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Compare Sri Lanka (2008) - Austria (2005)

Compare Sri Lanka (2008) z Austria (2005)

 Sri Lanka (2008)Austria (2005)
 Sri LankaAustria
Administrative divisions 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western


note: in October 2006, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruled voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the issue is pending
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
Age structure 0-14 years: 24.3% (male 2,596,295/female 2,495,949)


15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,947,310/female 7,259,271)


65 years and over: 7.8% (male 765,507/female 861,983) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 15.6% (male 656,058/female 624,574)


15-64 years: 67.8% (male 2,790,673/female 2,756,612)


65 years and over: 16.6% (male 543,626/female 813,148) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
Airports 18 (2007) 55 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)
total: 24


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 14 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 31


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 27 (2004 est.)
Area total: 65,610 sq km


land: 64,740 sq km


water: 870 sq km
total: 83,870 sq km


land: 82,444 sq km


water: 1,426 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia slightly smaller than Maine
Background The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In January 2008, the government officially withdrew from the ceasefire, and has begun engaging the LTTE in the northern portion of the country. Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
Birth rate 17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 8.81 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $5.379 billion


expenditures: $7.611 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $142.5 billion


expenditures: $146.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital name: Colombo


geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E


time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)
Vienna
Climate tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
Coastline 1,340 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Country name conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka


conventional short form: Sri Lanka


local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu


local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai


former: Serendib, Ceylon
conventional long form: Republic of Austria


conventional short form: Austria


local long form: Republik Oesterreich


local short form: Oesterreich
Death rate 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $13.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.) $15.5 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.


embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3


mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo


telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500


FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345
chief of mission: Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.


embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0, 31375, 31335


FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE



chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)


FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles


consulate(s): New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY


chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035


telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $520 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient $1.189 billion (2005) -
Economy - overview In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormous civil service. The government has halted privatizations. Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. Government spending and reconstruction drove growth to more than 7% in 2006 but reduced agriculture output probably slowed growth to about 6 percent in 2007. Government spending and lose monetary policy drove inflation to 16% in 2007. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only about 15% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The economy features up-to-date industrial and agricultural sectors. Timber is a key industry, 47% of the land area being forested. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. Slow growth in Europe has held the economy to 0.7% growth in 2001, 1.4% in 2002, 0.8% in 2003, and 1.9% in 2004. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy, continue to deregulate the service sector, and encourage much greater participation in the labor market by its aging population. The aging phenomenon, together with already high health and pension costs, poses fundamental problems in tax and welfare policies.
Electricity - consumption 7.072 billion kWh (2005) 55.09 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 14.7 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 15.4 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 8.411 billion kWh (2005) 58.49 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m


highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 110.78 (2007), 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003) euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister


head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)


head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%


note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
Exports 691.5 bbl/day (2004) 35,470 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners US 27.6%, UK 11.3%, India 9.3%, Belgium 4.7%, Germany 4.3% (2006) Germany 32%, Italy 8.9%, US 6%, Switzerland 4.8%, France 4.2%, UK 4.2% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 16.3%


industry: 27%


services: 56.6% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 2.3%


industry: 30.8%


services: 66.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $31,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2007 est.) 1.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 81 00 E 47 20 N, 13 20 E
Geography - note strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 200,000 km


paved: 200,000 km (including 1,645 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.1%


highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)
lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 22.5% (1995)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe
Imports 82,390 bbl/day (2004) 262,000 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners India 19.5%, China 10.4%, Singapore 8.7%, Iran 5.6%, Malaysia 5%, Hong Kong 4.2%, Japan 4% (2006) Germany 46.3%, Italy 6.8%, Switzerland 4.3% (2004)
Independence 4 February 1948 (from UK) 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
Industrial production growth rate 6.4% (2007 est.) 3.3% (2004 est.)
Industries processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 4.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15.6% (2007 est.) 1.8% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ADB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 7,430 sq km (2003) 457 sq km (2000 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
Labor force 7.67 million (2007 est.) 3.45 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 34.3%


industry: 25.3%


services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)
agriculture and forestry 4%, industry and crafts 29%, services 67% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 2,562 km


border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
Land use arable land: 13.96%


permanent crops: 15.24%


other: 70.8% (2005)
arable land: 16.91%


permanent crops: 0.86%


other: 82.23% (2001)
Languages Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%


note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)
Legal system a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)


elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2006)


election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP 79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17; seating as of May 2005 after split within the Freedom Party: OeVP 79, SPOe 69, Greens 17, BZOe 11, FPOe 7
Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.8 years


male: 72.81 years


female: 76.88 years (2007 est.)
total population: 78.92 years


male: 76.03 years


female: 81.96 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 90.7%


male: 92.3%


female: 89.1% (2001 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Map references Asia Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 162,280 GRT/227,478 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, container 2, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 6 (Germany 6)


registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2007)
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,624 GRT/37,425 DWT


by type: cargo 6, container 2


foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)


registered in other countries: 19 (2005)
Military branches Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006) Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $1.497 billion (FY01/02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.6% (2006) 0.9% (2004)
National holiday Independence Day, 4 February (1948) National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality
Nationality noun: Sri Lankan(s)


adjective: Sri Lankan
noun: Austrian(s)


adjective: Austrian
Natural hazards occasional cyclones and tornadoes landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Natural resources limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Net migration rate -1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [G.PONNAMBALAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA]; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN] Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or "Karuna group" [Vinayagamurthi MURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting LTTE) Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
Population 20,926,315


note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 est.)
8,184,691 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 22% (2002 est.) 3.9% (1999)
Population growth rate 0.982% (2007 est.) 0.11% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
Radio broadcast stations AM 15, FM 52, shortwave 4 (2007) AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)
Railways total: 1,449 km


broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)
total: 6,021 km (3,552 km electrified)


standard gauge: 5,565 km 1.435-m gauge (3,430 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 422 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2004)
Religions Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.957 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.888 male(s)/female


total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections
Telephone system general assessment: telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country


domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and 2 fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is about 50 per 100 inhabitants


international: country code - 94; the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
general assessment: highly developed and efficient


domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available


international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)
Telephones - main lines in use 2.742 million (2007) 3.881 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 7.983 million (2007) 7,094,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 14 (2006) 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Total fertility rate 2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.36 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.3% (2007 est.) 4.4% (2004 est.)
Waterways 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006) 358 km (2003)
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