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections,
where minimum age is 25)
Jamaica
18 years of age; universal
Japan
20 years of age; universal
Jersey
NA years of age; universal adult
Jordan
18 years of age; universal
Kazakhstan
18 years of age; universal
Kenya
18 years of age; universal
Kiribati
18 years of age; universal
Korea, North
17 years of age; universal
Korea, South
20 years of age; universal
Kuwait
adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or
have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants
at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996,
naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but
have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the
first time
Kyrgyzstan
18 years of age; universal
Laos
18 years of age; universal
Latvia
18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Lebanon
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for
women at age 21 with elementary education
Lesotho
18 years of age; universal
Liberia
18 years of age; universal
Libya
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Liechtenstein
18 years of age; universal
Lithuania
18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau
direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent
residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect
election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters"
(257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee
drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and
central government bodies
Macedonia
18 years of age; universal
Madagascar
18 years of age; universal
Malawi
18 years of age; universal
Malaysia
21 years of age; universal
Maldives
21 years of age; universal
Mali
18 years of age; universal
Malta
18 years of age; universal
Man, Isle of
18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands
18 years of age; universal
Martinique
18 years of age; universal
Mauritania
18 years of age; universal
Mauritius
18 years of age; universal
Mayotte
18 years of age; universal
Mexico
18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Micronesia, Federated States of
18 years of age; universal
Moldova
18 years of age; universal
Monaco
21 years of age; universal
Mongolia
18 years of age; universal
Montserrat
18 years of age; universal
Morocco
18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)
Mozambique
18 years of age; universal
Namibia
18 years of age; universal
Nauru
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Nepal
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands
18 years of age; universal
Netherlands Antilles
18 years of age; universal
New Caledonia
18 years of age; universal
New Zealand
18 years of age; universal
Nicaragua
16 years of age; universal
Niger
18 years of age; universal
Nigeria
18 years of age; universal
Niue
18 years of age; universal
Norfolk Island
18 years of age; universal
Northern Mariana Islands
18 years of age; universal; indigenous
inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential
elections
Norway
18 years of age; universal
Oman
in Oman's most recent Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003,
suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members
of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura
elections are scheduled for 2007
Pakistan
18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved
parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
Palau
18 years of age; universal
Panama
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Papua New Guinea
18 years of age; universal
Paraguay
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Peru
18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70;
note - members of the military may not vote
Philippines
18 years of age; universal
Pitcairn Islands
18 years of age; universal with three years
residency
Poland
18 years of age; universal
Portugal
18 years of age; universal
Puerto Rico
18 years of age; universal; island residents are US
citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar
18 years of age; universal
Reunion
18 years of age; universal
Romania
18 years of age; universal
Russia
18 years of age; universal
Rwanda
18 years of age; universal adult
Saint Helena
NA years of age
Saint Kitts and Nevis
18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia
18 years of age; universal
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
18 years of age; universal
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
18 years of age; universal
Samoa
21 years of age; universal
San Marino
18 years of age; universal
Sao Tome and Principe
18 years of age; universal
Saudi Arabia
none adult male citizens age 21 or older
note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial
municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February
through April 2005
Senegal
18 years of age; universal
Serbia and Montenegro
16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age,
universal
Seychelles
17 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone
18 years of age; universal
Singapore
21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Slovakia
18 years of age; universal
Slovenia
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Solomon Islands
21 years of age; universal
Somalia
18 years of age; universal
South Africa
18 years of age; universal
Spain
18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka
18 years of age; universal
Sudan
17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Suriname
18 years of age; universal
Swaziland
18 years of age
Sweden
18 years of age; universal
Switzerland
18 years of age; universal
Syria
18 years of age; universal
Taiwan
20 years of age; universal
Tajikistan
18 years of age; universal
Tanzania
18 years of age; universal
Thailand
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Togo
NA years of age; universal adult
Tokelau
21 years of age; universal
Tonga
21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago
18 years of age; universal
Tunisia
20 years of age; universal
Turkey
18 years of age; universal
Turkmenistan
18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands
18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu
18 years of age; universal
Uganda
18 years of age; universal
Ukraine
18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emirates
none
United Kingdom
18 years of age; universal
United States
18 years of age; universal
Uruguay
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan
18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu
18 years of age; universal
Venezuela
18 years of age; universal
Vietnam
18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands
18 years of age; universal; note - island residents
are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Wallis and Futuna
18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara
none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign
not yet completed
Yemen
18 years of age; universal
Zambia
18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe
18 years of age; universal
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@2124 Telephone system
Afghanistan
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph
service
domestic: telephone service is improving with the establishment of
two mobile phone operators by 2003; telephone main lines remain weak
with only .1 line per 10 people
international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,
Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international
and domestic voice and data connectivity
Albania
general assessment: Despite new investment in fixed lines,
the density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly
8 lines per 100 people. However, cellular telephone use is
widespread and generally effective.
domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile
phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies
were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of
Albania's Balkan neighbors
international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines;
adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by
microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
(2003)
Algeria
general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very
low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of
fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more
than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers;
much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic
earth stations are planned)
international: country code - 213; 5 submarine cables; microwave
radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial
cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1
Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat (1998)
American Samoa
general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone
services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Andorra
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections
between exchanges
international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and
Spain
Angola
general assessment: telephone service limited mostly to
government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for
military links
domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and
tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 244; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Anguilla
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system
international: country code - 1-264; microwave radio relay to island
of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles)
Antarctica
general assessment: local systems at some research
stations
domestic: NA
international: country code - 672; via satellite (mobile Inmarsat
and Iridium system) from some research stations
Antigua and Barbuda
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric
scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Argentina
general assessment: by opening the telecommunications
market to competition and foreign investment with the
"Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina
encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology;
fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major
cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability
of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density
is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally
available will take time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic
satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;
more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone
use is rapidly expanding
international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 8
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables;
two international gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)
Armenia
general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately
owned and undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment
are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the
Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional
international service is available by microwave radio relay and
landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and
by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (2000)
Aruba
general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten
(Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay
links
Australia
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in
areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular
telephones
international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10
Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian
and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)
Austria
general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber
optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet
services are available
international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in
addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals)
(2002)
Azerbaijan
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable
expansion and modernization; teledensity of 10 main lines per 100
persons is low (2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other
industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public
telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern
switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable
and microwave is still serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey
enables Baku to reach about 200 additional countries, some of which
are directly connected to Baku by satellite providers other than
Turkey (1997)
Bahamas, The
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and
submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Bahrain
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network
with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 973; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and
UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to
Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
Bangladesh
general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern
country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications
and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)
Barbados
general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and
Saint Lucia
Belarus
general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunications
controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock
company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a
cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long;
local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity -
Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently
serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus' fiber optics form
synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries'
systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the
Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line,
and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic
segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and
Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this
infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Belgium
general assessment: highly developed, technologically
advanced, and completely automated domestic and international
telephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 32; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Belize
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Benin
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Bermuda
general assessment: good
domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-441; 3 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bhutan
general assessment: NA
domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few
telephones in use
international: country code - 975; international telephone and
telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth
station was planned (1990)
Bolivia
general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic
difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other
cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs
digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic
cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
general assessment: telephone and telegraph
network needs modernization and expansion; many urban areas are
below average as contrasted with services in other former Yugoslav
republics
domestic: NA
international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations
Botswana
general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth
of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile
cellular service is growing fast
international: country code - 267; two international exchanges;
digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Brazil
general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to
Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station
British Indian Ocean Territory
general assessment: separate
facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including
connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by
satellite (2000)
British Virgin Islands
general assessment: worldwide telephone
service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Brunei
general assessment: service throughout the country is
excellent; international service is good to East Asia, Europe, and
the US
domestic: every service available
international: country code - 673; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine
cable links to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore (2001)
Bulgaria
general assessment: extensive but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential;
telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern
digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of
the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio
relay
international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2
Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Burkina Faso
general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Burma
general assessment: barely meets minimum requirements for
local and intercity service for business and government;
international service is fair
domestic: NA
international: country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2,
Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat
Burundi
general assessment: primitive system
domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications,
and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Cambodia
general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular
service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile phone
coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas
domestic: NA
international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline
and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and
major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region)
Cameroon
general assessment: available only to business and
government
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Canada
general assessment: excellent service provided by modern
technology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: country code - 1-xxx; 5 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1
Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Cape Verde
general assessment: effective system, being improved
domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog
and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine
fiber-optic cable system which is scheduled for completion in 2003
international: country code - 238; 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF
radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station
- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cayman Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-345; 1 submarine coaxial cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Central African Republic
general assessment: fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and
low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chad
general assessment: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chile
general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave
radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite
system with 3 earth stations
international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
China
general assessment: domestic and international services are
increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and
many towns
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South
Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Christmas Island
general assessment: service provided by the
Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available
international: country code - 61-891; satellite earth stations - one
Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
general assessment: connected within
Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 61-891; telephone, telex, and
facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite;
1 satellite earth station of NA type (2002)
Colombia
general assessment: modern system in many respects
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic
satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking
50 cities
international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6
Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching
centers; 8 submarine cables
Comoros
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay
and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications
to Madagascar and Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
general assessment: poor
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in
and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Congo, Republic of the
general assessment: services barely adequate
for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire,
and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cook Islands
general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers
international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex
domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of
satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF
radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small
exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and
fiber-optic cable
international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Costa Rica
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in
terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; connected to Central American
Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)
Cote d'Ivoire
general assessment: well developed by African
standards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: country code - 225; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 submarine cables
(June 1999)
Croatia
general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog
circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be
included in the plan for the main trunk
international: country code - 385; digital international service is
provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in
the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of
two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic
trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also
investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany,
Albania, and Greece (2000)
Cuba
general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and
the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and
Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;
cellular service, initially restricted, was opened to public access
in 2003
domestic: national fiber-optic system scheduled to be completed by
end of 2003; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2002 with entire
system by end 2003; telephone line density remains low; cellular
service expanding
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not
linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region)
Cyprus
general assessment: excellent in both Republic of Cyprus and
north Cyprus areas
domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 357; tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial
and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2
Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat
Czech Republic
general assessment: privatization and modernization
of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is
advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones
is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber
systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;
trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2
Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
Denmark
general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph
services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form
trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables
linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth
stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat
(Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station
and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)
Djibouti
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of
Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections
to outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez,
Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations
- 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional
microwave radio relay telephone network
Dominica
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF
radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF
radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia
Dominican Republic
general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave
radio relay network
international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
East Timor
NA
Ecuador
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Egypt
general assessment: large system; underwent extensive
upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and
cellular service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1
Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan;
microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a
signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable
system)
El Salvador
general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System
Equatorial Guinea
general assessment: poor system with adequate
government services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 240; international communications from
Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Eritrea
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government
is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)
international: country code - 291; note - international connections
exist
Estonia
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint
business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial
fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in
the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of
the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by
September 2000
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet
services is available throughout the country
international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,
Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched
service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Ethiopia
general assessment: open-wire and microwave radio relay
system; adequate for government use
domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in
the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two 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)
European Union
note - see individual country entries of member states
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
general assessment: NA
domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB
radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all
points on both islands
international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other
countries
Faroe Islands
general assessment: good international communications;
good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog)
and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed
international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1
Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands,
linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic
submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable
Fiji
general assessment: modern local, interisland, and
international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose
telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio
communications center
domestic: NA
international: country code - 679; access to important cable links
between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Finland
general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive
cellular network provide domestic needs
international: country code - 358; 1 submarine cable (Finland
Estonia Connection); satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat
transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares
the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark,
Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
France
general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive
introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: country code - 33; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for
Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF
radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries
French Guiana
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
French Polynesia
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Gabon
general assessment: adequate service by African standards and
improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: country code - 241; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Gambia, The
general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data
network is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire
international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to
Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Gaza Strip
general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire
system
international: NA
Georgia
general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: country code - 995; Georgia and Russia are working on
a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present
international service is available by microwave, landline, and
satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail
and telex service are available
Germany
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to
World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries
international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is
excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable
facilities as well as earth stations in the INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
EUTELSAT, and INTERSPUTNIK satellite systems (2001)
Ghana
general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible;
many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is
underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has
been installed
international: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel
system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable
(SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Gibraltar
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system
and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio
relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Greece
general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all
areas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: country code - 30; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and
1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Greenland
general assessment: adequate domestic and international
service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;
totally digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 12
Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)
Grenada
general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: country code - 1-473; new SHF radiotelephone links to
Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to
Trinidad
Guadeloupe
general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 590; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and
Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique
Guam
general assessment: modern system, integrated with US
facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service
and local access to the Internet
international: country code - 1-671; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is
a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and
GTE, linking the US and Asia)
Guatemala
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the
city of Guatemala
domestic: NA
international: country code - 502; connected to Central American
Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Guernsey
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Guinea
general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines,
small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio
relay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissau
general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: country code - 245
Guyana
general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haiti
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;
international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Holy See (Vatican City)
general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Honduras
general assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System
Hong Kong
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent
domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network
international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to
Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables
providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan,
Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Hungary
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized
and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication
service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable
connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch
is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Iceland
general assessment: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic
cables and microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
India
general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of
telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid change;
local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of
the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban
areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission
of private and private-public investors, but telephone density
remains low at about seven for each 100 persons nationwide but only
one per 100 persons in rural areas and a national waiting list of
over 1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest
growth in fixed lines
domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still weak in
rural areas, resulted from increased competition and dramatic
reductions in price led in large part by wireless service; mobile
cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced in 1994 and
organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities and 19 telecom
circles each with about three private service providers and one
state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk
capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the
world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National
Satellite system (INSAT), with 5 satellites supporting 33,000 very
small aperture terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; satellite earth stations - 8
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine
gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar,
Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 5 submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3
with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South
Africa - Far East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking
to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai
(Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras),
provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both
voice and data traffic (2004)
Indonesia
general assessment: domestic service fair, international
service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system
international: country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Iran
general assessment: inadequate but currently being modernized
and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and
increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing
telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently
connected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system
since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave
radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been
brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems
has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular
subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the
system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital
switches
international: country code - 98; HF radio and microwave radio relay
to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,
Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to
UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and
4 Inmarsat
Iraq
general assessment: the 2003 war severely disrupted
telecommunications throughout Iraq including international
connections; USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability
and the construction of mobile and satellite communications
facilities
domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed in the recent
fighting continue but sabotage remains a problem; cellular service
is expected to be in place within two years
international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable
and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey;
Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Ireland
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Israel
general assessment: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital
international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Italy
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully
automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: country code - 39; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2
for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA
Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables
Jamaica
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone
network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Japan
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of
every kind
international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean
regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US
(via Guam) (1999)
Jersey
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables
Johnston Atoll
general assessment: NA
domestic: 512 KB satellite link to Hawaii teleport; 20 (POTS) voice
and data lines
international: NA (2002)
Jordan
general assessment: service has improved recently with
increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to
the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access
to pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of
mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals;
fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link
with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable
FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL;
international links total about 4,000
Kazakhstan
general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile
cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other
former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave
radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat
Kenya
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize
except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat
Kiribati
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific
Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve
telephone service
Korea, North
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other
international connections through Moscow and Beijing
Korea, South
general assessment: excellent domestic and
international services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 82; fiber-optic submarine cable to
China; the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Kuwait
general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones
international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio
relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the
Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and
2 Arabsat
Kyrgyzstan
general assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000
unsatisfied applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider,
probably limited to Bishkek region
international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS
countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other
countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway
switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik
and 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe
(TAE) fiber-optic line
Laos
general assessment: service to general public is poor but
improving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an
additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a
radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Latvia
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to
provide an international capability independent of the Moscow
international switch; more facilities are being installed for
individual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,
rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied
subscriber applications
international: country code - 371; international connections are now
available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling
direct connections for most calls (1998)
Lebanon
general assessment: telecommunications system severely
damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations);
coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but
inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Lesotho
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay
system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular
mobile telephone system is growing
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Liberia
general assessment: telephone and telegraph service via
microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Libya
general assessment: telecommunications system is being
modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in
1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to
France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt;
tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Liechtenstein
general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable
and microwave radio relay
Lithuania
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to
provide an improved international capability and better residential
access
domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is
nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded;
mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet
is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber
applications
international: country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia
and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Luxembourg
general assessment: highly developed, completely
automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
international: country code - 352; 3 channels leased on TAT-6
coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America)
Macau
general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities
maintained for domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 853; HF radiotelephone communication
facility; access to international communications carriers provided
via Hong Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)
Macedonia
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 389
Madagascar
general assessment: system is above average for the region
domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay,
and tropospheric scatter links connect regions
international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Malawi
general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Malaysia
general assessment: modern system; international service
excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations
international: country code - 60; submarine cables to India, Hong
Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001)
Maldives
general assessment: minimal domestic and international
facilities
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all
inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service
international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3
Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Mali
general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;
provides only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and
radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio
relay in progress
international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Malta
general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal
requirements
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: country code - 356; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Man, Isle of
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Marshall Islands
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
shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications
system on Kwajalein (2001)
Martinique
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to
Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Mauritania
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire
lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone
communications stations (improvements being made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed
domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with
regional capitals
international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Mauritius
general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF
radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine
cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Mayotte
general assessment: small system administered by French
Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001)
Mexico
general assessment: low telephone density with about 15.2
main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening
to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development,
but Telemex remains dominant
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government,
but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far
outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120
earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network;
considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32
Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South
America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing
domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations;
linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections;
high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to
the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy
(1997)
Micronesia, Federated States of
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used
mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground
stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service
available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap
international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)
Moldova
general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service
outside Chisinau; some effort to modernize is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile
cellular telephone service being introduced
international: country code - 373; service through Romania and
Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat,
and Intersputnik
Monaco
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations;
connected by cable into the French communications system
Mongolia
general assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephones
for each thousand persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 976; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region)
Montserrat
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-664
Morocco
general assessment: modern system with all important
capabilities; however, density is low with only 4.6 main lines
available for each 100 persons
domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and
microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;
principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national
network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural
service employs microwave radio relay
international: country code - 212; 7 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in
Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and
Tunisia (1998)
Mozambique
general assessment: fair system but not available
generally (telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000
persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk
connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)
Namibia
general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each
100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio
relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are
by open wire; 100% digital
international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South
Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to
other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South
African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa;
satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002)
Nauru
general assessment: adequate local and international
radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nepal
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair
radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone
network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications;
microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)
Netherlands
general assessment: highly developed and well maintained
domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; cellular
telephone system is one of the largest in Europe with five major
network operators utilizing the third generation of the Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international: country code - 31; 9 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1
Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2004)
Netherlands Antilles
general assessment: generally adequate
facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
New Caledonia
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
New Zealand
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
systems
domestic: NA
international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and
Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nicaragua
general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by
foreign investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being
expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Niger
general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone
communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the
southwestern area of Niger
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio
relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Nigeria
general assessment: an inadequate system, further limited by
poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been
made
domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave
radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19
earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular
facilities and the Internet are available
international: country code - 234; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); fiber optic
submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Niue
domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on
island
international: country code - 683
Norfolk Island
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with
Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite service planned for
near future
Northern Mariana Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Norway
general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most
advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the
prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile
systems instead of fixed-wire systems
international: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4
coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
Oman
general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire,
microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited
coaxial cable
domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a
domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Pakistan
general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but
improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in
part because major businesses have established their own private
systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the
national telecommunications system on a priority basis,
significantly increasing network capacity; despite major
improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services
are still not readily available to the majority of the rural
population
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
cellular, and satellite networks
international: country code - 92; 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 (1999)
Palau
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Panama
general assessment: domestic and international facilities
well developed
domestic: NA
international: country code - 507; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to
the Central American Microwave System
Papua New Guinea
general assessment: services are adequate;
facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio,
aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services
domestic: mostly radiotelephone
international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and
Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean);
international radio communication service
Paraguay
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal
switching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Peru
general assessment: adequate for most requirements
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: country code - 51; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Pan American submarine cable
Philippines
general assessment: good international radiotelephone
and submarine cable services; domestic and inter-island service
adequate
domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations
international: country code - 63; 9 international gateways;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific
Ocean); submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and
Japan
Pitcairn Islands
general assessment: only party line telephone
service is available for this small, closely related community
domestic: party line service only
international: country code - 672; satellite earth station (Inmarsat)
Poland
general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in the
process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the
state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list
for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile
cellular telephone use
domestic: cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular
networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital
international: country code - 48; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Portugal
general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has
achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed
capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave
radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean),
NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station
for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Puerto Rico
general assessment: modern system integrated with that
of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with
high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international: country code - 1-787, 939; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Qatar
general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: NA
international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to
Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Reunion
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is
Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to
Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic
submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe
and Asia
Romania
general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is
mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about
one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages
have no service
international: country code - 40; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate
in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several
international telecommunication network projects (1999)
Russia
general assessment: the telephone system underwent
significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000
companies licensed to offer communication services; access to
digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet
and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward
building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a
market economy; however, a large demand for main line service
remains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint
Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the
telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital
infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are
available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are
still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally
by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several
cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls;
satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik,
Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems
Rwanda
general assessment: telephone system primarily serves
business and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the
prefectures by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular
telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF
radiotelephone
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)
Saint Helena
general assessment: can communicate worldwide
domestic: automatic network
international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint
Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable
relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
general assessment: good interisland and
international connections
domestic: inter-island links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin
(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF
radiotelephone
international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried
by radiotelephone to Antigua and Barbuda and switched there to
submarine cable or to Intelsat; or carried to Saint Martin
(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) by radiotelephone and switched
to Intelsat
Saint Lucia
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched
international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay
link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these
countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with
most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic
satellite system
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the
Grenadines
international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from
Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to
Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through
Saint Lucia
Samoa
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
San Marino
general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into
Italian system
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian
international network
Sao Tome and Principe
general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system
international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saudi Arabia
general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and
fiber-optic cable systems
international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain,
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to
Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian
Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Senegal
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Serbia and Montenegro
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 381; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Seychelles
general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Sierra Leone
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph
service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects
Freetown to Bo and Kenema
international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Singapore
general assessment: excellent service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: country code - 65; submarine cables to Malaysia
(Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific
Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Slovakia
general assessment: a modernization and privatization
program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing
the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving
service quality
domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving
digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable,
especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been
added
international: country code - 421; three international exchanges
(one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available;
Slovakia is participating in several international
telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of
external services
Slovenia
general assessment: NA
domestic: 100% digital (2000)
international: country code - 386
Solomon Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Somalia
general assessment: the public telecommunications system was
almost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions;
private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and
charge the lowest international rates on the continent
domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in
Mogadishu and in several other population centers
international: country code - 252; international connections are
available from Mogadishu by satellite
South Africa
general assessment: the system is the best developed
and most modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial
cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable,
radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key
centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port
Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Spain
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;
teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Sri Lanka
general assessment: very inadequate domestic service,
particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization
of national telephone company and encouragement to private
investment; good international service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital
microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area
and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition
is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low
at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and
Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Sudan
general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional
standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in
1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone
communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite
system with 14 earth stations
international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
Suriname
general assessment: international facilities are good
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Svalbard
general assessment: probably adequate
domestic: local telephone service
international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of
unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only)
Swaziland
general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced
system
domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and
low-capacity, microwave radio relay
international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Sweden
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
facilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice
traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some
additional telephone channels
international: country code - 46; 5 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat,
and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden
shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries
(Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway)
Switzerland
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)
Syria
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing
significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic
technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Taiwan
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for
every business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to
Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Tajikistan
general assessment: poorly developed and not well
maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to
international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth
stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Tanzania
general assessment: fair system operating below capacity
and being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture
terminal) system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being
made digital
international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Thailand
general assessment: service to general public adequate, but
investment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of
service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and
microwave radio relay network
domestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domestic
satellite system being developed
international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Togo
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Tokelau
general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa;
government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite
earth stations, established in 1997
Tonga
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996)
Trinidad and Tobago
general assessment: excellent international
service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and
Guyana
Tunisia
general assessment: above the African average and continuing
to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;
Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial
cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in
Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Turkey
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and
expansion, especially with cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid
increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating
communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a
domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile
cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: country code - 90; international service is provided
by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black
Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania,
and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile
satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Turkmenistan
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new
telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new
exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey
via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Turks and Caicos Islands
general assessment: fair cable and
radiotelephone services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalu
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688
Uganda
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular
systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of
main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and
Tanzania
Ukraine
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development
plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk
lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic
trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system
is expanding at a high rate
international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are
a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three
Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic
Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;
additional international service is provided by the
Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and
by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik
satellite systems
United Arab Emirates
general assessment: modern fiber-optic
integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of
mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia
United Kingdom
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic
and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3
Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat;
at least 8 large international switching centers
United States
general assessment: a large, technologically advanced,
multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country
international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use;
satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16
Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4
Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguay
general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new
nationwide microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)
Uzbekistan
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious
need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and
technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and
Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in
industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks
had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System
for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile
Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave
radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased
connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the
completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)
fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian
facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides
an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite
earth stations - NA (1998)
Vanuatu
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuela
general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent
substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;
substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;
installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of
digital multimedia services
international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1
PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in
the construction of an international fiber-optic network
Vietnam
general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort
into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,
but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern
neighbors
domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to
Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or
microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially
increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
international: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Virgin Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses
fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite
communications; satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Island
general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN
circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA
Wallis and Futuna
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 681
West Bank
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are
responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Sahara
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by
microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to
Rabat, Morocco
World
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Yemen
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have
been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone
systems
international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Zambia
general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the
best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger
towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;
Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwe
general assessment: system was once one of the best in
Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000
outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number
of installed but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet
connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
and for some of the smaller ones
international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and
Gweru)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@2125 Terrain
Afghanistan
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Albania
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Algeria
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
American Samoa
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Andorra
rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Angola
narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Anguilla
flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Antarctica
about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,
with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain
ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include
parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic
Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers
form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice
shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Antigua and Barbuda
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,
with some higher volcanic areas
Arctic Ocean
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure
ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the
Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the
New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland
and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the
summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends
to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Argentina
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to
rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western
border
Armenia
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast
flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Aruba
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
low with sand and coral
Atlantic Ocean
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,
Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October
to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of
currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre
in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire
Atlantic basin
Australia
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Austria
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the
eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Azerbaijan
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much
of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,
Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron
Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Bahamas, The
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Bahrain
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment
Baker Island
low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef
Bangladesh
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Barbados
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Bassas da India
volcanic rock
Belarus
generally flat and contains much marshland
Belgium
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Belize
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Benin
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Bermuda
low hills separated by fertile depressions
Bhutan
mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Bolivia
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Bosnia and Herzegovina
mountains and valleys
Botswana
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
Desert in southwest