the most trade with Russia, has been slowly rebounding from the 1998
Russian financial crisis. High unemployment, at 12.5% in 2001, and weak
consumption have held back recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented
toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade
Organization and has moved ahead with plans to join the EU. Privatization
of the large, state-owned utilities, particularly in the energy sector,
is underway.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $27.4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9% industry: 32% services: 59%
(2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 25.6% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.5 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 30%, agriculture 20%, services 50%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12.5% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.59 billion expenditures: $1.77 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television
sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding
(small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers,
agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components,
computers, amber
Industrial production growth rate: 15% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 10.966 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 20.16% hydro: 3.06%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 76.78%
Electricity - consumption: 6.898 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 6.3 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 3 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables;
beef, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: mineral products 21%, textiles and clothing 19%,
machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 8%, wood and wood products 6%,
foodstuffs 4% (2000)
Exports - partners: Latvia 15%, Germany 14%, UK 8%, Russia 7%, Ukraine 5%
(2000)
Imports: $5.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: mineral products 23%, machinery and equipment 16%,
chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, transport equipment 9% (2000)
Imports - partners: Russia 28%, Germany 15%, Poland 5%, France 4%, UK 4%
(2000)
Debt - external: $3.6 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $228.5 million (1995)
Currency: litas (LTL)
Currency code: LTL
Exchange rates: litai per US dollar - 4.000 (fixed rate since 1 May
1994); note - litai is the plural of litas; effective 2 February 2002
the litas are pegged to the euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Lithuania
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.142 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 500,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized
to provide an improved international capability and better residential
access domestic: completion; rural exchanges are being improved and
expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the
Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber
applications international: to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine
cable for further transmission by satellite
Radio broadcast stations: AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: 1.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 27 note: Lithuania has approximately
27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters,
including repeater stations (2001)
Televisions: 1.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: .lt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 32 (2001)
Internet users: 341,000 (2001)
Transportation Lithuania
Railways: total: 1,998 km broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km
electrified) narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (2001) standard gauge:
22 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways: total: 44,000 km paved: 35,500 km unpaved: 8,500 km (2001)
Waterways: 600 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: crude oil, 105 km; natural gas 760 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda
Merchant marine: total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 279,743
GRT/304,156 DWT ships by type: cargo 25, combination bulk 8, petroleum
tanker 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2,
short-sea passenger 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered
here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 13 (2002 est.)
Airports: 72 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m:
4 under 914 m: 3 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 63 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to
1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 55 (2001)
Military Lithuania
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force,
National Volunteer Defense Forces (SKAT)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 933,638 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 733,415
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 28,506
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $230.8 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Lithuania
Disputes - international: the Russian Duma has not ratified 1997
boundary treaty; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998
maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over
oil exploration rights
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs
from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe
and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Liberia
Introduction
Liberia
Background: Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in
1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were
held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real
political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of
most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled
domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the
social and economic structure of this war-torn country. In 2001, the UN
imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds along with an army embargo and
a travel ban on government officials for Liberia's support of the rebel
insurgency in Sierra Leone.
Geography Liberia
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 111,370 sq km water: 15,050 sq km land: 96,320 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km,
Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Coastline: 579 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to
cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau
and low mountains in northeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point:
Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 2% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to March)
Environment - current issues: tropical rain forest deforestation;
soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from
oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is
characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars;
the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
People Liberia
Population: 3,288,198 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 714,563; female 709,582) 15-64
years: 53.2% (male 854,324; female 894,753) 65 years and over: 3.5%
(male 57,925; female 57,051) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.91% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 45.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -10.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: by the end
of 1999, all Liberian refugees who had fled the domestic strife were
assumed to have returned (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.02 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 130.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 53.33 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 6.29 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 125,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 13,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality: noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian
Ethnic groups: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa,
Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella),
Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had
been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the
Caribbean who had been slaves)
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages,
of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 38.3% male: 53.9% female: 22.4% (1995 est.) note: these
figures are increasing because of the improving school system
Government Liberia
Country name: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Government
type: republic
Capital: Monrovia
Administrative divisions: 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gparbolu, Grand
Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe
Independence: 26 July 1847
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Constitution: 6 January 1986
Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American
common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR
(since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government head of government: President Charles Ghankay
TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular
vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997
(next to be held NA July 2003) election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR
elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%,
Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate
(26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms)
and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 19 July
1997 (next to be held NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19
July 1997 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1;
note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and
the Liberia Unification Party or LUP
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP
[David KORTIE]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [George BORWAH]; Liberian
Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian National Union or LINU
[Victor MOMOH]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; National
Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac D. DIKENAH]; National Patriotic
Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; People's Progressive Party
or PPP [Weah A. WEAH]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [James THOMAS];
True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN]; United People's Party or UPP
[Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador William V. S. BULL
consulate(s) general: Washington, DC 20011
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Bismarck MYRICK embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098,
Mamba Point, Monrovia mailing address: use
[231] 226-370 through 226-380 FAX:
Flag description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)
alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue
square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag
Economy Liberia
Economy - overview: A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's
economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many
businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with
them. Some returned; many will not return. Richly endowed with water,
mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture,
Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while
local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The
democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited
massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its
maritime registry and timber industry to provide the bulk of its foreign
exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising
of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound
macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including
the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a
low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes and
containment of armed rebellion.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.6 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60% industry: 10% services:
30% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22%
(2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 70%
Budget: revenues: $85.4 million expenditures: $90.5 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: 450 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 418.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca),
palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Exports: $55 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
Exports - partners: Belgium 38.5%, Germany 17.6%, Italy 6.0%, US 5.8%
(2000)
Imports: $170 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation
equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 29.1%, South Korea 20.6%, Japan 15.8%,
Singapore 8.4% (2000)
Debt - external: $2.1 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $94 million (1999)
Currency: Liberian dollar (LRD)
Currency code: LRD
Exchange rates: Liberian dollars per US dollar - 46.0400 (December
2001), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (2000), 41.9025 (1999), 41.5075 (1998),
1.0000 (officially fixed rate 1940-97); market exchange rate: Liberian
dollars per US dollar - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995) note:
until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the
US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Liberia
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,700 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone and telegraph service
via microwave radio
NA international:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios: 790,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
Televisions: 70,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .lr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2001)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Transportation Liberia
Railways: total: 490 km (328 km single-track) standard gauge: 345 km
1.435-m gauge note: in 1989, Liberia had three rail systems owned and
operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with
the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in
1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by
the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled;
approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap (2001)
narrow gauge: Highways: total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943
km note: there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains
and lack of maintenance (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia
Merchant marine: total: 1,513 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
51,912,244 GRT/79,297,046 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 9, Australia 2,
Austria 15, Belgium 9, Brazil 5, Canada 4, Cayman Islands 1, Chile 7,
China 39, Croatia 11, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Estonia 1, Germany 437,
Greece 154, Hong Kong 69, India 5, Indonesia 1, Israel 1, Italy 5,
Japan 90, Latvia 20, Man, Isle of 5, Monaco 56, Netherlands 12, New
Zealand 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 103, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Russia 66,
Saudi Arabia 21, Singapore 20, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, South Korea
10, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 17, Taiwan 29, Turkey 3, Ukraine 4,
United Arab Emirates 12, United Kingdom 39, United States 113, Uruguay 3,
Vietnam 1 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 16, combination ore/oil 32,
container 318, liquefied gas 99, multi-functional large-load carrier 4,
passenger 23, petroleum tanker 302, refrigerated cargo 69, roll on/roll
off 20, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 42
Airports: 47 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to
1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 35 (2001)
Military Liberia
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 729,469 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 393,028
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.8 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Liberia
Disputes - international: rebels and refugees contribute to border
instabilities with Sierra Leone
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian
heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Slovakia
Introduction
Slovakia
Background: In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form
Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became
a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence
collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks
and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Historic,
political, and geographic factors have caused Slovakia to experience
more difficulty in developing a modern market economy than some of its
Central European neighbors.
Geography Slovakia
Location: Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N, 19 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 48,845 sq km water: 45 sq km land: 48,800 sq km
Area - comparative: about twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries: total: 1,524 km border countries: Austria 91 km,
Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands
in the south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point:
Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m
Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore,
copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land
Land use: arable land: 31% permanent crops: 3% other: 66% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants
presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; most of the country is rugged and
mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many
scenic lakes and valleys
People Slovakia
Population: 5,422,366 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 508,256; female 484,739) 15-64
years: 70.1% (male 1,888,705; female 1,910,842) 65 years and over: 11.6%
(male 237,770; female 392,054) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.14% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 10.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 78.41 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak