The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, through the Moscow international switch, and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 16, shortwave 1 (2006)
Radios:
850,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
48 (private television stations alongside 2 public networks; major Russian channels widely available) (2006)
Televisions:
825,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.am
Internet hosts:
26,081 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2001)
Internet users:
172,800 (2006)
Transportation
Armenia
Airports:
12 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
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: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,036 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 839 km broad gauge: 839 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2006)
Roadways:
total: 7,700 km paved: 7,700 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2006)
Military
Armenia
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force
(NKSDF), Air Force and Air Defense (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18–27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16–49: 809,576 females age 16–49: 870,864 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16–49: 637,776 females age 16–49: 729,846 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 30,548 female: 29,170 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
6.5% of GDP (FY01)
Transnational Issues
Armenia
Disputes - international:
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 and Nagorno-Karabakh; 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 113,295 (Azerbaijan) IDPs: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, majority have returned home since 1994 ceasefire) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Armenia is primarily a source country for women and girls trafficked to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Armenian men and women are trafficked to Turkey and Russia for the purpose of forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fourth consecutive year; its efforts to increase compliance with the minimum standards were assessed based on its commitments to undertake future actions, particularly in the areas of improving victim protection and assistance; while the government elevated anti-trafficking responsibilities to the ministerial level, adopted a new National Action Plan, and drafted a National Referral Mechanism, it has yet to show tangible progress in identifying and protecting victims or in tackling trafficking complicity of government officials; the Armenian Government made some notable improvements in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, but it failed to demonstrate evidence of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences of officials complicit in trafficking (2008)
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
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Aruba
Introduction
Aruba
Background:
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Geography
Aruba
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
68.5 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources:
NEGL; white sandy beaches
Land use:
arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0.01 sq km (1998 est.)