Part 147
Exports - partners:
US 16%, UAE 11.7%, Afghanistan 8.6%, UK 4.5%, China 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$38.19 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $28.76 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea
Imports - partners:
China 14.1%, Saudi Arabia 12%, UAE 11.2%, Kuwait 5.4%, India 4.8%, US 4.7%, Malaysia 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$8.903 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 $15.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$46.39 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55 $38.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$25.44 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61 $20.01 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.017 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $982 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar - 70.64 (2008 est.), 60.6295 (2007), 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004)
Communications ::Pakistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.546 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 33
Telephones - mobile cellular:
91.44 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 9
Telephone system:
general assessment: the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments in fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, reaching some 91 million in 2009, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks
international: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2009)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite channels) (2006)
Internet country code:
.pk
Internet hosts:
226,236 (2009) country comparison to the world: 61
Internet users:
18.5 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 20
Transportation ::Pakistan
Airports:
145 (2009) country comparison to the world: 38
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 98
over 3,047 m: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 38
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 24 (2009)
Heliports:
19 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 10,402 km; oil 2,076 km; refined products 792 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 7,791 km country comparison to the world: 28 broad gauge: 7,479 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 312 km 1.000-m gauge (2007)
Roadways:
total: 259,197 km country comparison to the world: 20 paved: 172,827 km (includes 711 km of expressways)
unpaved: 86,370 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 15 country comparison to the world: 105 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4
registered in other countries: 19 (Comoros 4, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim
Military ::Pakistan
Military branches:
Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17-23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 42,633,765
females age 16-49: 40,114,017 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 33,690,322
females age 16-49: 32,602,910 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,089,936
female: 1,964,090 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Transnational Issues ::Pakistan
Disputes - international:
various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,043,984 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan); 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western markets, the Gulf States, Africa, and Asia; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems; opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication, fines, and arrests
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Palau (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Palau
Background:
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.
Geography ::Palau
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Geographic coordinates:
7 30 N, 134 30 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 459 sq km country comparison to the world: 197 land: 459 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,519 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
Terrain:
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Natural resources:
forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land: 8.7%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 86.95% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons (June to December)
Environment - current issues:
inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands
People ::Palau
Population:
20,796 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 217
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,458/female 2,314)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,207/female 6,521)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 401/female 895) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.2 years
male: 32 years
female: 32.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.428% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Birth rate:
11.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Death rate:
7.89 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 111
Net migration rate:
0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Urbanization:
urban population: 81% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% 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: 1.26 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.45 male(s)/female
total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.14 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 136 male: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.22 years country comparison to the world: 129 male: 68.08 years
female: 74.54 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.82 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan
Ethnic groups:
Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)
Languages:
Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90% (1980 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2000)
Education expenditures:
10.3% of GDP (2002) country comparison to the world: 4
Government ::Palau
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Palau
conventional short form: Palau
local long form: Beluu er a Belau
local short form: Belau
former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District
Government type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Capital:
name: Melekeok
geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol
Independence:
1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Constitution:
1 January 1981
Legal system:
based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Johnson TORIBIONG (since 15 January 2009); Vice President Kerai MARIUR (since 15 January 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Johnson TORIBIONG (since 15 January 2009); Vice President Kerai MARIUR (since 15 January 2009)
cabinet: NA
elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)
election results: Johnson TORIBIONG (51%) defeats Elias Camsek CHIN (49%) for president; Kerai MARIUR elected vice president
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012); House of Delegates - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 16
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Common Pleas; Land Court
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA
chancery: 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814
FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281
consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Mark BEZNER
embassy: Koror (no street address)
mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940
telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990
FAX: [680] 488-2911
Flag description:
light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side
Economy ::Palau
Economy - overview:
The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provided Palau with up to $700 million in US aid for the following 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 85,000 in 2007. The population enjoys a per capita income roughly 50% higher than that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$164 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 217 $124.5 million (2004 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP estimate includes US subsidy
GDP (official exchange rate):
$164 million (2008)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,100 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 120 $7,600 (2005 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.2%
industry: 12%
services: 81.8% (2003)
Labor force:
9,777 (2005) country comparison to the world: 209
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 20%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
4.2% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $114.8 million
expenditures: $99.5 million (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 30
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish
Industries:
tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Current account balance:
$15.09 million (FY03/04) country comparison to the world: 61
Exports:
$5.882 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
Exports - commodities:
shellfish, tuna, copra, garments
Imports:
$107.3 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs
Debt - external:
$0 (FY99/00) country comparison to the world: 204
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Palau
Telephones - main lines in use:
7,500 (2008) country comparison to the world: 209
Telephones - mobile cellular:
12,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 211
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services available with a combined subscribership of more than 90 per 100 persons
international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (cable) (2005)
Internet country code:
.pw
Internet hosts:
2 (2009) country comparison to the world: 228
Transportation ::Palau
Airports:
3 (2009) country comparison to the world: 195
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2009)
Roadways:
note: estimated to have 60 km of roads as of 1996
Ports and terminals:
Koror
Military ::Palau
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,973 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,177
females age 16-49: 3,936 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 207
female: 214 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Palau
Disputes - international:
maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines, Indonesia
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Panama (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Panama
Background:
Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15.
Geography ::Panama
Location:
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Geographic coordinates:
9 00 N, 80 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 75,420 sq km country comparison to the world: 117 land: 74,340 sq km
water: 1,080 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 555 km
border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline:
2,490 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
Climate:
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terrain:
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m
Natural resources:
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 7.26%
permanent crops: 1.95%
other: 90.79% (2005)
Irrigated land:
430 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
148 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.82 cu km/yr (67%/5%/28%)
per capita: 254 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean
People ::Panama
Population:
3,360,474 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.3% (male 501,950/female 481,750)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 1,085,435/female 1,061,530)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 106,934/female 122,875) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 27 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 27.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate: