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Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2002) - Lebanon (2006)

Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2002) z Lebanon (2006)

 Northern Mariana Islands (2002)Lebanon (2006)
 Northern Mariana IslandsLebanon
Administrative divisions none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order; Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.4% (male 9,208; female 8,902)


15-64 years: 74.8% (male 27,041; female 30,781)


65 years and over: 1.8% (male 690; female 689) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)


15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)


65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 6 (2001) 7 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Area total: 477 sq km


land: 477 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war (1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections, most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son.
Birth rate 20.29 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $193 million


expenditures: $223 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY 2001/02 est.)
revenues: $4.953 billion


expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Saipan name: Beirut


geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 1,482 km 225 km
Constitution Covenant Agreement effective 4 November 1986 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands


conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands


former: Mariana Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan


former: Greater Lebanon
Currency US dollar (USD) -
Death rate 2.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $NA $26 billion (2005 est.)
Dependency status commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs -
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality)


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US - chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
Disputes - international none Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Economic aid - recipient extensive funding from US $2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference
Economy - overview The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions. The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and increasing foreign investment.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports - 750 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production NA kWh 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Chamorro, Carolinians and other Micronesians, Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%


note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Exchange rates the US dollar is used Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Juan N. BABAUTA (since NA January 2002); Lieutenant Governor Diego T. BENEVENTE (since NA January 2002)


cabinet: NA


elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held NA November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2005)


election results: Juan N. BABAUTA elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Juan N. BABAUTA (Republican Party) 49%
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim


election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports $NA NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities garments authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners US Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $900 million


note: GDP numbers reflect US spending (2000 est.)
-
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $12,500 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate NA% 0.1% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 12 N, 145 45 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 362 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1991)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
Imports $NA NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners US, Japan Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005)
Independence none (commonwealth in political union with the US) 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate 5.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.2% (1997 est.) 2.4% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), SPC ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2001) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 1,040 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force 6,006 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (1995) 2.6 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation NA agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land: 15.22%


permanent crops: 6.52%


other: 78.26% (1998 est.)
arable land: 16.35%


permanent crops: 13.75%


other: 69.9% (2005)
Languages English, Chamorro, Carolinian


note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2003); House of Representatives - last held 5 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2003)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 4, Democratic Party 3, Reform Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 16, Democratic Party 1, Covenant Party 1


note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" located in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009)


election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.95 years


male: 72.85 years


female: 79.23 years (2002 est.)
total population: 72.88 years


male: 70.41 years


female: 75.48 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 96% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Oceania Middle East
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1)


registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados 1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2) (2006)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches - Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $540.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 3.1% (2004)
National holiday Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November) dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources arable land, fish limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate 17.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 43 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Benigno R. FITIAL] Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 77,311 (July 2002 est.) 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 3.49% (2002 est.) 1.23% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Saipan, Tinian -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios NA -
Railways 0 km total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m


note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
Religions Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found) Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: 17 religious sects recognized
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female


total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete


domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 21,000 (1996) 990,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,200 (1995) 990,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 1 (on Saipan and one station planned for Rota; in addition, two cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (1997) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 1.76 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 18% (1997 est.)
Waterways none -
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