Telephones - mobile cellular: 49,776 (1995)
Telephone system:
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 392, FM 27, shortwave 29 (1998)
Radios: 4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (including one station on the
Galapagos Islands) (1997)
Televisions: 1.55 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (1999)
@Ecuador:Transportation
Railways:
total: 812 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 812 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,165 km
unpaved: 35,032 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 1,500 km
Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports and harbors: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto
Bolivar, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
total: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 233,151 GRT/388,750 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, liquified gas 1, passenger 4,
petroleum tanker 22 (1999 est.)
Airports: 182 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 57
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 20 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 125
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 89 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Ecuador:Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada
Ecuatoriana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana),
National Police (Policia Nacional)
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 3,296,678 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,224,033 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 130,869 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY98)
@Ecuador:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: demarcation of the agreed-upon border with
Peru was completed in May 1999
Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine and derivatives
of coca originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor
chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; important
money-laundering hub; increased activity on frontiers by trafficking
groups and Colombian insurgents
______________________________________________________________________
EGYPT
@Egypt:Introduction
Background: Nominally independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired
full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan
High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the
time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of
Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world)
will continue to stress Egyptian society and overtax resources as the
country enters the new millennium.
@Egypt:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Libya and the Gaza Strip
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New
Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2,689 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km,
Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 32,460 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash
floods, landslides, volcanic activity; hot, driving windstorm called
khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: agricultural land being lost to
urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below
Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral
reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from
agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very
limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile which is the
only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining
natural resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between
Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal,
shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size,
and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle
Eastern geopolitics
@Egypt:People
Population: 68,359,979 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 12,260,343; female 11,701,253)
15-64 years: 61% (male 21,111,615; female 20,714,511)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,131,760; female 1,440,497) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.72% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 25.38 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 62.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.33 years
male: 61.29 years
female: 65.47 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.15 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups: Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and
Berbers) 99%, Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily
Italian and French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%, Coptic Christian and other 6%
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by
educated classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.4%
male: 63.6%
female: 38.8% (1995 est.)
@Egypt:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Data code: EG
Government type: republic
Capital: Cairo
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum,
Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah,
Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah,
As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina',
Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic
codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees
validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October
1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Atef OBEID (since 5 October 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president nominated by the People's Assembly for a six-year
term, the nomination must then be validated by a national, popular
referendum; national referendum last held 26 September 1999 (next to
be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: national referendum validated President MUBARAK's
nomination by the People's Assembly to a fourth term
Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly
or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10
appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the
Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a
consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88
appointed by the president; members serve NA-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 29 November 1995 (next to be
held NA November 2000); Advisory Council - last held 7 June 1995 (next
to be held NA)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NDP
72%, independents 25%, opposition 3%; seats by party - NDP 317,
independents 114, NWP 6, NPUG 5, Nasserist Arab Democratic Party 1,
LSP 1; Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NDP 99%,
independents 1%; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Unionist Party [Mohammed
'Abd-al-Mun'im TURK]; Green Party ; Misr al-Fatah Party
(Young Egypt Party) ; Nasserist Arab Democratic Party [Dia'
al-din DAWUD]; National Democratic Party or NDP [President Mohammed
Hosni MUBARAK, leader] - governing party; National Progressive
Unionist Grouping or NPUG ; New Wafd Party or NWP
; Social Justice Party ;
Socialist Labor Party or SLP ; Socialist Liberal Party
or LSP ; Umma Party
note: formation of political parties must be approved by government
Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional ban
against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim
Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's potentially most significant
political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity by
the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but has moved more
aggressively in the past six years to block its influence; trade
unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, ACCT
(associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CCC, EBRD,
ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 895-5400
FAX: (202) 244-4319, 5131
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: (North Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City, Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900
telephone: (2) 3557371
FAX: (2) 3573200
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden
eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the
country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of
Yemen, which has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of
Syria, which has two green stars, and to the flag of Iraq, which has
three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line
centered in the white band
@Egypt:Economy
Economy - overview: A series of IMF arrangements - coupled with
massive external debt relief resulting from Egypt's participation in
the Gulf war coalition - helped Egypt improve its macroeconomic
performance during the 1990s. Through sound fiscal and monetary
policies, Cairo tamed inflation, slashed budget deficits, and built up
foreign reserves. Although the pace of structural reforms - such as
privatization and new business legislation - has been slower than the
IMF envisioned, Egypt's steps toward a more market-oriented economy
have prompted increased foreign investment. Lower combined hard
currency inflows - from tourism, worker remittances, oil revenues, and
Suez Canal tolls - in 1998 and the first half of 1999 resulted in
pressure on the Egyptian pound and sporadic dollar shortages, but
external payments were not in crisis. Despite ample reserves, the
Central Bank did not provide sufficient hard currency to commercial
banks and Cairo restricted imports for a short period; these
developments confirmed to some investors and currency traders that
government financial operations lack sufficient coordination and
openness. Monetary pressures have since eased, however, with the
continued oil price recovery starting in mid-1999 and a moderate
rebound in tourism. Increased gas exports are a major plus factor in
future growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $200 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 32%
services: 51% (1999)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 26.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1999)
Labor force: 19 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, services 38%, industry
22% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.8% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $20.7 billion
expenditures: $22.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99)
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum,
construction, cement, metals
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 57.8 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 78.72%
hydro: 21.28%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 53.754 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits,
vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats; fish
Exports: $4.6 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton,
textiles, metal products, chemicals
Exports - partners: EU 47%, US 14%, Turkey 8% (1998)
Imports: $15.8 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals,
wood products, fuels
Imports - partners: EU 42%, US 16%, Japan 5% (1998)
Debt - external: $30 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $2.25 billion (1999)
Currency: 1 Egyptian pound = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US$1 - market rate - 3.4050
(January 2000), 3.4050 (1999), 3.3880 (1998), 3.3880 (1997), 3.3880
(1996), 3.3900 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Egypt:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.168 million (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 380,000 (1999)
Telephone system: large system by Third World standards but inadequate
for present requirements and undergoing extensive upgrading; Internet
access available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay
international: 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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeater stations), FM 14,
shortwave 3 (1999)
Radios: 20.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 51 (September 1995)
Televisions: 7.7 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 31 (1999)
@Egypt:Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,955 km
standard gauge: 4,955 km 1,435-m gauge (42 km electrified; 1,560 km
double track)
Highways:
total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo
Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta); Suez Canal, 193.5
km (including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to
16.1 m of water
Pipelines: crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural gas
460 km
Ports and harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur
Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez
Merchant marine:
total: 180 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,348,148 GRT/2,014,483
DWT
ships by type: bulk 25, cargo 63, container 1, liquified gas 1,
passenger 57, petroleum tanker 14, roll-on/roll-off 16, short-sea
passenger 3 (1999 est.)
Airports: 90 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 71
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 9 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)
@Egypt:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 18,164,353 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 11,766,949 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 704,373 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.28 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.2% (FY95/96)
@Egypt:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib
Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese
administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which
supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899
Illicit drugs: a transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian
heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; popular transit
stop for Nigerian couriers
______________________________________________________________________
EL SALVADOR
@El Salvador:Introduction
Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and
from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war,
which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in
1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that
provided for military and political reforms.
@El Salvador:Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November
to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable
land
Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 29%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and
sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes;
Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one
without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
@El Salvador:People
Population: 6,122,515 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male 1,186,328; female 1,141,245)
15-64 years: 57% (male 1,652,083; female 1,833,998)
65 years and over: 5% (male 139,919; female 168,942) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.87% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 29.02 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.27 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 29.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.74 years
male: 66.14 years
female: 73.52 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.38 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%
Religions: Roman Catholic 86%
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
Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 71.5%
male: 73.5%
female: 69.8% (1995 est.)
@El Salvador:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
Data code: ES
Government type: republic
Capital: San Salvador
Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa
Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 23 December 1983
Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
note: Legislative Assembly passed landmark judicial reforms in 1996
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999);
Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June
1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999
(next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: Francisco FLORES Perez elected president; percent of
vote - Francisco FLORES (ARENA) 52%, Facundo GUARDADO (FMLN) 29%,
Ruben ZAMORA (CDU) 7.5%, other (no individual above 3%) 11.5%