Bhutan (2001) | Sierra Leone (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse |
3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
39.99% (male 424,832; female 394,725) 15-64 years: 56.05% (male 591,152; female 557,498) 65 years and over: 3.96% (male 41,125; female 40,080) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 1,230,530; female 1,280,084)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 1,397,070; female 1,528,986) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,256; female 90,817) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs | rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 10 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total:
47,000 sq km land: 47,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km |
Area - comparative | about half the size of Indiana | slightly smaller than South Carolina |
Background | Under British influence a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later a treaty was signed whereby the country became a British protectorate. Independence was attained in 1949, with India subsequently guiding foreign relations and supplying aid. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. Maoist Assamese separatists from India, who have established themselves in the southeast portion of Bhutan, have drawn Indian cross-border incursions. | Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. After several setbacks, the end to the eleven-year conflict in Sierra Leone may finally be near at hand. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. Reestablishment of government authority throughout the country is slowly proceeding and national elections took place in May 2002. |
Birth rate | 35.73 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 44.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$146 million expenditures: $152 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96 est.) note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures |
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.) |
Capital | Thimphu | Freetown |
Climate | varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas | tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 402 km |
Constitution | no written constitution or bill of rights; note - Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National Assembly; on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the National Assembly additional powers | 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times |
Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Bhutan conventional short form: Bhutan |
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
Currency | ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) | leone (SLL) |
Death rate | 14.03 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 18.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $120 million (1998) | $1.3 billion (2000) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) | chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Russell CHAVEAS
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US
consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 |
Disputes - international | refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps | ongoing conflict in Sierra Leone has engendered refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia |
Economic aid - recipient | $73.8 million (1995) | $103 million (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. The Bhutanese Government has made some progress in expanding the nation's productive base and improving social welfare. Model education, social, and environment programs in Bhutan are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. | Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a 10-year civil war. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. There are plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad. |
Electricity - consumption | 191.1 million kWh (1999) | 227.85 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 1.55 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 15 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 1.856 billion kWh (1999) | 245 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
0.05% hydro: 99.95% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Drangme Chhu 97 m highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m |
Environment - current issues | soil erosion; limited access to potable water | rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15% | 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians |
Exchange rates | ngultrum per US dollar - 46.540 (January 2001), 44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433 (1996); note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee which is also legal tender | leones per US dollar - 2,212.47 (January 2002), 1,985.89 (2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay NGEDUP (since NA 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 give the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote |
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA 22.4% |
Exports | $154 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $65 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, electricity (to India), precious stones, spices | diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish |
Exports - partners | India 94%, Bangladesh | NZ 33.7%, Belgium 32.6%, US 7.4%, France 5.1% (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side | three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.3 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
38% industry: 37% services: 25% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 43%
industry: 27% services: 30% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 6% (2000 est.) | 3% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 27 30 N, 90 30 E | 8 30 N, 11 30 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes | rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa |
Heliports | - | 2 (2002) |
Highways | total:
3,285 km paved: 1,994 km unpaved: 1,291 km (1996) |
total: 11,700 km
paved: 936 km unpaved: 10,764 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1989) (1989) |
Imports | $269 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) | $145 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals |
Imports - partners | India 77%, Japan, UK, Germany, US | Czech Republic 26.7%, UK 26.6%, US 5.1%, Netherlands 4.6% (2000) |
Independence | 8 August 1949 (from India) | 27 April 1961 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 9.3% (1996 est.) | NA% |
Industries | cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide | mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining |
Infant mortality rate | 108.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 144.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7% (2000 est.) | 15% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO (observer) | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | 1 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 340 sq km (1993 est.) | 290 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) | Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court |
Labor force | NA
note: massive lack of skilled labor |
1.369 million
note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985) (1981 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2% | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | total:
1,075 km border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km |
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km |
Land use | arable land:
2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 66% other: 26% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 6.76%
permanent crops: 0.78% other: 92.46% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) |
Legal system | based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: NA |
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
52.79 years male: 53.16 years female: 52.41 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 45.96 years
male: 43.01 years female: 49.01 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.2% male: 56.2% female: 28.1% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4% male: 45.4% female: 18.2% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southern Asia, between China and India | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia |
Map references | Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
Military branches | Royal Bhutan Army, National Militia, Royal Bhutan Police, Royal Body Guards, Forest Guards (paramilitary) | Army (RSLAF) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $10.3 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 1.5% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
504,342 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,203,682 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
269,251 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 583,946 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
21,167 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) | Independence Day, 27 April (1961) |
Nationality | noun:
Bhutanese (singular and plural) adjective: Bhutanese |
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean |
Natural hazards | violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season | dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms |
Natural resources | timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide | diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | no legal parties | All People's Congress or APC [Alhaji Sat KOROMA, interim chairman]; Citizens United for Peace and Progress or CUPP [Alfred Musa CONTEH, interim chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP [Jeridine WILLIAM-SARHO, interim leader]; Democratic Center Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [George E. L. PALMER]; Democratic Party or DP [Henry BALO, acting chairman]; National Alliance Democratic Party or NADP [Mohamed Yahya SILLAH, chairman]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National People's Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY]; National Republican Party or NRP [Stephen Sahr MAMBU]; National Unity Movement or NUM [Sam LEIGH, interim chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [John BENJAMINE, interim leader]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Alliance or PDA [Cpl. (Ret.) Abdul Rahman KAMARA, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Osman KAMARA]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward John KARGBO]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday Saybana SANKOH, chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Andrew Victor LUNGAY]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KAREFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]; Young People's Party or YPP [Cornelius DEVEAUS, interim chairman] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) | Trade Unions and Student Unions |
Population | 2,049,412 (July 2001 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 |
5,614,743 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 68% (1989 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.17% (2001 est.) | 3.21% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) |
Radios | 37,000 (1997) | 1.12 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 84 km
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the existing railroad is private and used on a limited basis while the mine at Marampa is closed (2001) |
Religions | Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% | Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | each family has one vote in village-level elections | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few telephones in use international: international telephone and telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990) |
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: The national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001) international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 6,000 (1997) | 25,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 30,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (1997) | 2 (1999) |
Terrain | mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna | coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east |
Total fertility rate | 5.07 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 5.94 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
Waterways | none | 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round) |