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

Rwanda
  Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the
  population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the
  most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few
  natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange
  earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's
  fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population,
  particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract
  private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made
  substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy
  to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has
  rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile
  ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population
  growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive
  substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted
  Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also
  received Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The
  government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce
  poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and
  domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although
  energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of
  adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to
  handicap growth.

Saint Barthelemy
  The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon
  high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors
  primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host
  70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The
  relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism.
  The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant
  investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water
  resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources
  and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor
  from Brazil and Portugal.

Saint Helena
  The economy depends largely on financial assistance
  from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million in FY06/07 or
  almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns
  income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts.
  Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek
  employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.

Saint Kitts and Nevis
  Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the
  Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the
  government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4%
  of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the government
  has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and
  to stimulate other sectors of the economy. Activities such as
  tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have
  assumed larger roles in the economy and have contributed to the
  recent robust growth. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of
  the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis
  in 2005. The current government is constrained by a high debt
  burden, public debt reached 190% of GDP by the end of 2005, largely
  attributable to public enterprise losses.

Saint Lucia
  The island nation has been able to attract foreign
  business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and
  tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in
  2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects.
  Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with almost 900,000
  arrivals in 2007. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in
  the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to
  revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a
  variety of external shocks including declines in European Union
  banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters,
  and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations
  constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse
  external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though
  unemployment needs to be reduced.

Saint Martin
  The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with
  85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million
  visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the
  Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No
  significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost
  all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods
  are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States.
  Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in
  the Caribbean.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  The inhabitants have traditionally earned
  their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets
  operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been
  declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing
  quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint
  Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an
  exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding
  territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of
  what France had sought. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the
  great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an
  expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming,
  crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the
  local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for
  development of the energy sector.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economic growth slowed slightly in 2007 after reaching a 10 year high of nearly 7% in 2006, but is expected to remain robust, hinging upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors and a recent increase in construction activity. This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high debt burden - 25 percent of current revenues are directed towards debt servicing.

Samoa
  The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on
  development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and
  fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms.
  Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90%
  of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The
  fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to
  normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes
  agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs
  3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly
  plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for
  25% of GDP; 116,000 tourists visited the islands in 2006. The Samoan
  Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector,
  encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while
  at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the
  flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future
  economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy
  state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

San Marino
  The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006
  more than 2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key
  industries are banking, clothing and apparel, electronics, and
  ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per
  capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to
  those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much
  of its food.

Sao Tome and Principe
  This small, poor island economy has become
  increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa
  production has substantially declined in recent years because of
  drought and mismanagement. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most
  manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of
  food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external
  debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt
  rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in
  December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
  program, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt
  burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF
  Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3
  million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist
  industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in
  recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price
  controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development
  of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich
  Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split
  with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004,
  though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's
  receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a
  year. Real GDP growth exceeded 6% in 2007, as a result of increases
  in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.

Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong
  government controls over major economic activities. It possesses
  more than 20% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the
  largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The
  petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of
  GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the
  private sector. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an
  important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and
  service sectors. High oil prices have boosted growth, government
  revenues, and Saudi ownership of foreign assets, while enabling
  Riyadh to pay down domestic debt. The government is encouraging
  private sector growth - especially in power generation,
  telecommunications, natural gas exploration, and petrochemicals - to
  lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil exports and to increase
  employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population, nearly
  40% of which are youths under 15 years old. Unemployment is high,
  and the large youth population generally lacks the education and
  technical skills the private sector needs. Riyadh has substantially
  boosted spending on job training and education, infrastructure
  development, and government salaries. As part of its effort to
  attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia
  acceded to the WTO in December 2005 after many years of
  negotiations. The government has announced plans to establish six
  "economic cities" in different regions of the country to promote
  development and diversification.

Senegal
  In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious
  economic reform program with the support of the international donor
  community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's
  currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the
  French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been
  steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in
  1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
  program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during
  1995-2007. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single
  digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
  (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with
  a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High
  unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee
  Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was
  also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in
  2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years to
  secure capital, and reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In
  2007, Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for
  iron, zircon, and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have
  agreed to manage and modernize Dakar's maritime port, and create a
  new special economic zone. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside
  donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries
  (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has benefited from eradication
  of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector
  debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing,
  Policy Support Initiative program.

Serbia
  MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended
  period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's
  infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left
  the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of
  former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in September 2000, the
  Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government
  implemented stabilization measures and embarked on a market reform
  program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000,
  a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the
  international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the
  European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World
  Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June
  2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. In November
  2001, the Paris Club agreed to reschedule the country's $4.5 billion
  public debt and wrote off 66% of the debt. In July 2004, the London
  Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt just over
  half the total owed. Belgrade has made only minimal progress in
  restructuring and privatizing its holdings in major sectors of the
  economy, including energy and telecommunications. It has made
  halting progress towards EU membership and is currently pursuing a
  Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels. Serbia is
  also pursuing membership in the World Trade Organization.
  Unemployment remains an ongoing political and economic problem.

Seychelles
  Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this
  Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the
  pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the
  upper-middle income group of countries. Growth has been led