The World Factbook 1999
In general, information available as of 1 January 1999 was used in the
preparation of this edition.
The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for
the use of US Government officials, and the style, format, coverage,
and content are designed to meet their specific requirements.
Information is provided by the Bureau of the Census (Department of
Commerce), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of Labor), Central
Intelligence Agency, Council of Managers of National Antarctic
Programs, Defense Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense), Defense
Threat Reduction Agency (Department of Defense), Department of State,
Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior), Maritime
Administration (Department of Transportation), National Imagery and
Mapping Agency (Department of Defense), Antarctic Information Program
(National Science Foundation), Naval Facilities Engineering Command
(Department of Defense), Office of Insular Affairs (Department of the
Interior), Office of Naval Intelligence (Department of Defense), US
Board on Geographic Names (Department of the Interior), and other
public and private sources.
The Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied
freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The
official seal of the CIA, however, may NOT be copied without permission
as required by the CIA Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. section 403m). Misuse of
the official seal of the CIA could result in civil and criminal
penalties.
Comments and queries are welcome and may be addressed to:
Central Intelligence Agency
Attn.: Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20505
Telephone: [1] (703) 482-0623
FAX: [1] (703) 482-1739
=====================================================================
Country Listings
A
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
B
Bahamas, The
Bahrain
Baker Island
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
D
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
E
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island
F
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
G
Gabon
Gambia, The
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
H
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Holy See (Vatican City)
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary
I
Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
J
Jamaica
Jan Mayen
Japan
Jarvis Island
Jersey
Johnston Atoll
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island
K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef
Kiribati
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
L
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Macau
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Man, Isle of
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States of
Midway Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
N
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
O
Oman
P
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Q
Qatar
R
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
S
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Montenegro
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
T
Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tromelin Island
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
V
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
W
Wake Atoll
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
World
Y
Yemen
Z
Zaire (see Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Taiwan
=====================================================================
Appendixes
A. Abbreviations
B. United Nations System
C. International Organizations and Groups
D. Selected International Environmental Agreements
E. Weights and Measures
F. Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes
G. Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
H. Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
=====================================================================
Notes and Definitions
In addition to the updating of information, the following
changes have been made in this edition of The World
Factbook. The name Wake Island has been officially changed
to Wake Atoll. The Historical perspective and Current issues
entries in the Introduction category have been combined into
a new Background entry. It appears in only a few country
profiles at this time. There are new entries on Population
below poverty line, Household income or consumption by
percentage share, Electricity--production by source (fossil
fuel, hydro, nuclear, other), Electricity--exports, and
Electricity--imports. A new reference map of Kosovo has been
included and terrain has been added to most of the reference
maps.
Abbreviations: This information is included in Appendix A:
Abbreviations, which includes all abbreviations and acronyms
used in the Factbook, with their expansions.
Administrative divisions: This entry generally gives the
numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative
divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names
(BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on
by BGN are noted.
Age structure: This entry provides the distribution of the
population according to age. Information is included by sex
and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over).
The age structure of a population affects a nation's key
socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high
percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools,
while countries with older populations (high percentage ages
65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The
age structure can also be used to help predict potential
political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young
adult population unable to find employment can lead to
unrest.
Agriculture--products: This entry is a rank ordering of major
crops and products starting with the most important.
Airports: This entry gives the total number of airports. The
runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or
unpaved (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces), but must be
usable. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports--with paved runways: This entry gives the total
number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt
surfaces). For airports with more than one runway, only the
longest runway is included according to the following five
groups --(1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to
2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only
airports with usable runways are included in this listing.
Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance,
or air traffic control.
Airports--with unpaved runways: This entry gives the total
number of airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand,
or gravel surfaces). For airports with more than one runway,
only the longest runway is included according to the
following five groups--(1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047
m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under
914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in
this listing. Not all airports have facilities for
refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Appendixes: This section includes Factbook-related material
by topic.
Area: This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the
sum of all land and water areas delimited by international
boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of
all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or
coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes,
reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of all water
surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or
coastlines, including inland water bodies (lakes,
reservoirs, rivers).
Area--comparative: This entry provides an area comparison
based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared
with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area
measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the
Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington,
DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59
sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
Background: This entry usually highlights major historic
events, current issues, and may include a statement about
one or two key future trends. This entry appears for only a
few countries at the present time, but will be added to all
countries in the future.
Birth rate: This entry gives the average annual number of
births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at
midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is
usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of
population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility
and the age structure of the population.
Budget: This entry includes revenues, total expenditures,
and capital expenditures. These figures are calculated on an
exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity
(PPP) terms.
Capital: This entry gives the location of the seat of
government.
Climate: This entry includes a brief description of typical
weather regimes throughout the year.
Coastline: This entry gives the total length of the boundary
between the land area (including islands) and the sea.
Communications: This category deals with the means of
exchanging information and includes the telephone, radio,
and television entries.
Communications--note: This entry includes miscellaneous
communications information of significance not included
elsewhere.
Constitution: This entry includes the dates of adoption,
revisions, and major amendments.
Country map: Most versions of the Factbook provide a country
map in color. The maps were produced from the best
information available at the time of preparation. Names
and/or boundaries may have changed subsequently.
Country name: This entry includes all forms of the country's
name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is
used as an example): conventional long form (Italian
Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form
(Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former
(Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see
the Terminology note.
Currency: This entry identifies the national medium of
exchange and its basic subunit.
Data code: This entry gives the official US Government
digraph that precisely identifies every land entity without
overlap, duplication, or omission. AF, for example, is the
data code for Afghanistan. This two-letter country code is a
standardized geopolitical data element promulgated in the
Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS)
10-4 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
at the US Department of Commerce and maintained by the
Office of the Geographer and Global Issues at the US
Department of State. The data code is used to eliminate
confusion and incompatibility in the collection, processing,
and dissemination of area-specific data and is particularly
useful for interchanging data between databases. Appendix F
cross-references various country data codes and Appendix G
does the same thing for hydrographic data codes.
Data codes--country: This information is presented in
Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes which
includes the US Government approved Federal Information
Processing Standards (FIPS) codes, the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) codes, and Internet
codes for land entities.
Data codes--hydrographic: This information is presented in
Appendix G: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
which includes the International Hydrographic Organization
(IHO) codes, Aeronautical Chart and Information Center
(ACIC; now National Imagery and Mapping Agency or NIMA)
codes, and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) codes for
hydrographic entities. The US Government has not yet
approved a standard for hydrographic data codes similar to
the FIPS 10-4 standard for country data codes.
Date of information: In general, information available as of
1 January 1999, was used in the preparation of this edition.
Death rate: This entry gives the average annual number of
deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also
known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a
rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country,
accurately indicates the current mortality impact on
population growth. This indicator is significantly affected
by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show
a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued
decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility
results in an aging population.
Debt--external: This entry gives the total amount of public
foreign financial obligations.
Dependency status: This entry describes the formal
relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and
an independent state.
Dependent areas: This entry contains an alphabetical listing
of all nonindependent entities associated in some way with a
particular independent state.
Diplomatic representation: The US Government has diplomatic
relations with 184 independent states, including 178 of the
185 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran,
Iraq, North Korea, former Yugoslavia, and the US itself). In
addition, the US has diplomatic relations with 6 independent
states that are not in the UN--Holy See, Kiribati, Nauru,
Switzerland, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes
the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address,
telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations,
consulate general locations, and consulate locations.
Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the
chief of the foreign mission, chancery address, telephone
number, FAX number, consulate general locations, consulate
locations, honorary consulate general locations, and
honorary consulate locations.
Disputes--international: This entry includes a wide variety
of situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary
disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another.
Information regarding disputes over international
terrestrial and maritime boundaries has been reviewed by the
US Department of State. References to other situations
involving borders or frontiers may also be included, such as
resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist
issues; however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute
official acceptance or recognition by the US Government.
Economic aid--donor: This entry refers to net official
development assistance (ODA) from OECD nations to developing
countries and multilateral organizations. ODA is defined as
financial assistance that is concessional in character, has
the main objective to promote economic development and
welfare of LDCs, and contains a grant element of at least
25%. The entry does not cover other official flows (OOF) or
private flows.
Economic aid--recipient: This entry, which is subject to
major problems of definition and statistical coverage,
refers to the net inflow of Official Development Finance
(ODF) to recipient countries. The figure includes assistance
from the World Bank, the IMF, and other international
organizations and from individual nation donors. Formal
commitments of aid are included in the data. Omitted from
the data are grants by private organizations. Aid comes in
various forms including outright grants and loans. The entry
thus is the difference between new inflows and repayments.
Economy: This category includes the entries dealing with the
size, development, and management of productive resources,
i.e., land, labor, and capital.
Economy--overview: This entry briefly describes the type of
economy, including the degree of market orientation, the
level of economic development, the most important natural
resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also
characterizes major economic events and policy changes in
the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about
one or two key future macroeconomic trends.
Electricity--consumption: This entry consists of total
electricity generated annually plus imports and minus
exports, expressed in kilowatt hours.
Electricity--exports: This entry is the total exported
electricity in kilowatt hours.
Electricity--imports: This entry is the total imported
electricity in kilowatt hours.
Electricity--production: This entry is the annual electricity
generated expressed in kilowatt hours.
Electricity--production by source: This entry indicates the
percentage share of annual electricity production of each
energy source. These are fossil fuel, hydro, nuclear, and
other (solar, geothermal, and wind).
Elevation extremes: This entry includes both the highest
point and the lowest point.
Entities: Some of the independent states, dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, and governments included in
this publication are not independent, and others are not
officially recognized by the US Government. "Independent
state" refers to a people politically organized into a
sovereign state with a definite territory. "Dependencies"
and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad category
of political entities that are associated in some way with
an independent state. "Country" names used in the table of
contents or for page headings are usually the short-form
names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names and
may include independent states, dependencies, and areas of
special sovereignty, or other geographic entities. There are
a total of 266 separate geographic entities in The World
Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES
191 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua
and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria,
Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire,
Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El
Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,
Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras,
Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia,
Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,
Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,
Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San
Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan,
Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine,
UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
OTHER
1 Taiwa
n
DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY
6 Australia--Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island
and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
1 China--Hong Kong
2 Denmark--Faroe Islands, Greenland
16 France--Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and
Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de
Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion,
Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and
Futuna
2 Netherlands--Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
3 New Zealand--Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
3 Norway--Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
1 Portugal--Macau
15 UK--Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands,
Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
14 US--American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island,
Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway
Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra
Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Atoll
MISCELLANEOUS
6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands,
West Bank, Western Sahara
OTHER ENTITIES
4 oceans--Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean,
Pacific Ocean
1 World
266 Tota
l
Environment--current issues: This entry lists the most
pressing and important environmental problems.
Environment--international agreements: This entry separates
country participation in international environmental
agreements into two levels--party to and signed but not
ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the
abbreviated form of the full name.
Environmental agreements: This information is presented in
Appendix D: Selected International Environmental Agreements,
which includes the name, abbreviation, date opened for
signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties
by category.
Ethnic groups: This entry provides a rank ordering of ethnic
groups starting with the largest and normally includes the
percent of total population.
Exchange rates: This entry provides the official value of a
country's monetary unit at a given date or over a given
period of time, as expressed in units of local currency per
US dollar and as determined by international market forces
or official fiat.
Executive branch: This entry includes several subfields.
Chief of state includes the name and title of the titular
leader of the country who represents the state at official
and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the
day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government
includes the name and title of the top administrative leader
who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the
government. Cabinet includes the official name for this body
of high-ranking advisers and the method for selection of
members. Elections includes the nature of election process
or accession to power, date of the last election, and date
of the next election. Election results includes the percent
of vote for each candidate in the last election. In the UK,
the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is
the head of government. In the US, the president is both the
chief of state and the head of government.
Exports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of
exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis.
Exports--commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of
exported products starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
Exports--partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of
trading partners starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
Fiscal year: This entry identifies the beginning and ending
months for a country's accounting period of 12 months, which
often is the calendar year but which may begin in any month.
FY93/94 refers to the fiscal year that began in calendar
year 1993 and ended in calendar year 1994. All yearly
references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated
as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY).
Flag description: This entry provides a written flag
description produced from actual flags or the best
information available at the time the entry was written. The
flags of independent states are used by their dependencies
unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some
disputed and other areas do not have flags.
Flag graphic: Most versions of the Factbook include a color
flag at the beginning of the country profile. The flag
graphics were produced from actual flags or the best
information available at the time of preparation. The flags
of independent states are used by their dependencies unless
there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed
and other areas do not have flags.
GDP: This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or
value of all final goods and services produced within a
nation in a given year. GDP dollar estimates in the Factbook
are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations.
See the note on GDP methodology for more information.
GDP methodology: In the Economy section, GDP dollar
estimates for all countries are derived from purchasing
power parity (PPP) calculations rather than from conversions
at official currency exchange rates. The PPP method involves
the use of standardized international dollar price weights,
which are applied to the quantities of final goods and
services produced in a given economy. The data derived from
the PPP method provide the best available starting point for
comparisons of economic strength and well-being between
countries. The division of a GDP estimate in domestic
currency by the corresponding PPP estimate in dollars gives
the PPP conversion rate. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD
countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates for developing
countries are often rough approximations. Most of the GDP
estimates are based on extrapolation of PPP numbers
published by the UN International Comparison Program (UNICP)
and by Professors Robert Summers and Alan Heston of the
University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues. In
contrast, currency exchange rates depend on a variety of
international and domestic financial forces that often have
little relation to domestic output. In developing countries
with weak currencies the exchange rate estimate of GDP in
dollars is typically one-fourth to one-half the PPP
estimate. Furthermore, exchange rates may suddenly go up or
down by 10% or more because of market forces or official
fiat whereas real output has remained unchanged. On 12
January 1994, for example, the 14 countries of the African
Financial Community (whose currencies are tied to the French
franc) devalued their currencies by 50%. This move, of
course, did not cut the real output of these countries by
half. One important caution: the proportion of, say, defense
expenditures as a percentage of GDP in local currency
accounts may differ substantially from the proportion when
GDP accounts are expressed in PPP terms, as, for example,
when an observer tries to estimate the dollar level of
Russian or Japanese military expenditures. Note: the numbers
for GDP and other economic data can not be chained together
from successive volumes of the Factbook because of changes
in the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by
statistical agencies, use of new or different sources of
information, and changes in national statistical methods and
practices. For statistical series on GDP and other economic
variables, see the Handbook of International Economic
Statistics available from the same sources as The World
Factbook.
GDP--composition by sector: This entry gives the percentage
contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total
GDP.
GDP--per capita: This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power
parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same
year.
GDP--real growth rate: This entry gives GDP growth on an
annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a
percent.
Geographic coordinates: This entry includes rounded latitude
and longitude figures for the purpose of finding the
approximate geographic center of an entity and is based on
the Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August
1988, US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources.
Geographic names: This information is presented in Appendix
H: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names which indicates
where various geographic names--including alternate names,
former names, political or geographical portions of larger
entities, and the location of all US Foreign Service
posts--can be found in The World Factbook. Spellings are
normally, but not always, those approved by the US Board on
Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names are included in
parentheses, while additional information is included in
brackets.
Geography: This category includes the entries dealing with
the natural environment and the effects of human activity.
Geography--note: This entry includes miscellaneous geographic
information of significance not included elsewhere.
GNP: Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final
goods and services produced within a nation in a given year,
plus income earned by its citizens abroad, minus income
earned by foreigners from domestic production. The Factbook,
following current practice, uses GDP rather than GNP to
measure national production. However, the user must realize
that in certain countries net remittances from citizens
working abroad may be important to national well-being.
Government: This category includes the entries dealing with
the system for the adoption and administration of public
policy.
Government type: This entry gives the basic form of
government (e.g., republic, constitutional monarchy, federal
republic, parliamentary democracy, military dictatorship).
Government--note: This entry includes miscellaneous
government information of significance not included
elsewhere.
Gross domestic product: see GDP
Gross national product: see GNP
Gross world product: see GWP
GWP: This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or
aggregate value of all final goods and services produced
worldwide in a given year.
Heliports: This entry gives the total number of established
helicopter takeoff and landing sites (which may or may not
have fuel or other services).
Highways: This entry includes the total length of the
highway system as well as the length of the paved and
unpaved components.
Household income or consumption by percentage share: Data on
household income or consumption come from household surveys,
the results adjusted for household size. Nations use
different standards and procedures in collecting and
adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will normally
show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on
consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time,
yet caution is still necessary in making inter-country
comparisons.
Illicit drugs: This entry gives information on the five
categories of illicit drugs--narcotics, stimulants,
depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These
categories include many drugs legally produced and
prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced
and sold outside of medical channels.
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which
provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and
includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer),
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and
hashish oil (hash oil).
Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that
contain the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to
be confused with cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is
used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter.
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca
bush.
Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and
anxiety and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal,
Nembutal, Seconal, phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium,
Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden),
and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid).
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical,
mental, emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical
substance that results in physical, mental, emotional, or
behavioral impairment in an individual.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking,
self-awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD
(acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons,
cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine
(PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy,
TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn).
Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp
plant (Cannabis sativa).
Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine.
Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical
depressant.
Marijuana is the dried leaves of the cannabis or hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).
Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as
mandrax in Southwest Asia.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep,
and refer to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic
substitutes. Natural narcotics include opium (paregoric,
parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine
(Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussan AC),
and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse,
smack), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics
include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan),
methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon,
Lomotil).
Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe
seedpod of the opium poppy.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the
natural and semisynthetic narcotics.
Poppy straw concentrate is the alkaloid derived from the
mature, dried opium poppy.
Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of
Catha edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea.
Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone,
a pharmaceutical depressant.
Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase
energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow,
crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), phenmetrazine
(Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert,
Sanorex, Tenuate).
Imports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of
imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight)or f.o.b.
(free on board) basis.
Imports--commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of
imported products starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
Imports--partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of
trading partners starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.
Independence: For most countries, this entry gives the date
that sovereignty was achieved, and from which nation,
empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date
given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense,
but rather some significant nationhood event such as
traditional founding date, date of unification, federation,
confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form
of government, or state succession. Dependent areas include
the notation "none" followed by the nature of their
dependency status. Also see the Terminology note.
Industrial production growth rate: This entry gives the
annual percentage increase in industrial production
(includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).
Industries: This entry provides a rank ordering of
industries starting with the largest by value of annual
output.
Infant mortality rate: This entry gives the number of deaths
of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live
births in the same year. This rate is often used an
indicator of the level of health in a country.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): This entry furnishes the
annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the
previous year's consumer prices.
International disputes: see Disputes--international
International organization participation: This entry lists
in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international
organizations in which the subject country is a member or
participates in some other way.
International organizations: This information is presented
in Appendix C: International Organizations and Groups which
includes the name, abbreviation, address, telephone, FAX,
date established, aim, and members by category.
Introduction: This category includes one entry, Background.
At present it appears in only a few country profiles, but
will be added to others in the future.
Irrigated land: This entry gives the number of square
kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with
water.
Judicial branch: This entry contains the name(s) of the
highest court(s) and a brief description of the selection
process for members.
Labor force: This entry contains the total labor force
figure.
Labor force--by occupation: This entry contains a rank
ordering of component parts of the labor force by
occupation.
Land boundaries: This entry contains the total length of all
land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the
contiguous border countries.
Land use: This entry contains the percentage shares of total
land area for five different types of land use. Arable
land--land cultivated for crops that are replanted after each
harvest like wheat, maize, and rice. Permanent crops--land
cultivated for crops that are not replanted after each
harvest like citrus, coffee, and rubber. Permanent
pastures--land permanently used for herbaceous forage crops.
Forests and woodland--land under dense or open stands of
trees. Other--any land type not specifically mentioned above,
such as urban areas, roads, desert, etc.
Languages: This entry provides a rank ordering of languages
starting with the largest and sometimes includes the percent
of total population speaking that language.
Legal system: This entry contains a brief description of the
legal system's historical roots, role in government, and
acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ)
jurisdiction.
Legislative branch: This entry contains information on the
structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name,
number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the
nature of election process or accession to power, date of
the last election, and date of the next election. Election
results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats
held by each party in the last election.
Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average
number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the
same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the
future. The entry includes total population as well as the
male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also
a measure of overall quality of life in a country and
summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought
of as indicating the potential return on investment in human
capital and is necessary for the calculation of various
actuarial measures.
Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and
Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males,
and females. There are no universal definitions and
standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates
are based on the most common definition--the ability to read
and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that
individual countries use to assess the ability to read and
write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on
literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational
results, is probably the most easily available and valid for
international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and
education in general, can impede the economic development of
a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven
world.
Location: This entry identifies the country's regional
location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of
water.
Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook
reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on
Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some
smaller countries.
Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims:
contiguous zone, continental shelf, exclusive economic zone,
exclusive fishing zone, extended fishing zone, none (usually
for a landlocked country), other (unique maritime claims
like Libya's Gulf of Sidra Closing Line or North Korea's
Military Boundary Line), and territorial sea. The proximity
of neighboring states may prevent some national claims from
being extended the full distance.
Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships
engaged in the carriage of goods; all commercial vessels (as
opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs,
fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a grouping of
merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry
contains information in two subfields--total and ships by
type. Total includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT or
over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those
ships. Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers,
bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, combination bulk carriers,
combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, intermodal
ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers,
multifunction large--load carriers, oil tankers, passenger
ships, passenger-cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated
cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea
passenger ships, specialized tankers, tanker tug-barges, and
vehicle carriers.
A captive register is a register of ships maintained by a
territory, possession, or colony primarily or exclusively
for the use of ships owned in the parent country; it is also
referred to as an offshore register, the offshore equivalent
of an internal register. Ships on a captive register will
fly the same flag as the parent country, or a local variant
of it, but will be subject to the maritime laws and taxation
rules of the offshore territory. Although the nature of a
captive register makes it especially desirable for ships
owned in the parent country, just as in the internal
register, the ships may also be owned abroad. The captive
register then acts as a flag of convenience register, except
that it is not the register of an independent state.
A flag of convenience register is a national register
offering registration to a merchant ship not owned in the
flag state. The major flags of convenience (FOC) attract
ships to their registers by virtue of low fees, low or
nonexistent taxation of profits, and liberal manning
requirements. True FOC registers are characterized by having
relatively few of the registered ships actually owned in the
flag state. Thus, while virtually any flag can be used for
ships under a given set of circumstances, an FOC register is
one where the majority of the merchant fleet is owned
abroad. It is also referred to as an open register.
A flag state is the nation in which a ship is registered and
which holds legal jurisdiction over operation of the ship,
whether at home or abroad. Maritime legislation of the flag
state determines how a ship is crewed and taxed and whether
a foreign-owned ship may be placed on the register. An
internal register is a register of ships maintained as a
subset of a national register. Ships on the internal
register fly the national flag and have that nationality but
are subject to a separate set of maritime rules from those
on the main national register. These differences usually
include lower taxation of profits, use of foreign nationals
as crew members, and, usually, ownership outside the flag
state (when it functions as an FOC register). The Norwegian
International Ship Register and Danish International Ship
Register are the most notable examples of an internal
register. Both have been instrumental in stemming flight
from the national flag to flags of convenience and in
attracting foreign-owned ships to the Norwegian and Danish
flags.
A merchant ship is a vessel that carries goods against
payment of freight; it is commonly used to denote any
nonmilitary ship but accurately restricted to commercial
vessels only.
A register is the record of a ship's ownership and
nationality as listed with the maritime authorities of a
country; also, it is the compendium of such individual
ships' registrations. Registration of a ship provides it
with a nationality and makes it subject to the laws of the
country in which registered (the flag state) regardless of
the nationality of the ship's ultimate owner.
Military: This category includes the entries dealing with a
country's military structure, manpower, and expenditures.
Military branches: This entry lists the names of the ground,
naval, air, marine, and other defense or security forces.
Military expenditures--dollar figure: This entry gives
current military expenditures in US dollars; the figure is
calculated by multiplying the estimated defense spending in
percentage terms by the gross domestic product (GDP)
calculated on an exchange rate basis not purchasing power
parity (PPP) terms. The figure should be treated with
caution because of different price patterns and accounting
methods among nations, as well as wide variations in the
strength of their currencies.
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: This entry gives
current military expenditures as an estimated percent of
gross domestic product (GDP).
Military manpower--availability: This entry gives the total
numbers of males and females age 15-49 and assumes that
every individual is fit to serve.