Part 241
Vietnam The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist North and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups, the vast majority connected to land-use issues and the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. Various ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region, have also held protests. In January 2008, Vietnam assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term.
Virgin Islands During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
Wake Island The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon IOKE (category 5), which struck the island with sustained winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in September and restored limited function to the airfield and facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be determined upon completion of the survey and assessment.
Wallis and Futuna The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
West Bank The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented 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. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June 2007, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement.
Western Sahara Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and claimed the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on the territory's final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007 that called for independence. Representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four times since June 2007 to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, but talks have stalled since the UN envoy to the territory stated in April 2008 that independence is unrealistic.
World Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).
Yemen North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.
Zambia The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anticorruption investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in which former President CHILUBA and numerous others were found liable for USD 41 million. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his abrupt death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his Vice-president Rupiah BANDA, who subsequently won a special presidential election in October 2008.
Zimbabwe The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with significant gains in opposition seats in parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the presidential polls, and may have won an out right majority, but official results posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee did not reflect this. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power sharing agreement, allowing MUGABE to remain as president and creating the new position of prime minister for TSVANGIRAI, were finally settled in February 2009.
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Field Listing :: Airports - with paved runways
This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m (over 10,000 ft), (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m (8,000 to 10,000 ft), (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft), (4) 914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft), and (5) under 914 m (under 3,000 ft). Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. The type aircraft capable of operating from a runway of a given length is dependent upon a number of factors including elevation of the runway, runway gradient, average maximum daily temperature at the airport, engine types, flap settings, and take-off weight of the aircraft. Country
Airports - with paved runways
Afghanistan total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Albania total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Algeria total: 57 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
American Samoa total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Angola total: 30 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2009)
Anguilla total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Antigua and Barbuda total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Argentina total: 156 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 51 under 914 m: 10 (2009)
Armenia total: 10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Aruba total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Australia total: 325 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 145 914 to 1,523 m: 142 under 914 m: 14 (2009)
Austria total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 14 (2009)
Azerbaijan total: 27 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Bahamas, The 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)
Bahrain total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Bangladesh 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)
Barbados total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Belarus total: 35 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Belgium total: 27 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Belize total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Benin total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Bermuda total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Bhutan total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Bolivia total: 16 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2009)
Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Botswana total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Brazil total: 721 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 171 914 to 1,523 m: 460 under 914 m: 56 (2009)
British Indian Ocean Territory total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
British Virgin Islands total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Brunei total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Bulgaria total: 132 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 under 914 m: 97 (2009)
Burkina Faso total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Burma total: 37 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Burundi total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Cambodia total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Cameroon total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Canada total: 515 over 3,047 m: 19 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 148 914 to 1,523 m: 251 under 914 m: 79 (2009)
Cape Verde total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Cayman Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2009)
Central African Republic total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Chad total: 8 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Chile total: 81 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 22 (2009)
China total: 425 over 3,047 m: 63 2,438 to 3,047 m: 132 1,524 to 2,437 m: 133 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 72 (2009)
Christmas Island total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Colombia total: 116 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 40 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 15 (2009)
Comoros total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 26 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Congo, Republic of the total: 6 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2009)
Cook Islands total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Costa Rica total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 12 (2009)
Cote d'Ivoire total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2009)
Croatia total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Cuba total: 65 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 27 (2009)
Cyprus total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Czech Republic total: 44 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 18 (2009)
Denmark total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Djibouti total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Dominica total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Dominican Republic total: 16 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Ecuador total: 103 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 54 (2009)
Egypt total: 72 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2009)
El Salvador total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Equatorial Guinea total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Eritrea total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2009)
Estonia total: 13 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Ethiopia total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
European Union total: 1,995 over 3,047 m: 115 2,438 to 3,047 m: 341 1,524 to 2,437 m: 543 914 to 1,523 m: 421 under 914 m: 575 (2009)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Faroe Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Fiji total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Finland total: 75 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 14 (2009)
France total: 297 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 97 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 77 (2009)
French Polynesia total: 47 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Gabon total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Gambia, The total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Gaza Strip total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Georgia total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Germany total: 330 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 52 1,524 to 2,437 m: 58 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 135 (2009)
Ghana total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Gibraltar total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Greece total: 67 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Greenland total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (2009)
Grenada total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Guam total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Guatemala total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Guernsey total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Guinea total: 5 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2009)
Guinea-Bissau total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Guyana total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Haiti total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Honduras total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2009)
Hong Kong total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)