accounting for nearly 60% of GDP and 40% of investment. The
dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the
domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a
labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and
construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for
export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and
electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium
term will continue to depend on tourist arrivals from the US,
Canada, and Europe and potential damages from natural disasters.
After taking office in 2004, the SPENCER government adopted an
ambitious fiscal reform program, and was successful in reducing its
public debt-to-GDP ratio from 120% to about 90% in 2008. However,
the global financial crisis that began in 2008, has led to a
significant increase in the national debt, which topped 130% at the
end of 2010. The Antiguan economy experienced solid growth from 2003
to 2007, reaching over 12% in 2006 driven by a construction boom in
hotels and housing associated with the Cricket World Cup, but growth
dropped off in 2008 with the end of the boom. In 2009, Antigua's
economy was severely hit by the global economic crisis, suffering
from the collapse of its largest financial institution and a steep
decline in tourism. This decline continued in 2010 as the country
struggled with a yawning budget deficit.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.433 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
$1.494 billion (2009 est.)
$1.64 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.099 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-4.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
-8.9% (2009 est.)
1.8% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,500 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
$17,400 (2009 est.)
$19,400 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 22%
services: 74.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
30,000 (1991)
country comparison to the world: 204
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 11%
services: 82% (1983)
Unemployment rate:
11% (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
Central bank discount rate:
6.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 69
6.5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.07% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
10.43% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$233.5 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 170
$266.7 million (31 December 2008)
Stock of broad money:
$1.186 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 157
$1.236 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.13 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
$1.002 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes,
sugarcane; livestock
Industries:
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol,
household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
110 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Electricity - consumption:
102.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Oil - exports:
219 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - imports:
4,690 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Current account balance:
-$211 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
Exports:
$84.3 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Exports - commodities:
petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts, electronic components,
transport equipment, food and live animals
Imports:
$522.8 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures, chemicals, oil
Debt - external:
$359.8 million (June 2006)
country comparison to the world: 166
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006),
2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
note: fixed rate since 1976
Communications ::Antigua and Barbuda
Telephones - main lines in use:
37,400 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 172
Telephones - mobile cellular:
134,900 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 178
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-268; landing points for the East
Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network (GCN)
submarine cable systems with links to other islands in the eastern
Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad;
satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba
(Netherlands) and Guadeloupe (France) (2007)
Broadcast media:
state-controlled Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS)
operates 1 TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services
are available; 1 radio station operated by ABS; roughly 15 radio
stations, some broadcasting on multiple frequencies (2007)
Internet country code:
.ag
Internet hosts:
9,795 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 122
Internet users:
65,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 171
Transportation ::Antigua and Barbuda
Airports:
3 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 194
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 1,165 km
country comparison to the world: 181
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,219
country comparison to the world: 9
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 53, cargo 703, carrier 6,
chemical tanker 4, container 412, liquefied gas 12, petroleum tanker
1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 16, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 1,186 (Albania 1, Colombia 1, Denmark 20, Estonia 20,
Germany 1050, Greece 5, Iceland 9, Isle of Man 2, Latvia 16,
Lithuania 4, Mexico 2, Netherlands 18, Norway 9, NZ 2, Poland 2,
Russia 3, Slovenia 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 7, Turkey 7, US 6) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Saint John's
Military ::Antigua and Barbuda
Military branches:
Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (including Antigua and
Barbuda Coast Guard) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 20,909
females age 16-49: 23,815 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,475
females age 16-49: 19,764 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 763
female: 758 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 161
Transnational Issues ::Antigua and Barbuda
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the
US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center
page last updated on January 19, 2011
======================================================================
@Arctic Ocean (Oceans)
Introduction ::Arctic Ocean
Background:
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after
the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently
delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and
Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal
waterways. In recent years the polar ice pack has thinned allowing
for increased navigation and raising the possibility of future
sovereignty and shipping disputes among countries bordering the
Arctic Ocean.
Geography ::Arctic Ocean
Location:
body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north
of the Arctic Circle
Geographic coordinates:
90 00 N, 0 00 E
Map references:
Arctic
Area:
total: 14.056 million sq km
note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea,
East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara
Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative:
slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Coastline:
45,389 km
Climate:
polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow
annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous
darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies;
summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy
weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Terrain:
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that,
on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure ridges may be
three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort
Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New
Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and
Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer,
but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the
encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental
shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central
basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera,
Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources:
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Natural hazards:
ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island;
icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme
northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked
from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from
October to May
Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile
ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or
damage; thinning polar icepack
Geography - note:
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the
Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between
North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes
of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated
by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20
to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10
months
Economy ::Arctic Ocean
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural
resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
Transportation ::Arctic Ocean
Ports and terminals:
Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Transportation - note:
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are
important seasonal waterways
Transnational Issues ::Arctic Ocean
Disputes - international:
the littoral states are engaged in various stages of demonstrating
the limits of their continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles
from their declared baselines in accordance with Article 76,
paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea;
record summer melting of sea ice in the Arctic has restimulated
interest in maritime shipping lanes and sea floor exploration
page last updated on November 17, 2010
======================================================================
@Argentina (South America)
Introduction ::Argentina
Background:
In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their
independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went
their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The
country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants
from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which
provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up
until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was
dominated by periods of internal political conflict between
Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military
factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist populism and direct
and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was
followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy
returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland (Malvinas)
Islands by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the
most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02
that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations
of several presidents.
Geography ::Argentina
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates:
34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 2,780,400 sq km
country comparison to the world: 8
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 43,710 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 9,861 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km,
Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km
Coastline:
4,989 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau
of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San
Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa
Cruz)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern
corner of the province of Mendoza)
Natural resources:
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore,
manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 10.03%
permanent crops: 0.36%
other: 89.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:
15,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
814 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)
per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to
earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the
pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas
volcanism: Argentina experiences volcanic activity in the Andes
Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (elev. 2,997 m, 9,833
ft) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes
include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen,
Tupungatito, and Viedma
Environment - current issues:
environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an
industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation,
desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse
gas targets
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic
location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the
South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake
Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical
climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is
the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon
is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere
People ::Argentina
Population:
41,343,201 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.6% (male 5,369,477/female 5,122,260)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 12,961,725/female 13,029,265)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,819,057/female 2,611,800) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 30.3 years
male: 29.2 years
female: 31.3 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.036% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
Birth rate:
17.75 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Death rate:
7.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
Urbanization:
urban population: 92% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.052 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.11 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 148
male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.76 years
country comparison to the world: 66
male: 73.52 years
female: 80.17 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.33 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groups:
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and
Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%
Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant
2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.2%
male: 97.2%
female: 97.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 17 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
4.9% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 71
Government ::Argentina
Country name:
conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Buenos Aires
geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W
time difference: UTC-3 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: none scheduled for 2010
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous
city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital
Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios,
Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio
Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del
Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur
(Tierra del Fuego), Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
Independence:
9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution:
1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860
Legal system:
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10
December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since
10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December
2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held on 28 October 2007 (next election to be held in
2011)
election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER elected president;
percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 45%, Elisa CARRIO
23%, Roberto LAVAGNA 17%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently
one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year
terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected
by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be held in
2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be
held in 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA;
seats by bloc or party - FpV 8, ACyS 14, PJ disidente 2; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or
party - FpV 45, ACyS 42, PRO 20, PJ disidente 12, other 8; note - as
of 13 January 2009, the composition of the entire legislature is as
follows: Senate - seats by bloc or party - FpV 36, ACyS 23, PJ
disidente 9, other 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by bloc or party -
FpV 113, ACyS 77, PRO 26, PJ disidente 17, other 24
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the Supreme Court judges are
appointed by the president with approval of the Senate)
note: the Supreme Court has seven judges; the Argentine Congress in
2006 passed a bill to gradually reduce the number of Supreme Court
judges to five
Political parties and leaders:
Civic and Social Accord or ACyS (a broad center-left
alliance-including the CC, UCR, and Socialist parties-created ahead
of the 2009 legislative elections); Civic Coalition or CC (a broad
coalition loosely affiliated with Elisa CARRIO); Dissident Peronists
or PJ Disidente (a sector of the Justicialist Party opposed to the
Kirchners); Front for Victory or FpV (a broad coalition, including
elements of the UCR and numerous provincial parties) [Cristina
FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition
of approximately 12 parties including PRO); Justicialist Party or PJ
[Daniel SCIOLI]; Radical Civic Union or UCR [Ernesto SANZ];
Republican Proposal or PRO [Mauricio MACRI] (including Federal
Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Esteban BULLRICH]; Socialist Party or
PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]
(associated with the Civic Coalition); numerous provincial parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: