French Guiana (2001) | Armenia (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | 10 provinces (marzer, singular - marz) and 1 city* (k'aghak'ner, singular - k'aghak'); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan* |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
30.47% (male 27,669; female 26,428) 15-64 years: 64.05% (male 61,457; female 52,266) 65 years and over: 5.48% (male 4,937; female 4,805) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
23.23% (male 394,194; female 380,911) 15-64 years: 67.04% (male 1,094,646; female 1,141,760) 65 years and over: 9.73% (male 135,477; female 189,112) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock |
Airports | 11 (2000 est.) | 7 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total:
7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total:
29,800 sq km land: 28,400 sq km water: 1,400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly smaller than Maryland |
Background | First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. | An Orthodox Christian country, Armenia was incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated exclave, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the exclave in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. |
Birth rate | 22.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.47 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues:
$360 million expenditures: $566 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
Capital | Cayenne | Yerevan |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | highland continental, hot summers, cold winters |
Coastline | 378 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane |
conventional long form:
Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic |
Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | dram (AMD) |
Death rate | 4.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $836 million (January 2001) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael C. LEMMON embassy: 18 Marshal Bagramian Avenue, Yerevan mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7020 telephone: [374] (2) 52-16-11 FAX: [374] (2) 151-550 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Arman KIRAKOSIAN chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) | Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding, separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; traditional demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey have subsided |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $245.5 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry which provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. | Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic program that has resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2000. Armenia also managed to slash inflation and to privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in recent years have been largely offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia's severe trade imbalance, importing three times its exports, has been offset somewhat by international aid, domestic restructuring of the economy, and foreign direct investment. |
Electricity - consumption | 409.2 million kWh (1999) | 6.201 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 440 million kWh (1999) | 6.668 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
45.56% hydro: 23.25% nuclear: 31.19% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point:
Debed River 400 m highest point: Aragats Lerr 4,095 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate (IAEA-recommended) safety and backup systems |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%, Russian 2%, other (mostly Yezidi Kurds) 2% (1989)
note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all Azeris had emigrated from Armenia |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) | drams per US dollar - 554.29 (1 February 2001), 539.53 (2000), 535.06 (1999), 504.92 (1998), 490.85 (1997), 414.04 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997) head of government: President of the General Council Andre LECANTE (since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils |
chief of state:
President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special election last held 30 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Robert KOCHARIAN elected president; percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 59.5%, Karen DEMIRCHYAN 40.5% |
Exports | $155 million (f.o.b., 1997) | $284 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and equipment, brandy, copper ore |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997) | Belgium 36%, Iran 15%, Russia 14%, US 7%, Turkmenistan, Georgia (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $10 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
40% industry: 25% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 40 00 N, 45 00 E |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness | landlocked |
Highways | total:
1,817 km paved: 817 km unpaved: 1,000 km (1998) |
total:
8,431 km () paved: NA unpaved: NA (1997) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe | illicit cultivator of cannabis mostly for domestic consumption; increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - to Western Europe and the US via Iran, Central Asia, and Russia |
Imports | $625 million (c.i.f., 1997) | $913 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds |
Imports - partners | France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997) | Russia 17%, US 11%, Belgium 11%, Iran 10%, UK, Turkey (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 5% (2000 est.) |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, gem cutting, jewelry manufacturing, software development, brandy |
Infant mortality rate | 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 41.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (1992) | 1% (1999 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | 1 (1999) |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | 2,870 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court |
Labor force | 58,800 (1997) | 1.5 million (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980) | agriculture 55%, services 25%, industry 20% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
total:
1,254 km border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10% (1996 est.) |
arable land:
17% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 15% other: 41% (1993 est.) |
Languages | French | Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2% |
Legal system | French legal system | based on civil law system |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, PSG 1 |
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 May 1999 (next to be held in the spring of 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - unity bloc 61 (Republican Party 41, People's Party of Armenia 20), Stability Group (independent Armenian deputies who have formed a bloc) 21, ACP 10, ARF (Dashnak) 8, Law and Unity Party 7, NDU 6, Law-Governed Party 6, independents 10, unfilled 2; note - seats by party change frequently |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
76.3 years male: 72.97 years female: 79.79 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
66.49 years male: 62.12 years female: 71.08 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 98% (1989 est.) |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey |
Map references | South America | Commonwealth of Independent States |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | French Forces, Gendarmerie | Army, Air Force and Air Defense Aviation, Air Defense Force, Security Forces (internal and border troops) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $75 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 4% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
49,495 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
905,154 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
32,052 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
715,734 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
34,998 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 21 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun:
French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese |
noun:
Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish | small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina |
Net migration rate | 10.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -3.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | natural gas 900 km (1991) |
Political parties and leaders | Guianese Socialist Party or PSG [Antoine KARAM]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE] (may be a subset of PSG); Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] | Armenia Party [Myasnik ALKHASYAN]; Armenian Communist Party or ACP [Vladimir DARBINYAN]; Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Azat ARSHAKYN, chairman]; Democratic Liberal Party [Ramkavar AZATAKAN, chairman]; Free Armenian's Mission [Ruben MNATSANIAN, chairman]; Law and Unity Party [Artashes GEGAMIAN, chairman]; Law-Governed Party [Artur BAGDASARIAN, chairman]; Mission Party [Artush PAPOIAN, chairman]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National State Party [Samvel SHAGINIAN]; Pan-Armenian National Movement or PANM [Vano SIRADEGHYAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARKARYAN]; Shamiram Women's Movement or SWM [Gayane SARUKHYAN]; Social Democratic (Hnchakian) Party [Ernst SOGOMONYAN]; Stability Group [Vartan AYVAZIAN, chairman]; Union of National Self-Determination or NSDU [Paruir HAIRIKIAN, chairman]; Unity Bloc [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN and Andranik MARKARYAN] (a coalition of the Republican Party and People's Party of Armenia) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 177,562 (July 2001 est.) | 3,336,100 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 45% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.74% (2001 est.) | -0.21% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 104,000 (1997) | 850,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km (1995) | total:
852 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified) (2001) |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Armenian Orthodox 94% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1997) | 568,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 6,220 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | 4 (1998) |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.5 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21.4% (1998) | 20% (1998 est.)
note: official rate is 9.3% for 1998 |
Waterways | 3,300 km navigable by native craft
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers |
NA km |