Definitions
In addition to the updated information, The World Factbook features seven new entries. In the People category, an entry has been added for Median age. In the Economy category, entries have been added for Oil - production, Oil - consumption, Oil - exports, Oil - imports, Oil - proved reserves, and Natural gas - proved reserves. Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001 edition, is continued in this edition. The revised maps include elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid. Several regional maps have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes.
Acronyms
|
An acronym is an
abbreviation coined from the initial letter of each successive word
in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym made up solely from the
first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered in
all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
an exception would be ASEAN for Association of Southeast Asian
Nations). In general, an acronym made up of more than the first
letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered with only
an initial capital letter (Comsat from Communications Satellite
Corporation; an exception would be NAM from Nonaligned Movement).
Hybrid forms are sometimes used to distinguish between initially
identical terms (WTO: WTrO for World Trade Organization and WToO for
World Tourism Organization). |
Administrative divisions |
This entry generally gives
the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative
divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN).
Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by BGN are
noted. |
Age structure |
This entry provides the
distribution of the population according to age. Information is
included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and
over). The age structure of a population affects a nation’s key
socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high
percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while
countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over)
need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also
be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the
rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment
can lead to unrest. |
Agriculture - products |
This entry is a rank
ordering of major crops and products starting with the most
important. |
Airports |
This entry gives the total
number of airports. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt
surfaces) or unpaved (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces), but
must be usable. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control. |
Airports - with paved runways |
This entry gives the total
number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt
surfaces). For airports with more than one runway, only the longest
runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over
3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to
1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are
included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for
refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. |
Airports - with unpaved runways |
This entry gives the total
number of airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand, or
gravel surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway,
only the longest runway is included according to the following five
groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437
m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with
usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have
facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control |
Appendixes
|
This section includes
Factbook-related material by topic. |
Area |
This entry includes three
subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas
delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area
is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international
boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes,
reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of all water surfaces
delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, including
inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). |
Area - comparative |
This entry provides an area
comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are
compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area
measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census.
The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69
sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146
acres). |
Background |
This entry usually
highlights major historic events and current issues and may include
a statement about one or two key future trends. |
Birth rate |
This entry gives the average
annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the
population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth
rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of
population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the
age structure of the population. |
Budget |
This entry includes
revenues, total expenditures, and capital expenditures. These
figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not
in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms |
Capital |
This entry gives the
location of the seat of government. |
Climate |
This entry includes a brief
description of typical weather regimes throughout the year. |
Coastline |
This entry gives the total
length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and
the sea. |
Communications
|
This category deals with the
means of exchanging information and includes the telephone, radio,
television, and Internet service provider entries. |
Constitution |
This entry includes the
dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments. |
Country data
codes |
see Data codes |
Country map
|
Most versions of the
Factbook provide a country map in color. The maps were
produced from the best information available at the time of
preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed
subsequently. |
Country name |
This entry includes all
forms of the country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic
Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional long form (Italian
Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form
(Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former (Kingdom of
Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see the Terminology
note. |
Currency |
This entry identifies the
national medium of exchange and its basic subunit. |
Crude oil
|
See “Oil” entries |
Currency code |
This entry gives the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic
currency code for each country. |
Data codes
|
This information is
presented in Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country
Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of
Hydrographic Data Codes. This appendix includes the US
Government approved Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
codes, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
codes, and Internet codes for land entities. The appendix also
includes the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) codes,
Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC; now a part of the
National Imagery and Mapping Agency or NIMA) codes, and Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) codes for hydrographic entities. The US
Government has not yet approved a standard for hydrographic data
codes similar to the FIPS 10-4 standard for country data codes.
|
Date of
information |
In general, information
available as of 1 January 2003 was used in the preparation of this
edition. |
Death rate |
This entry gives the average
annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at
midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only
a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country,
accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population
growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age
distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the
overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at
all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging
population. |
Debt - external |
This entry gives the total
public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign
currency, goods, or services. |
Dependency status |
This entry describes the
formal relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and
an independent state. |
Dependent areas |
This entry contains an
alphabetical listing of all nonindependent entities associated in
some way with a particular independent state. |
Diplomatic
representation |
The US Government has
diplomatic relations with 185 independent states, including 183 of
the 189 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran,
Iraq, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US has
diplomatic relations with 1 independent state that is not in the UN
- Holy See. |
Diplomatic representation in the US |
This entry includes the
chief of mission, chancery, telephone,
FAX, consulate general locations, and
consulate locations. |
Diplomatic representation from the US |
This entry includes the
chief of mission, embassy address, mailing
address, telephone number, FAX number, branch
office locations, consulate general locations, and
consulate locations. |
Disputes - international |
This entry includes a wide
variety of situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary
disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information
regarding disputes over international terrestrial and maritime
boundaries has been reviewed by the US Department of State.
References to other situations involving borders or frontiers may
also be included, such as resource disputes, geopolitical questions,
or irredentist issues; however, inclusion does not necessarily
constitute official acceptance or recognition by the US
Government. |
Distribution of family income - Gini index |
This index measures the
degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a
country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which
cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families
arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of
(a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree
helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree
line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the
closer its Lorenz curve to the 45-degree line and the lower its Gini
index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more
unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz
curve from the 45-degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a
Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed
with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45
degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed
with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the
horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be
100. |
Economic aid - donor |
This entry refers to net
official development assistance (ODA) from Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations to developing countries
and multilateral organizations. ODA is defined as financial
assistance that is concessional in character, has the main objective
to promote economic development and welfare of the less developed
countries (LDCs), and contains a grant element of at least 25%. The
entry does not cover other official flows (OOF) or private
flows. |
Economic aid - recipient |
This entry, which is subject
to major problems of definition and statistical coverage, refers to
the net inflow of Official Development Finance (ODF) to recipient
countries. The figure includes assistance from the World Bank, the
IMF, and other international organizations and from individual
nation donors. Formal commitments of aid are included in the data.
Omitted from the data are grants by private organizations. Aid comes
in various forms including outright grants and loans. The entry thus
is the difference between new inflows and repayments. |
Economy
|
This category includes the
entries dealing with the size, development, and management of
productive resources, i.e., land, labor, and capital. |
Economy - overview |
This entry briefly describes
the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the
level of economic development, the most important natural resources,
and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major
economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and
may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic
trends. |
Electricity - consumption |
This entry consists of total
electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports,
expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of
electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or
exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and
distribution. |
Electricity - exports |
This entry is the total
exported electricity in kilowatt-hours. |
Electricity - imports |
This entry is the total
imported electricity in kilowatt-hours. |
Electricity - production |
This entry is the annual
electricity generated expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy
between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the
amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in
transmission and distribution. |
Electricity - production by source |
This entry states the
percentage share of electricity generated from each energy source.
These are fossil fuel, hydro, nuclear, and other (solar, geothermal,
and wind). |
Elevation extremes |
This entry includes both the
highest point and the lowest point. |
Entities
|
Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of special
sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are not
independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US
Government. "Independent state" refers to a people politically
organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory.
"Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad
category of political entities that are associated in some way with
an independent state. "Country" names used in the table of contents
or for page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by
the US Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states,
dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic
entities. There are a total of 268 separate geographic entities in
The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:
INDEPENDENT STATES 192 Afghanistan, Albania,
Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia,
Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,
Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central
African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote
d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El
Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji,
Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See,
Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati,
North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia,
Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,
Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama,
Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and
Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden,
Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
OTHER 1 Taiwan
DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL
SOVEREIGNTY 6 Australia - Ashmore and
Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral
Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk
Island 2 China - Hong Kong,
Macau 2 Denmark - Faroe Islands,
Greenland 16 France - Bassas da India,
Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Guiana, French Polynesia,
French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe,
Juan de Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion,
Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and
Futuna 2 Netherlands - Aruba,
Netherlands Antilles 3 New Zealand -
Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau 3 Norway -
Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard 15 UK -
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey,
Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena,
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos
Islands 14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island,
Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef,
Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra
Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island
MISCELLANEOUS 6 Antarctica, Gaza
Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West Bank, Western Sahara
OTHER ENTITIES 5 oceans - Arctic
Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern
Ocean 1 World
268 total |
Environment - current issues |
This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental
problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout
the entry: acidification - the lowering
of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition
usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem
nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on
more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid
rain). acid rain - characterized as
containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid
rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile
ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is
neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values
below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4 (the
acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.
aerosol - a collection of airborne
particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or
fog. afforestation - converting a bare
or agricultural space by planting trees and plants; reforestation
involves replanting trees on areas that have been cut or destroyed
by fire. asbestos - a naturally
occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing
materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate
form. biodiversity - also biological
diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and
function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level;
loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem’s ability to recover from
natural or man-induced disruption.
bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence,
abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its
habitat. biomass - the total weight or
volume of living matter in a given area or
volume. carbon cycle - the term used to
describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon
dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and
geological deposits. catchments -
assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an
important water management technique in areas with limited
freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.
DDT
(dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless
insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT
was banned in the US in 1972.
defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves
artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control,
and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health.
deforestation - the destruction of vast
areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices,
agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of
wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth.
desertification - the spread of
desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to
overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate
change. dredging - the practice of
deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for
collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or
harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and
ocean-floor ecosystems. drift-net
fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally
anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in
an over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial
marine species (by-catch) by its effect of “sweeping the ocean
clean”. ecosystems - ecological units
comprised of complex communities of organisms and their specific
environments. effluents - waste
materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste, which are
released into the environment, subsequently polluting it.
endangered species - a species that is
threatened with extinction either by direct hunting or habitat
destruction. freshwater - water with
very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams,
rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
greenhouse gas - a gas that “traps”
infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming;
water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane,
hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in
the Earth’s atmosphere. groundwater -
water sources found below the surface of the earth often in
naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source
for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by
Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply
into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest
infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most
costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims
that it forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and
squanders economic resources. Inuit
Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 125,000 Inuits of
Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental
issues; a panel convenes every three years to determine the focus of
the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of
pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change.
metallurgical plants - industries which
specialize in the science, technology, and processing of metals;
these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which can
contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly
disposed. noxious substances -
injurious, very harmful to living beings.
overgrazing - the grazing of animals on
plant material faster than it can naturally regrow leading to the
permanent loss of plant cover, a common effect of too many animals
grazing limited range land. ozone
shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that
resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs
solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms.
poaching - the illegal killing of
animals or fish, a great concern with respect to endangered or
threatened species. pollution - the
contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste.
potable water - water that is
drinkable, safe to be consumed.
salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water
becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse
process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused
by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can
eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.
siltation - occurs when water channels
and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of
deforestation and soil erosion.
slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in
which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for
temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity
declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process
repeats; this practice is sustainable while population levels are
low and time is permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation;
conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the practice can
have disastrous consequences for the environment .
soil degradation - damage to the land's
productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as
the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from
heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in
reduced ability to produce agricultural products.
soil erosion - the removal of soil by
the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural
practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification.
ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion
of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun and naturally
filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation
can be harmful to living organisms and has been linked to increasing
rates of skin cancer in humans.
water-born diseases - those in which the bacteria survive in, and is
transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an
untreated water supply. |
Environment - international agreements |
This entry separates country
participation in international environmental agreements into two
levels - party to and signed but not ratified.
Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form
of the full name. |
Environmental
agreements |
This information is
presented in Appendix C: Selected International Environmental
Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date opened
for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties by
category. |
Ethnic groups |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of ethnic groups starting with the largest and normally
includes the percent of total population. |
Exchange rates |
This entry provides the
official value of a country's monetary unit at a given date or over
a given period of time, as expressed in units of local currency per
US dollar and as determined by international market forces or
official fiat. |
Executive branch |
This entry includes several
subfields. Chief of state includes the name and title of the
titular leader of the country who represents the state at official
and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day
activities of the government. Head of government includes the
name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated to
manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in
the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is
the head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief
of state and the head of government. Cabinet includes the
official name for this body of high-ranking advisers and the method
for selection of members. Elections includes the nature of
election process or accession to power, date of the last election,
and date of the next election. Election results includes the
percent of vote for each candidate in the last election. |
Exports |
This entry provides the
total US dollar amount of exports on an f.o.b. (free on board)
basis. |
Exports - commodities |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of exported products starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. |
Exports - partners |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. |
Fiscal year |
This entry identifies the
beginning and ending months for a country's accounting period of 12
months, which often is the calendar year but which may begin in any
month. All yearly references are for the calendar year (CY) unless
indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY). |
Flag description |
This entry provides a
written flag description produced from actual flags or the best
information available at the time the entry was written. The flags
of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is
an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas
do not have flags. |
Flag graphic
|
Most versions of the
Factbook include a color flag at the beginning of the
country profile. The flag graphics were produced from actual flags
or the best information available at the time of preparation. The
flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless
there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and
other areas do not have flags. |
GDP |
This entry gives the gross
domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services
produced within a nation in a given year. GDP dollar estimates in
the Factbook are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP)
calculations. See the note on GDP methodology for more
information. |
GDP
methodology |
In the
Economy section, GDP dollar estimates for all
countries are derived from purchasing power parity (PPP)
calculations rather than from conversions at official currency
exchange rates. The PPP method involves the use of standardized
international dollar price weights, which are applied to the
quantities of final goods and services produced in a given economy.
The data derived from the PPP method provide the best available
starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well-being
between countries. The division of a GDP estimate in domestic
currency by the corresponding PPP estimate in dollars gives the PPP
conversion rate. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD countries are quite
reliable, PPP estimates for developing countries are often rough
approximations. Most of the GDP estimates are based on extrapolation
of PPP numbers published by the UN International Comparison Program
(UNICP) and by Professors Robert Summers and Alan Heston of the
University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues. In contrast, the
currency exchange rate method involves a variety of international
and domestic financial forces that often have little relation to
domestic output. In developing countries with weak currencies the
exchange rate estimate of GDP in dollars is typically one-fourth to
one-half the PPP estimate. Furthermore, exchange rates may suddenly
go up or down by 10% or more because of market forces or official
fiat whereas real output has remained unchanged. On 12 January 1994,
for example, the 14 countries of the African Financial Community
(whose currencies are tied to the French franc) devalued their
currencies by 50%. This move, of course, did not cut the real output
of these countries by half. One important caution: the proportion
of, say, defense expenditures as a percentage of GDP in local
currency accounts may differ substantially from the proportion when
GDP accounts are expressed in PPP terms, as, for example, when an
observer tries to estimate the dollar level of Russian or Japanese
military expenditures. Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic
data can not be chained together from successive volumes of the
Factbook because of changes in the US dollar measuring rod,
revisions of data by statistical agencies, use of new or different
sources of information, and changes in national statistical methods
and practices. |
GDP - composition by sector |
This entry gives the
percentage contribution of agriculture, industry, and
services to total GDP. |
GDP - per capita |
This entry shows GDP on a
purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for
the same year. |
GDP - real growth rate |
This entry gives GDP growth
on an annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a
percent. |
Geographic coordinates |
This entry includes rounded
latitude and longitude figures for the purpose of finding the
approximate geographic center of an entity and is based on the
Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August 1988,
US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources. |
Geographic
names |
This information is
presented in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic
Names. It includes a listing of various alternate names,
former names, local names, and regional names referenced to one or
more related Factbook entries. Spellings are normally, but
not always, those approved by the US Board on Geographic Names
(BGN). Alternate names and additional information are included in
parentheses. |
Geography
|
This category includes the
entries dealing with the natural environment and the effects of
human activity. |
Geography - note |
This entry includes
miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included
elsewhere. |
GNP |
Gross national product (GNP)
is the value of all final goods and services produced within a
nation in a given year, plus income earned by its citizens abroad,
minus income earned by foreigners from domestic production. The
Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather than
GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize
that in certain countries net remittances from citizens working
abroad may be important to national well-being. |
Government
|
This category includes the
entries dealing with the system for the adoption and administration
of public policy. |
Government type |
This entry gives the basic
form of government (e.g., republic, constitutional monarchy, federal
republic, parliamentary democracy, military dictatorship). |
Government |
This entry includes
miscellaneous government information of significance not included
elsewhere. |
Gross domestic
product |
see GDP |
Gross national
product |
see GNP |
Gross world
product |
see GWP |
GWP |
This entry gives the gross
world product (GWP) or aggregate value of all final goods and
services produced worldwide in a given year. |
Heliports |
This entry gives the total
number of established helicopter takeoff and landing sites (which
may or may not have fuel or other services). |
Highways |
This entry states the
total length of the highway system and the length of the
paved and unpaved parts. |
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate |
This entry gives an estimate
of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The
adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number
of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult
population at yearend. |
HIV/AIDS – deaths |
This entry gives an estimate
of the number of adults and children who died of AIDS during a given
calendar year. |
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS |
This entry gives an estimate
of all people (adults and children) alive at yearend with HIV
infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of
AIDS. |
Household income or consumption by percentage share
|
Data on household income or
consumption come from household surveys, the results adjusted for
household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in
collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will
normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on
consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet
caution is still necessary in making inter-country
comparisons. |
Hydrographic
data codes |
see Data codes |
Illicit drugs |
This entry gives information
on the five categories of illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants,
depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These
categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by
doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of
medical channels. Cannabis (Cannabis
sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides hallucinogens with
some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco
gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish
(hash), and hashish oil (hash oil). Coca
(mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain the
stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with
cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate,
cocoa, and cocoa butter. Cocaine is a
stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush.
Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that
reduce tension and anxiety and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates
(Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, phenobarbital), benzodiazepines
(Librium, Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden),
and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid).
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental,
emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or
illicit chemical substance that results in physical, mental,
emotional, or behavioral impairment in an individual.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect
sensation, thinking, self-awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens
include LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons,
cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP,
angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and
others (psilocybin, psilocyn). Hashish
is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa). Heroin is a semisynthetic
derivative of morphine. Mandrax is a
trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant. Marijuana
is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa).
Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical
depressant, referred to as mandrax in Southwest Asia and Africa.
Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain,
often induce sleep, and refer to opium, opium derivatives, and
synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics include opium (paregoric,
parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with
codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussan AC), and thebaine.
Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack), and
hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or
Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and
others (Darvon, Lomotil). Opium is the
brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod of the opium
poppy. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the
natural and semisynthetic narcotics. Poppy straw concentrate is the
alkaloid derived from the mature, dried opium poppy.
Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the
buds or leaves of Catha edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea.
Quaaludes is the North American slang
term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.
Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild
depression, increase energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke,
snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy
(clarity, essence, doctor, Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin),
methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex,
Tenuate). |
Imports |
This entry provides the
total US dollar amount of imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and
freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis. |
Imports - commodities |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of imported products starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. |
Imports - partners |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it
sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. |
Independence |
For most countries, this
entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which
nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date
given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but
rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional
founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation,
establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or
state succession. Dependent areas include the notation "none"
followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also see the
Terminology note. |
Industrial production growth rate |
This entry gives the annual
percentage increase in industrial production (includes
manufacturing, mining, and construction). |
Industries |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual
output. |
Infant mortality rate |
This entry gives the number
of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000
live births in the same year. This rate is often used as an
indicator of the level of health in a country. |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) |
This entry furnishes the
annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous
year’s consumer prices. |
Internet country code |
This entry includes the
two-letter codes maintained by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish
country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs). |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) |
This entry supplies
the number of Internet Service Providers within a country. An ISP is
defined as a company that provides access to the Internet. |
Internet users |
This entry gives the number
of users within a country that access the Internet. Statistics vary
from country to country and may include users who access the
Internet at least several times a week to those who access it only
once within a period of several months. |
International
disputes |
see Disputes -
international |
International organization participation |
This entry lists in
alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations
in which the subject country is a member or participates in some
other way. |
International
organizations |
This information is
presented in Appendix B: International Organizations and
Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, date established,
aim, and members by category. |
Introduction
|
This category includes one
entry, Background. |
Irrigated land |
This entry gives the number
of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with
water. |
Judicial branch |
This entry contains the
name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description of the
selection process for members. |
Labor force |
This entry contains the
total labor force figure. |
Labor force - by occupation |
This entry contains a rank
ordering of component parts of the labor force by occupation. |
Land boundaries |
This entry contains the
total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for
each of the contiguous border countries. |
Land use |
This entry contains the
percentage shares of total land area for three different types of
land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops that are
replanted after each harvest like wheat, maize, and rice;
permanent crops - land cultivated for crops that are not
replanted after each harvest like citrus, coffee, and rubber;
includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and
vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber;
other - any land not arable or under permanent crops;
includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands,
built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc. |
Languages |
This entry provides a rank
ordering of languages starting with the largest and sometimes
includes the percent of total population speaking that language.
|
Legal system |
This entry contains a brief
description of the legal system's historical roots, role in
government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ)
jurisdiction. |
Legislative branch |
This entry contains
information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral),
formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections
includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date
of the last election, and date of the next election. Election
results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held
by each party in the last election. |
Life expectancy at birth |
This entry contains the
average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the
same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future.
The entry includes total population as well as the male and female
components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall
quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all
ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return
on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation
of various actuarial measures. |
Literacy |
This entry includes a
definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total
population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions
and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are
based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write
at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual
countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the
scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a
perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily
available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of
literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic
development of a country in the current rapidly changing,
technology-driven world. |
Location |
This entry identifies the
country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent
bodies of water. |
Map references |
This entry includes the name
of the Factbook reference map on which a country may be
found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in
finding some smaller countries. |
Maritime claims |
This entry includes the
following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the
Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention, which alone contains the full and
definitive descriptions: contiguous zone
- according to the LOS Convention (Article 33), this is a zone
contiguous to a coastal State’s territorial sea, over which it may
exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its
customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations
within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the
above laws and regulations committed within its territory or
territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24
nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the
territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-mile
contiguous zone in addition to its 12-mile territorial
sea) continental shelf - the LOS
Convention (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal
State as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas
that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural
prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the
continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the
baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured
where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to
that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged
prolongation of the landmass of the coastal State, and consists of
the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; it does
not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the
subsoil thereof exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) - the LOS Convention (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond
and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal State has:
sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting,
conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or
non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the
seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the
economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the
production of energy from the water, currents, and winds;
jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial
islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research;
the protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer
limit of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical
miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial
sea is measured exclusive fishing zone -
while this term is not used in the LOS Convention, some States (e.g.
the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to
claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in
such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often
used territorial sea - the sovereignty
of a coastal State extends beyond its land territory and internal
waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea
in the LOS Convention (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air
space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and
subsoil; every State has the right to establish the breadth of its
territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles |
Median Age |
This entry is the age that
divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is,
half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is
a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population.
Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Uganda
and Gaza Strip to 40 or more in several European countries and
Japan. See the entry for “Age structure” for the importance of a
younger versus an older age structure and, by implication, a lower
versus a higher median age. |
Merchant marine |
Merchant marine may be
defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all
commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which
excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a
grouping of merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry
contains information in two subfields - total and ships by
type. Total includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT
or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships.
DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus
bunkers, stores, etc. that a ship can carry when immersed to the
appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure
obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of the ship
available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the
basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship
between GRT and DWT. Ships by type includes a listing of
barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers,
combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container
ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional
large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships,
passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships,
roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized
tankers, and vehicle carriers. A
captive register is a register of ships maintained by a territory,
possession, or colony primarily or exclusively for the use of ships
owned in the parent country; it is also referred to as an offshore
register, the offshore equivalent of an internal register. Ships on
a captive register will fly the same flag as the parent country, or
a local variant of it, but will be subject to the maritime laws and
taxation rules of the offshore territory. Although the nature of a
captive register makes it especially desirable for ships owned in
the parent country, just as in the internal register, the ships may
also be owned abroad. The captive register then acts as a flag of
convenience register, except that it is not the register of an
independent state. A flag of convenience
register is a national register offering registration to a merchant
ship not owned in the flag state. The major flags of convenience
(FOC) attract ships to their registers by virtue of low fees, low or
nonexistent taxation of profits, and liberal manning requirements.
True FOC registers are characterized by having relatively few of the
registered ships actually owned in the flag state. Thus, while
virtually any flag can be used for ships under a given set of
circumstances, an FOC register is one where the majority of the
merchant fleet is owned abroad. It is also referred to as an open
register. A flag state is the nation in
which a ship is registered and which holds legal jurisdiction over
operation of the ship, whether at home or abroad. Maritime
legislation of the flag state determines how a ship is crewed and
taxed and whether a foreign-owned ship may be placed on the
register. An internal register is a
register of ships maintained as a subset of a national register.
Ships on the internal register fly the national flag and have that
nationality but are subject to a separate set of maritime rules from
those on the main national register. These differences usually
include lower taxation of profits, use of foreign nationals as
crewmembers, and, usually, ownership outside the flag state (when it
functions as an FOC register). The Norwegian International Ship
Register and Danish International Ship Register are the most notable
examples of an internal register. Both have been instrumental in
stemming flight from the national flag to flags of convenience and
in attracting foreign-owned ships to the Norwegian and Danish
flags. A merchant ship is a vessel that
carries goods against payment of freight; it is commonly used to
denote any nonmilitary ship but accurately restricted to commercial
vessels only. A register is the record
of a ship's ownership and nationality as listed with the maritime
authorities of a country; also, it is the compendium of such
individual ships' registrations. Registration of a ship provides it
with a nationality and makes it subject to the laws of the country
in which registered (the flag state) regardless of the nationality
of the ship's ultimate owner. |
Military
|
This category includes the
entries dealing with a country's military structure, manpower, and
expenditures. |
Military branches |
This entry lists the names
of the ground, naval, air, marine, and other defense or security
forces. |
Military expenditures - dollar figure |
This entry gives current
military expenditures in US dollars; the figure is calculated by
multiplying the estimated defense spending in percentage terms by
the gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on an exchange rate
basis not purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Dollar figures for military expenditures should be treated with
caution because of different price patterns and accounting methods
among nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of their
currencies. |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP |
This entry gives current
military expenditures as an estimated percent of gross domestic
product (GDP). |
Military manpower - availability |
This entry gives the total
numbers of males and females age 15-49 and assumes that every
individual is fit to serve. |
Military manpower - fit for military service |
This entry gives the number
of males and females age 15-49 fit for military service. This is a
more refined measure of potential military manpower availability
which tries to correct for the health situation in the country and
reduces the maximum potential number to a more realistic estimate of
the actual number fit to serve. |
Military manpower - military age |
This entry gives the minimum
age at which an individual may volunteer for military service or be
subject to conscription. |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
|
This entry gives the number
of draft-age males and females entering the military manpower pool
in any given year and is a measure of the availability of draft-age
young adults. |
Military |
This entry includes
miscellaneous military information of significance not included
elsewhere. |
Money figures
|
All money figures are
expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless otherwise indicated.
|
National holiday |
This entry gives the primary
national day of celebration - usually independence day. |
Nationality |
This entry provides the
identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.
|
Natural Gas - proved reserves |
This entry is the stock of
proved reserves of natural gas in cubic meters (cu. m.). Proved
reserves are those quantities of natural gas, which, by analysis of
geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree
of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date
forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic
conditions. |
Natural hazards |
This entry lists potential
natural disasters. |
Natural resources |
This entry lists a country's
mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial
importance. |
Net migration rate |
This entry includes the
figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and
leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on
midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is
referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000
population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net
emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net
migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the
overall level of population change. High levels of migration can
cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic
strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force,
perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving). |
Oil - consumption |
This entry is the total oil
consumed in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the
amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed
and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery
gains, and other complicating factors. |
Oil - exports |
This entry is the total oil
exported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and
oil products. |
Oil - imports |
This entry is the total oil
imported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and
oil products. |
Oil - production |
This entry is the total oil
produced in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the
amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed
and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery
gains, and other complicating factors. |
Oil - proved reserves |
This entry is the stock of
proved reserves of crude oil in barrels (bbl). Proved reserves are
those quantities of petroleum which, by analysis of geological and
engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence
to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known
reservoirs and under current economic conditions. |
People |
This category includes the
entries dealing with the characteristics of the people and their
society. |
People |
This entry includes
miscellaneous demographic information of significance not included
elsewhere. |
Personal Names
- Capitalization |
The Factbook uses
all uppercase letters for personal names by which the subject is
usually referred to in various media. An example is President
Vicente FOX Quesada of Mexico. Members of royal families are usually
referred by other than their family name (King and Prime Minister
FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Queen BEATRIX of the
Netherlands, or King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet of Thailand). Some Asians
are referred to by the first element of their name - also their
surname, such as President NO Muh-hyun of South Korea. |
Personal Names
- Spelling |
The romanization of personal
names in the Factbook normally follows the same
transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names for
spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly
indicates a preference for, or the media or official documents
regularly use, a romanized spelling that differs from the
transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such
cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling. |
Personal Names
- Titles |
The Factbook
capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it) immediately
preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is lowercased.
Examples: President PUTIN and President BUSH are chiefs of state. In
Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is the head
of the government, while in the US, the president is both chief of
state and head of government. |
Petroleum
|
See “Oil” entries |
Petroleum
products |
See “Oil” entries |
Pipelines |
This entry gives the lengths
and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas,
crude oil, or petroleum products. |
Political parties and leaders |
This entry includes a
listing of significant political organizations and their leaders.
|
Political pressure groups and leaders |
This entry includes a
listing of organizations with leaders involved in politics, but not
standing for legislative election. |
Population |
This entry gives an estimate
from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population
censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys
pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future
trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the
potential impact of the country on the world and within its region.
Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic
estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken
into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin,
Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic
of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti,
Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe. |
Population below poverty line |
National estimates of the
percentage of the population lying below the poverty line are based
on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of
people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among
nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous
standards of poverty than poor nations. |
Population growth rate |
The average annual percent
change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of
births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving
a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is
a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a
country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure
(e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food,
water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen
as threatening by neighboring countries. |
Ports and harbors |
This entry lists the major
ports and harbors selected on the basis of overall importance to
each country. This is determined by evaluating a number of
factors (e.g., dollar value of goods handled, gross tonnage,
facilities, military significance). |
Radio broadcast stations |
This entry includes the
total number of AM, FM, and shortwave broadcast stations. |
Railways |
This entry states the
total route length of the railway network and of its
component parts by gauge: broad, dual, narrow,
standard, and other. |
Reference maps
|
This section includes world
and regional maps. |
Religions |
This entry includes a rank
ordering of religions by adherents starting with the largest group
and sometimes includes the percent of total population. |
Sex ratio |
This entry includes the
number of males for each female in five age groups - at
birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years
and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at
birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex
discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at
birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective
abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This
will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns.
Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult males who are
unable to find partners. |
Suffrage |
This entry gives the age at
enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or
restricted. |
Telephone
numbers |
All telephone numbers in the
Factbook consist of the country code in brackets, the city or
area code (where required) in parentheses, and the local number. The
one component that is not presented is the international access
code, which varies from country to country. For example, an
international direct dial telephone call placed from the US to
Madrid, Spain, would be as follows:
011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where 011 is the
international access code for station-to-station calls; 01 is for
calls other than station-to-station
calls, [34] is the country code for
Spain, (1) is the city code for
Madrid, 577 is the local exchange,
and xxxx is the local telephone
number.
An international direct dial telephone call placed
from another country to the US would be as
follows: international access code + [1]
(202) 939-xxxx, where [1] is the country
code for the US, (202) is the area code
for Washington, DC, 939 is the local
exchange, and xxxx is the local
telephone number. |
Telephone system |
This entry includes a brief
characterization of the system with details on the domestic
and international components. The following terms and
abbreviations are used throughout the
entry:
Africa ONE - a fiber-optic
submarine cable link encircling the continent of
Africa. Arabsat - Arab Satellite
Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia). Autodin - Automatic Digital
Network (US Department of Defense). CB -
citizen’s band mobile radio communications.
cellular telephone system - the
telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each
instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient
radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from
which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone exchange.
Central American Microwave System - a
trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of
Central America and Mexico with each other.
coaxial cable - a multichannel
communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire,
surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a
large number of telephone channels can be made available within the
insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.
Comsat - Communications Satellite
Corporation (US). DSN - Defense
Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon);
basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense
Communications System (US Department of Defense).
Eutelsat - European Telecommunications
Satellite Organization (Paris).
fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a
thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the
signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of
light. GSM - a global system for mobile
(cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of
the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne
des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982.
HF - high frequency; any radio
frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range.
Inmarsat - International Mobile
Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite
communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at
sea, in the air, and on land. Intelsat
- International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
(Washington, DC). Intersputnik -
International Organization of Space Communications (Moscow); first
established in the former Soviet Union and the East European
countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth
stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.
landline - communication wire or cable
of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground.
Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the
Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.
Marisat - satellites of the Comsat
Corporation that participate in the Inmarsat system.
Medarabtel - the Middle East
Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network, primarily
by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan,
Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and
Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab
Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the
Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications Network.
microwave radio relay - transmission of
long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly
directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one
booster station to another on an optical path.
NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an
analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the
national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries
(Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).
Orbita - a Russian television service;
also the trade name of a packet-switched digital telephone network.
radiotelephone communications - the
two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on
authorized frequencies using telephone handsets.
PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation
(Greenwich, CT). satellite
communication system - a communication system consisting of two or
more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long
distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system
usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if
the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.
satellite earth station - a
communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and
receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment
for communicating with satellites.
satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth
station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down
link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only
transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).
SHF – super high frequency; any radio
frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range.
shortwave - radio frequencies (from
1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and
are used for communication over long distances.
Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites
in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the
Western Hemisphere. Statsionar -
Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications.
submarine cable - a cable designed for
service under water. TAT -
Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine
coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.
telefax - facsimile service between
subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the
international Datel network. telegraph
- a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric
impulse transmission. telex - a
communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire
through automatic exchanges.
tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in
which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of
the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional
antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals;
reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances
up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the
range of this system for very long distances.
trunk network - a network of switching
centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines.
UHF – ultra high frequency; any radio
frequency in the 300- to 3,000-MHz range.
VHF – very high frequency; any radio
frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range. |
Telephones - main lines in use |
This entry gives the total
number of main telephone lines in use. |
Telephones - mobile cellular |
This entry gives the total
number of mobile cellular telephones in use. |
Television - broadcast stations |
This entry gives the total
number of separate broadcast stations plus any repeater stations.
|
Terminology |
Due to the highly structured
nature of the Factbook database, some collective generic
terms have to be used. For example, the word Country in the
Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies,
areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other
entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent
states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for various
civil defense, security, and defense activities in many entries. The
Independence entry includes the usual colonial independence
dates and former ruling states as well as other significant
nationhood dates such as the traditional founding date or the date
of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state
succession that are not strictly independence dates. Dependent areas
have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.
|
Terrain |
This entry contains a brief
description of the topography. |
Total fertility rate |
This entry gives a figure
for the average number of children that would be born per woman if
all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore
children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total
fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of fertility
than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This
indicator shows the potential for population growth in the country.
High rates will also place some limits on the labor force
participation rates for women. Large numbers of children born to
women indicate large family sizes that might limit the ability of
the families to feed and educate their children. |
Transnational
Issues |
This category includes only
two entries at the present time - Disputes - international
and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going
beyond national boundaries. |
Transportation |
This category includes the
entries dealing with the means for movement of people and goods.
|
Transportation |
This entry includes
miscellaneous transportation information of significance not
included elsewhere. |
Unemployment rate |
This entry contains the
percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial
underemployment might be noted. |
Waterways |
This entry gives the total
length and individual names of navigable rivers, canals, and other
inland bodies of water. |
Years |
All year references are for
the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as fiscal year (FY). The
calendar year is an accounting period of 12 months from 1 January to
31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting period of 12 months
other than 1 January to 31 December. |
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