$NA
Exchange rates:
Jersey pounds per US dollar 0.5302 (2008 est.), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
Communications ::Jersey
Telephones - main lines in use:
74,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 154
Telephones - mobile cellular:
83,900 (2004) country comparison to the world: 185
Telephone system:
general assessment: state owned, partially-competitive market; increasingly modern, with some broadband access
domestic: digital telephone system launch announced in 2006 and currently being implemented; fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available; combined fixed and mobile-cellular density exceeds 100 per 100 persons
international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey, the UK, and France (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (UK radio broadcasts carried via local relays) (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (UK television carried by local relays with a switch to digital broadcasts scheduled for 2010) (2008)
Internet country code:
.je
Internet hosts:
219 (2009) country comparison to the world: 187
Internet users:
29,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 181
Transportation ::Jersey
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 224
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 358 km (2002) country comparison to the world: 199
Ports and terminals:
Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Military ::Jersey
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 16,920
females age 16-49: 16,826 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 586
female: 541 (2009 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues ::Jersey
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Jordan (Middle East)
Introduction ::Jordan
Background:
Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 war and barely managed to defeat Palestinian rebels who threatened to overthrow the monarchy in 1970. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank. In 1989, he reinstituted parliamentary elections and initiated a gradual political liberalization; political parties were legalized in 1992. In 1994, he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. In 2003, Jordan staunchly supported the Coalition ouster of Saddam in Iraq and following the outbreak of insurgent violence in Iraq, absorbed thousands of displaced Iraqis. Municipal elections were held in July 2007 under a system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007 and saw independent pro-government candidates win the vast majority of seats. In November 2007, King ABDALLAH instructed his new prime minister to focus on socioeconomic reform, developing a healthcare and housing network for civilians and military personnel, and improving the educational system.
Geography ::Jordan
Location:
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
31 00 N, 36 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 89,342 sq km country comparison to the world: 111 land: 88,802 sq km
water: 540 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 1,635 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline:
26 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate:
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain:
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use:
arable land: 3.32%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 95.5% (2005)
Irrigated land:
750 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.9 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.01 cu km/yr (21%/4%/75%)
per capita: 177 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank
People ::Jordan
Population:
6,342,948 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.3% (male 1,014,183/female 973,538)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 2,183,638/female 1,904,420)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 128,759/female 138,410) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.3 years
male: 25 years
female: 23.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.264% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Birth rate:
19.55 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Death rate:
2.75 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 217
Net migration rate:
5.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 16
Urbanization:
urban population: 78% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.97 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 128 male: 17.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.87 years country comparison to the world: 38 male: 76.34 years
female: 81.56 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.39 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
600 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Nationality:
noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some
Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Languages:
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.9%
male: 95.1%
female: 84.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4.9% of GDP (1999) country comparison to the world: 77
Government ::Jordan
Country name:
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Amman
geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last Friday in September
Administrative divisions:
12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Independence:
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution:
1 January 1952; amended many times
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HUSSEIN (born 28 June 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II
head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25 November 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch
elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected using a single, non-transferable vote system in multi-member districts to serve four-year terms); note - six seats are reserved for women, nine seats are reserved for Christian candidates, nine seats are reserved for Bedouin candidates, and three seats are reserved for Jordanians of Chechen or Circassian descent
elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next scheduled to be held in 2011)
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - IAF 6, independents and other 104; note - seven women serve in the Assembly, six of whom filled women's quota seats and one was directly elected
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation (Supreme Court)
Political parties and leaders:
Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party [Fuad DABBOUR]; Ba'ath Arab Progressive
Party [Tayseer al-HAMSI]; Call Party [Mohammed Abu BAKR]; Democratic
People's Party [Ahmad Yusuf 'ALIYA]; Democratic Popular Unity Party
[Sa'ed DIAB]; Islamic Action Front or IAF [Ishaq al-FARHAN]; Islamic
Center Party [Marwan al-FA'OURI; Jordanian Communist Party [Munir
HAMARNEH]; Jordanian National Party [Mona Abu BAKR]; Jordanian
United Front [Amjad al-MAJALI]; Life Party [Thaher 'AMROU]; Message
Party [Hazem QASHOU]; National Constitution Party [Ahmed al-SHUNAQ];
National Movement for Direct Democracy [Mohammed al-QAQ];
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice
chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Saleh al-ARMUTI, chairman];
Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Jordanian
Muslim Brotherhood [Dr. Hamam SAID, controller general]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC,
NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Prince
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. BEECROFT
embassy: Abdoun, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, DPO AE 09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000
FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
Economy ::Jordan
Economy - overview:
Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods with some Israeli content duty free to the US. In 2006 and 2008, Jordan used privatization proceeds to significantly reduce its debt-to-GDP ratio. These measures have helped improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the growing budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs. Jordan is currently exploring nuclear power generation to forestall energy shortfalls. Jordan's conservative banking sector has been largely protected from the worldwide financial crisis, but many businesses, particularly in the tourism and real estate sector, are predicting a slow-down in 2009.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$31.68 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 103 $30 billion (2007 est.)
$28.14 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$21.23 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 6.6% (2007 est.)
8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,200 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 $5,000 (2007 est.)
$5,000 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 29.9%
services: 66.5% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
1.615 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 20%
services: 77.4% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
12.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 141 13.5% (2007 est.)
note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%
Population below poverty line:
14.2% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 30.7% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
39.7 (2007) country comparison to the world: 63 36.4 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
32.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Budget:
revenues: $5.67 billion
expenditures: $7.66 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
62.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 23 85.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189 5.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
6.25% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 56 7% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
9.03% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$6.765 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$17.98 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 43 $15.38 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$25.05 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 56 $19.53 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$35.85 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 61 $41.22 billion (31 December 2007)
$29.73 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, dairy
Industries:
clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Electricity - production:
12.21 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - consumption:
10.4 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Electricity - exports:
176 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
200 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Oil - consumption:
108,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 176
Oil - imports:
108,200 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 64
Oil - proved reserves:
1 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 96
Natural gas - production:
250 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Natural gas - consumption:
2.97 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 164
Natural gas - imports:
2.72 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
Current account balance:
-$2.39 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 141 -$2.767 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$7.782 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $5.7 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners:
India 16.2%, Iraq 16.1%, US 13.2%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, UAE 4.6% (2008)
Imports:
$14.99 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $12.02 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 21.2%, China 10.4%, Germany 6%, US 4.6%, Egypt 4.5%,
Ukraine 4.3% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$8.918 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $7.929 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.794 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 $8.133 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$16.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 $14.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - 0.709 (2008 est.), 0.709 (2007), 0.709 (2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004)
Communications ::Jordan
Telephones - main lines in use:
519,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 95
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.314 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 84
Telephone system:
general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains modest and slow-growing
domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage has increased and teledensity reached 85 per 100 persons in 2008
international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
FM 31 (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
22 (2007)
Internet country code:
.jo
Internet hosts:
28,896 (2009) country comparison to the world: 92
Internet users:
1.5 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 74
Transportation ::Jordan
Airports:
17 (2009) country comparison to the world: 142
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 439 km; oil 49 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 507 km country comparison to the world: 115 narrow gauge: 507 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 8,002 km country comparison to the world: 141 paved: 8,002 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 21 country comparison to the world: 97 by type: cargo 8, container 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 3
foreign-owned: 13 (UAE 13)
registered in other countries: 24 (Algeria 7, Bahamas 2, Panama 13, Syria 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Al 'Aqabah
Military ::Jordan
Military branches:
Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force (RJLF), Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; male conscription at age 18 - suspended in 1999 - resurrected in July 2007 in order to provide youth training necessary for job market needs; all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,812,551
females age 16-49: 1,559,155 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,593,919
females age 16-49: 1,382,097 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 69,830
female: 67,292 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
8.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 5
Transnational Issues ::Jordan
Disputes - international:
approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)); 500,000 (Iraq)
IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Jordan is a destination and transit country for women and men from South and Southeast Asia trafficked for the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination for women from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers; Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kazakhstan (Central Asia)
Introduction ::Kazakhstan
Background:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
Geography ::Kazakhstan
Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural
(Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe
Geographic coordinates:
48 00 N, 68 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 2,724,900 sq km country comparison to the world: 9 land: 2,699,700 sq km
water: 25,200 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 12,185 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain:
vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Natural resources:
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 8.28%
permanent crops: 0.05%
other: 91.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
35,560 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
109.6 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%)
per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty
Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050
People ::Kazakhstan
Population:
15,399,437 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.8% (male 1,717,469/female 1,643,920)
15-64 years: 70.2% (male 5,279,292/female 5,534,607)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 426,494/female 797,655) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.6 years
male: 28.1 years
female: 31.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.392% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 166
Birth rate:
16.6 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Death rate:
9.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 75
Net migration rate:
-3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Urbanization:
urban population: 58% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.73 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 86 male: 30.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.87 years country comparison to the world: 152 male: 62.58 years
female: 73.47 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani
Ethnic groups:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,
German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)
Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.5%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.3% (1999 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
2.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 163
Government ::Kazakhstan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: Qazaqstan
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Capital:
name: Astana
geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Kazakhstan is divided into two time zones
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qalalar,
singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy
(Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy
(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,
Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy
(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050
Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 3 March 2009) and Deputy Prime Ministers Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) and Serik AKHMETOV (since 3 March 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president, with Mazhilis approval; note - constitutional amendments of May 2007 shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years and established a two-consecutive-term limit; changes will take effect after NAZARBAYEV's term ends; he, and only he, is allowed to run for president indefinitely
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held October 2008; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members)
Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, Serik
ABDRAHMANOV, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan
SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and
Industrial Union of Workers Block or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic
Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Alga
[Vladimir KOZLOV] (unregistered); Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV];
Azat Party (formerly True Ak Zhol Party) [Bolat ABILOV]; Communist
Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist
People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social
Democratic Party (NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan
ZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with
Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality)
[Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];
Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For Fair
Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash
NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights
[Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pan-National Social
Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners
Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican
Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency
International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
International organization participation:
ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC,
OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00
FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90
Flag description:
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
Economy ::Kazakhstan
Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 and 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and increased foreign investment; growth slowed to 2.4% in 2008, however, as a result of declining oil prices and a softening world economy. Inflation reached 10% in 2007 and 17% in 2008. In the energy sector, the opening of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. In 2006, Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy changed the corporate tax code to favor domestic industry as a means to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements, most recently, with regard to the Kashagan project in 2007-08. Since 2007, Astana has provided financial support to the banking sector which has been struggling with poor asset quality and large foreign loans.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$176.2 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $172.1 billion (2007 est.)
$158.6 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$135.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 8.5% (2007 est.)
10.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $11,300 (2007 est.)
$10,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 40.9%
services: 53.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
8.412 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 31.5%
industry: 18.4%
services: 50% (2006)
Unemployment rate:
6.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
13.8% (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.4 (2005) country comparison to the world: 112 31.5 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
27.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Budget:
revenues: $33.47 billion
expenditures: $36.23 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
8.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114 13.7% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199 10.8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 31 11% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$16.12 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 36 $12.74 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$35.76 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 34 $25.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$44.53 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $43.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$31.08 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 60 $41.38 billion (31 December 2007)
$43.69 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Electricity - production:
72.41 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - consumption:
64.69 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - exports:
3.617 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
3.27 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
1.429 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Oil - consumption:
239,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Oil - exports:
1.313 million bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Oil - imports:
164,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - proved reserves:
30 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Natural gas - production:
33.38 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - consumption:
33.68 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - exports:
9.221 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 21
Natural gas - imports:
9.517 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Current account balance:
$6.978 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 29 -$8.226 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$71.97 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $48.35 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners:
China 13.5%, Russia 12%, Germany 10.6%, Italy 6.9%, Romania 6.6%,
France 5.7%, Ukraine 5.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$38.45 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $33.26 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Russia 35.9%, China 24.3%, Germany 6%, Ukraine 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$19.87 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 $17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$107.8 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 35 $96.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$55.63 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $41.08 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$4.617 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 58 $3.97 billion (September 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 120.25 (2008 est.), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004)
Communications ::Kazakhstan
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.41 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 45
Telephones - mobile cellular:
14.911 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 43
Telephone system:
general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity now exceeds 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and the subscriber base now is roughly 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 60, FM 18, shortwave 9 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Internet country code:
.kz
Internet hosts:
48,873 (2009) country comparison to the world: 84
Internet users:
2.3 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 66
Transportation ::Kazakhstan
Airports:
99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 61
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 67
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 13 (2009)
Heliports:
4 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 658 km; gas 11,146 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km; water 1,465 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 13,700 km country comparison to the world: 19 broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 91,563 km country comparison to the world: 53 paved: 83,717 km
unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)
Waterways:
4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2008) country comparison to the world: 26
Merchant marine:
total: 5 country comparison to the world: 132 by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),
Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Military ::Kazakhstan
Military branches:
Kazakh Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Mobile Forces, Air
Defense Forces (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,176,731
females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,888,931
females age 16-49: 3,550,014 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 139,262
female: 133,047 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) country comparison to the world: 145
Transnational Issues ::Kazakhstan
Disputes - international:
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kenya (Africa)
Introduction ::Kenya
Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.
Geography ::Kenya
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and
Tanzania
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 580,367 sq km country comparison to the world: 48 land: 569,140 sq km
water: 11,227 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
536 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources:
limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 8.01%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other: 91.02% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,030 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
30.2 cu km (1990)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%)
per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
People ::Kenya
Population:
39,002,772 country comparison to the world: 33 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 8,300,393/female 8,181,898)
15-64 years: 55.1% (male 10,784,119/female 10,702,999)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 470,218/female 563,145) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.7 years
male: 18.6 years
female: 18.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.691% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Birth rate:
36.64 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Death rate:
9.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 77
Urbanization:
urban population: 22% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 54.7 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 44 male: 57.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.86 years country comparison to the world: 188 male: 57.49 years
female: 58.24 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.56 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 8
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and Rift Valley fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely
Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 9 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 27
Government ::Kenya
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya
local short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Nairobi
geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005
Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008);
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008); note - the roles of the president and prime minister are not well defined at this juncture; constitutionally, the president remains chief of state and head of government, but the prime minister is charged with coordinating government business
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and headed by the prime minister, who is the leader of the largest party in parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge usually referred to as Parliament (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 nominated members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODM 99, PNU 46, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 35; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - ODM 6, PNU 3, ODM-K 2, KANU 1
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High
Court
Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari
KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People
[Reuben OYONDI]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru
KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Martha
KARUA]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange
Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of
National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or
SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris
MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI];
Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention
Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political
parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA]; National
Muslim Leaders Forum or NAMLEF [Abdullahi ABDI]; Protestant National
Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon Peter Karanja MWANGI];
Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of
Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]
other: labor unions
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606 Village Market, Nairobi 00621
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000
FAX: [254] (20) 363-410
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Economy ::Kenya
Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the government on corruption. The international financial institutions and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the government's part to deal with corruption. Post-election violence in early 2008, coupled with the effects of the global financial crisis on remittance and exports, reduced GDP growth to 2.2% in 2008, down from 7% the previous year.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$61.65 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 84 $60.62 billion (2007 est.)
$56.68 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$29.56 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 7% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 193 $1,600 (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.8%
industry: 16.7%
services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
17.37 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 188 40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 37.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.5 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 44.9 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Budget:
revenues: $6.648 billion
expenditures: $8.167 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
60.1% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
26.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 216 9.7% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.02% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 56 13.34% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.068 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 52 $5.912 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$5.468 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 66 $6.464 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.83 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 69 $10.67 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$10.92 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $13.39 billion (31 December 2007)
$11.38 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Electricity - production:
5.223 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - consumption:
4.863 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Electricity - exports:
58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 150
Oil - consumption:
75,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Oil - exports:
7,270 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Oil - imports:
80,530 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 193
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 158
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Current account balance:
-$1.978 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 -$1.102 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.04 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $4.123 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners:
UK 10%, Netherlands 9.2%, Uganda 9%, Tanzania 8.7%, US 6.3%,
Pakistan 5.6% (2008)
Imports:
$10.69 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 $8.381 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
India 14.1%, UAE 11.5%, China 10%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa 5.7%, Japan 5.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.879 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94 $3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.855 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.541 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $1.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$12.4 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $31.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.358 (2008 est.), 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004)
Communications ::Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
252,300 (2008) country comparison to the world: 119
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.234 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 41
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 82, shortwave 6 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2008)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
32,913 (2009) country comparison to the world: 90
Internet users:
3.36 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
Transportation ::Kenya
Airports:
181 (2009) country comparison to the world: 33
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 105
under 914 m: 50 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km country comparison to the world: 59 narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 63,574 km (interurban roads) country comparison to the world: 70 paved: 9,273 km
unpaved: 54,301 km
note: there also are 114,226 km of unclassified roads, 2,000 km paved and 112,226 unpaved, for a national total of 177,800 km (2008)
Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 160 by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mombasa
Military ::Kenya
Military branches:
Kenyan Armed Forces: Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,044,685
females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,935,480
females age 16-49: 5,662,755 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412,656
female: 408,657 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 56
Transnational Issues ::Kenya
Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan); 16,428 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kiribati (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Kiribati
Background:
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Geography ::Kiribati
Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction were on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 811 sq km country comparison to the world: 186 land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
People ::Kiribati
Population:
112,850 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.6% (male 21,488/female 20,899)
15-64 years: 59% (male 32,871/female 33,690)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1,656/female 2,246) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 21.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.235% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Birth rate:
30.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Death rate:
7.85 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 44% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.48 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 61 male: 48.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.22 years country comparison to the world: 174 male: 60.14 years
female: 66.45 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.04 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of
God) 8% (1999)
Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
17.8% of GDP (2002) country comparison to the world: 1
Government ::Kiribati
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence:
12 July 1979 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local, customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (representing Banaba Island); serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;
National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
Flag description:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy ::Kiribati
Economy - overview:
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from the EU, UK, US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UN agencies, and Taiwan accounts for 20-25% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$580.8 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 $561.7 million (2007 est.)
$564.6 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$137 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 -0.5% (2007 est.)
3.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 $5,200 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 210
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1992 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Market value of publicly traded shares: