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Compare Switzerland (2001) - Eritrea (2008)
Compare Switzerland (2001) z Eritrea (2008)
| Switzerland (2001) | Eritrea (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich | 6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
16.97% (male 634,030; female 601,929) 15-64 years: 67.73% (male 2,505,450; female 2,427,408) 65 years and over: 15.3% (male 453,366; female 661,091) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 43.5% (male 1,073,404/female 1,060,674)
15-64 years: 52.9% (male 1,286,613/female 1,310,294) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 85,052/female 90,548) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs | sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish |
| Airports | 67 (2000 est.) | 18 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 15 (2000 est.) |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
25 under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
| Area | total:
41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km |
total: 121,320 sq km
land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey | slightly larger than Pennsylvania |
| Background | Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, may be rendering obsolete the country's concern for neutrality. | Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on implementing the decision. On 30 November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border by coordinates and dissolved itself, leaving Ethiopian still occupying several tracts of disputed territory, including the town of Badme. Eritrea accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and called on Ethiopia to remove its troops from the TSZ which it states is Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual demarcation decision. |
| Birth rate | 10.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 33.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$32.66 billion expenditures: $34.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.3 billion (1998 est.) |
revenues: $232.7 million
expenditures: $467.6 million (2007 est.) |
| Capital | Bern | name: Asmara (Asmera)
geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers | hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km) |
| Constitution | 29 May 1874 | a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian) |
conventional long form: State of Eritrea
conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia |
| Currency | Swiss franc (CHF) | - |
| Death rate | 8.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.36 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $311 million (2000 est.) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador J. Richard FREDERICKS embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3001 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (31) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (31) 357 73 44 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald MCMULLEN
embassy: 179 Alaa Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston |
chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam
chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California) |
| Disputes - international | none | Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | - | $355.2 million (2005) |
| Economy - overview | Switzerland, a prosperous and stable modern market economy with a per capita GDP 20% above that of the big western European economies, experienced solid growth of 3% in 2000, but growth is expected to fall back to about 2% in 2001. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties, and the agreements should come into force in 2001. Switzerland is still considered a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. | Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. The government strictly controls the use of foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy is heavily dependent on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's recent harvests have not been able to meet the food needs of the country. The government continues to place its hope for additional revenue on the development of several international mining projects. Despite difficulties for international companies in working with the Eritrean government, a Canadian mining company signed a contract with the GSE in 2007 and plans to begin mineral extraction in 2010. Eritrea also anticipates opening a free trade zone at the port of Massawa in 2008. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to support a true market economy. |
| Electricity - consumption | 51.862 billion kWh (1999) | 228 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | 31.955 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | 21.723 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | 66.768 billion kWh (1999) | 274 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
3.44% hydro: 59.16% nuclear: 35.43% other: 1.97% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m
highest point: Soira 3,018 m |
| Environment - current issues | air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity | deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% | Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3% |
| Exchange rates | Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6303 (January 2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997), 1.2360 (1996) | nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.5 (2007), 15.4 (2006), 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003)
note: the official exchange rate is 15 nakfa to the dollar |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2001); Vice President Kaspar VILLIGER (since 1 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2001); Vice President Kaspar VILLIGER (since 1 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly from among its own members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year terms that run concurrently; election last held 6 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2001) election results: Moritz LEUENBERGER elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 76%; Kaspar VILLIGER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 72% |
chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly
head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993) cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and only election held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%, other 5% |
| Exports | $91.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | 54.59 bbl/day (2004) |
| Exports - commodities | machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products | livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000) |
| Exports - partners | EU 65.8% (Germany 22.6%, France 9.2%, Italy 8.0%, UK 5.5%, Austria 3.2%), US 12.4%, Japan 4.0% (1999) | Italy 26.7%, France 13.8%, Australia 8.2%, Sudan 7.9%, US 7.8%, China 6.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Jordan 5.2% (2006) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag | red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $207 billion (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
2.8% industry: 31.1% services: 66.1% (1995) |
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 22.6% services: 55.7% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,600 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2000 est.) | 2% (2007 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 47 00 N, 8 00 E | 15 00 N, 39 00 E |
| Geography - note | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in Europe | strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 |
| Heliports | - | 1 (2007) |
| Highways | total:
71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways) paved: 71,059 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | because of more stringent government regulations, used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin | - |
| Imports | $91.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | 4,924 bbl/day (2004) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles | machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods |
| Imports - partners | EU 77.7% (Germany 31.0%, France 12.0%, Italy 9.7%, Netherlands 5.1%, UK 5.7%), US 7.1%, Japan 2.9% (1999) | Italy 15.8%, Saudi Arabia 15.7%, China 15.6%, Netherlands 6.7%, Turkey 6.2%, Germany 5.3%, Brazil 4.3% (2006) |
| Independence | 1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation) | 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 8.6% (2000 est.) | 2% (2007 est.) |
| Industries | machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments | food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, cement |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 45.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 51.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2000 est.) | 15.5% (2007 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 250 sq km (1993 est.) | 210 sq km (2003) |
| Judicial branch | Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) | High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts |
| Labor force | 3.9 million (964,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian) (1998 est.) | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | services 69.1%, industry 26.3%, agriculture 4.6% (1998 est.) | agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2004 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total:
1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km |
total: 1,626 km
border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km |
| Land use | arable land:
10% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 28% forests and woodland: 32% other: 28% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 4.78%
permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.19% (2005) |
| Languages | German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9% | Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages |
| Legal system | civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Islamic law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on a basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held in 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Greens 9, other small parties 18 |
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.73 years male: 76.85 years female: 82.76 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 59.55 years
male: 57.88 years female: 61.28 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy | Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan |
| Map references | Europe | Africa |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm |
| Merchant marine | total:
24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 435,966 GRT/780,458 DWT ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 6, chemical tanker 5, petroleum tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: UK 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,529 GRT/15,023 DWT
by type: cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2007) |
| Military branches | Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards | Eritrean Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (2008) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $3.1 billion (FY98) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (FY98) | 6.3% (2006 est.) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,849,034 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,570,918 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - military age | 20 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
42,597 (2001 est.) |
- |
| National holiday | Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) | Independence Day, 24 May (1993) |
| Nationality | noun:
Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss |
noun: Eritrean(s)
adjective: Eritrean |
| Natural hazards | avalanches, landslides, flash floods | frequent droughts; locust swarms |
| Natural resources | hydropower potential, timber, salt | gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish |
| Net migration rate | 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Pipelines | crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Adalbert DURRER, president]; Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruedi BAUMANN, president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Franz STEINEGGER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Christiane BRUNNER, president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties | People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement)); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]; Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin] |
| Population | 7,283,274 (July 2001 est.) | 4,906,585 (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 50% (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.27% (2001 est.) | 2.461% (2007 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Basel | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000) |
| Radios | 7.1 million (1997) | - |
| Railways | total:
4,492 km (1,564 km double track) standard gauge: 3,317 km 1.435-m gauge (3,288 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,165 km 1.000-m gauge (1,165 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (1998) |
total: 306 km
narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2006) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990) | Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.012 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.982 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.939 male(s)/female total population: 0.993 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: inadequate
domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4.82 million (1998) | 37,700 (2006) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.967 million (1999) | 62,000 (2006) |
| Television broadcast stations | 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995) | 2 (2006) |
| Terrain | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes | dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains |
| Total fertility rate | 1.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.96 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 1.9% (2000 est.) | NA% |
| Waterways | 65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes |
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