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Compare Western Sahara (2004) - Czech Republic (2002)

Compare Western Sahara (2004) z Czech Republic (2002)

 Western Sahara (2004)Czech Republic (2002)
 Western SaharaCzech Republic
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 828,273; female 786,617)


15-64 years: 70.3% (male 3,605,766; female 3,603,058)


65 years and over: 14% (male 551,852; female 881,194) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
Airports 11 (2003 est.) 121 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 44


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 17 (2002)
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: 76


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 27


under 914 m: 48 (2002)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 78,866 sq km


land: 77,276 sq km


water: 1,590 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than South Carolina
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. Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited to join the European Union (EU). It is expected that the Czech Republic will accede to the EU in 2004.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 9.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $16.7 billion


expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital none Prague
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Coastline 1,110 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution - ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Czech Republic


conventional short form: Czech Republic


local long form: Ceska Republika


local short form: Ceska Republika
Currency Moroccan dirham (MAD) Czech koruna (CZK)
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external NA $24.6 billion (2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON


embassy: Trziste 15, 118 #01 Prague 1


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663


FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS


chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 363-6315


FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
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 Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute with Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities
Economic aid - recipient NA $NA
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. Basically one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-02 was led by exports to the EU, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems. Unemployment is gradually declining as job creation continues in the rebounding economy. Inflation is moderate. The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession, which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2001) 54.701 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 18.74 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 8.725 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2001) 69.589 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 78%


hydro: 3%


nuclear: 19%


other: 1% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m


highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 0.5% (1991)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999) koruny per US dollar - 36.325 (January 2002), 38.035 (2001), 38.598 (2000), 34.569 (1999), 32.281 (1998), 31.698 (1997)
Executive branch none chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)


note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 and three rounds of balloting on 28 February 2003


head of government: Prime Minister Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July 2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 22 July 1998), Cyril SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July 2002), Petr MARES (since July 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)
Exports NA (2001) $38 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures 25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000)
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Germany 35.4%, Slovakia 7.3%, UK 5.5%, Austria 5.3%, Poland 5.2%, (2001)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
GDP purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $155.9 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 4%


industry: 41%


services: 56% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 2.6% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe
Heliports - 2 (2002)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
total: 55,432 km


paved: 55,432 km (including 499 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 4%


highest 10%: 22% (1996)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime
Imports NA (2001) $41.7 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures 21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000)
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) Germany 32.9%, Slovakia 6.4%, Russia 6.0%, Italy 5.8%, Austria 4.6% (2001)
Independence - 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Industrial production growth rate NA 3.5% (2002)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
5.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 2.2% (2002 est.)
International organization participation none ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - more than 300 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 240 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Labor force 12,000 5.203 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 1,881 km


border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 40%


permanent crops: 3.04%


other: 56.96% (1998 est.)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Czech
Legal system - civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Legislative branch - bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26 October and 1-2 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 74.95 years


male: 71.46 years


female: 78.65 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: NA


total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue none (landlocked)
Military branches - Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $1,190.2 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2.1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,637,128 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,012,779 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 69,393 (2002 est.)
National holiday - Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


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


adjective: Czech
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 flooding
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
Net migration rate - 0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - natural gas 3,550 km (2000)
Political parties and leaders - Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Cyril SVOBODA, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Petr MARES, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU)
Political pressure groups and leaders none Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]
Population 267,405 (July 2004 est.) 10,256,760 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate NA -0.07% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
Radios - 3,159,134 (December 2000)
Railways - total: 9,444 km


standard gauge: 9,350 km 1.435-m gauge (2,843 km electrified; 1,929 km double-track)


narrow gauge: 94 km 0.760-m gauge (2000 est.)
Religions Muslim atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 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: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous


domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 3.869 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 4.346 million (2000)
Television broadcast stations NA 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 1.18 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 8.5% (2002 est.)
Waterways - 303 km


note: (the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river) (2000)
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