Austria (2001) | Comoros (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | 9 states (bundeslaender, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien | 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375) 15-64 years: 68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536) 65 years and over: 15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 144,075/female 143,175)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 179,541/female 184,488) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,407/female 10,561) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) |
Airports | 55 (2000 est.) | 4 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
24 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 14 (2000 est.) |
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 27 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
83,858 sq km land: 82,738 sq km water: 1,120 sq km |
total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maine | slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999. | Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May of 2002. |
Birth rate | 9.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 37.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$56.3 billion expenditures: $60.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | Vienna | Moroni |
Climate | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 340 km |
Constitution | 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) | 23 December 2001 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich |
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores |
Currency | Austrian schilling (ATS); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Austria at a fixed rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
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Death rate | 9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $16 billion (1999) | $232 million (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Kathryn Walt HALL embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 313-39-2060 FAX: [43] (1) 313-39-2057 |
the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter MOSER chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Union of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 and 223-2711 FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 and 715-0699 |
Disputes - international | minor disputes with Czech Republic and Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities | claims French-administered Mayotte |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $472 million (1999) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $10 million (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | Austria with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In 2000, Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes to meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001. | One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. |
Electricity - consumption | 53.231 billion kWh (1999) | 22.17 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 13.507 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 11.605 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 59.283 billion kWh (1999) | 23.84 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
29.53% hydro: 67.65% nuclear: 0% other: 2.82% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
Environment - current issues | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | German 98%, Croatian, Slovene, other (includes Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma) | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997), 10.587 (1996) | Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001), 533.98 (2000)
note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4 February 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2% note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe |
chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; note - AZALI has not appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn into office in May 2002 election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected president with 75% of the vote |
Exports | $63.2 billion (2000 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs | vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra |
Exports - partners | EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 4.5%), Switzerland 5.9%, US 4.5%, Hungary 3.9% (1999) | US 43.8%, France 18.6%, Singapore 16.5%, Turkey 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red | four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
2.2% industry: 30.4% services: 67.4% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.1% (2000 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 47 20 N, 13 20 E | 12 10 S, 44 15 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
133,361 km paved: 133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998) |
total: 880 km
paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe | - |
Imports | $65.6 billion (2000 est.) | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment |
Imports - partners | EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5%, Italy 7.9%, France 5.3%), US 5.4%, Switzerland 3.0%, Hungary 2.8% (1999) | France 23.5%, South Africa 11.1%, Kenya 7.5%, UAE 7.2%, Italy 4.9%, Pakistan 4.7%, Mauritius 4.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2004) |
Independence | 1156 (from Bavaria) | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.2% (2000) | -2% (1999 est.) |
Industries | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism | tourism, perfume distillation |
Infant mortality rate | 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 74.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 83.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2000 est.) | 3.5% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 37 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 457 sq km (1995 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof | Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) |
Labor force | 3.7 million (1999) | 144,500 (1996 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 68%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 3% (1999 est.) | agriculture 80% |
Land boundaries | total:
2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
17% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 23% forests and woodland: 39% other: 20% (1996 est.) |
arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2001) |
Languages | German | Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) |
Legal system | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code |
Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be held in the fall of 2003) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party - SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14 |
unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the 18 by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years);
elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.84 years male: 74.68 years female: 81.15 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 61.96 years
male: 59.65 years female: 64.33 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) |
Location | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia | Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 79 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 55, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 35 (Bulgaria 1, Germany 1, Greece 7, India 1, Jordan 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 3, Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Philippines 1, Russia 2, Syria 3, Turkey 6, Ukraine 4, United Kingdom 1) (2005) |
Military branches | Army (includes Flying Division) | Comoran Security Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.7 billion (FY98) | $11.6 million (2004) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (FY98) | 3% (2004) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
2,091,263 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,731,383 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 19 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
50,580 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
Nationality | noun:
Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian |
noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran |
Natural hazards | NA | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano |
Natural resources | iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1999) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] | Forces pour l'Action Republicaine or FAR [Col. Abdourazak ABDULHAMID]; Forum pour la Redressement National or FRN (alliance of 12 parties); Front Democratique or FD [Moustoifa Said CHEIKH]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed RACHID]; Movement des Citoyens pour la Republique or MCR [Mahamoud MRADABI]; Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais or MPA (Anjouan separatist movement) [leader NA]; Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Movement pour le Socialisme et la Democratie or MSD (splinter group of FD) [Abdou SOEFOU]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers | NA |
Population | 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.) | 671,247 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 60% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.24% (2001 est.) | 2.91% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems | Mayotte, Moutsamoudou |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 61 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) |
Radios | 6.08 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified) standard gauge: 5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified) narrow gauge: 497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001) |
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Religions | Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17% | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999) |
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4 million (3,600,000 analog main lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network connections) (1999) | 13,200 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4.5 million (2000) | 2,000 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 45 (plus 960 repeaters) (1995) | NA |
Terrain | in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping | volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills |
Total fertility rate | 1.39 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 5.09 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 5.4% (2000 est.) | 20% (1996 est.) |
Waterways | 358 km (1999) | - |