Burma (2001) | Luxembourg (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon* | 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
29.14% (male 6,245,798; female 5,992,074) 15-64 years: 66.08% (male 13,779,571; female 13,970,707) 65 years and over: 4.78% (male 895,554; female 1,110,974) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 18.9% (male 43,634; female 41,164)
15-64 years: 67% (male 151,364; female 149,156) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 25,486; female 37,765) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood | barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products |
Airports | 80 (2000 est.) | 2 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
9 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
71 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total:
678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km |
total: 2,586 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Texas | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. | Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. |
Birth rate | 20.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 12.06 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$7.9 billion expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97) |
revenues: $5.5 billion
expenditures: $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $760 million $NA (2002 est.) |
Capital | Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon) | Luxembourg |
Climate | tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 1,930 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; progress has since been stalled | 17 October 1868, occasional revisions |
Country name | conventional long form:
Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma |
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg |
Currency | kyat (MMK) | euro (EUR); Luxembourg franc (LUF)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries |
Death rate | 12.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $6 billion (FY99/00 est.) | $NA |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Permanent Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182 FAX: [95] (1) 280409 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter TERPELUK, Jr.
embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate U LINN MYAING chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS-PACCOURD
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco |
Disputes - international | sporadic border hostilities with Thailand over border alignment and ethnic Shan rebels operating in cross-border region | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $160 million (1999) |
Economic aid - recipient | $99 million (FY98/99) | - |
Economy - overview | Burma has a mixed economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the 1990s has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight central planning. Private activity markedly increased in the early to mid-1990s, but began to decline in the past several years due to frustrations with the unfriendly business environment and political pressure from western nations. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black-market, illicit, and border trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not improved over the past decade. Short-term growth will continue to be restrained because of poor government planning and minimal foreign investment. | This stable, high-income economy features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 22% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country has maintained a fairly strong growth rate. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.476 billion kWh (1999) | 6.158 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 735 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 6.458 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 4.813 billion kWh (1999) | 467.7 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
68.56% hydro: 31.44% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 58%
hydro: 26% nuclear: 0% other: 17% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m |
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5% | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) |
Exchange rates | kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.5972 (January 2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend 2000) | euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military junta, so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet elections: none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation of the former prime minister |
chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Lydie POLFER (since 7 August 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and DP |
Exports | $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999) | $7.85 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Exports - commodities | apparel 36%, foodstuffs 22%, wood products 21%, precious stones 5% (1999) | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass |
Exports - partners | India 13%, Singapore 11%, China 11%, US 8% (1999 est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include trade in illicit goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems - or the largely unrecorded border trade with China and Thailand |
EU 84.7% (Germany 24.6%, France 19.6%, Belgium 12.3%), US 3.5% (2001) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $63.7 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $20 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
42% industry: 17% services: 41% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 30% services: 69% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $44,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (2000 est.) | 2.3% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 00 N, 98 00 E | 49 45 N, 6 10 E |
Geography - note | strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes | landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world, it is the smallest of the European Union member states |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
28,200 km paved: 3,440 km unpaved: 24,760 km (1996) |
total: 5,166 km
paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | world's second largest producer of illicit opium, after Afghanistan (potential production in 1999 - 1,090 metric tons, down 38% due to drought; cultivation in 1999 - 89,500 hectares, a 31% decline from 1998); surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; becoming a major source of methamphetamine for regional consumption | - |
Imports | $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999) | $10.25 billion c.i.f. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Singapore 28%, Thailand 12%, China 10%, Japan 10%, South Korea 9% (1999 est.) | EU 86.7% (Belgium 34.3%, Germany 25.1%, France 12.8%), US 5.8% (2001) |
Independence | 4 January 1948 (from UK) | 1839 (from the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2% (2002 est.) |
Industries | agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer | banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum |
Infant mortality rate | 73.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 18% (1999) | 1.6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000) |
8 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 10,680 sq km (1993 est.) | 40 sq km (includes Belgium) (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive | judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch |
Labor force | 19.7 million (FY98/99 est.) | 262,300 (of whom 87,400 are foreign cross-border workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.) | services 90%, industry 8%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km |
total: 359 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km |
Land use | arable land:
15% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 49% other: 34% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (includes Belgium) (1998 est.) |
Languages | Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) |
Legal system | has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60 |
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 1999 (next to be held by June 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 29.79%, DP 21.58%, LSAP 23.75%, ADR 10.36%, Green Party 9.09%, the Left 3.77%; seats by party - CSV 19, DP 15, LSAP 13, ADR 6, Green Party 5, the Left 2 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
55.16 years male: 53.73 years female: 56.68 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 77.48 years
male: 74.2 years female: 80.97 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.1% male: 88.7% female: 77.7% (1995 est.) note: these are official statistics; estimates of functional literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand | Western Europe, between France and Germany |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 411,181 GRT/632,769 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Japan 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,487,752 GRT/2,123,579 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 13, container 8, liquefied gas 19, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 6 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 21, Finland 3, France 8, Germany 10, Monaco 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 1, United Kingdom 9, United States 3 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army, Grand Ducal Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $39 million (FY97/98) | $147.8 million (FY01/02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.1% (FY97/98) | 0.8% (FY01/02) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
12,050,964 females age 15-49: 12,070,017 note: both sexes liable for military service (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 113,557 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
6,425,514 females age 15-49: 6,419,677 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 93,429 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | 19 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
470,667 females: 479,691 (2001 est.) |
males: 2,565 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 4 January (1948) | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June |
Nationality | noun:
Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese |
noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg |
Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
Net migration rate | -1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km | petroleum products 48 km |
Political parties and leaders | National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [U KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and other smaller parties | Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Robert MEHLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES]; Democratic Party or DP [Lydie POLFER]; Green Party [Abbes JACOBY and Felix BRAS]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Jean ASSELBORN]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party DEI LENK (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | All Burma Student Democratic Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals legitimately elected to the People's Assembly but not recognized by the military regime; the group fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA | ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); LCGP (center-right trade union); OGBL (center-left trade union) |
Population | 41,994,678
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.) |
448,569 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 23% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.6% (2001 est.) | 1.25% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy | Mertert |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998) | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) |
Radios | 4.2 million (1997) | 285,000 (1997) |
Railways | total:
3,991 km narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge |
total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2001) |
Religions | Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% | the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment:
meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 250,000 (2000) | 314,700 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,492 (1997) | 215,741 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1998) | 5 (1999) |
Terrain | central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands | mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast |
Total fertility rate | 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.7 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.1% (official FY97/98 est.) | 4.1% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | 12,800 km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels |
37 km (on the Moselle) |