highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (2001 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: most people are employed in agriculture
and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for
less than one-fourth of the labor force
Unemployment rate: 30% (1995 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale
production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing;
handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 3.2 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 2.976 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly
narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats,
cattle, camels), poultry; fish
Exports: $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish
Exports - partners: Thailand 34%, China 26%, South Korea 14%, Singapore
9%, Japan 3%, Saudi Arabia 3% (1999)
Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 10%, UAE 8%, France 7%, US 7%, Italy 6%
(1999)
Debt - external: $4.7 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $176.1 million (1995)
Currency: Yemeni rial (YER)
Currency code: YER
Exchange rates: Yemeni rials per US dollar - 171.860 (December 2001),
168.678 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999), 135.882 (1998), 129.281
(1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Yemen
Telephones - main lines in use: 291,359 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 32,042 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: since unification in 1990,
efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and
1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 1.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus several low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 470,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ye
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 14,000 (2001)
Transportation Yemen
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 69,263 km paved: 9,963 km unpaved: 59,300 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km
Ports and harbors: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa,
Mocha, Nishtun
Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,002
GRT/23,752 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 note: includes
some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:
Hong Kong 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 49 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047
m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to
3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 4 (2001)
Military Yemen
Military branches: Army (includes Special Forces, established in 1999),
Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard
Military manpower - military age: 14 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,272,156 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,397,914
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 238,690
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $482.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.2% (FY01)
Military - note: establishement of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001,
has been delayed
Transnational Issues Yemen
Disputes - international: demarcation of delimited boundary with
Saudi Arabia involves nomadic tribal affiliations; Yemen has asserted
traditional fishing rights to islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Zambia
Introduction
Zambia
Background: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by
the South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the
UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred
development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon
independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices
and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought
an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant
harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by
administrative problems with at least two parties filing legal petitions
challenging the results. Opposition parties currently hold a majority
of seats in the National Assembly.
Geography Zambia
Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 752,614 sq km water: 11,890 sq km land: 740,724 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 5,664 km border countries: Angola 1,110 km,
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique
419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m highest point:
unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold,
silver, uranium, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 460 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: tropical storms (November to April)
Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain
in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into
watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope,
and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification;
lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine
boundary with Zimbabwe
People Zambia
Population: 9,959,037 note: estimates for this country explicitly take
into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result
in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.1% (male 2,357,581; female 2,335,644)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,497,360; female 2,519,227) 65 years and over:
2.5% (male 106,160; female 143,065) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.9% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 41.01 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 21.89 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 89.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 37.66 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 19.95% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 870,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 99,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous
beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi,
Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write English total population:
Government Zambia
Country name: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Government
type: republic
Capital: Lusaka
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern,
Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western
Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
Constitution: 2 August 1991
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since
2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice
President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by
the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last
held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed
by the president election results: Levy MWANAWASA elected president;
percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 29%, Anderson MAZOKA 27%, Christon
TEMBO 13%, Tilyenji KAUNDA 10%, Godfrey MIYANDA 8%, Benjamin MWILA 5%,
Michael SATA 3%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last
held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent
of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%,
PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48,
UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; seats not determined 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are
appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to
hear civil and criminal cases)
Political parties and leaders: Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge
MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon
TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front
or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy
or MMD [Frederick CHILUBA, president]; National Citizens Coalition
or NCC [Nevers MUMBA, president]; National Leadership for Development
or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU];
Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP
[Benjamin MWILA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline Konie];
United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president];
United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Atan
SHANSONGA FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through
9719 chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
David B. DUNN embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues
mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 250-955 FAX:
[260] (1) 252-225
Flag description: green with a panel of three vertical bands of red
(hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the
outer edge of the flag
Economy Zambia
Economy - overview: Despite progress in privatization and budgetary
reform, Zambia's economy has a long way to go. Privatization of
government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering
mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the
chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic
growth. However, low mineral prices have slowed the benefits from
privatizing the mines and reduced incentives for further private
investment in the sector. In late 2000, Zambia was determined to be
eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) initiative, but Zambia has not yet finalized its Poverty Reduction
Strategy paper. Unemployment rates remain high, but GDP growth should
continue at about 4%. Inflation should remain close to 20%.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $870 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24% industry: 25% services:
51% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 86% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 41% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.6 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 21.5% (2001)
Labor force: 3.4 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9%
Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.2 billion expenditures: $1.25 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs,
beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture
Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 7.822 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.51% hydro: 99.49%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 5.838 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 1.536 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed,
vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca);
cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides; coffee
Exports: $876 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: copper 55%, cobalt, electricity, tobacco,
flowers, cotton
Exports - partners: UK 25.2%, South Africa 24.5%, Switzerland 9.4%,
Malawi 7.5% (2000)
Imports: $12.05 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum
products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners: South Africa 67.1%, UK 9.8%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, US 5.9%
(2000)
Debt - external: $5.8 billion (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $651 million (2000 est.)
Currency: Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Currency code: ZMK
Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 3,848.65 (January 2002),
3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998),
1,314.50 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Zambia
Telephones - main lines in use: 130,000 (including more than 40,000
fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 75,000 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: facilities are aging but still
among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave
radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular
telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available;
very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private
firms international: Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 1.2 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 9 (2002)
Televisions: 277,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .zm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)
Internet users: 15,000 (2000)
Transportation Zambia
Railways: total: 2,157 km narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km
double-track) note: the total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia
Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow
gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to
the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of the Zambia Railways
system; Zambia Railways assets are scheduled for concessioning (2002)
Highways: total: 66,781 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 2,250 km note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and
Luapula rivers
Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km
Ports and harbors: Mpulungu
Airports: 111 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047
m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: 3 914 to 1,523 m: Military Zambia
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary forces
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,313,567 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,228,385
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Zambia
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone,
small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and
possibly Europe; regional money-laundering center
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Atlantic Ocean
Introduction
Atlantic Ocean
Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's
five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean,
Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund
(Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain),
and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access
waterways.
Geography Atlantic Ocean
Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean,
and the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 76.762 million sq km note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea,
Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage,
Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all
of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Coastline: 111,866 km
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa
near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can
occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June;
clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the
northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern
Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico
Trench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals
and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic
nodules, precious stones
Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and
the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been
spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject
to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May;
persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes
(May to December)
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the
manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is
hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international
disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil,
and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico,
Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and
municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
Geography - note: major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait
of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits
include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound
(Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean
into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
People Atlantic Ocean
Population growth rate: NA%
Economy Atlantic Ocean
Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's
most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and
Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of
natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of aragonite sands (The
Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea,
Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Transportation Atlantic Ocean
Ports and harbors: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp
(Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca
(Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal),
Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas
(Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London
(UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada),
Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo
(Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil),
Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two
important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational
use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and
Gulf of Mexico coast of US
Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Zimbabwe
Introduction
Zimbabwe
Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa
Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in
power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but
the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights
for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN
sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979
and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first
prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since
1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.
Geography Zimbabwe
Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 390,580 sq km water: 3,910 sq km land: 386,670 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Montana