country comparison to the world: 113
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Natural gas - proved reserves:
62.29 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Current account balance:
-$187 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
-$160.9 million (2009 est.)
Exports:
$4.277 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
$3.535 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish,
karakul skins
Imports:
$5.152 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
$4.519 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment,
chemicals
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.961 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
$2.051 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.373 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
$2.175 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar - 7.57 (2010), 8.4234 (2009),
7.75 (2008), 7.18 (2007), 6.7649 (2006)
Communications ::Namibia
Telephones - main lines in use:
142,100 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 134
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.217 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 142
Telephone system:
general assessment: good system; core fiber-optic network links most
centers and connections are now digital
domestic: multiple mobile-cellular providers with a combined
subscribership of nearly 60 telephones per 100 persons; combined
fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about 65 per 100 persons
international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South
Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to
other neighboring countries; connected to the South African Far East
(SAFE) submarine cable through South Africa; satellite earth
stations - 4 Intelsat (2008)
Broadcast media:
1 private and 1 state-run television station; satellite and cable TV
service is available; state-run radio service broadcasts in multiple
languages; about a dozen private radio stations operating;
transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available
(2007)
Internet country code:
.na
Internet hosts:
76,020 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 80
Internet users:
127,500 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 151
Transportation ::Namibia
Airports:
129 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 46
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 108
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 71
under 914 m: 11 (2010)
Railways:
total: 2,629 km
country comparison to the world: 65
narrow gauge: 2,629 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 64,189 km
country comparison to the world: 72
paved: 5,477 km
unpaved: 58,712 km (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
country comparison to the world: 156
by type: cargo 1 (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Military ::Namibia
Military branches:
Namibian Defense Force (NDF): Army, Navy, Air Force (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: 554,531 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 341,783
females age 16-49: 304,496 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 26,152
female: 25,790 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.7% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 31
Transnational Issues ::Namibia
Disputes - international:
concerns from international experts and local populations over the
Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled
Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along
the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South Africa over
the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has
supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between
Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River,
thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited,
Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 4,700 (Angola) (2007)
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Nauru (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Nauru
Background:
The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language
does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed
by Germany in 1888. Its phosphate deposits began to be mined early
in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was
occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became
a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a
brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It
achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the
world's smallest independent republic.
Geography ::Nauru
Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall
Islands
Geographic coordinates:
0 32 S, 166 55 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 21 sq km
country comparison to the world: 239
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
30 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to
February)
Terrain:
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with
phosphate plateau in center
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect
rainwater but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination
plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly
by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of
Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and
Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
People ::Nauru
Population:
9,267 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 225
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.7% (male 2,482/female 2,384)
15-64 years: 63.2% (male 4,362/female 4,495)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 151/female 145) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.8 years
male: 24 years
female: 23.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.594% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Birth rate:
28.16 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Death rate:
6.15 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Net migration rate:
-16.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 219
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 0.838 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.81 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 157
male: 11.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.99 years
country comparison to the world: 166
male: 60.93 years
female: 68.39 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.13 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups:
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religions:
Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent
Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)
Languages:
Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English
widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 8 years
female: 9 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Nauru
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
local long form: Republic of Nauru
local short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
Government type:
republic
Capital:
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada,
Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence:
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution:
29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968
Legal system:
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of parliament
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by parliament for a three-year term;
election last held on 1 November 2010 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: Marcus STEPHEN reelected in a parliamentary vote
of 11 to 6
Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held on 19 June 2010 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party;
Nauru Party (informal); note - loose multiparty system
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Nauru
Flag description:
blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and
a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side;
blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, the star indicates the country's
location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12
points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
National anthem:
name: "Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)
lyrics/music: Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS
note: adopted 1968
Economy ::Nauru
Economy - overview:
Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of
phosphates now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005
entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies.
Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported,
mainly from Australia its former occupier and later major source of
support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of
income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Reserves of
phosphates may only last until 2010 at current mining rates. In
anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits,
substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds
to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic
future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the
government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has
frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments.
Nauru lost further revenue in 2008 with the closure of Australia's
refugee processing center, making it almost totally dependent on
food imports and foreign aid. Housing, hospitals, and other capital
plant is deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the
government and economy afloat continues to climb. Few comprehensive
statistics on the Nauru economy exist with estimates of Nauru's GDP
varying widely.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$60 million (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force - by occupation:
note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration,
education, and transportation (1992)
Unemployment rate:
90% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Agriculture - products:
coconuts
Industries:
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
31 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - consumption:
28.83 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Oil - imports:
1,026 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Exports:
$64,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
Exports - commodities:
phosphates
Imports:
$20 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
Imports - commodities:
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Debt - external:
$33.3 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.1151 (2010), 1.2822
(2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006)
Communications ::Nauru
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,900 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 225
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,500 (2002)
country comparison to the world: 216
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone
communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Broadcast media:
1 government-owned television station broadcasting programs from New
Zealand sent via satellite or on videotape; 1 government-owned radio
station, broadcasting on AM and FM, utilizes Australian and British
programs (2009)
Internet country code:
.nr
Internet hosts:
4,158 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 140
Transportation ::Nauru
Airports:
1 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 215
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 24 km
country comparison to the world: 219
paved: 24 km (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Nauru
Military ::Nauru
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,682 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,683
females age 16-49: 3,059 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 174
female: 168 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement,
defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational Issues ::Nauru
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on January 12, 2011
======================================================================
@Navassa Island (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Navassa Island
Background:
This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano.
Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in
1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island
transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior.
A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique
preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a
National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have
continued.
Geography ::Navassa Island
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon
Peninsula of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5.4 sq km
country comparison to the world: 245
land: 5.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
8 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
marine, tropical
Terrain:
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by
vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation on southwest side 77 m
Natural resources:
guano
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with
enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees,
scattered cactus
People ::Navassa Island
Population:
uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government ::Navassa Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Dependency status:
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the
Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the
Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico;
in September 1996 the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance
of Navassa Island Light a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern
side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced
against the island
Legal system:
the laws of the US where applicable apply
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of the US)
Flag description:
the flag of the US is used
Economy ::Navassa Island
Economy - overview:
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge
waters.
Communications ::Navassa Island
Broadcast media:
no television or radio broadcast stations (2009)
Transportation ::Navassa Island
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Navassa Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues ::Navassa Island
Disputes - international:
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
page last updated on November 17, 2010
======================================================================
@Nepal (South Asia)
Introduction ::Nepal
Background:
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule
by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of
government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy
within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led
by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing ten-year civil
war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the
dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute
power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were
followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists
and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace
accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a
nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent
Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished
the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The
Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July.
The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent
Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but
resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a decision to
fire the chief of the army staff. The Communist Party of
Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist and the Nepali Congress party then
formed a new coalition government with several smaller parties. In
June 2010, the prime minister resigned but, as of December 2010,
continued to lead a caretaker government while the parties debate
who should lead the next government. Disagreements among the
political parties over issues such as the future of former Maoist
combatants has hindered the drafting of a new constitution -- due in
May 2011 -- and the formal conclusion of the peace process.
Geography ::Nepal
Location:
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 147,181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 93
land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical
summers and mild winters in south
Terrain:
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of
lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated land:
11,700 sq km (2003)