deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of
coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
@Liberia:People
Population: 3,164,156 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 681,136; female 680,501)
15-64 years: 54% (male 826,751; female 867,402)
65 years and over: 3% (male 54,334; female 54,032) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.94% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 47.22 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 16.58 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -11.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the
domestic strife, were assumed to have returned
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 134.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.02 years
male: 49.6 years
female: 52.49 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.43 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian
Ethnic groups: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa,
Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and
Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US
who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants
from the Caribbean who had been slaves)
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of
which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.3%
male: 53.9%
female: 22.4% (1995 est.)
note: these figures are increasing because of the improving school
system
@Liberia:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia
Data code: LI
Government type: republic
Capital: Monrovia
Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand
Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Independence: 26 July 1847
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Constitution: 6 January 1986
Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American
common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August
1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August
1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Senate
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term
(renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July
2003)
election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of
vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP)
9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate
(26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms)
and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA
2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be
held in NA 2003)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance
of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance of Political
Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party
or LUP
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP
; Liberian Action Party or LAP ;
Liberian National Union or LINU ; Liberian
People's Party or LPP ; National
Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL ; National
Patriotic Party or NPP - governing party;
People's Progressive Party or PPP ;
Reformation Alliance Party or RAP ;
True Whig Party or TWP ; United People's
Party or UPP ; Unity Party or UP
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate William BULL
chancery: 5303 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: (202) 723-0437
FAX: (202) 723-0436
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: 226-370 through 226-382
FAX: 226-148, 226-147
Flag description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)
alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue
square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US
flag
@Liberia:Economy
Economy - overview: A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's
economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many
businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them.
Some returned during 1997. Many will not return. Richly endowed with
water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to
agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic
products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been
small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in
August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently
relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of
its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure
and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the
implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new
government, including the encouragement of foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.85 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 50%
industry: 15%
services: 35% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services
22% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 70%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate: 0%
Electricity - production: 490 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 62.24%
hydro: 37.76%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 456 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava
(tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Exports: $39 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee,
cocoa
Exports - partners: Benelux 36%, Norway 18%, Ukraine 15%, Singapore 9%
(1997)
Imports: $142 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation
equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: South Korea 38%, Japan 14%, Italy 11%, Singapore
9% (1997)
Debt - external: $3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $200 million pledged (1998)
Currency: 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (officially
fixed rate since 1940); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars (L$)
per US$1 - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995); market rate floats
against the US dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Liberia:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)
Telephone system: telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio
relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999)
Radios: 790,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus four low-power repeaters)
(2000)
Televisions: 70,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Liberia:Transportation
Railways:
total: 490 km (328 km single track); note - three rail systems owned
and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction
with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed
in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down
by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been
dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for
scrap
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 10,600 km (there is major deterioration on all highways due to
heavy rains and lack of maintenance)
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia
Merchant marine:
total: 1,593 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,513,479
GRT/85,495,576 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 360, cargo 109, chemical tanker
185, combination bulk 22, combination ore/oil 50, container 225,
liquified gas 91, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 40,
petroleum tanker 351, refrigerated cargo 76, roll-on/roll-off 16,
short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 15, vehicle carrier 46 (1999
est.)
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 54 countries
among which are Germany 186, US 161, Norway 142, Greece 144, Japan
124, Hong Kong 100, China 53, UK 32, Singapore 39, and Monaco 38 (1998
est.)
Airports: 45 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 35 (1999 est.)
@Liberia:Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Navy
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 703,107 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 378,426 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY98)
@Liberia:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and
Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and
US markets
______________________________________________________________________
LIBYA
@Libya:Introduction
Background: Since he took power in a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar
Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system - a
combination of socialism and Islam - which he calls the Third
International Theory. Viewing himself as a revolutionary leader, he
used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology
outside Libya, even supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to
hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. Libyan military adventures
failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou
Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987. Libyan support
for terrorism decreased after UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. Those
sanctions were suspended in April 1999.
@Libya:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 4,383 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger
354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees 30 minutes north
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus,
depressions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 91% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,700 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind
lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: desertification; very limited natural
fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest
water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water
from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
@Libya:People
Population: 5,115,450
note: includes 162,669 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 938,476; female 899,139)
15-64 years: 60% (male 1,595,306; female 1,485,069)
65 years and over: 4% (male 97,770; female 99,690) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.42% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 27.68 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 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: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.45 years
male: 73.34 years
female: 77.66 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.71 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan
Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%
Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the
major cities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 87.9%
female: 63% (1995 est.)
@Libya:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al
Ishtirakiyah
local short form: none
Data code: LY
Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,
governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military
dictatorship
Capital: Tripoli
Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular -
baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al
Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az
Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha,
Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan
note: the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Legal system: based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law;
separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar
al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title,
but is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Premier) Mubarak al-SHAMEKH (since 2 March 2000)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General
People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
people's committees; head of government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: Mubarak al-SHAMEKH elected head of government;
percent of General People's Congress vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats;
members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: various Arab nationalist
movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning
clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,
AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Libya does not have an embassy in
the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US suspended all embassy
activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980
Flag description: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam
(the state religion)
@Libya:Economy
Economy - overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily
upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all
export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a
small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in
Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of
society. In this statist society, import restrictions and inefficient
resource allocations have led to periodic shortages of basic goods and
foodstuffs. The nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which
account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly
agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals,
iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely
limit farm output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food
requirements. Higher oil prices in 1999 led to an increase in export
revenues and helped to stimulate the economy. Following the suspension
of UN sanctions in 1999, Libya has been trying to increase its
attractiveness to foreign investors, and several foreign companies
have visited in search of contracts.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $39.3 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,900 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 47%
services: 46% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.2 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services and government 54%, industry
29%, agriculture 17% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.6 billion
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 16.92 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 15.736 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus,
vegetables, peanuts; beef, eggs
Exports: $6.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural
gas
Exports - partners: Italy 40%, Germany 17%, Spain 12%, France 4%,
Sudan 4%, UK 3% (1997)
Imports: $7 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food,
manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Italy 23%, Germany 12%, UK 9%, France 7%, Tunisia
5%, Belgium 4% (1997)
Debt - external: $4 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $8.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.4687 (January 2000),
0.4616 (1999), 0.3785 (1998), 0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996), 0.3532
(1995); official rate: 0.45 (December 1998)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Libya:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 318,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: 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: 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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 4, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 1.35 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1997)
Televisions: 730,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Libya:Transportation
Railways:
note: Libya has had no railroad in operation since 1965, all previous
systems having been dismantled; current plans are to construct a
1.435-m standard gauge line from the Tunisian frontier to Tripoli and
Misratah, then inland to Sabha, center of a mineral-rich area, but
there has been little progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt
would establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with
completion originally set for mid-1994; Libya signed contracts with
Bahne of Egypt and Jez Sistemas Ferroviarios in 1998 for the supply of
crossings and pointwork
Highways:
total: 83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes
liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km
Ports and harbors: Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah,
Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Merchant marine:
total: 27 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 401,303 GRT/656,632 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, liquified gas 3, petroleum
tanker 6, roll-on/roll-off 4, short-sea passenger 4 (1999 est.)
Airports: 142 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 59
over 3,047 m: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 42
under 914 m: 19 (1999 est.)
@Libya:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,415,305 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 841,039 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 62,200 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%