Palau (2001) | Mongolia (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | 18 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatobohei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Palau Island, Peleliu, Sonsoral, Tobi | 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
26.88% (male 2,641; female 2,491) 15-64 years: 68.46% (male 7,128; female 5,943) 65 years and over: 4.66% (male 420; female 469) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 402,448/female 387,059)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 967,546/female 969,389) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,859/female 59,923) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes | wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses |
Airports | 3 (2000 est.) | 44 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
Area | total:
458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,564,116 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Alaska |
Background | After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independent status in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained their independence. | The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. The ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. |
Birth rate | 19.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 21.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$57.7 million expenditures: $80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 est.) |
revenues: $702 million
expenditures: $651 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
Capital | Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror | name: Ulaanbaatar
geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 53 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September |
Climate | wet season May to November; hot and humid | desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) |
Coastline | 1,519 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 1 January 1981 | 12 February 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | - |
Death rate | 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.95 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $0 (FY99/00) | $1.36 billion (2004) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
the Ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau; Charge d'Affaires Allen E. NUGENT embassy: address NA, Koror mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON
embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11) 329095 FAX: [976] (11) 320776 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Hersey KYOTA chancery: 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdan BOLD
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $155.8 million (1995); note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, will provide Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities | $215 million (2003) |
Economy - overview | The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The population enjoys a per capita income of twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific and the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries. | Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-2002 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004 and 5.5% in 2005, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy, but the former's actual size is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizeable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 3.37 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - exports | - | 18 million kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - imports | - | 130 million kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - production | - | 3.24 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchauus 242 m |
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m |
Environment - current issues | inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing | limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 70%, Asian (mainly Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) 28%, white 2% (2000 est.) | Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,187.17 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003), 1,110.3 (2002), 1,097.7 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. elected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. 53%, Peter SUGIYAMA 46%; Sandra PIERANTOZZI elected vice president; percent of vote - Sandra PIERANTOZZI 52%, Alan SEID 45% |
chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 25 January 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Mendsaikhan ENKHSAIKHAN (since 28 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (MPRP) 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN (DP) 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN (MRP) 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT (M-MNSDP) 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural 56 to 10 |
Exports | $14.3 million (f.o.b., 1996) | 515 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
Exports - commodities | trochus (type of shellfish), tuna, copra, handicrafts | copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals |
Exports - partners | US, Japan | China 56.2%, Canada 15.6%, US 14.7% (2005) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | calendar year |
Flag description | light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side | three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $129 million (1998 est.)
note: GDP numbers reflect US spending |
- |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 20.6%
industry: 21.4% services: 58% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,100 (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | -1.4% (1998 est.) | 6.2% according to official estimate (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 7 30 N, 134 30 E | 46 00 N, 105 00 E |
Geography - note | includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands; archipelago of six island groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain | landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia |
Heliports | - | 2 (2006) |
Highways | total:
61 km paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 37% (1995) |
Imports | $126 million (f.o.b., FY99/00) | 11,210 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs | machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea |
Imports - partners | US | Russia 35.8%, China 25.7%, Japan 6.3%, South Korea 6%, Germany 4.2% (2005) |
Independence | 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) | 11 July 1921 (from China) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 4.1% (2002 est.) |
Industries | tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making | construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing |
Infant mortality rate | 16.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 52.12 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 55.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 9.5% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO | ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 840 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas | Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president) |
Labor force | 8,300 (1999) | 1.488 million (2003) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | herding/agriculture 42%, mining 4%, manufacturing 6%, trade 14%, services 29%, public sector 5% (2003) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km |
Land use | arable land:
NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% |
arable land: 0.76%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) |
Languages | English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral (Sonsorolese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official) | Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) |
Legal system | based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws | blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (16 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004); House of Delegates - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; House of Delegates - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA |
unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms
elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.78%, MDC 44.8%, independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.42%; seats by party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - following June 2004 election MDC collapsed; as of 1 December 2005 composition of legislature was MPRP 38, DP 25, M-MNSDP 6, CWRP 2, MRP 1, PP 1, independents 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.89 years male: 65.77 years female: 72.19 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 64.89 years
male: 62.64 years female: 67.25 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2002) |
Location | Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines | Northern Asia, between China and Russia |
Map references | Oceania | Asia |
Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM extended fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 61 ships (1000 GRT or over) 319,053 GRT/479,190 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 49, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 49 (China 4, Japan 1, North Korea 3, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 1, Russia 13, Singapore 10, Syria 1, Thailand 1, UAE 5, Ukraine 1, Vietnam 8) (2006) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years | - |
Military branches | NA | Mongolian People's Army (MPA), Mongolian People's Air Force (MPAF); there is no navy (2005) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $23.1 million (FY02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 2.2% (FY02) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) | Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) |
Nationality | noun:
Palauan(s) adjective: Palauan |
noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian |
Natural hazards | typhoons (June to December) | dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions |
Natural resources | forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals | oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron |
Net migration rate | 4.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Palau Nationalist Party [Johnson TORIBIONG]; Ta Belau Party [Kuniwo NAKAMURA] | Citizens' Will Republican Party or CWRP (also called Civil Courage Republican Party or CCRP) [Sanjaasurengiin OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [Tsakhiagiyn ELBEGDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist Democratic Party or M-MNSDP [Badarchyn ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Miegombyn ENKHBOLD]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN]; People's Party or PP [Lamjav GUNDALAI]
note: DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party; MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004 |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 19,092 (July 2001 est.) | 2,832,224 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 36.1% (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.69% (2001 est.) | 1.46% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Koror | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 7, FM 62, shortwave 3 (2004) |
Radios | 12,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 1,810 km
broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2005) |
Religions | Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is indigenous to Palau) | Buddhist Lamaist 50%, none 40%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4% (2004) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas
domestic: very low density of about 5.5 main lines per 100 persons; two wireless providers cover all but two provinces international: country code - 976; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,500 (1988) | 156,000 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1988) | 557,200 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 52 (plus 21 provincial repeaters and many low power repeaters) (2004) |
Terrain | varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs | vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central |
Total fertility rate | 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.3% (2000 est.) | 6.7% (2003) |
Waterways | none | 580 km
note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004) |