controls over major economic activities. It possesses about 20% of
the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter
of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector
accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of
export earnings. Saudi Arabia is encouraging the growth of the
private sector in order to diversify its economy and to employ more
Saudi nationals. Diversification efforts are focusing on power
generation, telecommunications, natural gas exploration, and
petrochemical sectors. Almost 6 million foreign workers play an
important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and
service sectors, while Riyadh is struggling to reduce unemployment
among its own nationals. Saudi officials are particularly focused on
employing its large youth population, which generally lacks the
education and technical skills the private sector needs. Riyadh has
substantially boosted spending on job training and education, most
recently with the opening of the King Abdallah University of Science
and Technology - Saudi Arabia's first co-educational university. As
part of its effort to attract foreign investment, Saudi Arabia
acceded to the WTO in December 2005 after many years of
negotiations. The government has begun establishing six "economic
cities" in different regions of the country to promote foreign
investment and plans to spend $373 billion between 2010 and 2014 on
social development and infrastructure projects to advance Saudi
Arabia's economic development.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$622.5 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
$599.7 billion (2009 est.)
$599.1 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$434.4 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
0.1% (2009 est.)
4.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$24,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
$23,700 (2009 est.)
$24,000 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 61.9%
services: 35.4% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
7.337 million
country comparison to the world: 62
note: about 80% of the labor force is non-national (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 21.4%
services: 71.9% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
10.5% (2009 est.)
note: data are for Saudi males only (local bank estimates; some
estimates range as high as 25%)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
24.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
Public debt:
16.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
22.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.7% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
5.1% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
2.5% (31 December 2008)
NA% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA%
Stock of narrow money:
$166.9 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 20
$139.1 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$286.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
$274.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$11.24 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
$2.248 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$318.8 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 23
$246.3 billion (31 December 2008)
$515.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens,
eggs, milk
Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals,
ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement,
fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial
aircraft repair, construction
Industrial production growth rate:
3.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
Electricity - production:
179.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - consumption:
165.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
9.764 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Oil - consumption:
2.43 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Oil - exports:
8.728 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Oil - imports:
79,250 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Oil - proved reserves:
264.6 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - production:
77.1 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
Natural gas - consumption:
77.1 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
Natural gas - proved reserves:
7.461 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Current account balance:
$52.03 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$22.77 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$235.3 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
$192.3 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 90%
Exports - partners:
Japan 15.33%, South Korea 12.71%, US 12.2%, China 10.38%, India
7.12%, Taiwan 4.54%, Singapore 4.25% (2009)
Imports:
$99.17 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
$87.1 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles,
textiles
Imports - partners:
US 12.32%, China 12.06%, Germany 7.67%, Japan 6.15%, South Korea
5.32%, India 4.99%, UK 4.72%, France 4.05% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$456.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$410.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$82.92 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
$72.77 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$204.3 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
$167 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$18 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
$11.41 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals (SAR) per US dollar - 3.75 (2010), 3.75 (2009), 3.75
(2008), 3.745 (2007), 3.745 (2006)
Communications ::Saudi Arabia
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.171 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 36
Telephones - mobile cellular:
44.864 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 27
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system including a combination of
extensive microwave radio relays, coaxial cables, and fiber-optic
cables
domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly
international: country code - 966; landing point for the
international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe
(FLAG) and for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable
networks providing connectivity to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and
US; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE,
Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; satellite
earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1
Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) (2008)
Broadcast media:
broadcast media are state-controlled; state-run TV operates 4
networks; Saudi Arabia is a major market for pan-Arab satellite TV
broadcasters; state-run radio operates several networks; multiple
international broadcasters are available (2007)
Internet country code:
.sa
Internet hosts:
488,598 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 51
Internet users:
9.774 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 30
Transportation ::Saudi Arabia
Airports:
217 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 27
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 81
over 3,047 m: 33
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 136
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 71
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 16 (2010)
Heliports:
9 (2010)
Pipelines:
condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil
4,241 km; refined products 1,148 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 1,392 km
country comparison to the world: 83
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and
sidings) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 221,372 km
country comparison to the world: 23
paved: 47,529 km (includes 3,891 km of expressways)
unpaved: 173,843 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 74
country comparison to the world: 58
by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 22, container 4, liquefied gas 2,
passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 3, roll
on/roll off 8
foreign-owned: 15 (Egypt 1, Greece 4, Kuwait 4, UAE 6)
registered in other countries: 55 (Bahamas 16, Dominica 3, Liberia
24, Norway 3, Panama 8) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Military ::Saudi Arabia
Military branches:
Ministry of Defense and Aviation Forces: Royal Saudi Land Forces,
Royal Saudi Naval Forces (includes Marine Forces and Special
Forces), Royal Saudi Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya
as-Sa'udiya), Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Strategic
Rocket Forces, Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,752,167
females age 16-49: 6,680,315 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,560,216
females age 16-49: 5,773,033 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 280,041
female: 269,580 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
10% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Transnational Issues ::Saudi Arabia
Disputes - international:
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier
along sections of the now fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem
illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue
discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; Saudi Arabia claims
Egyptian-administered islands of Tiran and Sanafir
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 240,015 (Palestinian Territories)
(2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination country for workers
from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to conditions that
constitute involuntary servitude including being subjected to
physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and
withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement;
domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some are
confined to the house in which they work unable to seek help; Saudi
Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni,
Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked
for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some
Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for
commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not
making significant efforts to do so; the government continues to
lack adequate anti-trafficking laws and, despite evidence of
widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal
prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking
crimes committed against foreign domestic workers (2008)
Illicit drugs:
death penalty for traffickers; improving anti-money-laundering
legislation and enforcement
page last updated on January 13, 2011
======================================================================
@Senegal (Africa)
Introduction ::Senegal
Background:
The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in
1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960.
The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The
Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The
envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out,
and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic
Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist
insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace
deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal
remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal was
ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until current President
Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was reelected in February
2007 and has amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to
increase executive power and to weaken the opposition, part of the
President's increasingly autocratic governing style. Senegal has a
long history of participating in international peacekeeping and
regional mediation.
Geography ::Senegal
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 196,722 sq km
country comparison to the world: 87
land: 192,530 sq km
water: 4,192 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau
338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
531 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:
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong
southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot,
dry, harmattan wind
Terrain:
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m
Natural resources:
fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 12.51%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 87.25% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,200 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
39.4 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.22 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%)
per capita: 190 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost
an enclave within Senegal
People ::Senegal
Population:
12,323,252 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 2,911,324/female 2,877,804)
15-64 years: 54.8% (male 3,728,664/female 3,786,000)
65 years and over: 3% (male 190,343/female 217,462) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.9 years
male: 17.1 years
female: 18.7 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.579% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
Birth rate:
37.27 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Death rate:
9.49 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Net migration rate:
-1.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Urbanization:
urban population: 42% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 57.7 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 36
male: 64.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.38 years
country comparison to the world: 189
male: 57.48 years
female: 61.34 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.86 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
67,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever,
malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese
Ethnic groups:
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%,
Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs
1%
Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 39.3%
male: 51.1%
female: 29.2% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 7 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.1% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 64
Government ::Senegal
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal
local short form: Senegal
former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis,
Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence:
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved
upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution:
adopted 7 January 2001
Legal system:
based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the
government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Soulayemane Ndene NDIAYE (since 1
May 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last
held on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president; percent of
vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG
13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other 9.7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate, reinstituted in 2007,
(100 seats; 35 members indirectly elected and 65 members appointed
by the president) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
(150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote and 60 elected
by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year
terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 19 August 2007 (next to be held -
NA); National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held
in 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to
postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006;
legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25
February 2007 presidential elections and later for 3 June 2007; the
election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including the
former ruling Socialist Party, which resulted in a record-low 35%
voter turnout
election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 appointed by the president;
National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or
Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders:
African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance for the
Republic-Yakaar [Macky Sall]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP
[Moustapha NIASSE]; And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and
Socialism or AJ/PADS [Landing SAVANE]; Democratic League-Labor Party
Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and
Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE];
Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor
Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]; National
Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]; People's Labor Party or PTP
[El Hadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; Rewmi Party
[Idrissa Seck]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition
[Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for Democratic
Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides
and Tidjanes; teachers
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),
WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Fatou Danielle DIAGNE
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcia S. BERNICAT
embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar
telephone: [221] 33-829-2100
FAX: [221] 33-822-2991
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural
wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the
star denotes unity and hope
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors
from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the
reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea
National anthem:
name: "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Pluck Your
Koras, Strike the Balafons)
lyrics/music: Leopold Sedar SENGHOR/Herbert PEPPER
note: adopted 1960; the lyrics were written by Leopold Sedar
SENGHOR, Senegal"s first president; the anthem is sometimes played
incorporating the Koras (harp-like stringed instruments) and
Balafons (types of xylophones) mentioned in the title
Economy ::Senegal
Economy - overview: