Armenia (2007) | Sudan (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan | 26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Gharb Kurdufan (Western Kordofan), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 19.5% (male 307,610/female 271,381)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 962,126/female 1,098,192) 65 years and over: 11.2% (male 132,705/female 199,636) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 43.2% (male 8,865,331/female 8,488,982)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 10,952,566/female 10,930,218) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 513,679/female 436,710) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock | cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
Airports | 12 (2007) | 75 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 63
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 29,800 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km water: 1,400 sq km |
total: 2,505,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US |
Background | Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. | Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972, but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords; a final Naivasha peace treaty of January 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict that broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003 resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and over 1 million displaced, but by early 2005, peackeeping troops had stabilized the situation. |
Birth rate | 12.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 35.17 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.057 billion
expenditures: $1.153 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
revenues: $3.057 billion
expenditures: $2.965 billion, including capital expenditures of $304 million (2004 est.) |
Capital | name: Yerevan
geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Khartoum |
Climate | highland continental, hot summers, cold winters | tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 853 km |
Constitution | adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005 | 12 April 1973; suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic |
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan |
Death rate | 8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.16 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.16 billion (30 September 2006) | $21 billion (2004 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Joseph PENNINGTON
embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082 mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020 telephone: [374](10) 464-700 FAX: [374](10) 464-742 |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M. GALLUCCI
embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (11) 774611 or 774700 FAX: [249] (11) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN
chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406 |
Disputes - international | Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; Armenians continue to emigrate, primarily to Russia, seeking employment | the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated all of its border states who provide shelter for fleeing refugees and cover to disparate domestic and foreign conflicting elements; since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about 200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; large numbers of Sudanese refugees have also fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; southern Sudan provides shelter to Ugandans seeking periodic protection from soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by civil and ethnic fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary extends into the southern Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty Line; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations from the Central African Republic along the border |
Economic aid - recipient | ODA, $193.3 million (2005) | $172 million (2001) |
Economy - overview | Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2006. Armenia has managed to slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor eliminated the chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s, but those plants are under international pressure to close. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor. Construction of a natural gas pipeline between Iran and Armenia has been completed and it is scheduled to be commissioned by April 2007. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2007 and will help to ensure annual average real GDP growth of more than 10%. | Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 6.4% in 2004. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force, contributing 39% of GDP, and accounting for most of GDP growth, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.194 billion kWh (2005) | 2.4 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 1.011 billion kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 231 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 5.975 billion kWh (2005) | 2.581 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m |
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m |
Environment - current issues | soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone | inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census) | black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% |
Exchange rates | drams per US dollar - 414.69 (2006), 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003), 573.35 (2002) | Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002), 258.7 (2001), 257.12 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Serzh SARGSYAN (since 4 April 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February and 5 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed with the majority support of the National Assembly; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program election results: Robert KOCHARIAN reelected president; percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 67.5%, Stepan DEMIRCHYAN 32.5% |
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Second Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Second Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996 |
Exports | NA bbl/day | 275,000 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy | oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar |
Exports - partners | Germany 18.1%, Netherlands 14.1%, Belgium 13.4%, Russia 13.1%, Israel 7.1%, US 6.1%, Georgia 5.1%, Iran 4.9% (2006) | China 66.9%, Japan 10.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 18.2%
industry: 38.6% services: 43.2% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: 38.7%
industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 13.4% (2006 est.) | 6.4% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 45 00 E | 15 00 N, 30 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range | largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries |
Heliports | - | 2 (2004 est.) |
Highways | - | total: 11,900 km
paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 41.3% (2004) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe | - |
Imports | NA bbl/day | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds | foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat |
Imports - partners | Russia 21.8%, Ukraine 7.8%, Belgium 7.6%, Turkmenistan 7.1%, Italy 6.1%, Germany 5.7%, Iran 5.7%, Israel 4.8%, US 4.5%, Georgia 4.1% (2006) | China 13%, Saudi Arabia 11.5%, UAE 5.9%, Egypt 5.1%, India 4.8%, Germany 4.5%, Australia 4.1%, Japan 4% (2004) |
Independence | 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | -1.2% (2006 est.) | 8.5% (1999 est.) |
Industries | diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
Infant mortality rate | total: 21.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 62.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 63.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 61.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.9% (2006 est.) | 9% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT (observer), AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
Irrigated land | 2,860 sq km (2003) | 19,500 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court) | Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts |
Labor force | 1.2 million (November 2006) | 11 million (1996 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 45%
industry: 25% services: 30% (2002 est.) |
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km |
total: 7,687 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km |
Land use | arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.21% (2005) |
arable land: 6.83%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 92.99% (2001) |
Languages | Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census) | Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process |
Legal system | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by party list and 41 by direct vote; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 32.8%, Prosperous Armenia 14.7%, ARF (Dashnak) 12.7%, Rule of Law 6.8%, Heritage Party 5.8%, other 27.2%; seats by party - HHK 69, Prosperous Armenia 24, ARF (Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 9, Heritage Party 7, Dashink 1, independent 5 |
unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: NCP 355, others 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 72.12 years
male: 68.52 years female: 76.29 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 58.54 years
male: 57.33 years female: 59.8 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2001 census) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey | Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea |
Map references | Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Merchant marine | - | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,466 GRT/26,973 DWT
by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1 registered in other countries: 2 (2005) |
Military branches | Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force (NKSDF), Air Force, Air Defense Force (2006) | Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $587 million (2001 est.) (2004) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 6.5% (FY01) | 3% (1999) (2004) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1991) | Independence Day, 1 January (1956) |
Nationality | noun: Armenian(s)
adjective: Armenian |
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese |
Natural hazards | occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts | dust storms and periodic persistent droughts |
Natural resources | small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite | petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -5.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 2,002 km (2006) | gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Agro-Industrial Party [Vladimir BADALYAN]; Armenia Party (Hayastan) [Myasnik MALKHASYAN]; Armenian National Movement or ANM [Artashes ZURABYAN]; Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party or HRAK [Harutyun MIRZAKHANYAN, chairman]; Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN]; Dashink [Gen. Samvel Babayan]; Democratic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISYAN]; Justice Bloc [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN] (comprised of the Democratic Party, National Democratic Party, National Democratic Union, the People's Party, and the Republic Party); National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National Revival Party [Albert BAZEYAN]; National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSAROUKYAN]; Republic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [Serzh SARGSYAN]; Rule of Law Party [Artur BAGHDASARYAN]; Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN] | the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Yerkrapah Union [Manvel GRIGORIAN] | Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National Democratic Alliance [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI] |
Population | 2,971,650 (July 2007 est.) | 40,187,486 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 34.6% (2004 est.) | 40% (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | -0.129% (2007 est.) | 2.6% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Port Sudan |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 9, FM 16, shortwave 1 (2006) | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Railways | total: 839 km
broad gauge: 839 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2006) |
total: 5,995 km
narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2004) |
Religions | Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3% | Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.16 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.133 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.876 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.665 male(s)/female total population: 0.894 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: system inadequate; an outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion; mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment, including paging and mobile-cellular services, are in Yerevan international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007) |
general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 594,400 (2005) | 900,000 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 318,000 (2005) | 650,000 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 48 (private television stations alongside 2 public networks; major Russian channels widely available) (2006) | 3 (1997) |
Terrain | Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley | generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north |
Total fertility rate | 1.34 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 4.85 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.4% (November 2006 est.) | 18.7% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2004) |