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Compare Kosovo (2008) - Christmas Island (2008)

Compare Kosovo (2008) z Christmas Island (2008)

 Kosovo (2008)Christmas Island (2008)
 KosovoChristmas Island
Administrative divisions 30 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna in Albanian; opstine, singular - opstina in Serbian); Decan (Decani), Dragash (Dragas), Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove (Dakovica), Gllogoc/Drenas (Glogovac), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Istog (Istok), Kacanik, Kline (Klina), Kamenice/Dardana (Kamenica), Leposaviq (Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo), Mitrovice (Mitrovica), Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Peje (Pec), Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec (Orahovac), Shtime (Stimlje), Shterpce (Strpce), Skenderaj (Srbica), Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin Potok, Zvecan none (territory of Australia)
Age structure - 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products NA NA
Airports 10 (2008) 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 4 (2008)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 4


under 914 m: 4 (2008)
-
Area total: 10,887 sq km


land: 10,887 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 135 sq km


land: 135 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Delaware about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Background Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century, but did not fully incorporate them into the Serbian realm until the early 13th century. The Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule, during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War (1912), and after World War II (1945) the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Josip Broz TITO reorganized Kosovo as an autonomous province within the constituent republic of Serbia. Over the next four decades, Kosovo Albanians lobbied for greater autonomy and Kosovo was granted the status almost equal to that of a republic in the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. Despite the legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s leading to nationalist riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. Serbs in Kosovo complained of mistreatment and Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited those charges to win support among Serbian voters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that drastically curtailed Kosovo's autonomy and Kosovo Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. The MILOSEVIC regime carried out repressive measures against the Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial government of Kosovo, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, tried to use passive resistance to gain international assistance and recognition of its demands for independence. In 1995, Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's nonviolent strategy created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. In 1998, MILOSEVIC authorized a counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians by Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces. The international community tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but MILOSEVIC rejected the proposed international settlement - the Rambouillet Accords - leading to a three-month NATO bombing of Serbia beginning in March 1999, which forced Serbia to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. Under the resolution, Serbia's territorial integrity was protected, but it was UNMIK who assumed responsibility for governing Kosovo. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG), and in succeeding years UNMIK increasingly devolved responsibilities to the PISG. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's future status. Negotiations held intermittently between 2006 and 2007 on issues related to decentralization, religious heritage, and minority rights failed to yield a resolution between Serbia's willingness to grant a high degree of autonomy and the Albanians' call for full independence for Kosovo. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared its independence from Serbia. Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.
Birth rate - NA
Budget revenues: $893.2 million


expenditures: $796.6 million (2006 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital name: Pristina (Prishtine)


geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
name: The Settlement


geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E


time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 138.9 km
Constitution Constitutional Framework of 2001; note - the Kosovo Government is charged with putting forward an AHTISAARI (UN Special Envoy) Plan-compliant draft of a new constitution soon after independence Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo


conventional short form: Kosovo


local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Republika Kosova)


local short form: Kosova (Kosovo)


former: Kosovo i Metohija, Autonomna Pokrajina
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island


conventional short form: Christmas Island
Death rate - NA
Debt - external Serbia continued to pay Kosovo's external debt, which it claimed was around $1.2 billion; Kosovo was willing to accept around $900 million, according to the national bank of Serbia (2007) -
Dependency status - non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department
Diplomatic representation from the US - none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US - none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international Serbia with several other states protest the US and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo; Kosovo authorities object to alignment of the Kosovo boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement none
Economic aid - recipient $252 million (2006) $NA
Economy - overview Kosovo's economy has largely transitioned to a market-based system but is highly dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - located mainly in Germany and Switzerland - account for about 30% of GDP. Kosovo's citizens are the poorest in Europe with an average per capita income of only $1900 - about one-third the level of neighboring Albania. Unemployment - at 50% of the population - is a severe problem that encourages outward migration. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the largest city, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common - the result of small plots, limited mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. The complexity of Serbia and Kosovo's political and legal relationships created uncertainty over property rights and hindered the privatization of state-owned assets. Minerals and metals - including lignite, lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, aluminum, magnesium, and a wide variety of construction materials - once formed the backbone of industry, but output has declined because investment is insufficient to replace ageing Eastern Bloc equipment. Technical and financial problems in the power sector also impede industrial development, and deter foreign investment. Economic growth is largely driven by the private sector - mostly small-scale retail businesses. Both the euro and the Serbian dinar circulate. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep inflation low. Kosovo has maintained a budget surplus as a result of efficient tax collection and inefficient spending. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and Kosovo's provisional government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment. In order to help integrate Kosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future.
Electricity - consumption 4.281 billion kWh (2006) -
Electricity - production 3.996 billion kWh (2006) -
Elevation extremes lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m (located on the border with Albania)


highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,565 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Environment - current issues - loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
Ethnic groups Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk) Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%


note: no indigenous population (2001)
Exchange rates Serbian dinars per US dollar - 54.5 (2008 est.) Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Fatmir SEJDIU (since 10 February 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Hashim THACI (since 9 January 2008)


cabinet: ministers; elected by the Kosovo Assembly


elections: the president is elected for a 5-year term by the Kosovo Assembly; the prime minister is elected by the Kosovo Assembly


election results: Fatmir SEJDIU and Hashim THACI elected to be president and prime minister respectively by the Assembly
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general


head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006)


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia
Exports $13.08 million (2006) $NA
Exports - commodities scrap metals, mining and processed metal products, plastics, wood phosphate
Exports - partners Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 56% (2006) Australia, NZ (2006)
Fiscal year - 1 July - 30 June
Flag description centered on a dark blue field is the shape of Kosovo in a gold color surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars - each representing one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo - arrayed in a slight arc territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island


note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
-
GDP - real growth rate 2.6% (2007) -
Geographic coordinates 42 35 N, 21 00 E 10 30 S, 105 40 E
Geography - note - located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
Heliports 2 (2008) -
Imports $84.99 million (2006) $NA
Imports - commodities petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and electrical equipment consumer goods
Imports - partners Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 48% (2006) principally Australia (2006)
Independence - none (territory of Australia)
Industries NA tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Infant mortality rate - total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2007 est.) -
International organization participation - none
Irrigated land - NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); district courts judges are appointed by the SRSG; municipal courts judges are appointed by the SRSG Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force 832,000 (June 2007 est.) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 21.4%


industry: NA


services: NA (2006)
-
Land boundaries total: 700.7 km


border countries: Albania 111.8 km, Macedonia 158.7 km, Montenegro 78.6 km, Serbia 351.6 km
0 km
Land use - arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)
Languages Albanian, Serbian, Bosniak, Turkish English (official), Chinese, Malay
Legal system evolving legal system based on terms of UN Special Envoy Martii AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
Legislative branch unicameral Kosovo Assembly of the Provisional Government (120 seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10 seats for Serbs, 10 seats for other minorities; to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2007 (next to be held NA)


election results: percent of vote by party - Democratic Party of Kosovo 34.3%, Democratic League of Kosovo 22.6%, New Kosovo Alliance 12.3%, Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 10.0%, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 9.6%; seats by party - Democratic Party of Kosovo 37, Democratic League of Kosovo 25, New Kosovo Alliance 13, Democratic League of Dardania-Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo 11, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 10
unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Life expectancy at birth - total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Literacy - NA
Location Southeast Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Map references Europe Southeast Asia
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of Australia
National holiday - Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality noun: Kosovoan


adjective: Kosovoan
noun: Christmas Islander(s)


adjective: Christmas Island
Natural hazards - the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Natural resources nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite phosphate, beaches
Net migration rate - NA
Political parties and leaders Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo or PSHDK [Mark KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush HARADINAJ]; Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Kososvo and Metohija or SDSKiM [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Autonomous Liberal Party of SLS [Slobodan PETROVIC]; Bosniak Vakat Coalition [ Dzezair MURATI]; Citizens' Initiative of Gora or GIG [Murselj HALILI]; Council of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo or SNSDKIM [Ljubisa ZIVIC]; Democratic League of Dardania or LDD [Nexhat DACI]; Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Fatmir SEJDIU]; Democratic Party of Ashkali of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit RRAHMANI]; Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim THACI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP [Mahir YAGCILAR]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Xhevdet Neziraj]; New Democratic Party or ND [Branislav GRBIC]; New Kosovo Alliance [Behgjet PACOLLI]; Popular Movement of Kosovo or LPK [Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Reform Party Ora; Serb National Party or SNS [Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party or SKMS [Dragisa MIRIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi MERXHA]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Numan BALIC] none
Political pressure groups and leaders - none
Population 2,126,708 (2007 est.) 1,402 (July 2006 est.) (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 30% (2006 est.) -
Population growth rate - 0% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations - AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)
Railways total: 430 km (2005) -
Religions Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Sex ratio - NA
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal -
Telephone system - general assessment: service provided by the Australian network


domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005


international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - 1 INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use 106,300 (2006) NA
Telephones - mobile cellular 562,000 (2006) -
Television broadcast stations - 0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)
Terrain flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of 2,000 to 2,500 m steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Total fertility rate - NA
Unemployment rate 50% (2007 est.) -
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