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Compare Western Sahara (2004) - Armenia (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2004) z Armenia (2008)

 Western Sahara (2004)Armenia (2008)
 Western SaharaArmenia
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 19.5% (male 307,610/female 271,381)


15-64 years: 69.3% (male 962,126/female 1,098,192)


65 years and over: 11.2% (male 132,705/female 199,636) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Airports 11 (2003 est.) 12 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 10


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 29,800 sq km


land: 28,400 sq km


water: 1,400 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Maryland
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 12.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $1.648 billion


expenditures: $1.645 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)
Capital none name: Yerevan


geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E


time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
Coastline 1,110 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution - adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Armenia


conventional short form: Armenia


local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun


local short form: Hayastan


former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic
Currency Moroccan dirham (MAD) -
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external NA $1.372 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph S. PENNINGTON


embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082


mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020


telephone: [374](10) 464-700


FAX: [374](10) 464-742
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN


chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; Armenians continue to emigrate, primarily to Russia, seeking employment
Economic aid - recipient NA ODA, $180 million (2007)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has made progress in implementing many economic reforms including privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over 13% in recent years. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor in the 1970s were closed following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, though they sustained no damage. One of the two reactors was re-opened in 1995, but the Armenian government is under international pressure to close it due to concerns that the Soviet era design lacks important safeguards. Metsamor provides 40 percent of the country's electricity - hydropower accounts for about one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005. Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Armenia is halfway completed and is scheduled to be commissioned by January 2009. Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite). Pig iron, unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals are Armenia's highest valued exports. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in recent years, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms in order to improve its economic competitiveness and to build on recent improvements in poverty and unemployment, especially given its economic isolation from two of its nearest neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2001) 5.454 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 754.5 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2006)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 354.9 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2006)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2001) 5.941 billion kWh (2006)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Debed River 400 m


highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999) drams per US dollar - 344.06 (2007), 414.69 (2006), 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003)
Executive branch none chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Serzh SARGSYAN (since 4 April 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program


election results: Serzh SARGSYAN elected president; percent of vote - Serzh SARGSYAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%; note - president elect Serzh SARGSYAN is due to take office 9 April 2008
Exports NA (2001) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Germany 18.3%, Netherlands 14.1%, Belgium 13.3%, Russia 13.1%, Israel 7%, US 6.1%, Georgia 5.1%, Iran 4.9% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange
GDP purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 17.2%


industry: 36.4%


services: 46.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - real growth rate NA 13.7% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 40 00 N, 45 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)
Illicit drugs - illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe
Imports NA (2001) 41,240 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) Russia 21.8%, Ukraine 7.8%, Belgium 7.6%, Turkmenistan 7.1%, Italy 6.1%, Germany 5.7%, Iran 5.7%, Israel 4.8%, US 4.5%, Georgia 4.1% (2006)
Independence - 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA 2.6% (2007 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 21.69 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.69 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 6.6% (2007 est.)
International organization participation none ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA sq km 2,860 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)
Labor force 12,000 1.2 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture: 46.2%


industry: 15.6%


services: 38.2% (2006 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 1,254 km


border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 16.78%


permanent crops: 2.01%


other: 81.21% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)
Legal system - based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch - unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by party list and 41 by direct vote; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 49.6%, Prosperous Armenia 19%, ARF (Dashnak) 12.2%, Rule of Law 6.1%, Heritage Party 5.3%, other 7.8%; seats by party - HHK 65, Prosperous Armenia 25, ARF (Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 8, Heritage Party 7, Dashink 1, independent 9
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 72.12 years


male: 68.52 years


female: 76.29 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.4%


male: 99.7%


female: 99.2% (2001 census)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
Map references Africa Asia
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue none (landlocked)
Military branches - Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force (NKSDF), Air Force, Air Defense Force (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 6.5% (FY01)
National holiday - Independence Day, 21 September (1991)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Armenian(s)


adjective: Armenian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
Net migration rate - -5.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,036 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders - Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABYAN]; Armenian People's Party [Tigran KARAPETYAN]; Armenian Ramkavar Azadagan Party Alliance or HRAK (includes former Dashink Party, National Revival Party, and Ramkavar Liberal Party); Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN]; Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISYAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSAROUKYAN]; Republic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [Serzh SARGSYAN]; Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARYAN]; Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders none Yerkrapah Union [Manvel GRIGORIAN], Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINYAN]
Population 267,405 (July 2004 est.) 2,971,650 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 26.5% (2006 est.)
Population growth rate NA -0.129% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 9, FM 16, shortwave 1 (2006)
Railways - total: 839 km


broad gauge: 839 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified)


note: some lines are out of service (2006)
Religions Muslim Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.16 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.133 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.876 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.665 male(s)/female


total population: 0.894 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion; mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005


domestic: reliable modern landline and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan in major cities and towns; significant, but ever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areas


international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 594,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 318,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations NA 48 (private television stations alongside 2 public networks; major Russian channels widely available) (2006)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 1.34 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 7.1% (2007 est.)
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