Azerbaijan
Republic of Azerbaijan
National Name: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
President: Ilham Aliyev (2003)
Prime Minister: Artur Rasizade (2003)
Land area: 33,243 sq mi (86,100 sq km); total area:33,436 sq mi (86,600 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 7,961,619 (growth rate: 0.7%); birth rate: 20.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 79.0/1000; life expectancy:63.9; density per sq mi: 239
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Baku, 2,118,600 (metro area), 1,235,400 (city proper), a port on the Caspian Sea
Other large cities (2004 est.): Ganja, 303,000; Sumgait, 280,500
Monetary unit: Manat
Languages: Azerbaijani Turkic 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)
Ethnicity/race: Azeri 90%, Dagestani 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenian 2%, other 2.3% (1998 est.). Note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region
Religions: Islam 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
Literacy rate: 97% (1989 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $30.01 billion; per capita $3,800. Real growth rate: 9.8%. Inflation: 4.6%. Unemployment: 1.2% (official rate). Arable land: 19%. Agriculture: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats. Labor force: 5.09 million; agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 15%, services 53% (1997). Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina. Exports: $3.168 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs. Imports: $3.622 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals. Major trading partners: Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, UK, U.S., Kazakhstan (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 923,800 (2002); mobile cellular: 870,000 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997). Internet hosts: 586 (2004). Internet users: 300,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 2,957 km (2004). Highways: total: 28,030 km; paved: 25,890 km; unpaved: 2,130 km (2002). Ports and harbors: Baku (Baki). Airports: 50 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and militarily occupies almost one-fifth of Azerbaijan—Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan signed bilateral agreements with Russia delimiting the Caspian seabed, but littoral states are far from multilateral agreement on dividing the waters and seabed regimes—Iran insists on division of Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries; Iran threatens to conduct oil exploration in Azerbaijani-claimed waters, while interdicting Azerbaijani activities; Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan await ICJ decision to resolve sovereignty dispute over oilfields in the Caspian Sea.
Geography
Azerbaijan is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea at the southeast extremity of the Caucasus. The region is a mountainous country, and only about 7% of it is arable land. The Kura River Valley is the area's major agricultural zone.
Government
Constitutional republic.
Belize
Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)
Governor-General: Sir Colville Young (1993)
Prime Minister: Said Musa (1998)
Land area: 8,803 sq mi (22,800 sq km); total area: 8,867 sq mi (22,966 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 287,730 (growth rate: 2.3%); birth rate: 28.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 24.9/1000; life expectancy: 68.3; density per sq mi: 33
Capital (2003 est.): Belmopan, 8,700
Largest city: Belize City, 52,600
Monetary unit: Belize dollar
Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Ethnicity/race: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Religions: Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%, Methodist 3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Pentecostal 7.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14%
Literacy rate: 94% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.778 billion; per capita $6,500. Real growth rate: 3.5%. Inflation: 2.9%. Unemployment: 12.9% (2003). Arable land: 3%. Agriculture: bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments. Labor force: 90,000; note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel; agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.). Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism, construction. Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower. Exports: $401.4 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood. Imports: $579.9 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco. Major trading partners: U.S., UK, France, Mexico, Cuba (2003).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 33,300 (2003); mobile cellular: 60,400 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997). Internet hosts: 2,613 (2003). Internet users: 30,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 2,872 km; paved: 488 km; unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004). Ports and harbors: Belize City. Airports: 43 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS is attempting to revive the 2002 failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package
Geography
Belize is situated on the Caribbean Sea, south of Mexico and east and north of Guatemala in Central America. In area, it is about the size of New Hampshire. Most of the country is heavily forested with various hardwoods. Mangrove swamps and cays along the coast give way to hills and mountains in the interior. The highest point is Victoria Peak, 3,681 ft (1,122 m).
Government
Parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth.
Bolivia
Republic of Bolivia
National name: República de Bolivia
President: Evo Morales (2006)
Land area: 418,683 sq mi (1,084,389 sq km); total area: 424,164 sq mi (1,098,580 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 8,989,046 (growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 23.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 51.8/1000; life expectancy: 65.8; density per sq mi: 21
Historic and judicial capital (2003 est.): Sucre, 204,200; Administrative capital: La Paz, 1,576,100 (metro. area), 830,500 (city proper)
Other large cities: Santa Cruz, 1,168,700; Cochabamba, 815,800; El Alto, 728,500; Oruro, 211,700
Monetary unit: Boliviano
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (all official)
Ethnicity/race: Quechua 30%, mestizo 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Literacy rate: 87% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $22.33 billion; per capita $2,600. Real growth rate: 3.7%. Inflation: 4.9%. Unemployment: 9.2% in urban areas with widespread underemployment (2003 est.). Arable land: 3%. Agriculture: soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber. Labor force: 3.8 million; agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a. Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing. Natural resources: tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower. Exports: $1.986 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin. Imports: $1.595 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans. Major trading partners: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, U.S., Peru, Argentina, Chile (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 600,100 (2003); mobile cellular: 1,401,500 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999). Television broadcast stations: 48 (1997). Internet hosts: 7,080 (2003). Internet users: 270,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 3,519 km (2004). Highways: total: 60,282 km; paved: 3,979 km; unpaved: 56,303 km (2002). Waterways: 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004). Ports and harbors:Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay. Airports: 1,065 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities.
Geography
Landlocked Bolivia is equal in size to California and Texas combined. Brazil forms its eastern border; its other neighbors are Peru and Chile on the west and Argentina and Paraguay on the south. The western part, enclosed by two chains of the Andes, is a great plateau—the Altiplano, with an average altitude of 12,000 ft (3,658 m). Almost half the population lives on the plateau, which contains Oruro, Potosí, and La Paz. At an altitude of 11,910 ft (3,630 m), La Paz is the highest administrative capital city in the world. The Oriente, a lowland region ranging from rain forests to grasslands, comprises the northern and eastern two-thirds of the country. Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 12,507 ft (3,812 m), is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world.
Government
Republic.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
National Name: Bosna i Hercegovina
Presidency, Chairman of the (rotating): Sulejman Tihic (2006)
Prime Minister: Adnan Terzic (2002)
Total and land area: 19,741 sq mi (51,129 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 4,498,976 (all data dealing with population are subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing) (growth rate: 1.4%); birth rate: 8.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 9.8/1000; life expectancy: 78.0; density per sq mi: 228
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Sarajevo, 581,500 (unofficial)
Other large cities: Banja Luka, 189,700; Tuzla 119,200; Mostar, 90,800
Monetary unit: Marka
Languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian (all official)
Ethnicity/race: Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000)
Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%
Literacy rate: n.a.
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $26.21 billion; per capita $6,500. Real growth rate: 5%. Inflation: 1.1%. Unemployment: 44% officially; however, gray economy may reduce actual unemployment to near 20%. Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock. Labor force: 1.026 million (2001); agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a. Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining (2001). Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower. Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): metals, clothing, wood products. Imports: $5.2 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: Italy, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 938,000 (2003); mobile cellular: 1.05 million (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 33 (plus 277 repeaters) (Sept. 1995). Internet hosts: 6,994 (2004). Internet users: 100,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km) (2004). Highways: total: 21,846 km; paved: 11,424 km; unpaved: 10,422 km (1999 est). Waterways: Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited because of no agreement with neighboring countries (2004). Ports and harbors: Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje. Airports: 27 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro have delimited most of their boundary, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute; discussions continue with Croatia on several small disputed sections of the boundary.
Geography
Bosnia and Herzegovina make up a triangular-shaped republic, about half the size of Kentucky, on the Balkan peninsula. The Bosnian region in the north is mountainous and covered with thick forests. The Herzegovina region in the south is largely rugged, flat farmland. It has a narrow coastline without natural harbors stretching 13 mi (20 km) along the Adriatic Sea.
Government
Emerging democracy, with a rotating, tripartite presidency divided between predominantly Serb, Croatian, and Bosnian political parties.
Botswana
Republic of Botswana
President: Festus Mogae (1998)
Land area: 226,012 sq mi (585,371 sq km); total area: 231,804 sq mi (600,370 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 1,639,833 (growth rate: 0.0%); birth rate: 23.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 53.7/1000; life expectancy: 33.7; density per sq mi: 7
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Gaborone, 195,000
Monetary unit: Pula
Languages: English (official), Setswana
Ethnicity/race: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other (including Kgalagadi and white) 7%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%
Literacy rate: 80% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $15.05 billion; per capita $9,200. Real growth rate: 3.5%. Inflation: 7%. Unemployment: 23.8%. Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts. Labor force: 264,000 formal sector employees (2000). Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles. Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver. Exports: $2.94 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles. Imports: $2.255 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products. Major trading partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Zimbabwe (2000).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 142,400 (2002); mobile cellular: 435,000 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001). Internet hosts: 1,920 (2003). Internet users: 60,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 888 km (2004). Highways: total: 10,217 km; paved: 5,619 km; unpaved: 4,598 km (1999). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 85 (2004 est.).
International disputes: commission established with Namibia has yet to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); Botswana has built electric fences to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has long supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing their short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary.
Geography
Twice the size of Arizona, Botswana is in south-central Africa, bounded by Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Most of the country is near-desert, with the Kalahari occupying the western part of the country. The eastern part is hilly, with salt lakes in the north.
Government
Parliamentary republic.
Brunei
Brunei Darussalam
National Name: Negara Brunei Darussalam
Sultan: Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (1967)
Land area: 2,035 sq mi (5,271 sq km); total area: 2,228 sq mi (5,770 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 379,444 (growth rate: 1.9%); birth rate: 18.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 12.2/1000; life expectancy: 75.0; density per sq mi: 186
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bandar Seri Begawan, 78,000
Other large cities: Kuala Belait 27,800, Seria 23,400
Monetary unit: Brunei dollar
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
Ethnicity/race: Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%
Religions: Islam (official religion) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10%
Literacy rate: 92% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2003 est.): $6.842 billion; per capita $23,600. Real growth rate: 3.2%. Inflation: 0.3%. Unemployment: 3.2% (2002 est.). Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: rice, vegetables, fruits, chickens, water buffalo. Labor force: 158,000; note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up 40% of labor force (2002 est.); government 48%, production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction 42%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 10% (1999 est.). Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber. Exports: $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): crude oil, natural gas, refined products. Imports: $5.2 billion (c.i.f., 2003): machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals. Major trading partners: Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, U.S., China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia.
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 90,000 (2002); mobile cellular: 137,000 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997). Internet hosts: 6,409 (2003). Internet users: 35,000 (2002).
Transportation: Highways: total: 2,525 km; paved: 2,525 km; unpaved: 0 km (2000). Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m (2004). Ports and harbors: Lumut, Muara, Seria. Airports: 2 (2004 est.).
International disputes: in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international legal adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in southern Spratly Islands in 1984 but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants.
Geography
About the size of Delaware, Brunei is an independent sultanate on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea, wedged between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Government
Constitutional sultanate.
Bulgaria
Republic of Bulgaria
President: Georgi Purvanov (2002)
Prime Minister: Sergei Stanishev (2005)
Land area: 42,683 sq mi (110,549 sq km); total area: 42,823 sq mi (110,910 sq km )
Population (2006 est.): 7,385,367 (growth rate: –0.9%); birth rate: 9.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 19.9/1000; life expectancy: 72.3; density per sq mi: 173
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Sofia, 1,088,700
Other large cities: Plovdiv, 338,200; Varna, 312,300; Burgas, 192,000; Ruse, 161,000
Monetary unit: Lev
Languages: Bulgarian; secondary languages strongly correspond to ethnic breakdown
Ethnicity/race: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) 2%
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Islam 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)
Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $61.63 billion; per capita $8,200. Real growth rate: 5.3%. Inflation: 6.1%. Unemployment: 12.7%. Arable land: 40%. Agriculture: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets. Labor force: 3.398 million; agriculture 11%, industry 32.7%, services 56.3% (3rd quarter 2004 est.). Industries: electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel. Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land. Exports: $9.134 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels. Imports: $12.23 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials. Major trading partners: Italy, Germany, Greece, Turkey, France, U.S., Russia (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 2,868,200 (2002); mobile cellular: 2,597,500 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001). Internet hosts: 53,421 (2004). Internet users: 630,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 4,294 km (2004). Highways: total: 37,077 km; paved: 34,111 km (including 328 km of expressways); unpaved: 2,966 km (2002). Waterways: 470 km (2004). Ports and harbors: Burgas, Varna. Airports: 213 (2004 est.).
International disputes: none.
Geography
Bulgaria shares borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Greece, and Turkey. Two mountain ranges and two great valleys mark the topography of Bulgaria, a country the size of Tennessee and situated on the Black Sea. The Maritsa is Bulgaria's principal river, and the Danube also flows through the country.
Government
Parliamentary democracy.
Burkina Faso
President: Blaise Compaoré (1987)
Prime Minister: Paramanga Ernest Yonli (2000)
Land area: 105,714 sq mi (273,799 sq km); total area: 105,869 sq mi (274,200 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 13,902,972 (growth rate: 3.0%); birth rate: 45.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 91.3/1000; life expectancy: 48.9; density per sq mi: 132
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Ouagadougou, 962,100
Monetary unit: CFA Franc
Languages: French (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90%
Ethnicity/race: Mossi (over 40%), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
Religions: Islam 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
Literacy rate: 27% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $15.74 billion; per capita $1,200. Real growth rate: 4.8%. Inflation: 2.4%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock. Labor force: 5 million; note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003). Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold. Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt. Exports: $418.6 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): cotton, livestock, gold. Imports: $866.3 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): capital goods, food products, petroleum. Major trading partners: Singapore, China, Thailand, Italy, Ghana, Colombia, France, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Belgium (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 65,400 (2003); mobile cellular: 227,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 442 (2003). Internet users: 48,000 (2003).
Transportation: Railways: total: 622 km (2004). Highways: total: 12,506 km; paved: 2,001 km; unpaved: 10,505 km (1999). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 33 (2004 est.).
International disputes: two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels.
Geography
Slightly larger than Colorado, Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its neighbors are Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, and Ghana. The country consists of extensive plains, low hills, high savannas, and a desert area in the north.
Government
Parliamentary.
Burma (Myanmar)
Union of Myanmar
National name: Pyidaungsu Myanmar Naingngandau
Head of State: Senior Gen. Than Shwe (1992)
Prime Minister: Lt. Gen. Soe Win (2004)
Land area: 253,954 sq mi (657,741 sq km); total area: 261,70 q mi (sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 47,382,633 (growth rate: 0.8%); birth rate: 17.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 61.9/1000; life expectancy: 61.0; density per sq mi: 187
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Rangoon (Yangon), 4,344,100
Other large city: Mandalay, 1,147,400
Monetary unit: Kyat
Languages: Burmese, minority languages
Ethnicity/race: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Islam 4%, Animist 1%, other 2%
Literacy rate: 83% (1995 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $74.3 billion; per capita $1,700. Real growth rate: –1.3%. Inflation: 17.2%. Unemployment: 5.2%. Arable land: 15%. Agriculture: rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products. Labor force: 27.01 million; agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.). Industries: agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement. Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower. Exports: $2.137 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice. Imports: $1.754 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products. Major trading partners: Thailand, India, U.S., China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 250,000 (2000); mobile cellular: 8,492 (1997). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998). Radios: 4.2 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998). Televisions: 320,000 (2000). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1; note: as of Sept. 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000). Internet users: 10,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 3,955 km (2002). Highways: total: 28,200 km; paved: 3,440 km; unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.). Waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels. Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy. Airports: 80 (2002).
International disputes: despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities.
Geography
Slightly smaller than Texas, Myanmar occupies the Thailand/Cambodia portion of the Indochinese peninsula. India lies to the northwest and China to the northeast. Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand are also neighbors. The Bay of Bengal touches the southwest coast. The fertile delta of the Irrawaddy River in the south contains a network of intercommunicating canals and nine principal river mouths.
Government
Military regime.
Burundi
Republic of Burundi
National name: Republika y'u Burundi
President: Pierre Nkurunziza (2005)
Land area: 9,903 sq mi (25,649 sq km); total area: 10,745 sq mi (27,830 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 8,090,068 (growth rate: 3.7%); birth rate: 42.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 63.1/1000; life expectancy: 50.8; density per sq mi: 817
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bujumbura, 331,700
Other large city: Gitega, 45,700
Monetary unit: Burundi franc
Languages: Kirundi and French (official), Swahili
Ethnicity/race: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 62%, indigenous 23%, Islam 10%, Protestant 5%
Literacy rate: 52% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $4.001 billion; per capita $600. Real growth rate: 3%. Inflation: 8.5%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 35%. Agriculture: coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides. Labor force: 2.99 million (2002); agriculture 93.6%, industry 2.3%, services 4.1% (2002 est.). Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing. Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone. Exports: $31.84 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides. Imports: $138.2 million (f.o.b., 2004 est.): capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: Switzerland, UK, Rwanda, Netherlands, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, France, India, Japan, China (2003).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 23,900 (2003); mobile cellular: 64,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001). Internet hosts: 22 (2003). Internet users: 14,000 (2003).
Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 14,480 km; paved: 1,028 km; unpaved: 13,452 km (1999 est.). Waterways: mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2004). Ports and harbors: Bujumbura. Airports: 8 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Tutsi, Hutu, other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda in an effort to gain control over populated and natural resource areas; government heads pledge to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite the presence of about 6,000 peacekeepers from the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) since 2004; although some 150,000 Burundian refugees have been repatriated, as of February 2005, Burundian refugees still reside in camps in western Tanzania as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Geography
Wedged between Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda in east-central Africa, Burundi occupies a high plateau divided by several deep valleys. It is equal in size to Maryland.
Government
Republic.