Pipelines:
gas 2,233 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 845 km country comparison to the world: 99 broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (818 km electrified)
note: some lines are out of service (2008)
Roadways:
total: 8,888 km country comparison to the world: 139 paved: 7,079 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,809 km (2008)
Military ::Armenia
Military branches:
Armenian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Air Force and Air Defense;
"Nagorno-Karabakh Republic": Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force
(NKSDF) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18–27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16–49: 809,293
females age 16–49: 862,679 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16–49: 644,195
females age 16–49: 724,085 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 24,611
female: 22,682 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2010) country comparison to the world: 49
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)
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
page last updated on January 12, 2011
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@Aruba (Central America and Caribbean)
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: 180 sq km country comparison to the world: 217 land: 180 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: Ceru 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.)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
People
