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

mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding
  rapidly
  international: country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a
  part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3
  Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic
  Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;
  additional international service is provided by the
  Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and
  by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat,
  and Intersputnik satellite systems

United Arab Emirates
  general assessment: modern fiber-optic
  integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of
  mobile-cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
  domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
  international: country code - 971; linked to the international
  submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); landing
  point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable
  networks; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
  and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
  microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia

United Kingdom
  general assessment: technologically advanced domestic
  and international system
  domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
  fiber-optic systems
  international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide
  links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;
  satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3
  Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat;
  at least 8 large international switching centers

United States
  general assessment: a large, technologically advanced,
  multipurpose communications system
  domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
  relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
  telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
  telephone traffic throughout the country
  international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems
  provide international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61
  Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik
  (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean
  regions) (2000)

Uruguay
  general assessment: fully digitalized
  domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new
  nationwide microwave radio relay network; overall fixed-line and
  mobile-cellular teledensity is 115 telephones per 100 persons
  international: country code - 598; the UNISOR submarine cable system
  provides direct connectivity to Brazil and Argentina; satellite
  earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

Uzbekistan
  general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious
  need of modernization
  domestic: the main line telecommunications system is dilapidated and
  telephone density is low; the state-owned telecommunications
  company, Uzbektelecom, is working on improving main line services;
  mobile services are growing swiftly, with the subscriber base more
  than doubling in 2007 to 5.8 million
  international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave
  radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased
  connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the
  completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)
  fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian
  facilities for international communications (2007)

Vanuatu
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: NA
  international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1
  Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Venezuela
  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; fixed-line teledensity 20 per 100
  persons; mobile-cellular teledensity more than 90 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 (2007)

Vietnam
  general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort
  into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,
  but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern
  neighbors
  domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to
  Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or
  microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially
  increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
  international: country code - 84; a landing point for the
  SEA-ME-WE-3, the C2C, and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable
  systems; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system, scheduled
  for completion by the end of 2008, will provide new access links to
  Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian
  Ocean region)

Virgin Islands
  general assessment: modern system with total digital
  switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
  domestic: full range of services available
  international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to
  US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth
  stations - NA

Wake Island
  general assessment: satellite communications; 2 DSN
  circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
  domestic: NA
  international: NA

Wallis and Futuna
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: NA
  international: country code - 681

West Bank
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL
  are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL
  company provides cellular services
  international: country code - 970 (2004)

Western Sahara
  general assessment: sparse and limited system
  domestic: NA
  international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by
  microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;
  satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to
  Rabat, Morocco

World
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: NA
  international: NA

Yemen
  general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have
  been made to create a national telecommunications network
  domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
  cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM mobile-cellular telephone
  systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by
  regional standards
  international: country code - 967; landing point for the
  international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe
  (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1
  Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2
  Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Zambia
  general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the
  best in Sub-Saharan Africa
  domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger
  towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation
  and network coverage is improving; Internet service is widely
  available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated
  by private firms
  international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2
  Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Zimbabwe
  general assessment: system was once one of the best in
  Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000
  outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number
  of installed but unused main lines
  domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
  radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
  installations, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet
  connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
  and for some of the smaller ones
  international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2
  Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and
  Gweru)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2125 Terrain

Afghanistan
  mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Albania
  mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Algeria
  mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
  discontinuous coastal plain

American Samoa
  five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
  coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)

Andorra
  rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys

Angola
  narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Anguilla
  flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Antarctica
  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

Antigua and Barbuda
  mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,
  with some higher volcanic areas

Arctic Ocean
  central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
  icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure
  ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in
  the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from
  the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between
  Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas
  during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter
  and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about
  50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
  remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
  (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)

Argentina
  rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to
  rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western
  border

Armenia
  Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast
  flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

Aruba
  flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
  low with sand and coral

Atlantic Ocean
  surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,
  Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October
  to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of
  currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre
  in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the
  Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire
  Atlantic basin

Australia
  mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Austria
  in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the
  eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Azerbaijan
  large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much
  of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,
  Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron
  Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Bahamas, The
  long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Bahrain
  mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
  escarpment

Bangladesh
  mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Barbados
  relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Belarus
  generally flat and contains much marshland

Belgium
  flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
  rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Belize
  flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Benin
  mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Bermuda
  low hills separated by fertile depressions

Bhutan
  mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Bolivia
  rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
  hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Bosnia and Herzegovina
  mountains and valleys

Botswana
  predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
  Desert in southwest

Bouvet Island
  volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Brazil
  mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
  mountains, and narrow coastal belt

British Indian Ocean Territory
  flat and low (most areas do not
  exceed two meters in elevation)

British Virgin Islands
  coral islands relatively flat; volcanic
  islands steep, hilly

Brunei
  flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland
  in west

Bulgaria
  mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Burkina Faso
  mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in
  west and southeast

Burma
  central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Burundi
  hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some
  plains

Cambodia
  mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Cameroon
  diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau
  in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Canada
  mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Cape Verde
  steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Cayman Islands
  low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Central African Republic
  vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;
  scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Chad
  broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in
  northwest, lowlands in south

Chile
  low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in
  east

China
  mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
  deltas, and hills in east

Christmas Island
  steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central
  plateau

Clipperton Island
  coral atoll

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  flat, low-lying coral atolls

Colombia
  flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
  Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Comoros
  volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low
  hills

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  vast central basin is a low-lying
  plateau; mountains in east

Congo, Republic of the
  coastal plain, southern basin, central
  plateau, northern basin

Cook Islands
  low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in
  south

Coral Sea Islands
  sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Costa Rica
  coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including
  over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire
  mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in
  northwest

Croatia
  geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,
  low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Cuba
  mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains
  in the southeast

Cyprus
  central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered
  but significant plains along southern coast

Czech Republic
  Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains,
  hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east
  consists of very hilly country

Denmark
  low and flat to gently rolling plains

Djibouti
  coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Dominica
  rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Dominican Republic
  rugged highlands and mountains with fertile
  valleys interspersed

Ecuador
  coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands
  (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Egypt
  vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

El Salvador
  mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central
  plateau

Equatorial Guinea
  coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are
  volcanic

Eritrea
  dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending
  highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the
  northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling
  plains

Estonia
  marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Ethiopia
  high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
  Rift Valley

European Union
  fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast;
  mountainous in the central and southern