increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and
many towns; China continues to develop its telecommunications
infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand
its global reach; China in the summer of 2008 began a major
restructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in the
consolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, China
Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing both
fixed-line and mobile services
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular
subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users
exceeded 250 million by summer 2008; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables
provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat -
Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2008)
Broadcast media:
all broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Communist
Party of China or a government agency; no privately-owned television
or radio stations with state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and
municipal stations offering more than 2,000 channels; the Central
Propaganda Department lists subjects that are off limits to domestic
broadcast media with the government maintaining authority to approve
all programming; foreign-made TV programs must be approved prior to
broadcast (2008)
Internet country code:
.cn
Internet hosts:
15.251 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 6
Internet users:
389 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
Transportation ::China
Airports:
502 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 15
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 442
over 3,047 m: 63
2,438 to 3,047 m: 137
1,524 to 2,437 m: 132
914 to 1,523 m: 27
under 914 m: 83 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 60
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 27 (2010)
Heliports:
48 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 32,545 km; oil 20,097 km; refined products 10,915 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 77,834 km
country comparison to the world: 3
standard gauge: 77,084 km 1.435-m gauge (24,433 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 750 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 3,583,715 km (includes 53,913 km of expressways) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 2
Waterways:
110,000 km navigable (2010)
country comparison to the world: 1
Merchant marine:
total: 2,010
country comparison to the world: 3
by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 571, cargo 639, carrier 5,
chemical tanker 98, container 204, liquefied gas 55, passenger 9,
passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 271, refrigerated cargo 35,
roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 24
foreign-owned: 18 (Germany 1, Hong Kong 15, Japan 2)
registered in other countries: 1,623 (Bahamas 4, Bangladesh 1,
Belize 64, Bermuda 13, Cambodia 203, Comoros 1, Cyprus 6, France 5,
Georgia 11, Germany 2, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 432, India 1, Indonesia
1, Kiribati 28, Liberia 10, Malta 11, Marshall Islands 16, North
Korea 1, Norway 25, Panama 574, Philippines 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis
1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 82, Sierra Leone 12, Singapore
26, South Korea 9, Thailand 1, Togo 2, Tuvalu 9, UK 7, unknown 59)
(2010)
Ports and terminals:
Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen,
Tianjin
Military ::China
Military branches:
People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes
marines and naval aviation), Air Force (Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun
Kongjun, PLAAF; includes Airborne Forces), and Second Artillery
Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); PLA
Reserve Force (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with
24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service
(all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high
school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs;
in 2010, a decision was made to allow women in combat roles (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 381,747,145
females age 16-49: 360,385,629 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 314,668,817
females age 16-49: 298,745,786 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 10,699,186
female: 9,460,217 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 22
Transnational Issues ::China
Disputes - international:
continuing talks and confidence-building measures work toward
reducing tensions over Kashmir that nonetheless remains militarized
with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai
Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and
Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic
Kashmir lands to China in 1964; China and India continue their
security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to the
dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional
nuclear proliferation, and other matters; China claims most of
India's Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas; lacking any
treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue
negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve
territorial disputes due to cartographic discrepancies; Chinese maps
show an international boundary symbol off the coasts of the littoral
states of the South China Seas, where China has interrupted
Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; China asserts sovereignty over
Scarborough Reef along with the Philippines and Taiwan, and over the
Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan,
Vietnam, and Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties
in the South China Sea" eased tensions in the Spratly's but is not
the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;
Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in
the Spratly's and in March 2005, the national oil companies of
China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine
seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of
the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and
Taiwan continue to reject both Japan's claims to the uninhabited
islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally
declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of
intensive hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation; certain islands
in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North
Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North
Koreans, fleeing privations and oppression, by building a fence
along portions of the border and imprisoning North Koreans deported
by China; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands
at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in
accordance with their 2004 Agreement; China and Tajikistan have
begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation
of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land
boundary was completed in 2009; citing environmental, cultural, and
social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on
the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from
Thailand, remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams
downstream despite regional and international protests; Chinese and
Hong Kong authorities met in March 2008 to resolve ownership and use
of lands recovered in Shenzhen River channelization, including
96-hectare Lok Ma Chau Loop; Hong Kong developing plans to reduce
2,000 out of 2,800 hectares of its restricted Closed Area by 2010
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam); estimated
30,000-50,000 (North Korea)
IDPs: 90,000 (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in
China occurs within the country's borders, but there is also
considerable international trafficking of Chinese citizens to
Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North
America; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises of
legitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexual
exploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan;
women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma,
North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and
prostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leave
their country voluntarily cross the border into China and are then
sold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence
of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in
terms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection of
Chinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimes
punished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of
their being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution or
immigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued to
treat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economic
migrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions in
North Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Government
include the enormous size of its trafficking problem and the
significant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking by
some local government officials (2008)
Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle
region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic consumption of synthetic
drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia; source country
for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors, despite new
regulations on its large chemical industry (2008)
page last updated on January 24, 2011
======================================================================
@Christmas Island (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Christmas Island
Background:
Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed
and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in
the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958.
Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.
Geography ::Christmas Island
Location:
Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:
10 30 S, 105 40 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 135 sq km
country comparison to the world: 221
land: 135 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
138.9 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat
and humidity moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Natural resources:
phosphate, beaches
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a
national park) (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime
hazard
Environment - current issues:
loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
Geography - note:
located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
People ::Christmas Island
Population:
1,402 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 233
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate:
0% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Birth rate:
NA
Death rate:
NA
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
NA (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Total fertility rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island
Ethnic groups:
Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001)
Religions:
Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Languages:
English (official), Chinese, Malay
Literacy:
NA
Government ::Christmas Island
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island
Dependency status:
non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: The Settlement
geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of Australia)
Independence:
none (territory of Australia)
National holiday:
Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution:
Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the
Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Legal system:
under the authority of the governor general of Australia and
Australian law
Suffrage:
18 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Brian LACY (since 5 October 2009)
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by
the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and
Australia
Legislative branch:
unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for
election; last held on 17 October 2009 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
none
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Flag description:
territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly;
the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun
Bird superimposed, the lower triangle is blue with the Southern
Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a
centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island
note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes
National anthem:
note: as a territory of Australia, "Advance Australia Fair" remains
official as the national anthem, while "God Save the Queen" serves
as the royal anthem (see Australia)
Economy ::Christmas Island
Economy - overview:
Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity,
but in December 1987 the Australian government closed the mine. In
1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a
$34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$NA
Labor force:
NA
Agriculture - products:
NA
Industries:
tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
phosphate
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.1151 (2010), 1.2822
(2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006)
Communications ::Christmas Island
Telephones - main lines in use:
NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile-cellular telephone service replaced older
analog system in February 2005
international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1
(Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)
Broadcast media:
1 community radio station; broadcasts of several Australian radio
and television stations are received via satellite (2009)
Internet country code:
.cx
Internet hosts:
2,542 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 149
Internet users:
464 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 216
Transportation ::Christmas Island
Airports:
1 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 235
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)
Railways:
total: 18 km
country comparison to the world: 133
standard gauge: 18 km 1.435-m (not in operation) (2010)
Roadways:
total: 140 km
country comparison to the world: 210
paved: 30 km
unpaved: 110 km (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Flying Fish Cove
Military ::Christmas Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational Issues ::Christmas Island
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on January 12, 2011
======================================================================
@Clipperton Island (North America)
Introduction ::Clipperton Island
Background:
This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a pirate who
made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in
1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually
awarded the island to France, which took possession in 1935.
Geography ::Clipperton Island
Location:
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest
of Mexico
Geographic coordinates:
10 17 N, 109 13 W
Map references:
Political Map of the World
Area:
total: 6 sq km
country comparison to the world: 244
land: 6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
11.1 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season
(May to October)
Terrain:
coral atoll
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (all coral) (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
reef 12 km in circumference
People ::Clipperton Island
Population:
uninhabited
Government ::Clipperton Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Clipperton Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Clipperton
former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion
Dependency status:
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of
Overseas France
Legal system:
the laws of France where applicable apply
Flag description:
the flag of France is used
Economy ::Clipperton Island
Economy - overview:
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial
waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna
fishing.
Transportation ::Clipperton Island
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Clipperton Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues ::Clipperton Island
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on November 17, 2010
======================================================================
@Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Background:
There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING
discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until
the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978, members of the CLUNIE-ROSS
family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local
coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the Cocos Islands were
transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on
the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic
Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island.
Geography ::Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Location:
Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest
of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka
Geographic coordinates:
12 30 S, 96 50 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 14 sq km
country comparison to the world: 240
land: 14 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island
Area - comparative:
about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
26 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds
for about nine months of the year
Terrain:
flat, low-lying coral atolls
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
cyclone season is October to April
Environment - current issues:
fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in
natural underground reservoirs
Geography - note:
islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation;
site of a World War I naval battle in November 1914 between the
Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German raider SMS
Emden; after being heavily damaged in the engagement, the Emden was
beached by her captain on North Keeling Island
People ::Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Population:
596 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 237
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate:
0% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Birth rate:
NA
Death rate:
NA
Net migration rate:
NA
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Total fertility rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander
Ethnic groups:
Europeans, Cocos Malays
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)
Languages:
Malay (Cocos dialect), English
Literacy:
NA
Government ::Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Dependency status:
non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E
time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of Australia)
Independence:
none (territory of Australia)
National holiday:
Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution:
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by
the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Legal system:
based upon the laws of Australia and local laws
Suffrage:
18 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Brian LACY (since 5
October 2009)
cabinet: NA
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by
the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and
Australia
Legislative branch:
unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for
election; last held in May 2007 (next to be held in May 2009)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders: