(Atlantic Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)
Radios:
32.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
21.5 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.ca
Internet hosts:
3,210,081 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
760 (2000 est.)
Internet users:
16.11 million (2002)
Transportation Canada
Railways: total: 48,683 km standard gauge: 48,683 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Highways:
total: 1,408,800 km
paved: 497,306 km (including 16,900 km of expressways)
unpaved: 911,494 km (2002)
Waterways:
631 km
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint
Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003)
Pipelines:
crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km
(2003)
Ports and harbors:
Fraser River Port, Goderich, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint
John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver
Merchant marine:
total: 169 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,784,229 GRT/2,657,499 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 49, chemical tanker 6, combination
ore/oil 1, container 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 65, petroleum
tanker 13, roll on/roll off 6
foreign-owned: 6 (France 1, Germany 3, United States 2)
registered in other countries: 112 (2005)
Airports:
1,326 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 503 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 150 914 to 1,523 m: 245 under 914 m: 75 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 823 1,524 to 2,437 m: 67 914 to 1,523 m: 347 under 914 m: 409 (2004 est.)
Heliports: 319 (2004)
Military Canada
Military branches:
Canadian Armed Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air
Command, Canada Command (homeland security) to be operational in
early 2006 (2005)
Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise some 11% of Canada's armed forces (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16–49: 8,216,510 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16–49: 6,740,490 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 223,821 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9,801.7 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.1% (2003)
Transnational Issues Canada
Disputes - international:
managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance,
Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed
Machias Seal Island and North Rock; working toward greater
cooperation with US in monitoring people and commodities crossing
the border; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans
Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and
export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant
large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point
for heroin and cocaine entering the US market; vulnerable to
narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services
sector
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Cape Verde
Introduction Cape Verde
Background:
The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the
Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a
trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and
resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following
independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with
Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained
until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues
to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments.
Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused
significant hardship and prompted
