The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ebook reader 8 inch .txt) 📕

lobbying for political change

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMSO, IOC, ITUC, OPCW,
PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag

Economy
Cook Islands

Economy - overview:

Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about one-third of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Islands' leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

0.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2004)

Labor force:

6,820 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

13.1% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

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

Budget:

revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million (FY05/06)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry

Industries:

fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (2002)

Electricity - production:

30 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

27.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

463.7 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

475.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$26.67 million (2005)

Exports:

$5.222 million (2005)

Exports - commodities:

copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing

Exports - partners:

Australia 34%, Japan 27%, NZ 25%, US 8% (2006)

Imports:

$81.04 million (2005)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods

Imports - partners:

NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)

Debt - external:

$141 million (1996 est.)

Currency (code):

NZ dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

NZ dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications
Cook Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,500 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

14,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)

Televisions:

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ck

Internet hosts:

2,234 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

3,600 (2002)

Transportation
Cook Islands

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 26 by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 17 (Latvia 1, Lithuania 1, NZ 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 5, Sweden 8) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Avatiu

Military
Cook Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces; National Police Department (2007)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 157 female: 133 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request

Transnational Issues
Cook Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Coral Sea Islands

Introduction
Coral Sea Islands

Background:

Scattered over more than three-quarters of a million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.

Geography
Coral Sea Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

18 00 S, 152 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: less than 3 sq km land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important

Area - comparative:

NA

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

3,095 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

occasional tropical cyclones

Environment - current issues:

no permanent fresh water resources

Geography - note:

important nesting area for birds and turtles

People
Coral Sea Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station on Willis Island (July 2007 est.)

Government
Coral Sea Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands

Dependency status:

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Legal system:

the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:

administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy
Coral Sea Islands

Economy - overview:

no economic activity

Communications
Coral Sea Islands

Communications - note:

there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland

Transportation
Coral Sea Islands

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military
Coral Sea Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues
Coral Sea Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Costa Rica

Introduction
Costa Rica

Background:

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.

Geography
Costa Rica

Location:

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 N, 84 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km

Coastline:

1,290 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Terrain:

coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m

Natural resources:

hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,080 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

112.4 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.68 cu km/yr (29%/17%/53%) per capita: 619 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

People
Costa Rica

Population:

4,195,914 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 584,782/female 557,952) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,416,456/female 1,384,692) 65 years and over: 6% (male 116,461/female 135,571) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.1 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.388% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.31 deaths/1,000