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Compare Western Sahara (2006) - Finland (2006)

Compare Western Sahara (2006) z Finland (2006)

 Western Sahara (2006)Finland (2006)
 Western SaharaFinland
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 455,420/female 438,719)


15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,766,674/female 1,724,858)


65 years and over: 16.2% (male 337,257/female 508,444) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish
Airports 11 (2006) 148 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)
total: 76


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 10


914 to 1,523 m: 23


under 914 m: 14 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2006)
total: 72


914 to 1,523 m: 5


under 914 m: 67 (2006)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 338,145 sq km


land: 304,473 sq km


water: 33,672 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Montana
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. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 10.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $99.61 billion


expenditures: $97.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Helsinki


geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 58 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 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 cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Coastline 1,110 km 1,250 km
Constitution - 1 March 2000
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Finland


conventional short form: Finland


local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland


local short form: Suomi/Finland
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $NA $211.7 billion (30 June 2005)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Marilyn WARE


embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki


mailing address: APO AE 09723


telephone: [358] (9) 616250


FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU


chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800


FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, 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, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $379 million (2001)
Economic aid - recipient $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. Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. High unemployment remains a persistent problem.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2003) 78.94 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 7 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 11.9 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2003) 79.61 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%, Estonian 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Sami 0.1%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001) euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Executive branch none chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Eero HEINALUOMA (since 24 September 2005)


cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment


election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HOLONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%


note: government coalition - Kesk, SDP, and SFP
Exports NA bbl/day 101,000 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999)
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) Russia 11.2%, Sweden 10.7%, Germany 10.5%, UK 6.6%, US 6.2%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 2.8%


industry: 29.5%


services: 67.6% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 3% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 64 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 4.2%


highest 10%: 21.6% (1991)
Imports NA bbl/day 318,300 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) Germany 16.2%, Sweden 14.1%, Russia 13.9%, Netherlands 6.2%, Denmark 4.6%, UK 4.3%, China 4.2% (2005)
Independence - 6 December 1917 (from Russia)
Industrial production growth rate NA% -2% (2005 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 0.9% (2005 est.)
International organization participation none AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land NA 640 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)
Labor force 12,000 2.61 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture and forestry 8%, industry 22%, construction 6%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, transport and communications 8%, public services 32%
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 2,681 km


border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 6.54%


permanent crops: 0.02%


other: 93.44% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)
Legal system - civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch - unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, other 4
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 78.5 years


male: 74.99 years


female: 82.17 years (2006 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 100%


male: 100%


female: 100% (2000 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm)


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden
Merchant marine - total: 87 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,250,600 GRT/952,072 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 6, container 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 25


foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Russia 1, UK 1)


registered in other countries: 48 (Bahamas 8, Germany 2, Gibraltar 3, Luxembourg 4, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 13, Norway 4, Sweden 11, UK 1) (2006)
Military branches - Finnish Defense Forces: Army, Navy (includes coastal defense forces), Air Force (2003)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $992.2 million $1.8 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2% (FY98/99)
National holiday - Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


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


adjective: Finnish
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 NA
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone
Net migration rate - 0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 694 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders - Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green League or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Martti KORHONEN]; National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders none -
Population 273,008 (July 2006 est.) 5,231,372 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate NA 0.14% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways - total: 5,741 km


broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2005)
Religions Muslim Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003)
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 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: modern system with excellent service


domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs


international: country code - 358; 1 submarine cable (Finland Estonia Connection); satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 2.12 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 5.231 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations NA 120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 8.4% (2005 est.)
Waterways - 7,842 km


note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2005)
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