involved in complex dispute with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, and Vietnam over the Spratly Islands, and with China
and the Philippines over Scarborough Reef; the 2002 "Declaration on
the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions
but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by
several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China,
but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became
more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited
islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally
declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all
parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Tajikistan
in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence
demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of
2002; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove
minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with
Kyrgyzstan
Tanzania
Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees,
more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international
community's efforts at repatriation; disputes with Malawi over the
boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River
remain dormant
Thailand
separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim
southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia
to stem terrorist activities; Southeast Asian states have enhanced
border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue
on completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over
several islands in the Mekong River; despite continuing border
committee talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic
rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities, and as of
2006, over 116,000 Karen, Hmong, and other refugees and asylum
seekers from Burma; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of
historic boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims
Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access
to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in
1962; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing
the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween river near the border with Burma; in
2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt
construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through
China, Burma, and Thailand
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved
all but some sections of border along Timor-Leste's Oecussi exclave;
maritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolved; many refugees
who left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse
repatriation; in 2007, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a 50-year
development zone and revenue sharing agreement in lieu of a maritime
boundary
Togo
in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint
commission continues to resurvey the boundary; in 2006, 14,000
Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who
fled there in 2005
Tokelau
Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega) in
its 2006 draft constitution
Tonga
none
Trinidad and Tobago
in April 2006, the Permanent Court of
Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary
with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing
agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish
in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados
and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international
arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of
Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into
Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include
itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela
maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well
Tunisia
none
Turkey
complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece
in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria
and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper
Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of
Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over
Nagorno-Karabakh
Turkmenistan
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field
demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but
Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran,
and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate
the sea's waters and seabed
Turks and Caicos Islands
have received Haitians fleeing economic and
civil disorder
Tuvalu
none
Uganda
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic
groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces
that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese,
27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan
refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek
shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's
Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages
across the border
Ukraine
1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains
un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation
and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with
Russia is complete with preparations for demarcation underway; the
dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the
Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December
2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions;
Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit
of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria
Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; the ICJ gave Ukraine
until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to rejoin,
in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered
Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary;
Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the
Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea
United Arab Emirates
boundary agreement was signed and ratified with
Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula
and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed
maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE
dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies
United Kingdom
in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between
the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal
participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves
of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and
Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean
Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965;
most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK
citizenship, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High
Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council
that banned habitation on the islands; UK rejects sovereignty talks
requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands
(Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)
overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim;
Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe
Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
United States
the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures
and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico,
to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and
commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in
recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has
ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990
Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian
Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at
Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the
disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; The Bahamas and US have
not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at
Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US
abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims
US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in
Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not
recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims
Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among
the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
none
Uruguay
in Jan 2007, ICJ provisionally ruled Uruguay may begin
construction of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms
the border with Argentina, while the court examines further whether
Argentina has the legal right to stop such construction with
potential environmental implications to both countries; two
uncontested boundary disputes with Brazil over Isla Brasilera at the
tripoint with Argentina at the confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and
Uruguay rivers, and, in the 235 square kilometer Invernada River
region, over which tributary represents the legitimate source of the
Quarai/Cuareim River
Uzbekistan
prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan
and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya
river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan
commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with
Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other
areas
Vanuatu
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by
Vanuatu and France
Venezuela
claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in
Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has
expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that
Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into
their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and
Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of
Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary
activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an
estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities
along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands
recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby
claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large
portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest
Venezuela's full effect claim
Vietnam
southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to
check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese
squatters and armed encroachments along border; an estimated 300,000
Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime
boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the
sovereignty of offshore islands; the decade-long demarcation of the
China-Vietnam land boundary was completed in 2009; China occupies
the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in
complex dispute with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and
Taiwan over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but
falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by
several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction
of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national
oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint
accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands
Virgin Islands
none
Wake Island
claimed by Marshall Islands
Wallis and Futuna
none
West Bank
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier
along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel
withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August
2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem,
monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region
Western Sahara
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose
sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has
remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN
Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts
to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected
all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic
relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by
the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize
Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately
102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
World
stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 322 international land
boundaries separate 194 independent states and 71 dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities;
ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states
into separate political entities as much as history, physical
terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes
arbitrary and imposed boundaries; most maritime states have claimed
limits that include territorial seas and exclusive economic zones;
overlapping limits due to adjacent or opposite coasts create the
potential for 430 bilateral maritime boundaries of which 209 have
agreements that include contiguous and non-contiguous segments;
boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in
intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized;
undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries tend to
encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration,
and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical
and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource
competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible
for much of the territorial fragmentation and internal displacement
of the estimated 6.6 million people and cross-border displacements
of 8.6 million refugees around the world as of early 2006; just over
one million refugees were repatriated in the same period; other
sources of contention include access to water and mineral
(especially hydrocarbon) resources, fisheries, and arable land;
armed conflict prevails not so much between the uniformed armed
forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities
that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations,
leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees,
hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation
Yemen
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security
barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to
stem illegal cross-border activities
Zambia
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
Zimbabwe
Botswana built electric fences and South Africa has placed
military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of
Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution;
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
======================================================================
@2075
Field Listing :: Ethnic groups
This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups starting
with the largest and normally includes the percent of total
population.
Country
Ethnic groups(%)
Afghanistan
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%,
Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
Albania
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,
Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Algeria
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the
minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the
mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also
Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural
heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for
autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has
offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools
American Samoa
native Pacific islander 91.6%, Asian 2.8%, white
1.1%, mixed 4.2%, other 0.3% (2000 census)
Andorra
Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other
6% (1998)
Angola
Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed
European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Anguilla
black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%,
other 1.5% (2001 census)
Antigua and Barbuda
black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9%
(2001 census)
Argentina
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed
white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white
groups 3%
Armenia
Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3%
(2001 census)
Aruba
mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%
Australia
white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Austria
Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians,
Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or
unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
Azerbaijan
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%,
other 3.9% (1999 census)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region
Bahamas, The
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Bahrain
Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
Bangladesh
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups,
non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Barbados
black 93%, white 3.2%, mixed 2.6%, East Indian 1%, other
0.2% (2000 census)
Belarus
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian
2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
Belgium
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Belize
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other
9.7% (2000 census)
Benin
Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and
related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%,
Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and
related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9%
(2002 census)
Bermuda
black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%,
unspecified 0.4% (2000 census)
Bhutan
Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of
several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Bolivia
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry)
30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other
0.6% (2000)
note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid
confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam
Botswana
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other,
including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Brazil
white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black
6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified
0.7% (2000 census)
British Virgin Islands
black 82%, white 6.8%, other 11.2% (includes
Indian and mixed) (2008)
Brunei
Malay 66.3%, Chinese 11.2%, indigenous 3.4%, other 19.1%
(2004 est.)
Bulgaria
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including
Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)
Burkina Faso
Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes
Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)
Burma
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian
2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
Burundi
Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%,
Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Cambodia
Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Cameroon
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%,
Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other
African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Canada
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European
15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed
background 26%
Cape Verde
Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Cayman Islands
mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of
various ethnic groups 20%
Central African Republic
Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%,
Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%
Chad
Sara 27.7%, Arab 12.3%, Mayo-Kebbi 11.5%, Kanem-Bornou 9%,
Ouaddai 8.7%, Hadjarai 6.7%, Tandjile 6.5%, Gorane 6.3%, Fitri-Batha
4.7%, other 6.4%, unknown 0.3% (1993 census)
Chile
white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous
groups 0.6% (2002 census)
China
Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia,
Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other
nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)
Christmas Island
Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Europeans, Cocos Malays
Colombia
mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed
black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Comoros
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
over 200 African ethnic groups of
which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba,
Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about
45% of the population
Congo, Republic of the
Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%,
Europeans and other 3%
Cook Islands
Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island
Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)
Costa Rica
white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%,
Chinese 1%, other 1%
Cote d'Ivoire
Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes
16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000
Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)
Croatia
Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak,
Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)
Cuba
white 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002
census)
Cyprus
Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)
Czech Republic
Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4%
(2001 census)
Denmark
Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian,
Somali
Djibouti
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab,
Ethiopian, and Italian)
Dominica
black 86.8%, mixed 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%,
other 0.7% (2001 census)
Dominican Republic
mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%
Ecuador
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%,
Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Egypt
Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)
El Salvador
mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%
Equatorial Guinea
Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%,
Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census)
Eritrea
nine recognized ethnic groups: Tigrinya 55%, Tigre 30%, Saho
4%, Kunama 2%, Rashaida 2%, Bilen 2%, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera)
5% (2010 est.)
Estonia
Estonian 68.7%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian
1.2%, Finn 0.8%, other 1.6% (2008 census)
Ethiopia
Oromo 34.5%, Amara 26.9%, Somalie 6.2%, Tigraway 6.1%,
Sidama 4%, Guragie 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Affar 1.7%, Gamo
1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, other 11.3% (2007 Census)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
British
Faroe Islands
Scandinavian