Colombia
Background
Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. Paramilitary groups challenge the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade. Most paramilitary members have demobilized since 2002 in an ongoing peace process, although their commitment to ceasing illicit activity is unclear. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.
Location
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
Geographic co ordinates
4 00 N, 72 00 W
Map references
South America
Area
Total: 1,138,910 sq km ; land: 1,038,700 sq km ; water: 100,210 sq km ; note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank
Area-comparative
Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Climate
Tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Terrain
Flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains
Natural resources
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
Natural hazards
Highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts
Nationality
Noun: Colombian(s) ; adjective: Colombian
Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Colombia ; conventional short form: Colombia ; local long form: Republica de Colombia ; local short form: Colombia
Capital
Name: Bogota ; geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W ; time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative division
32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada
National holiday
Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Flag
Industries
Textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
Currency code
Colombian peso (COP)
Internet country code
.co
Ports and terminals
Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo
Comoros
Background
Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May 2002.
Location
Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique
Geographic co-ordinates
12 10 S, 44 15 E
Map references
Africa
Area
Total: 2,170 sq km ; land: 2,170 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
Tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Terrain
Volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Natural Hazards
Cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Nationality
Noun: Comoran(s) ; adjective: Comoran
Languages
Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
Country name
Conventional long form: Union of the Comoros ; conventional short form: Comoros ; local long form: Union des Comores ; local short form: Comores
Capital
Name: Moroni ; geographic coordinates: 11 41 S, 43 16 E ; time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Flag
Industries
Tourism, perfume distillation
Currency code
Comoran franc (KMF)
Internet code
.km
Ports and terminals
Mayotte, Moutsamoudou
Congo , democratic republic of the
Background
Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several subsequent sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; with Joseph KABILA as president and joined by four vice presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006.
Location
Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Geographic co-ordinates
0 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
Total: 2,345,410 sq km ; land: 2,267,600 sq km ; water: 77,810 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Climate
Tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
Terrain
Vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural resources
Diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber
Natural Hazards
Periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Nationality
Noun: Congolese (singular and plural) ; adjective: Congolese or Congo
Languages
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo ; conventional short form: none ; local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo ; local short form: none ; former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire ; abbreviation: DRC
Capital
Name: Kinshasa ; geographic coordinates: 4 18 S, 15 18 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative division
10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu ; note: According to the Constitution adopted in December 2005, the current administrative divisions will be subdivided into 26 new provinces
30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday
Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Flag
Industries
Mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair
Currency code
Congolese franc (CDF)
Internet code
.cd
Ports and terminals
Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Congo, Republic of the
Background
Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
Location
Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Geographic co-ordinates
1 00 S, 15 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
Total: 342,000 sq km ; land: 341,500 sq km ; water: 500 sq km
Area- comparative
Slightly smaller than Montana
Climate
Topical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Terrain
Castal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Natural resources
Petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
Natural Hazards
Air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
Nationality
Noun: Congolese (singular and plural) ; adjective: Congolese or Congo
Languages
French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Congo ; conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) ; local long form: Republique du Congo ; local short form: none ; former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Capital
Name: Brazzaville ; geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday
Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Flag
Industries
Petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Currency code
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
Internet code
.cg
Ports and terminals
Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Cook Islands
Background
Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the
way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic co-ordinates
21 14 S, 159 46 W
Map references
Oceania
Area
Total: 236.7 sq km ; land: 236.7 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
Area- comparative
1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
Tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
Terrain
Low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Natural Hazards
Typhoons (November to March)
Nationality
Noun: Cook Islander(s) ; adjective: Cook Islander
Languages
English (official), Maori
Country name
Conventional long form: none ; conventional short form: Cook Islands ; former: Harvey Islands
Capital
Name: Avarua ; geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W ; time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday
Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
Suffrage
NA years of age; universal adult
Flag
Industries
Fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts
Currency code
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Internet code
.ck