EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Arman
KIRAKOSIAN consulate(s) general: Los
[1] (202) 319-1976 chancery:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John
M. ORDWAY embassy: 18 Baghramyan Ave., Yerevan 375019 mailing address:
American Embassy Yerevan, Department of
[374](1) 521-611, 543-900 FAX:
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue,
and orange
Economy Armenia
Economy - overview: Under the old Soviet central planning system,
Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine
tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in
exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the
USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture
away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The
agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated
technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but
has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia
is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (gold, bauxite) are small.
The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated
region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed
economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe
economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian
Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic program
that has resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2001. Armenia also
managed to slash inflation and to privatize most small- and medium-sized
enterprises. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in recent
years have been largely offset by the energy supplied by one of its
nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has
been offset somewhat by international aid, domestic restructuring of
the economy, and foreign direct investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,350 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 29% industry: 32% services:
39% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 55% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 35.2% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 1.4 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 44%, services 14%, industry 42%
(2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% note: official rate is 10.9% for 2000 (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $358 million expenditures: $458 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines,
electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric,
chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, gem cutting, jewelry
manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2001)
Electricity - production: 5.69 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.34% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 32.34% hydro: 31.32%
Electricity - consumption: 4.89 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 704 million kWh note: exports an unknown quantity
to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan
(2000)
Electricity - imports: 300 million kWh note: imports an unknown quantity
from Iran (2000)
Agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Exports: $338.5 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and equipment,
brandy, copper ore
Exports - partners: Belgium 23%, Russia 15%, US 13%, Iran 10% (2000)
Imports: $868.6 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products,
foodstuffs, diamonds
Imports - partners: Russia 15%, US 12%, Belgium 10%, Iran 9% (2000)
Debt - external: $839 million (June 2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $245.5 million (1995)
Currency: dram (AMD)
Currency code: AMD
Exchange rates: drams per US dollar - 564.08 (January 2002), 555.08
(2001), 539.53 (2000), 535.06 (1999), 504.92 (1998), 490.85 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Armenia
Telephones - main lines in use: 568,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 25,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: system inadequate; now 90%
privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic:
the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan
(this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: Yerevan
is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran;
additional international service is available by microwave radio relay
and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by
satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 850,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters)
(1998)
Televisions: 825,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .am
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2001)
Internet users: 30,000 (2001)
Transportation Armenia
Railways: total: 852 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines broad gauge: 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified)
(2001 est.)
Highways: total: 11,300 km paved: 10,500 km (includes some all-weather
gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 800 km (these roads are made of
unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Waterways: NA km
Pipelines: natural gas 900 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 7 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Military Armenia
Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guards
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 912,650 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 722,035
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 34,998
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $135 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.5% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Armenia
Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists
in Nagorno-Karabakh and militarily occupies almost one-fifth of Azerbaijan
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to
mediate dispute; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute; traditional demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey
have subsided
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis mostly for domestic
consumption; increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit
drugs - mostly opium and hashish - to Western Europe and the US via Iran,
Central Asia, and Russia
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Andorra
Introduction
Andorra
Background: Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra has
achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist
industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the
thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
Geography Andorra
Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 468 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 120.3 km border countries: France 56.6 km,
Spain 63.7 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m highest point: Coma
Pedrosa 2,946 m
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% other: 98% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: avalanches
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain
meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment
and solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads
in the Pyrenees
People Andorra
Population: 68,403 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 5,456; female 4,951) 15-64 years:
71.9% (male 25,855; female 23,311) 65 years and over: 12.9% (male 4,425;
female 4,405) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.11% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 9.97 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5.57 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1 male(s)/female total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 86.58 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.26 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran
Ethnic groups: Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%,
other 6% (1998)
Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)
Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian
Literacy: definition: NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA%
Government Andorra
Country name: Principality of Andorra conventional short form:
Government type: parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains
as its heads of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president
of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally
by coprinces' representatives
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia);
Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Escaldes-Engordany,
Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria
Independence: 1278 (was formed under the joint suzerainty of France
and Spain)
National holiday: Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278)
Constitution: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991;
approved by referendum 14 March 1993; came into force 4 May 1993
Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC
(since 17 May 1995), represented by Frederic de SAINT-SERNIN (since
NA); Spanish Coprince Episcopal Monseigneur Joan MARTI Alanis (since 31
January 1971), represented by Nemesi MARQUES OSTE (since NA) elections:
Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally
appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 4
March 2001 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: Marc FORNE Molne
elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote -
NA% cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive
Council president head of government: Executive Council President Marc
FORNE Molne (since 21 December 1994)
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell
General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each
of the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held
4 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2005) election results: percent
of vote by party - PLA 46.1%, PSD 30%, PD 23.8%, other 0.1%; seats by
party - PLA 15, PSD 6, PD 5, independents 2
Judicial branch: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of
the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or
Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or
Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal;
Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or PD (formerly part of
National Democratic Group or AND) [leader NA]; Liberal Party of Andorra
or PLA [Marc Forne MOLNE] (used to be Liberal Union or UL); National
Democratic Initiative or IDN [Vincenc MATEU Zamora]; New Democracy or ND
[Jaume BARTOMEU Cassany]; Social Democratic Party or PSD (formerly part
of National Democratic Group of AND) [leader NA]; Union of the People
of Ordino (Unio Parroquial d'Ordino) or UPO [Simo DURO Coma] note:
there are two other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: CCC, CE, ECE, ICAO, ICRM,
IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA chancery: 2 United
Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630
telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US
interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office
in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: 280-2227; FAX: (3493) 205-7705
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow
band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags
of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the
center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem
Economy Andorra
Economy - overview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do
economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists
visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer
and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded
as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up,
providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking
sector, with its "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to
the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land
is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock
activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of
cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs
Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods
(no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2000)
Labor force: 33,000 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services 78%
(2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues: $385 million expenditures: $342 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber,
tobacco, banking
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA% other: NA% nuclear:
NA% hydro: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh note: most electricity supplied by Spain
and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower
Agriculture - products: small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley,
oats, vegetables; sheep
Exports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: tobacco products, furniture
Exports - partners: France 34%, Spain 58% (1998)
Imports: $1.077 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, food, electricity
Imports - partners: Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (1998)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: euro (EUR); French franc (FRF); Spanish peseta (ESP)
Currency code: EUR; FRF; ESP
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar -
5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997); Spanish pesetas per US dollar - 149.40
(1998), 146.41 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Andorra
Telephones - main lines in use: 32,946 (December 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,117 (December 1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with
microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international:
landline circuits to France and Spain
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 27,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ad
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 24,500 (2001)
Transportation Andorra
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 269 km paved: 198 km unpaved: 71 km (1994 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: none (2001)
Military Andorra
Military branches: no regular military forces, but there is a police
force
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Transnational Issues Andorra
Disputes - international: border is undemarcated in sections
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Angola
Introduction
Angola
Background: Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence
from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for
the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed
forces. A national unity government was installed in April of 1997, but
serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of
people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in fighting
over the past quarter century. The death of Jonas SAVIMBI and a cease
fire with UNITA may bode well for the country.
Geography Angola
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 18 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,198 km border countries: Democratic Republic
of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous
Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km,
Zambia 1,110 km
Coastline: 1,600 km
Maritime claims: 200 NM territorial sea: Climate: semiarid in south
and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October)
and hot, rainy season (November to April)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point:
Morro de Moco 2,620 m
Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper,
feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 1% other: 97% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on
the plateau
Environment - current issues: overuse of pastures and subsequent
soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification;
deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international
demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in
loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and
siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Cabinda is separated from rest of country by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
People Angola
Population: 10,593,171 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 2,318,326; female 2,272,726)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 2,904,595; female 2,806,430) 65 years and over:
2.8% (male 131,316; female 159,778) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.18% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 46.18 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 24.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 191.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 40.18 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 6.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.78% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 160,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 15,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Angolan(s) adjective: Angolan
Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed
European and Native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%
(1998 est.)
Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 42% male: 56% female: 28% (1998 est.)
Government Angola
Country name: Republic of Angola conventional short form: local long
form: Republica de Angola
Government type: republic, nominally a multiparty democracy with a
strong presidential system
Capital: Luanda
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte,
Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul,
Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire
Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 11 November (1975)
Constitution: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980,
6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992
Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;
recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use
of free markets
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal