$NA
Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables; poultry
Industries:
tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
2.045 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Electricity - consumption:
1.902 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 205
Oil - consumption:
34,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
Oil - exports:
transshipments of 41,570 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Oil - imports:
72,420 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 205
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 205
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 203
Current account balance:
-$1.442 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Exports:
$674 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 159
Exports - commodities:
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables
Exports - partners:
US 21.6%, Singapore 19%, Poland 18.2%, Germany 7.7%, Japan 7.5% (2008)
Imports:
$2.401 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 145
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Imports - partners:
US 25.1%, South Korea 18.8%, Japan 16.4%, Singapore 7.3%, Venezuela 5% (2008)
Debt - external:
$342.6 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Exchange rates:
Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2008 est.), 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004)
Communications ::Bahamas, The
Telephones - main lines in use:
133,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 138
Telephones - mobile cellular:
358,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 164
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet services
international: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (2006)
Internet country code:
.bs
Internet hosts:
8,325 (2009) country comparison to the world: 122
Internet users:
106,500 (2008) country comparison to the world: 151
Transportation ::Bahamas, The
Airports:
62 (2009) country comparison to the world: 79
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 22 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 2,717 km country comparison to the world: 168 paved: 1,560 km
unpaved: 1,157 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,223 country comparison to the world: 6 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 210, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker 88, combination ore/oil 12, container 65, liquefied gas 77, passenger 109, passenger/cargo 35, petroleum tanker 209, refrigerated cargo 119, roll on/roll off 16, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 51
foreign-owned: 1,150 (Angola 6, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 2, Canada 84, China 10, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 25, Denmark 67, Finland 9, France 30, Germany 44, Greece 209, Hong Kong 30, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 1, Italy 4, Japan 87, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 15, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 9, Nigeria 2, Norway 189, Poland 17, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 17, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 14, Sweden 4, Switzerland 1, Thailand 5, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 8, UAE 23, UK 56, US 106, Venezuela 1)
registered in other countries: 12 (Bolivia 1, Panama 9, Peru 1, Portugal 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point
Military ::Bahamas, The
Military branches:
Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 80,200 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 50,764
females age 16-49: 51,690 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,992
female: 3,003 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 160
Transnational Issues ::Bahamas, The
Disputes - international:
disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian waters
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Bahrain (Middle East)
Introduction ::Bahrain
Background:
In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shia discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.
Geography ::Bahrain
Location:
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 741 sq km country comparison to the world: 190 land: 741 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
161 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Climate:
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain:
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Natural resources:
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use:
arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 5.63%
other: 91.55% (2005)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.3 cu km/yr (40%/3%/57%)
per capita: 411 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; dust storms
Environment - current issues:
desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs)
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
People ::Bahrain
Population:
727,785 country comparison to the world: 162 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 95,224/female 93,241)
15-64 years: 70.2% (male 292,941/female 217,729)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 15,106/female 13,544) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 30.1 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 26.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.285% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
Birth rate:
17.02 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Death rate:
4.37 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 202
Net migration rate:
0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Urbanization:
urban population: 89% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.24 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.25 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 125 male: 17.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.16 years country comparison to the world: 83 male: 72.64 years
female: 77.76 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.5 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 600 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
Nationality:
noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups:
Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
Languages:
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 88.6%
female: 83.6% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 107
Government ::Bahrain
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
former: Dilmun
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Manama
geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat
note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor
Independence:
15 August 1971 (from the UK)
National holiday:
National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection
Constitution:
adopted 14 February 2002
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010)
election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by society - NA; seats by society - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by society as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1
Judicial branch:
High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders:
political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Shia activists; Sunni Islamist legislators
other: several small leftist and other groups are active
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA,
NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Houda Ibrahim Ezra NUNU
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111
FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI
embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama
mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama
telephone: [973] 1724-2700
FAX: [973] 1727-0547
Flag description:
red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam
Economy ::Bahrain
Economy - overview:
With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Aluminum is Bahrain's second major export after oil. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is focused on Islamic banking and is competing on an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Continued strong growth hinges on Bahrain's ability to acquire new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are long-term economic problems. The global financial crisis is likely to result in slower economic growth for Bahrain during 2009 as tight international credit and a slowing global economy cause funding for many non-oil projects to dry up. Lower oil prices may also cause Bahrain's budget to slip back into deficit.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.89 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 112 $25.29 billion (2007 est.)
$23.34 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$21.24 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51 8.4% (2007 est.)
6.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$37,400 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 $35,700 (2007 est.)
$33,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 66.2%
services: 33.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
557,000 country comparison to the world: 152 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 79%
services: 20% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
26.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Budget:
revenues: $6.934 billion
expenditures: $5.612 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
28.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 63.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 115 3.3% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 101 8.35% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$4.169 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$10.63 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$10.32 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$21.18 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 65 $28.13 billion (31 December 2007)
$21.12 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Electricity - production:
10.25 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 90
Electricity - consumption:
10.1 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
48,520 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Oil - consumption:
38,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Oil - exports:
238,300 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Oil - imports:
228,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - proved reserves:
124.6 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Natural gas - production:
12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Natural gas - consumption:
12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 45
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - proved reserves:
92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Current account balance:
$2.257 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $2.907 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$17.49 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 $13.79 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 3.4%, India 2.7%, UAE 2.2% (2008)
Imports:
$14.25 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 $10.93 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 26.7%, Japan 8.9%, US 7.8%, China 6.2%, Germany 4.8%,
South Korea 4.7%, UK 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.803 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$10.33 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86 $7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$15.01 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $13.31 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$9.34 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $7.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2008 est.), 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004)
Communications ::Bahrain
Telephones - main lines in use:
220,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 123
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.4 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 135
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones
international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bh
Internet hosts:
51,489 (2009) country comparison to the world: 82
Internet users:
402,900 (2008) country comparison to the world: 112
Transportation ::Bahrain
Airports:
3 (2009) country comparison to the world: 191
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 20 km; oil 32 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 3,498 km country comparison to the world: 161 paved: 2,768 km
unpaved: 730 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 country comparison to the world: 114 by type: bulk carrier 4, container 4, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 5, UAE 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Military ::Bahrain
Military branches:
Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense),
Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 210,938
females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 171,004
females age 16-49: 144,555 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 6,612
female: 6,499 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 22
Transnational Issues ::Bahrain
Disputes - international:
none
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Bangladesh (South Asia)
Introduction ::Bangladesh
Background:
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed, emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years, the parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were mostly peaceful. Sheikh HASINA Wajed was reappointed prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Geography ::Bangladesh
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 143,998 sq km country comparison to the world: 94 land: 130,168 sq km
water: 13,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries:
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline:
580 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources:
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use:
arable land: 55.39%
permanent crops: 3.08%
other: 41.53% (2005)
Irrigated land:
47,250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
1,210.6 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues:
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal
People ::Bangladesh
Population:
156,050,883 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.6% (male 27,065,625/female 26,913,961)
15-64 years: 61.4% (male 45,222,182/female 50,537,052)
65 years and over: 4% (male 3,057,255/female 3,254,808) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.3 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 23.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.292% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Birth rate:
24.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Death rate:
9.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Net migration rate:
-2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Urbanization:
urban population: 27% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 39 male: 66.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.25 years country comparison to the world: 183 male: 57.57 years
female: 63.03 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups:
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Religions:
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages:
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.9%
male: 54%
female: 41.4% (2001 Census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 151
Government ::Bangladesh
Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form: Banladesh
former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence:
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Constitution:
4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014)
election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or
BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda
ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya
Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party
(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or
LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of
Women's and Children's Affairs)
other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
International organization participation:
ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500
FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744
Flag description:
green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Economy ::Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created higher inflation in the process.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$226.4 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $214 billion (2007 est.)
$201.5 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$84.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 6.2% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 197 $1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 52.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
70.86 million country comparison to the world: 8 note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 2.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 94 33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Budget:
revenues: $8.825 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
39.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 43% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.38% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 37 16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$9.294 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 46 $8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$37.98 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 30 $32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$47.03 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 50 $40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 78 $6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
$3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries:
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate:
6.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Electricity - production:
22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Electricity - consumption:
21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Oil - consumption:
95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - exports:
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - imports:
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - consumption:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 52
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Current account balance:
$1.032 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $856.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.44 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $12.47 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$21.51 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$97 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
Communications ::Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.39 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 67
Telephones - mobile cellular:
45.75 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 22
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached 30 per 100 persons
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
Internet country code:
.bd
Internet hosts:
4,209 (2009) country comparison to the world: 135
Internet users:
556,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 104
Transportation ::Bangladesh
Airports:
17 (2009) country comparison to the world: 139
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 2,597 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km country comparison to the world: 60 broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 239,226 km country comparison to the world: 21 paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
8,370 km country comparison to the world: 17 note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 40 country comparison to the world: 77 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military ::Bangladesh
Military branches:
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 24,946,041
females age 16-49: 31,409,069 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,538,865
female: 1,666,670 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 105
Transnational Issues ::Bangladesh
Disputes - international:
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Barbados (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Barbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography ::Barbados
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 430 sq km country comparison to the world: 200 land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)
per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island
People ::Barbados
Population:
284,589 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 180
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.2% (male 27,383/female 27,352)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 99,829/female 103,049)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 10,464/female 16,512) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.8 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 36.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.383% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
Birth rate:
12.55 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Death rate:
8.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 143 male: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.94 years country comparison to the world: 95 male: 71.65 years
female: 76.26 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Religions:
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 24
Government ::Barbados
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court of
Appeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the
Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is
the highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or
DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David
COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados
Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions
and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU,
NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU
[Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG];
National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BEALE
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN
embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399
FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
Economy ::Barbados
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, but the sector will likely face declining revenues with the global economic downturn. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public debt-to-GDP ratio of about 80% will likely widen as the THOMPSON administration engages in a more expansionary fiscal policy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.367 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 157 $5.329 billion (2007 est.)
$5.159 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.67 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 187 3.3% (2007 est.)
3.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$18,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 $18,900 (2007 est.)
$18,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
175,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 15%
services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 24 12% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.03% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 10.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.637 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 75 $1.478 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$3.701 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 $2.717 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.554 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 82 $3.533 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 85 $5.599 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.954 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Electricity - production:
1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Electricity - consumption:
939.9 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
1,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Oil - consumption:
9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Oil - exports:
1,750 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Oil - imports:
10,390 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Oil - proved reserves:
2.17 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Current account balance:
-$254 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Exports:
$385 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 168
Exports - commodities:
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 15.6%, Jamaica 13.9%, Brazil 9.9%, US 8.7%, UK 7.8%, Saint Lucia 7.3%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2008)
Imports:
$1.586 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 158
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners:
US 27.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 25.6%, Russia 7.1%, Colombia 6.4%,
Germany 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$620 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 135 $620 million (2007)
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 159
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Communications ::Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
150,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 132
Telephones - mobile cellular:
406,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 160
Telephone system:
general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density approaching 150 per 100 persons
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
235 (2009) country comparison to the world: 185
Internet users:
188,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 139
Transportation ::Barbados
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 212
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km country comparison to the world: 176 paved: 1,600 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 85 country comparison to the world: 53 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9)
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
Military ::Barbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 75,265
females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,596
females age 16-49: 58,866 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,015
female: 2,007 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)
Transnational Issues ::Barbados
Disputes - international:
Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Belarus (Europe)
Introduction ::Belarus
Background:
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
Geography ::Belarus
Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 207,600 sq km country comparison to the world: 85 land: 202,900 sq km
water: 4,700 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 3,306 km
border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use:
arable land: 26.77%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 72.63% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,310 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
58 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%)
per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
People ::Belarus
Population:
9,648,533 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 707,550/female 667,560)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 3,337,253/female 3,540,916)
65 years and over: 14.5% (male 446,746/female 948,508) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 38.6 years
male: 35.6 years
female: 41.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.378% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 224
Birth rate:
9.71 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Death rate:
13.86 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Net migration rate:
0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Urbanization:
urban population: 73% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female
total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 177 male: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.63 years country comparison to the world: 141 male: 64.95 years
female: 76.67 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.24 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Nationality:
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups:
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Languages:
Belarusian, Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.4% (1999 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
6.1% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 39
Government ::Belarus
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
local short form: Byelarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
Capital:
name: Minsk
geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers
Independence:
25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September and 3 October 2008 (next to be held fall of 2012); international observers determined that despite minor improvements the election ultimately fell short of democratic standards; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)
Political parties and leaders:
pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY];
Communist Party of Belarus or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement
(Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH, chairman];
Liberal Democratic Party [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH]; Republican Party of
Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir
ALEXANDROVICH]
opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party (unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Levon BARSHCHEVSKIY]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (People's Assembly) or BSDPH [Anatoliy LEVKOVICH]; European Coalition [Nikolay STATKEVICH]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party Hope (Nadezhda) [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson]
other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian
Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian
Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of
Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; BPF-Youth [Franak VYACHORKA]; Charter
97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For Freedom [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin
Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of
Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs
[Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay
ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO];
Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement
[Ludmila PETINA]; Young Belarus (Malady Belarus) [Artur FINKEVICH];
Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH]; Zubr youth group
[Vladimir KOBETS]
International organization participation:
BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Oleg KRAVCHENKO
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jonathan MOORE
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347 through 7348
FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
Flag description:
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country
Economy ::Belarus
Economy - overview:
Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, government statistics indicate GDP growth has been strong in recent years, reaching 10% in 2008, despite the roadblocks of a tough, centrally directed economy with a high rate of inflation. Belarus receives discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2007-08, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% was slated to go to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm)in 2006 to $100 per tcm in 2007, and to $128 per tcm in 2008, and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including improving energy efficiency and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on the economy. Belarus felt the effects of the global financial crisis in late 2008 and reached agreement with Russia in November for a $2 billion stabilization loan and with the IMF for a $2.5 billion stand-by agreement in January 2009. In line with IMF conditionality, Belarus devalued the ruble approximately 20% in January 2009 and has tightened some fiscal and monetary policies. Belarus's economic growth is likely to slow in 2009 as it faces decreasing demand for its exports, and will find it difficult to increase external borrowing if the credit markets continue to tighten.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$114.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 $103.9 billion (2007 est.)
$96.06 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$60.3 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
10% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 8.2% (2007 est.)
9.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,800 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 $10,700 (2007 est.)
$9,800 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 41.2%
services: 50.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.869 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 77
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 34.7%
services: 51.3% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.6% (2005) country comparison to the world: 12 note: officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
Population below poverty line:
27.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 22% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27.9 (2005) country comparison to the world: 122 21.7 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
31.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Budget:
revenues: $25.15 billion
expenditures: $25.97 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 188 8.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 37 10% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.55% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 8.58% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.872 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 55 $4.065 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$8.784 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 55 $6.823 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$18.42 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 60 $12.16 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: