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Compare Madagascar (2008) - Western Sahara (2007)

Compare Madagascar (2008) z Western Sahara (2007)

 Madagascar (2008)Western Sahara (2007)
 MadagascarWestern Sahara
Administrative divisions 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.9% (male 4,297,985/female 4,243,369)


15-64 years: 53% (male 5,117,874/female 5,190,032)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 270,411/female 329,144) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 104 (2007) 9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 27


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 17


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 77


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 41


under 914 m: 34 (2007)
total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 587,040 sq km


land: 581,540 sq km


water: 5,500 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Arizona about the size of Colorado
Background Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA is now in his second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate 38.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA
Budget revenues: $1.22 billion


expenditures: $1.555 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital name: Antananarivo


geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E


time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 4,828 km 1,110 km
Constitution 19 August 1992 by national referendum -
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar


conventional short form: Madagascar


local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara


local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara


former: Malagasy Republic
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Death rate 8.51 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA
Debt - external $4.6 billion (2002) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador R. Niels MARQUARDT


embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101


mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo


telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56


FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39
none
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Jocelyn Bertin RADIFERA


chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526


FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034


consulate(s) general: New York
none
Disputes - international claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
Economic aid - recipient $929.2 million (2005) $NA
Economy - overview Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the US. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
Electricity - consumption 973.2 million kWh (2005) 79.05 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 1.046 billion kWh (2005) 85 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran Arab, Berber
Exchange rates Malagasy ariary per US dollar - 1,880 (2007), 2,161.4 (2006), 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Charles RABEMANANJARA (25 January 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA 54.8%, Jean LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO 9.1%, Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%
none
Exports 363.9 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products phosphates 62%
Exports - partners France 32.1%, US 25.3%, Germany 6.1%, Italy 5%, UK 4.1% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 27.3%


industry: 15.8%


services: 56.8% (2007 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate 6.3% (2007 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 20 00 S, 47 00 E 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.9%


highest 10%: 36.6% (2001)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin -
Imports 17,830 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners France 14.5%, China 12%, Iran 9.3%, Mauritius 5.6%, Hong Kong 4.7% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Independence 26 June 1960 (from France) -
Industrial production growth rate 6% (2007 est.) NA%
Industries meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate total: 57.02 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 62.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 51.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10% (2007 est.) NA%
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO none
Irrigated land 10,860 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle -
Labor force 7.3 million (2000) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 5.03%


permanent crops: 1.02%


other: 93.95% (2005)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official) Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations -
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127 seats - reduced from 160 seats by an April 2007 national referendum; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies; the remaining one-third of seats appointed by the president; to serve four-year terms)


elections: National Assembly - last held 23 September 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1, independents 20
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 62.14 years


male: 60.23 years


female: 64.1 years (2007 est.)
total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.9%


male: 75.5%


female: 62.5% (2003 est.)
NA
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Merchant marine total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,896 GRT/18,466 DWT


by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2007)
-
Military branches People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1% (2006) -
National holiday Independence Day, 26 June (1960) -
Nationality noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)


adjective: Malagasy
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Political parties and leaders Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVELO]; Democratic Party for Union in Madagascar or PSDUM [Jean LAHINIRIKO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON] -
Political pressure groups and leaders Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM none
Population 19,448,815 (July 2007 est.) 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (2004 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 3.008% (2007 est.) NA
Radio broadcast stations AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 854 km


narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% Muslim
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.822 male(s)/female


total population: 0.992 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
NA
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system general assessment: system is above average for the region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is poorly developed; planning to add 50,000 new private-subscriber fixed lines beginning in 2005


domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only about 7 per 100 persons


international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 129,800 (2006) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.046 million (2006) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001) NA
Terrain narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 5.24 children born/woman (2007 est.) NA
Unemployment rate - NA%
Waterways 600 km (2006) -
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