Part 217
97.77 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Natural gas - production:
23.06 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Natural gas - consumption:
24.86 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102
Natural gas - imports:
1.8 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Natural gas - proved reserves:
4.983 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Current account balance:
$22.07 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 $8.561 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$64.87 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 $57.6 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, minerals, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
Exports - partners:
US 35.18%, Netherlands Antilles 8.56%
note: excludes oil exports; Venezuela last published petroleum figures by country in 2008 (2009)
Imports:
$31.37 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $38.44 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
agricultural products, raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners:
US 23.66%, Colombia 14.43%, Brazil 9.13%, China 8.44%, Mexico 5.47% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$29.49 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $35 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$55.61 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 54 $53.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$37.71 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 58 $41.21 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$20.97 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39 $17.67 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 4.3039 (2010), 2.1522 (2009), 2.147 (2008), 2,147 (2007), 2,147 (2006)
Communications ::Venezuela
Telephones - main lines in use:
6.867 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 28
Telephones - mobile cellular:
28.124 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 32
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services; combined fixed and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 130 per 100 persons
international: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network (2009)
Broadcast media:
government supervises a mixture of state-run and private broadcast media; 1 state-run television network, 4 privately-owned TV networks, and a government-backed pan-American channel; state-run radio network includes 15 stations; large number of private broadcast radio stations (2007)
Internet country code:
.ve
Internet hosts:
238,665 (2010) country comparison to the world: 64
Internet users:
8.918 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 32
Transportation ::Venezuela
Airports:
409 (2010) country comparison to the world: 20
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 129
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 63
under 914 m: 17 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 280
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 91
under 914 m: 172 (2010)
Heliports:
4 (2010)
Pipelines:
extra heavy crude 980 km; gas 5,258 km; oil 6,695 km; refined products 1,484 km; unknown 141 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 806 km country comparison to the world: 101 standard gauge: 806 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 96,155 km country comparison to the world: 47 paved: 32,308 km
unpaved: 63,847 km (2002)
Waterways:
7,100 km country comparison to the world: 21 note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 59 country comparison to the world: 66 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 15, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas 5, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 16
foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 1, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Greece 4, Mexico 1, Norway 1, Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 9 (Panama 8, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as a significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military ::Venezuela
Military branches:
National Bolivarian Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian Army (Ejercito Bolivariano, EB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB); includes Naval Infantry, Coast Guard, Naval Aviation), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB), Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB), Bolivarian Militia (Milicia Bolivariana, MB) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 30-month conscript service obligation; all citizens of military service age (18-60 years old) are obligated to register for military service (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,891,648
females age 16-49: 7,047,565 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,504,152
females age 16-49: 5,976,339 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 276,612
female: 273,819 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.2% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 123
Transnational Issues ::Venezuela
Disputes - international:
claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's full effect claim
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, lured from the nation's interior to urban and tourist areas; child prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Venezuela is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List, up from Tier 3, as it showed greater resolve to address trafficking through law enforcement measures and prevention efforts in 2007, although stringent punishment of offenders and victim assistance remain lacking (2008)
Illicit drugs:
small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border
page last updated on January 24, 2011
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@Vietnam (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Vietnam
Background:
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 Communist leaders, however, maintain control on political expression and have resisted outside calls to improve human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups, the vast majority connected to land-use issues, calls for increased political space 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.
Geography ::Vietnam
Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Geographic coordinates:
16 10 N, 107 50 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 331,210 sq km country comparison to the world: 65 land: 310,070 sq km
water: 21,140 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 4,639 km
border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
Coastline:
3,444 km (excludes islands)
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
Terrain:
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 20.14%
permanent crops: 6.93%
other: 72.93% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
891.2 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)
per capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Environment - current issues:
logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point
People ::Vietnam
Population:
89,571,130 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 12,069,408/female 11,033,738)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 30,149,986/female 30,392,043)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,892,505/female 3,039,078) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.4 years
male: 26.4 years
female: 28.5 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.096% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Birth rate:
17.29 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
Death rate:
5.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 166
Net migration rate:
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Urbanization:
urban population: 28% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.115 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.57 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 95 male: 21.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.94 years country comparison to the world: 127 male: 69.48 years
female: 74.69 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.93 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
290,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
24,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague
water contact disease: leptospirosis
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: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic groups:
Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census)
Religions:
Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)
Languages:
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.3%
male: 93.9%
female: 86.9% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 55
Government ::Vietnam
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV
Government type:
Communist state
Capital:
name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)
geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)
provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai
municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City
Independence:
2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Constitution:
15 April 1992
Legal system:
based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006); Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28 June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006), and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by National Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for five-year term; last election held 27 June 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly
election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (493 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493 candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front
Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a five-year term)
Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders:
8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy
note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the government
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Le Cong PHUNG
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAK
embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [84] (4) 3850-5000
FAX: [84] (4) 3850-5010
consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City
Flag description:
red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism
National anthem:
name: "Tien quan ca" (The Song of the Marching Troops)
lyrics/music: Nguyen Van CAO
note: adopted as the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945; it became the national anthem of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976; although it consists of two verses, only the first is used as the official anthem
Economy ::Vietnam
Economy - overview:
Vietnam is a densely-populated developing country that in the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive export-driven industries. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007 following more than a decade-long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided Vietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to about 21% in 2009. Deep poverty has declined significantly and Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force that is growing by more than one million people every year. The global recession has hurt Vietnam's export-oriented economy with GDP growing less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade. In 2009 exports fell nearly 10% year-on-year, prompting the government to consider adjustments to tariffs to limit the trade deficit. The government has used stimulus spending, including a subsidized lending program, to help the economy through the global financial crisis. Vietnam's managed currency, the dong, faced downward pressure during the recession and the government devalued it by nearly 7% in December 2009. Foreign donors pledged $8 billion in new development assistance for 2010. Export growth resumed in 2010, driving GDP upward. However, Hanoi has struggled to control one of the region's highest inflation rates, which stands at 11.1% with interest hikes and multiple devaluations of the dong. Vietnam's economy faces higher lending rates, additional IMF scrutiny, domestic inflationary pressures, and an underperforming stock market.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$278.1 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 42 $260.3 billion (2009 est.)
$247.2 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$102 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 5.3% (2009 est.)
6.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,100 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 $2,900 (2009 est.)
$2,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 40.2%