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Compare China (2003) - Liberia (2007)

Compare China (2003) z Liberia (2007)

 China (2003)Liberia (2007)
 ChinaLiberia
Administrative divisions 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**, Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang; note - China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.1% (male 155,473,656; female 141,737,406)


15-64 years: 69.5% (male 461,223,219; female 433,154,970)


65 years and over: 7.4% (male 44,954,643; female 50,431,574) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 698,382/female 695,409)


15-64 years: 53.6% (male 848,951/female 865,380)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 42,745/female 45,064) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Airports 500 (2002) 53 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 351


over 3,047 m: 32


2,438 to 3,047 m: 108


1,524 to 2,437 m: 143


914 to 1,523 m: 29


under 914 m: 39 (2002)
total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 149


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 25


914 to 1,523 m: 48


under 914 m: 71 (2002)
total: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 38 (2007)
Area total: 9,596,960 sq km


land: 9,326,410 sq km


water: 270,550 sq km
total: 111,370 sq km


land: 96,320 sq km


water: 15,050 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US slightly larger than Tennessee
Background For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, China was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making. Output quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight while economic controls continue to be relaxed. Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003, peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.
Birth rate 12.96 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 43.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $224.8 billion


expenditures: $267.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)
revenues: $85.4 million


expenditures: $90.5 million (2000 est.)
Capital Beijing name: Monrovia


geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Coastline 14,500 km 579 km
Constitution most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 6 January 1986
Country name conventional long form: People's Republic of China


conventional short form: China


local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo


local short form: Zhong Guo


abbreviation: PRC
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia


conventional short form: Liberia
Currency yuan (CNY)


note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)
-
Death rate 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 22.24 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $149.4 billion (2002 est.) $3.2 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.


embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831


FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929


consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH


embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380


FAX: [231] 226-148
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi


chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. MINOR


chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437


FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; much of the rugged, militarized boundary with India is in dispute, but the two sides have participated in more than 13 rounds of joint working group sessions on this issue; India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed Kashmir; China, as well as Taiwan, claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) islands; negotiations with Tajikistan resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; China and Kazakhstan have resolved their border dispute and are working to delimit their large open borders to control population migration, illegal activities, and trade; Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court rules that 1,270 sq km ceded to China in 2000 delimitation agreement were legally transferred; certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is indefinite - China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; China continues to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the disputed alluvial islands with Russia at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers and a small island on the Argun river as part of the 2001 Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation; boundary agreements signed in 2002 with Tajikistan cedes 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km; demarcation of land boundary with Vietnam continues but maritime boundary and joint fishing zone agreement remains unratified; China occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
Economic aid - recipient $NA $236.2 million (2005)
Economy - overview In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2003, with its 1.3 billion people but a GDP of just $5,000 per capita, China stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing power parity basis). Agriculture and industry have posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (windfall gains and growing income disparities). China thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. Beijing says it will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure - such as water control and power grids - and poverty relief and through rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on farmers. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen China's ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer internet use. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable economic growth. Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained economist, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. An embargo on timber exports has been lifted, opening a source of revenue for the government, but diamonds remain under UN sanctions. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial support and technical assistance from donor countries.
Electricity - consumption 1.312 trillion kWh (2001) 296.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 10.3 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 1.55 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 1.42 trillion kWh (2001) 319.3 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 80.2%


hydro: 18.5%


nuclear: 1.2%


other: 0.1% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Environment - current issues air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, 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, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)
Exchange rates yuan per US dollar - 8.28 (2002), 8.28 (2001), 8.28 (2000), 8.28 (1999), 8.28 (1998) Liberian dollars per US dollar - 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003), 61.754 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)


head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)


elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress


election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (4 delegates voted against him, 4 abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); 2 seats were vacant
chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4%
Exports NA (2001) 23.31 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment; textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
Exports - partners US 21.5%, Hong Kong 18%, Japan 14.9%, South Korea 4.8% (2002) Germany 22.6%, South Africa 15.5%, Poland 15.1%, US 11%, Spain 10.6%, South Korea 4.1% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.989 trillion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 15.2%


industry and construction: 51.2%


services: 33.6% (2001)
agriculture: 76.9%


industry: 5.4%


services: 17.7% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 8% (official data) (2002 est.) 7.8% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 105 00 E 6 30 N, 9 30 W
Geography - note world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak; facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture
Highways total: 1,402,698 km


paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of expressways)


unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center
Imports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
Imports - partners Japan 18.1%, Taiwan 10.5%, South Korea 9.7%, US 9.2%, Germany 5.6% (2002) South Korea 43.2%, Singapore 15%, Japan 12.8%, China 8.2% (2006)
Independence 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949) 26 July 1847
Industrial production growth rate 12.6% (2002 est.) NA%
Industries iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds
Infant mortality rate total: 25.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 149.73 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 165.65 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 133.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) -0.8% (2002 est.) 15% (2003 est.)
International organization participation APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, IFC, UNHCR, UNIDO, AfDB, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (2000) -
Irrigated land 525,800 sq km (1998 est.) 30 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts) Supreme Court
Labor force 744 million (2001 est.) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 50%, industry 22%, services 28% (2001 est.) agriculture: 70%


industry: 8%


services: 22% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries total: 22,147.34 km


border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
total: 1,585 km


border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Land use arable land: 13.31%


permanent crops: 1.2%


other: 85.49% (1998 est.)
arable land: 3.43%


permanent crops: 1.98%


other: 94.59% (2005)
Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Legal system a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held NA December 2002-NA February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-NA February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15


note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.22 years


male: 70.33 years


female: 74.28 years (2003 est.)
total population: 40.39 years


male: 38.93 years


female: 41.89 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86%


male: 92.9%


female: 78.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 57.5%


male: 73.3%


female: 41.6% (2003 est.)
Location Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Map references Asia Africa
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


territorial sea: 12 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 1,817 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,047,962 GRT/27,035,740 DWT


ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 348, cargo 824, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 150, liquefied gas 28, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker 267, refrigerated cargo 26, roll on/roll off 21, short-sea passenger 42, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Germany 1, Hong Kong 16, Japan 2, Panama 2, South Korea 1, Spain 1, Taiwan 9, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1 (2002 est.)
total: 1,948 ships (1000 GRT or over) 71,387,243 GRT/109,450,945 DWT


by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 338, cargo 91, chemical tanker 211, combination ore/oil 9, container 614, liquefied gas 81, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 455, refrigerated cargo 91, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35


foreign-owned: 1,904 (Argentina 3, Australia 2, Belgium 1, Brazil 3, Canada 3, China 32, Croatia 5, Cyprus 5, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 728, Gibraltar 7, Greece 311, Hong Kong 21, India 2, Indonesia 1, Israel 9, Italy 31, Japan 111, South Korea 4, Kuwait 1, Latvia 15, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 8, Netherlands 28, Norway 42, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 87, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 42, Slovenia 1, Sweden 11, Switzerland 11, Taiwan 82, Turkey 7, Ukraine 24, UAE 22, UK 74, US 103, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 3) (2007)
Military branches People's Liberation Army (PLA): comprises ground forces, Navy (including naval infantry and naval aviation), Air Force, and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force), People's Armed Police Force (internal security troops, nominally a state security body but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA), militia Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $55.91 billion (FY02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.3% (FY02) 1.3% (2006 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 375,520,255 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 206 million (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 10,973,761 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Nationality noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
noun: Liberian(s)


adjective: Liberian
Natural hazards frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Natural resources coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Net migration rate -0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 26.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 13,845 km; oil 15,143 km; refined products 3,280 km (2003) -
Political parties and leaders Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE]
Political pressure groups and leaders no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong sect and the China Democracy Party as potential rivals Demobilized former military officers
Population 1,286,975,468 (July 2003 est.) 3,195,931 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 10% (2001 est.) 80% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate 0.6% (2003 est.) 4.836% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang (2001) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways total: 71,600 km


standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (14,600 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (2002)
total: 490 km


standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge


note: railway is inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2006)
Religions Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%


note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.004 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.981 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.949 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns


domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place


international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators


domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity only about 5 per 100 persons


international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 135 million (2000) 6,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 65 million (January 2001) 160,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997) 1 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Total fertility rate 1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.) 5.94 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2002 est.) 85% (2003 est.)
Waterways 110,000 km (1999) -
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