Chapter 88
$115.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
Exports - partners:
UK 18.7%, US 17.9%, Belgium 14.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.8% (2007)
Imports:
$84.76 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Imports - partners:
UK 38.3%, US 11.3%, Germany 9.7%, Netherlands 5%, France 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $1.022 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$926.2 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.841 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$191.4 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$139.6 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$114.1 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications Ireland
Telephones - main lines in use:
2.112 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.94 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; landing point for the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
2.55 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (many repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
1.82 million (2001)
Internet country code:
.ie
Internet hosts:
1.242 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)
Internet users:
1.708 million (2007)
Transportation Ireland
Airports:
34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 16 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,855 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 3,237 km broad gauge: 1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 96,602 km paved: 96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways:
956 km (pleasure craft only) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 29 by type: cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 2 (US 2) registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 3, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10, Slovakia 1, UK 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes
Military Ireland
Military branches:
Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,024,635 females age 16-49: 1,024,276 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 854,982 females age 16-49: 852,592 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 28,610 female: 27,095 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Ireland
Disputes - international:
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Isle of Man
Introduction Isle of Man
Background:
Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.
Geography Isle of Man
Location:
Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland
Geographic coordinates:
54 15 N, 4 30 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
160 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time
Terrain:
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution
Geography - note:
one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary
People Isle of Man
Population:
76,220 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 6,629/female 6,318) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 25,251/female 24,959) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,294/female 7,769) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 40 years male: 38.8 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.509% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.8 years male: 75.46 years female: 82.32 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx
Ethnic groups:
Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons
Religions:
Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
Languages:
English, Manx Gaelic
Literacy:
NA
Education expenditures:
NA
Government Isle of Man
Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man abbreviation: I.O.M.
Dependency status:
British crown dependency
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections
Independence:
none (British crown dependency)
National holiday:
Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution:
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes
Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald
Legislative branch:
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21
Judicial branch:
High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT] note: most members sit as independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government watchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state and environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to the Tynwald
International organization participation:
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (British crown dependency)
Flag description:
red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used
Economy Isle of Man
Economy - overview:
Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2005)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$35,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
39,690 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
1.5% (December 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $965 million expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (December 2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (FY96/97)
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners:
UK (2006)
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners:
UK (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Debt - external:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Isle of Man pound (IMP), also known as the Manx pound note: the British pound is also legal tender, but change is given in IMP
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange rates:
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Communications Isle of Man
Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (1999)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Televisions:
27,490 (1999)
Internet country code:
.im
Internet hosts:
426 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
NA
Transportation Isle of Man
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 65 km standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified) narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)
Roadways:
total: 500 km (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 273 by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4) registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Douglas, Ramsey
Military Isle of Man
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 471 female: 447 (2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Isle of Man
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Israel
Introduction Israel
Background:
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian ceasefire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS in January 2006 to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in Gaza in June-July 2006 and a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally evacuate from most of the West Bank. OLMERT in June 2007 resumed talks with the PA after HAMAS seized control of the Gaza Strip and PA President Mahmoud ABBAS formed a new government without HAMAS.
Geography Israel
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources:
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use:
arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,940 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
1.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%) per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank - as well as 42 sites in the Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.); Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source
People Israel
Population:
7,112,359 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 1,018,229/female 971,083) 15-64 years: 62.2% (male 2,242,928/female 2,183,688) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 303,289/female 393,142) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.9 years male: 28.2 years female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.713% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
20.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.28 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.61 years male: 78.54 years female: 82.79 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups:
Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)
Religions:
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Languages:
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.1% male: 98.5% female: 95.9% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2004)
Government Israel
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Jerusalem geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft constitution
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: