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Compare Reunion (2004) - Lebanon (2004)

Compare Reunion (2004) z Lebanon (2004)

 Reunion (2004)Lebanon (2004)
 ReunionLebanon
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons 6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440)


15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236)


65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339)


65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 8 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 2,517 sq km


land: 2,507 sq km


water: 10 sq km
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Rhode Island about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies 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.
Birth rate 19.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.26 billion


expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998)
revenues: $4.414 billion


expenditures: $7.026 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital Saint-Denis Beirut
Climate tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 207 km 225 km
Constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) 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: Department of Reunion


conventional short form: Reunion


local long form: none


local short form: Ile de la Reunion


former: Bourbon Island
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan
Currency euro (EUR) Lebanese pound (LBP)
Death rate 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external NA $20.79 billion (2003 est.)
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD


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


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Disputes - international none Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Economic aid - recipient $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001); $4.2 billion in soft loan pledges November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference (2002)
Economy - overview The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. 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. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, 1.5% in 2002, and 3% in 2003. During the 1990s, annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2003, massive receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2002-04.
Electricity - consumption 1.005 billion kWh (2001) 7.44 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 1.183 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 1.08 billion kWh (2001) 6.728 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues NA 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 French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004)


head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Omar KARAMI (since 21 October 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)


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; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA); 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 Shia 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 (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) Switzerland 10.8%, UAE 10%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, US 7.3%, Turkey 5.5%, Jordan 4.4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description the flag of France is used three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $17.82 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8%


industry: 19%


services: 73% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2003 est.) 3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 06 S, 55 36 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean Nahr el Litani 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
Highways total: 2,724 km


paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)


unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
total: 7,300 km


paved: 6,198 km


unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)
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 (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) France 13.4%, Germany 11.7%, Italy 10.7%, Syria 5.3%, China 5.2%, UK 4.9%, US 4.5% (2003)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA
Industries sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 2.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation InOC, UPU, WFTU 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, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 1,200 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel 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 309,900 (2000) 1.5 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) 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: 13.6%


permanent crops: 1.2%


other: 85.2% (2001)
arable land: 16.62%


permanent crops: 13.98%


other: 69.4% (2001)
Languages French (official), Creole widely used Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system French law 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 unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7


note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1
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 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held spring 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by sect - Muslim 64 ( of which Sunnis 27, Shia 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.69 years


male: 70.29 years


female: 77.26 years (2004 est.)
total population: 72.35 years


male: 69.91 years


female: 74.91 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 88.9%


male: 87%


female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references World Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1


foreign-owned: Sweden 1


registered in other countries: 1
total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT


by type: bulk 5, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: Greece 7, India 1, Netherlands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Syria 2


registered in other countries: 52 (2004 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Military branches no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $541 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 4.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 1,049,097 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 643,050 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 7,070 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)


adjective: Reunionese
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources fish, arable land, hydropower limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - oil 209 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA] political activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, ethnic, clan, and economic considerations
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 766,153 (July 2004 est.) 3,777,218 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 1.42% (2004 est.) 1.3% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Le Port, Pointe des Galets Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways - total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m


note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003)
Religions Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: seventeen religious sects recognized
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis


domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway


domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 300,000 est (2001) 678,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 489,800 (2002) 775,100 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 36% (1999 est.) 18% (1997 est.)
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