The 2008 CIA World Factbook, United States. Central Intelligence Agency [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 12 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2005)

Government
Anguilla

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Anguilla

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: The Valley geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 03 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Constitution:

Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; 7 members elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, AUM 19.4%, ANSA 19.2%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1

Judicial branch:

High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court)

Political parties and leaders:

Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS] (a
coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla
National Alliance or ANA); Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert
HUGHES]; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla
Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below

Economy
Anguilla

Economy - overview:

Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector, contributing to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

6,049 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

23% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $22.8 million expenditures: $22.5 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.3% (2006 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.76% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$23.57 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$470.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$447.7 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Industries:

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA

Current account balance:

-$42.87 million (2003 est.)

Exports:

$13 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Exports - partners:

UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2006)

Imports:

$143 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Imports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico, UK (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$9 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.8 million (1998)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) note: fixed rate since 1976

Communications
Anguilla

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,800 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

3,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ai

Internet hosts:

205 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

3,000 (2002)

Transportation
Anguilla

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 175 km paved: 82 km unpaved: 93 km (2004)

Ports and terminals:

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Military
Anguilla

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,538 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,929 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 103 female: 103 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues
Anguilla

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Antarctica

Introduction
Antarctica

Background:

Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up a range of year-round and seasonal stations, camps, and refuges to support scientific research in Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961.

Geography
Antarctica

Location:

continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle

Geographic coordinates:

90 00 S, 0 00 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 14 million sq km land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.) note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:

0 km note: see entry on Disputes - international

Coastline:

17,968 km

Maritime claims:

Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry

Climate:

severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing

Terrain:

about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater

Natural resources:

iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005)

Natural hazards:

katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf

Environment - current issues:

in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming

Geography - note:

the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable

People
Antarctica

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed research stations note: 28 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only (summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak summer (December-February) population - 4,219 total; Argentina 667, Australia 200, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 237, China 70, Czech Republic 20, Ecuador 26, Finland 20, France 100, France and Italy jointly 45, Germany