by sugar companies in various gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000 est.) narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government Railway)
Highways: total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km
Ports and harbors: Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata,
San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587
GRT/1,165 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 29 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 10 (2001)
Military Dominican Republic
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,323,088 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,455,887 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 87,404 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $180 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY98)
Transnational Issues Dominican Republic
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Ecuador
Introduction
Ecuador
Background: The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.
Geography Ecuador
Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the
Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 77 30 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 283,560 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands water: 6,720 sq km land: 276,840 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries: total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km,
Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands territorial sea: 200 NM
Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Chimborazo 6,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 5% other: 89% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 8,650 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none
of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
People Ecuador
Population: 13,447,494 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.4% (male 2,415,764; female 2,337,095) 15-64 years: 60.2% (male 4,007,495; female 4,090,957) 65 years and over: 4.4% (male 276,482; female 319,701) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.96% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 25.47 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 33.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 74.57 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2001)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 20,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 232 (2001)
Nationality: noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%,
Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages:
