Part 63
1% of GDP (2001) country comparison to the world: 179
Government ::Ecuador
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Quito
geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence:
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution:
20 October 2008
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term and can be re-elected for another consecutive term; election last held 26 April 2009 (next to be held 2013)
election results: President Rafael CORREA Delgado reelected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 51.7%; Lucio GUTIERREZ 28%; Alvaro NOBOA 11.6%; other 8.7%; note - official results pending
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held 26 April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5; other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties
note: when a Constituent Assembly was convened to draft a new constitution, the National Congress was placed on indefinite recess and replaced by a legislative committee; the legislative committee will continue to function until a new National Assembly is elected in April 2009
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court by a simple majority resolution)
Political parties and leaders:
Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero]; Democratic Left or ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and National Action Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge GUAMAN]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Ciro GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]
International organization participation:
CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Heather HODGES
embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras
telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000
FAX: [593] (2) 398-5100
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
Economy ::Ecuador
Economy - overview:
Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with GDP contracting by more than 6%. Poverty increased significantly, the banking system collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy grew 5.5%, the highest five-year average in 25 years. The poverty rate declined but remained high at 38% in 2006. In 2006 the government imposed a windfall revenue tax on foreign oil companies, leading to the suspension of free trade negotiations with the US. These measures led to a drop in petroleum production in 2007. President Rafael CORREA raised the specter of debt default and followed through on those threats in December 2008 by defaulting on some commercial bond obligations. He also decreed a higher windfall revenue tax on private oil companies, then renegotiated their contracts to overcome the debilitating effect of the tax. This generated economic uncertainty; private investment has dropped and economic growth has slowed.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$108 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $101.4 billion (2007 est.)
$98.93 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$54.69 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46 2.5% (2007 est.)
3.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 123 $7,200 (2007 est.)
$7,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 34.3%
services: 59% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.64 million (urban) (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8.3%
industry: 21.2%
services: 70.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 8.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
38.3% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 43.3%
note: data for urban households only (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
46 (2006) country comparison to the world: 39 43.7 (1995)
note: data are for urban households
Investment (gross fixed):
22.1% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Budget:
revenues: $21.09 billion
expenditures: planned $21.35 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
25.1% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 128 2.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
9.14% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 34 10.72% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
9.71% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$5.907 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 53 $4.395 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$9.383 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 53 $7.974 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.13 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $8.926 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.562 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 89 $4.266 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.04 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
Industrial production growth rate:
5.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Electricity - production:
16.75 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 75
Electricity - consumption:
9.888 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
Electricity - exports:
38.53 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
861 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
505,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Oil - consumption:
178,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Oil - exports:
417,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - imports:
54,190 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
Oil - proved reserves:
4.66 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - production:
260 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Natural gas - consumption:
260 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 187
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Natural gas - proved reserves:
8.919 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Current account balance:
$1.194 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $1.65 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$19.15 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74 $14.87 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood, fish
Exports - partners:
US 45.3%, Peru 9.2%, Chile 8.1%, Panama 4.8%, Colombia 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$17.79 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74 $13.05 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 19.1%, Venezuela 13.8%, Colombia 9.9%, China 8.4%, Brazil 4.8%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.473 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 $3.521 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$18.11 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 74 $NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$16.99 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $16.31 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$8.487 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $10.77 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Communications ::Ecuador
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.91 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 58
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.595 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 52
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about 14 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a subscribership of nearly 85 per 100 persons
international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)
Internet country code:
.ec
Internet hosts:
57,785 (2009) country comparison to the world: 80
Internet users:
1.31 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 80
Transportation ::Ecuador
Airports:
420 (2009) country comparison to the world: 19
Airports - with paved runways:
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)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 317
914 to 1,523 m: 38
under 914 m: 279 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
extra heavy crude 435 km; gas 5 km; oil 1,374 km; refined products 1,301 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 965 km country comparison to the world: 90 narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 43,670 km country comparison to the world: 84 paved: 6,472 km
unpaved: 37,198 km (2006)
Waterways:
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2008) country comparison to the world: 54
Merchant marine:
total: 37 country comparison to the world: 80 by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 5 (China 1, Panama 4) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
Military ::Ecuador
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,536,602
females age 16-49: 3,559,188 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,708,470
females age 16-49: 3,165,489 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 148,010
female: 143,291 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 55
Transnational Issues ::Ecuador
Disputes - international:
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 11,526 (Colombia); note - UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of deportation (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Egypt (Africa)
Introduction ::Egypt
Background:
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.
Geography ::Egypt
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula
Geographic coordinates:
27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,001,450 sq km country comparison to the world: 30 land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2,665 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline:
2,450 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain:
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 2.92%
permanent crops: 0.5%
other: 96.58% (2005)
Irrigated land:
34,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
86.8 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%)
per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms; sandstorms
Environment - current issues:
agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees
People ::Egypt
Population:
83,082,869 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.4% (male 13,345,500/female 12,743,878)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 26,823,127/female 26,169,421)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 1,701,068/female 2,299,875) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.8 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 25.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.642% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Birth rate:
21.7 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Death rate:
5.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 187
Net migration rate:
-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
Urbanization:
urban population: 43% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 27.26 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 81 male: 28.93 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.12 years country comparison to the world: 120 male: 69.56 years
female: 74.81 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.66 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
9,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: Rift Valley fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups:
Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)
Religions:
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.4%
male: 83%
female: 59.4% (2005 est.)
Education expenditures:
4.2% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 96
Government ::Egypt
Country name:
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Cairo
geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September
Administrative divisions: