The world in focus: fast facts on 194 countries.Welcome to the world at your fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States. . The facts on these tables provide a handy guide to all 194 independent nations of the world. Who is the head of a country's government? What languages do the people speak there? How long do they live, and how many of them can read and write? All of this information and more is available for you here, in one place. Before diving diving Sport of plunging into water, usually headfirst and often following the execution of one or more acrobatic maneuvers. It emerged as a competitive sport in the late 19th century and became part of the Olympic Games in 1904. into the data, look at the sample entry for Liberia Liberia (lībēr`ēə) (New Lat.,=place of freedom), officially Republic of Liberia, republic (2005 est. pop. 3,482,000), 43,000 sq mi (111,370 sq km), W Africa. [at right]. The surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. boxes explain what each item means. Countries are grouped by continent continent, largest unit of landmasses on the earth. The continents include Eurasia (conventionally regarded as two continents, Europe and Asia), Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. , then listed in alphabetical order. Also see the index on page 38.
Liberia 43,000 (A) 45 (B) Monrovia English, Niger-Congo
3,400,000 (A) 2.9 (C) languages (D)
Liberia Presidential- 1847 (F) 73/42 (F) $1,000 (I)
parliamentary 47 (G) 41/44 (H) NA (J)
democracy
(transitional);
President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf
(E)
(A) Area and Population: Taken together,
these figures allow you to calculate
population density (population divided
by area), or the average number of people
who live on each square mile of land.
(B) Urban Population: The percentage of a
country's total population living in
urban areas. Towns with a population
of 2,000 or more are considered urban.
(C) Percentage of Population Growth: The
birth rate minus the death rate of a
country. High population growth in
poor countries can threaten efforts to
feed people and fight disease.
(D) Major Languages Spoken: There are some
6,000 languages in the world, not counting
local dialects. About 13.7 percent of
the world speaks Mandarin Chinese--more
than double any other language.
(E) Political System and Head of Government:
Governments are classified according to
who holds power. In democracies,
people elect their leaders; dictatorships
keep power away from the people.
(F) Date of Origin: The year a nation was
formed, gained independence, or established
its present form of government.
Literacy Rate: The percentage of people
who can read and write (male/female (1)).
(G) Percent of Population Under Age 15:
Developing countries with a high
percentage of young people may have
trouble providing enough jobs, schools,
and food--and risk overpopulation.
(H) Life Expectancy: The age to which
a newborn can expect to live. The
first number is for males, the second
for females.
(I) Per Capita GDP: The value of all goods
and services produced within a country
in one year (its gross domestic
product), divided by its population. It
is one way to gauge a nation's wealth.
(J) HDI (Human Development Index): This
number measures economic and human
well-being on a scale of 0 to 1. It
combines life expectancy, literacy, and
purchasing power into one number.
NORTH AMERICA
URBAN
POP . %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Antigua and 170 37 St. John's
Barbuda 100,000 1.3
Bahamas 5,359 89 Nassau
300,000 1.0
Barbados 166 50 Bridgetown
300,000 0.6
Belize 8,865 50 Belmopan
300,000 2.3
Canada 3,849,670 79 Ottawa
32,600,000 0.3
Costa Rica 19,730 59 San Jose
4,300,000 1.3
Cuba 42,803 76 Havana
11,300,000 0.4
Dominica 290 71 Roseau
100,000 0.8
Dominican 18,815 64 Santo
Republic 9,000,000 1.7 Domingo
El Salvador 8,124 59 San Salvador
7,000,000 2.0
Grenada 131 39 St. George's
100,000 1.2
Guatemala 42,042 39 Guatemala
13,000,000 2.8 City
Haiti 10,714 36 Port-au-Prince
8,500,000 2.3
Honduras 43,278 47 Tegucigalpa
7,400,000 2.5
Jamaica 4,243 52 Kingston
2,700,000 1.3
Mexico 756,062 75 Mexico City
108,300,000 1.7
Nicaragua 50,193 59 Managua
5,600,000 2.4
Panama 29,158 62 Panama City
3,300,000 1.7
Saint Kitts 139 33 Basseterre
and Nevis 50,000 1.0
Saint Lucia 239 28 Castries
200,000 1.5
Saint Vincent and 151 45 Kingstown
the Grenadines 100,000 1.1
Trinidad and 1,981 74 Port-of-Spain
Tobago 1,300,000 0.6
United States 3,717,796 79 Washington,
299,100,000 0.6 D.C.
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Antigua and English, local Dominant party;
Barbuda dialects Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer
Bahamas English, Creole Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Perry Christie
Barbados English Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Owen Arthur
Belize English, Spanish, Parliamentary democracy;
Mayan, Garifuna Prime Minister Said Musa
Canada English, French Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Costa Rica Spanish, English Presidential-legislative
democracy; President Oscar
Arias Sanchez
Cuba Spanish Communist one-party state;
President Fidel Castro
Dominica English, French Parliamentary democracy; Prime
patois Minister Roosevelt Skerrit
Dominican Spanish Presidential-legislative
Republic democracy; President Leonel
Fernandez
El Salvador Spanish, Nahua Presidential-legislative
democracy; President Elias
Antonio Saca
Grenada English, French Parliamentary democracy;
patois Prime Minister Keith Mitchell
Guatemala Spanish, Presidential-legislative
Amerindian democracy; President Oscar
dialects Berger Perdomo
Haiti Creole, French Dominant party (transitional);
President Rene Preval
Honduras Spanish, Presidential-legislative
Amerindian democracy; President Manuel
dialects Zeleya
Jamaica English, Creole Parliamentary democracy; Prime
Minister Portia Simpson Miller
Mexico Spanish, Mayan, Presidential-legislative
other indigenous democracy; President Felipe
languages Calderon (2)
Nicaragua Spanish, English, Presidential-legislative
Amerindian democracy; President Enrique
dialects Bolanos
Panama Spanish, English Presidential-legislative
democracy; President Martin
Torrijos
Saint Kitts English Parliamentary democracy;
and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas
Saint Lucia English, French Parliamentary democracy;
patois Prime Minister Kenny Anthony
Saint Vincent and English, French Parliamentary democracy;
the Grenadines patois Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves
Trinidad and English, Hindi, Parliamentary democracy;
Tobago French, Spanish Prime Minister Patrick Manning
United States English, Spanish, Presidential-legislative
others democracy; President George W.
Bush
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Antigua and 1981 86 $11,000
Barbuda 28 69/74 0.797
Bahamas 1973 95/97 $20,200
29 67/73 0.832
Barbados 1966 99/99 $17,000
22 70/74 0.878
Belize 1981 94/94 $6,800
41 67/74 0.753
Canada 1867 99/99 $34,000
18 77/82 0.949
Costa Rica 1821 96/96 $11,100
28 77/81 0.838
Cuba 1902 97/97 $3,500
20 75/79 0.817
Dominica 1978 94/94 $5,500
28 71/77 0.783
Dominican 1844 85/85 $7,000
Republic 33 66/69 0.749
El Salvador 1821 83/78 $4,700
36 67/73 0.722
Grenada 1974 96 $5,000
32 NA 0.787
Guatemala 1821 78/63 $4,700
43 63/71 0.663
Haiti 1804 55/51 $1,700
42 51/54 0.475
Honduras 1821 76/76 $2,900
42 67/74 0.667
Jamaica 1962 84/92 $4,400
31 69/73 0.738
Mexico 1810 94/91 $10,000
32 73/78 0.814
Nicaragua 1821 67/68 $2,900
40 66/70 0.690
Panama 1903 93/92 $7,200
30 73/78 0.804
Saint Kitts 1983 98 $8,800
and Nevis 29 68/72 0.834
Saint Lucia 1979 90/91 $5,400
28 72/77 0.772
Saint Vincent and 1979 96/96 $2,900
the Grenadines 31 68/74 0.755
Trinidad and 1962 99/98 $16,700
Tobago 25 67/73 0.801
United States 1776 99/99 $41,800
20 75/80 0.944
(1) A single figure represents a percentage for the population
as a whole; breakdown by gender not available.
(2) Calderon is to succeed Vicente Fox on December 1, 2006.
SOUTH AMERICA
URBAN
POP. %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Argentina 1,073,514 89 Buenos Aires
39,000,000 1.1
Bolivia 424,162 63 La Paz
9,100,000 2.2 and Sucre
Brazil 3,300,154 81 Brasilia
186,800,000 1.4
Chile 292,135 87 Santiago
16,400,000 1.0
Colombia 439,734 75 Bogota
46,800,000 1.5
Ecuador 109,483 61 Quito
13,300,000 2.1
Guyana 83,000 36 Georgetown
700,000 1.3
Paraguay 157,046 57 Asuncion
6,300,000 1.7
Peru 496,224 73 Lima
28,400,000 1.3
Suriname 63,039 74 Paramaribo
500,000 1.4
Uruguay 68,498 93 Montevideo
3,300,000 0.5
Venezuela 352,143 88 Caracas
27,000,000 1.7
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Argentina Spanish, English, Presidential-legislative democracy;
Italian, German, President Nestor Kirchner
French
Bolivia Spanish, Quechua, Presidential-legislative democracy;
Aymara President Evo Morales
Brazil Portuguese, Presidential-legislative democracy;
Amerindian dialects President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Chile Spanish Presidential-legislative democracy;
President Michelle Bachelet
Colombia Spanish Presidential-legislative democracy;
President Alvaro Uribe Velez
Ecuador Spanish, Amerindian Presidential-legislative democracy;
dialects President Alfredo Palacio
Guyana English, Amerindian Parliamentary democracy;
dialects President Bharrat Jagdeo
Paraguay Spanish, Guarani Presidential-legislative democracy;
President Nicanor Duarte Frutos
Peru Spanish, Quechua, Presidential-legislative democracy;
Aymara President Alan Garcia
Suriname Dutch, English, Parliamentary democracy;
Sranang, Tongo, President Ronald Venetiaan
Hindustani, Javanese
Uruguay Spanish, Portunol, Presidential-legislative democracy;
Brazilero President Tabare Vazquez
Venezuela Spanish, Amerindian Presidential-legislative democracy;
dialects President Hugo Chavez
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Argentina 1816 97/97 $13,100
27 71/78 0.863
Bolivia 1825 93/82 $2,900
39 62/66 0.687
Brazil 1822 86/87 $8,400
28 68/76 0.792
Chile 1810 96/96 $111,300
25 75/81 0.854
Colombia 1810 92/93 $7,900
31 69/75 0.785
Ecuador 1822 94/91 $4,300
33 71/77 0.759
Guyana 1966 99/99 $4,600
36 72/80 0.720
Paraguay 1811 95/93 $4,900
32 69/73 0.755
Peru 1821 94/82 $5,900
31 67/72 0.762
Suriname 1975 92/84 $4,100
31 66/73 0.755
Uruguay 1825 98/98 $9,600
24 71/79 0.840
Venezuela 1811 94/93 $6,100
31 70/76 0.772
AFRICA
URBAN
POP. %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Algeria 919,591 49 Algiers
33,500,000 1.7
Angola 481,351 33 Luanda
15,800,000 2.6
Benin 43,483 40 Porto-Novo
8,700,000 2.9
Botswana 224,606 54 Gaborone
1,800,000 -0.1
Burkina Faso 105,792 16 Ouagadougou
13,600,000 2.5
Burundi 10,745 9 Bujumbura
7,800,000 2.7
Cameroon 183,568 53 Yaounde
17,300,000 2.3
Cape Verde 1,556 55 Praia
500,000 2.5
Central African 240,533 41 Bangui
Republic 4,300,000 1.7
Chad 495,753 24 N'Djamena
10,000,000 2.8
Comoros 861 33 Moroni
700,000 2.9
Congo, 905,351 30 Kinshasa
Democratic Rep. 62,700,000 3.10
Congo, Republic 132,046 52 Brazzaville
3,700,000 2.6
Cote d'IVoire 124,502 47 Yamoussoukro
(Ivory Coast) 19,700,000 2.5
Djibouti 8,958 82 Djibouti
800,000 1.9
Egypt 386,660 43 Cairo
75,400,000 2.1
Equatorial 10,830 39 Malabo
Guinea 500,000 2.3
Eritrea 45,405 19 Asmara
4,600,000 2.8
Ethiopia 426,371 15 Addis Ababa
74,800,000 2.4
Gabon 103,347 81 Libreville
1,400,000 2.0
Gambia 4,363 50 Banjul
1,500,000 2.7
Ghana 92,100 44 Accra
22,600,000 2.3
Guinea 94,927 30 Conakry
9,800,000 2.8
Guinea-Bissau 13,946 48 Bissau
1,400,000 3.0
Kenya 224,081 36 Nairobi
347,000,000 2.5
Lesotho 11,718 13 Maseru
1,800,000 0.3
Liberia 43,000 45 Monrovia
3,400,000 2.9
Libya 679,359 86 Tripoli
5,900,000 2.4
Madagascar 226,656 26 Antananarivo
17,800,000 27
Malawi 45,745 14 Lilongwe
12,800,000 2.6
Mali 478,838 30 Bamako
13,900,000 32
Mauritania 395,954 40 Nouakchott
3,200,000 2.8
Mauritius 788 42 Port Louis
1,300,000 0.8
Morocco 172,413 55 Rabat
31,700,000 1.6
Mozambique 309,494 32 Maputo
19,900,000 2.0
Namibia 318,259 33 Windhoek
2,100,000 1.4
Niger 489,189 21 Niamey
14,400,000 3.4
Nigeria 356,668 44 Abuja
134,500,000 2.4
Rwanda 10,170 17 Kigali
9,100,000 2.7
Sao Tome 371 38 Sao Tome
and Principe 200,000 2.5
Senegal 75,954 45 Dakar
11,900,000 2.9
Seychelles 174 50 Victoria
100,000 1.0
Sierra Leone 27,699 36 Freetown
5,700,000 2.3
Somalia 246,201 34 Mogadishu
8,900,000 2.9
South Africa 471,444 53 Cape Town,
47,300,000 0.5 Pretoria and
Bloemfontein
Sudan 967,494 36 Khartoum
41,200,000 2.6
Swaziland 6,703 23 Mbabane and
1,100,000 0.1 Lobamba
Tanzania 364,900 32 Dar es Salaam
37,900,000 2.5
Togo 21,927 33 Lome
6,300,000 2.6
Tunisia 63,170 65 Tunis
10,100,000 1.1
Uganda 93,066 12 Kampala
27,700,000 3.1
Zambia 290,583 35 Lusaka
11,900,000 1.9
Zimbabwe 150,873 34 Harare
13,100,000 0.7
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Algeria Arabic, French, Berber Dominant party;
dialects President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika
Angola Portuguese, Bantu, Presidential-
others parliamentary
(transitional);
President Jose Eduardo
dos Santos
Benin French, Fon, Yoruba, Presidential-legislative
others democracy; President
Yayi Boni
Botswana English, Setswana Parliamentary democracy
and traditional chiefs;
President Festus Mogae
Burkina Faso French, Sudanic Presidential-
languages parliamentary
(transitional); President
Blaise Compaore
Burundi Kirundi, French, Swahili Dictatorship (military-
dominated); President
Pierre Nkurunziza
Cameroon English, French, African Dominant party;
languages President Paul Biya
Cape Verde Portuguese, Crioulo Presidential-
parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Jose Maria
Neves
Central African French, Sangho, Arabic, Presidential-
Republic Hunsa, Swahili parliamentary democracy;
President Francois Bozize
Chad French, Arabic, Sara, Presidential-
others parliamentary (military-
dominated); President
Idriss Deby
Comoros Arabic, French, Comoran Presidential-
parliamentary (military-
influenced); President
Ahmed Abdallah Sambi
Congo, French, Lingala, In transition from
Democratic Rep. Kingwana, Kikongo, military to presidential-
Tshiluba parliamentary; President
Joseph Kabila
Congo, Republic French, Lingala, Mono- Military (transitional);
kutuba, Kikongo, others President Denis
Sassou-Nguesso
Cote d'IVoire French, Dioula, others Presidential-
(Ivory Coast) parliamentary
(transitional); President
Laurent Gbagbo
Djibouti French, Arabic, Somali, Dominant party; President
Afar Ismail Omar Guelleh
Egypt Arabic, English, French Dominant party; President
Hosni Mubarak
Equatorial Spanish, French, pidgin Presidential (military-
Guinea English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo dominated); President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo
Eritrea Amharic, Arabic, Afar, Dominant party;
Tigrinya, Tigre, many president Isaias Afewerki
others
Ethiopia Amharic, Tigrinya, Dominant party;
Arabic, Orominga, Prime Minister Meles
English, others Zenawi
Gabon French, Fang, Myene, Dominant party; President
Bateke, others Omar Bongo Ondimba
Gambia English, Mandinka, Presidential-legislative
Wolof, Fula, others (transitional); President
Yahya Jammeh
Ghana English, Akan, others Presidential-
parliamentary democracy;
President John Agyekum
Kufuor
Guinea French, various African Dominant party;
languages President Lansana Conte
Guinea-Bissau Portuguese, Crioulo, Presidential-legislative
others (transitional); President
Joao Bernardo Vieira
Kenya English, Swahili, many Presidential-
others parliamentary democracy;
President Mwai Kibaki
Lesotho Sesotho, English, Zulu, Parliamentary and
Xhosa traditional chiefs
(transitional); Prime
Minister Pakalitha
Mosisili
Liberia English, Niger-Congo Presidential-
languages parliamentary democracy
(transitional); President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Libya Arabic, Italian, English One-party dictatorship;
Colonel Muammar
al-Qaddafi
Madagascar French, Malagasy Presidential-
parliamentary democracy;
President Marc
Ravalomanana
Malawi English, Chichewa, Presidential-legislative
others democracy; President
Bingu wa Mutharika
Mali French, Bambara, Presidential-
many others parliamentary democracy;
President Amadou Toumani
Toure
Mauritania Hasaniya Arabic, Pulaar, Presidential-
Soninke, Wolof, French parliamentary (military-
dominated); Chairman of
Military Council Ely Ould
Mohamed Vall
Mauritius English, Creole, French, Parliamentary democracy;
Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Prime Minister Navin
Bojpoori Ramgoolam
Morocco Arabic, Berber dialects, Constitutional monarchy;
French King Muhammad VI
Mozambique Portuguese, African Presidential-
languages parliamentary democracy;
President Armando Guebuza
Namibia Afrikaans, German, Presidential-
English, local African parliamentary democracy;
languages President Hifikepunye
Pohamba
Niger French, Hausa, Djerma Presidential-
parliamentary democracy
(transitional); President
Mamadou Tandja
Nigeria English, Hausa, Yoruba, Presidential-legislative
Ibo, Fulani democracy (transitional);
President Olusegun
Obasanjo
Rwanda Kinyarwanda, French, Dominant party;
English Kiswahili President Paul Kagame
Sao Tome Portuguese Presidential-
and Principe parliamentary democracy;
President Fradique de
Menezes
Senegal French, Wolof, Pulaar, Presidential-
Diola, Mandingo parliamentary democracy;
President Abdoulaye Wade
Seychelles English, French, Dominant party;
Creole President James Michel
Sierra Leone English, Mende, Presidential-legislative
Temne, Krio democracy; President
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Somalia Somali, Arabic, Limited transitional
Italian, English government disputed by
factions
South Africa English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Parliamentary democracy;
Xhosa, Swazi, Sotho President Thabo Mbeki
others
Sudan Arabic, Nubian, Ta Presidential-legislative
Bedawie, English, others (military-dominated);
President Omar Hassan
Ahmad al-Bashir
Swaziland English, siSwati Monarchy; King Mswati III
Tanzania Kiswahili, English, Dominant party;
Arabic, many others President Jakaya Kikwete
Togo French, Ewe, Mina, Dominant party;
Dagomba, Kabye President Faure
Gnassingbe
Tunisia Arabic, French Dominant party;
President Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali
Uganda English, Luganda, Dominant party;
Swahili others President Yoweri Museveni
Zambia English, Bemba, Dominant party;
Tonga others President Levy Mwanawasa
Zimbabwe English, Shona, Dominant party;
Sindebele, others President Robert Mugabe
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Algeria 1962 79/61 $7,200
31 74/76 0.722
Angola 1975 82/54 $3,200
47 39/42 0.445
Benin 1960 46/23 $1,100
44 53/55 0.431
Botswana 1966 77/82 $10,500
38 35/33 0.565
Burkina Faso 1960 37/17 $1,300
46 48/49 0.317
Burundi 1962 59/45 $700
46 44/45 0.378
Cameroon 1960 85/73 $2,400
43 50/52 0.497
Cape Verde 1975 86/69 $6,200
38 68/74 0.721
Central African 1960 63/40 $1,100
Republic 43 43/44 0.355
Chad 1960 56/39 $1,500
47 43/45 0.341
Comoros 1975 64/49 $600
43 62/66 0.547
Congo, 1960 76/55 $700
Democratic Rep. 48 49/52 0.385
Congo, Republic 1960 90/78 $1,300
45 50/52 0.512
Cote d'IVoire 1960 58/44 $1,600
(Ivory Coast) 41 49/53 0.420
Djibouti 1977 78/58 $1,300
40 52/54 0.495
Egypt 1922 68/47 $3,900
35 67/72 0.659
Equatorial 1968 93/78 $2,700
Guinea 44 43/44 0.655
Eritrea 1993 70/48 $1,000
45 53/57 0.444
Ethiopia 1000 B.C. 50/35 $900
44 48/50 0.367
Gabon 1960 74/53 $6,800
40 53/55 0.635
Gambia 1965 48/33 $1,900
42 52/55 0.470
Ghana 1957 83/67 $2,500
39 57/58 0.520
Guinea 1958 50/22 $2,000
46 54/54 0.466
Guinea-Bissau 1973 58/27 $800
53 44/46 0.348
Kenya 1963 91/80 $1,100
43 49/47 0.474
Lesotho 1966 75/95 $2,500
39 35/36 0.497
Liberia 1847 73/42 $1,000
47 41/44 NA
Libya 1951 92/72 $11,400
34 74/78 0.799
Madagascar 1960 76/63 $900
45 53/57 0.499
Malawi 1964 76/50 $600
47 44/47 0.404
Mali 1960 54/40 $1,200
48 48/49 0.333
Mauritania 1960 52/32 $2,200
43 53/55 0.477
Mauritius 1968 89/83 $13,100
24 69/76 0.791
Morocco 1956 64/39 $4,200
30 68/72 0.631
Mozambique 1975 64/33 $1,300
43 41/42 0.379
Namibia 1990 84/84 $7,000
43 47/47 0.627
Niger 1960 26/10 $900
49 44/44 0.281
Nigeria 1960 76/61 $1,400
43 43/44 0.453
Rwanda 1962 76/65 $1,500
47 46/48 0.450
Sao Tome 1975 85/62 $1,200
and Principe 42 62/64 0.604
Senegal 1960 50/31 $1,800
44 55/58 0.458
Seychelles 1976 91/92 $7,800
26 66/76 0.821
Sierra Leone 1961 40/21 $800
43 39/42 0.298
Somalia 1960 50/26 $600
45 46/50 NA
South Africa 1910 87/86 $12,000
32 45/49 0.658
Sudan 1956 72/51 $2,100
44 57/59 0.512
Swaziland 1968 83/81 $5,000
41 33/35 0.498
Tanzania 1964 86/71 $700
44 44/45 0.418
Togo 1960 75/47 $1,700
44 53/57 0.512
Tunisia 1956 83/64 $8,300
27 71/75 0.753
Uganda 1962 80/60 $1,800
50 47/47 0.508
Zambia 1964 87/75 $900
45 38/37 0.394
Zimbabwe 1980 94/87 $2,300
41 38/37 0.505
EUROPE
URBAN
POP. %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Albania 11,100 45 Tirana
3,200,000 0.8
Andorra 174 92 Andorra
100,000 0.7 la Vella
Austria 32,378 54 Vienna
8,300,000 0
Belarus 80,154 72 Minsk
9,700,000 -0.6
Belgium 11,787 97 Brussels
10,500,000 0.1
Bosnia and 19,741 43 Sarajevo
Herzegovina 3,900,000 0.1
Bulgaria 42,822 70 Sofia
7,700,000 -0.5
Croatia 21,830 56 Zagreb
4,400,000 -0.2
Czech Republic 30,448 77 Prague
10,300,000 -0.1
Denmark 16,637 72 Copenhagen
5,400,000 0.2
Estonia 17,413 69 Tallinn
1,300,000 -0.2
Finland 130,560 62 Helsinki
5,300,000 0.2
France 212,934 76 Paris
61,200,000 0.4
Germany 137,830 88 Berlin
82,400,000 -0.2
Greece 50,950 60 Athens
11,100,000 0
Hungary 35,919 65 Budapest
10,100,000 -0.3
Iceland 39,768 93 Reykjavik
300,000 0.8
Ireland 27,135 60 Dublin
4,200,000 0.8
Italy 116,320 90 Rome
59,000,000 0
Latvia 24,942 68 Riga
2,300,000 -0.5
Liechtenstein 62 21 Vaduz
40,000 0.5
Lithuania 25,174 67 Vilnius
3,400,000 -0.4
Luxembourg 999 91 Luxembourg
500,000 0.4
Macedonia 9,927 59 Skopje
2,000,000 0.2
Malta 124 91 Valletta
400,000 0.2
Moldova 13,012 45 Chisinau
4,000,000 -0.2
Monaco 1 100 Monaco
30,000 0.6
Montenegro 5,333 NA Podgorica
600,000 0.3
Netherlands 15,768 65 Amsterdam
16,400,000 0.3
Norway 125,050 78 Oslo
4,700,000 0.3
Poland 124,807 62 Warsaw
38,100,000 0
Portugal 35,514 53 Lisbon
10,600,000 0.1
Romania 92,042 55 Bucharest
21,600,000 -0.2
Russia 6,592,819 73 Moscow
142,300,000 -0.6
San Marino 23 84 San Marino
30,000 0.3
Serbia 34,115 52 Belgrade
9,500,000 0.1
Slovakia 18,923 56 Bratislava
5,400,000 0
Slovenia 7,819 49 Ljubljana
2,000,000 0
Spain 195,363 76 Madrid
45,500,000 0.2
Sweden 173,730 84 Stockholm
9,100,000 0.1
Switzerland 15,942 68 Bern
7,500,000 0.2
Ukraine 233,089 68 Kiev
46,800,000 -0.8
United Kingdom 94,548 89 London
(England, Scotland, 60,500,000 0.2
Wales, N. Ireland)
Vatican City 109 acres NA Vatican City
932 0.01
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Albania Albanian, Greek Presidential-parliamentary
democracy; President Alfred
Moisiu
Andorra Catalan, French, Presidential-parliamentary
Castilian democracy; Executive Council
President Albert Pintat
Santolaria
Austria German Parliamentary democracy;
Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel
Belarus Byelorussian, Presidential dictatorship;
Russian, others President Aleksandr Lukashenko
Belgium Flemish, French, Parliamentary democracy;
German Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Bosnia and Serbo-Croatian Presidential-parliamentary
Herzegovina (transitional); rotating
Chairman of the Presidency (3)
Bulgaria Bulgarian, Parliamentary democracy; Prime
others Minister Sergei Stanishev
Croatia Serbo-Croatian Presidential-parliamentary
democracy; President Stjepan
Mesic
Czech Republic Czech, Slovak Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek
Denmark Danish, Parliamentary democracy; Prime
Greenlandic, Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Faroese, German
Estonia Estonian, Parliamentary democracy;
Ukrainian, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip
Russian, others
Finland Finnish, Presidential-parliamentary
Swedish, Lapp, democracy; President Tarja
Russian Halonen
France French, regional Presidential-parliamentary
dialects democracy; President Jacques
Chirac
Germany German Parliamentary democracy;
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Greece Greek, English, Parliamentary democracy;
French Prime Minister Kostas
Karamanlis
Hungary Hungarian, Parliamentary democracy;
others Prime Minister Ferenc
Gyurcsany
Iceland Icelandic Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde
Ireland English, Gaelic Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern
Italy Italian, German, Parliamentary democracy;
French, Slovene Prime Minister Romano Prodi
Latvia Lettish, Parliamentary democracy;
Lithuanian, Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis
Russian, others
Liechtenstein German, Constitutional monarchy;
Alemannic Prince Hans Adam II
dialect
Lithuania Lithuanian, Parliamentary democracy;
Polish, Russian President Valdas Adamkus
Luxembourg Luxembourgan, Parliamentary democracy;
German, French, Prime Minister Jean-Claude
English Juncker
Macedonia Macedonian, Parliamentary democracy;
Albanian, others Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski
Malta Maltese, English Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi
Moldova Moldovan, Parliamentary democracy;
Russian, Gagauz President Vladimir Voronin
Monaco French, English, Constitutional monarchy;
Italian, Prince Albert II
Monegasque
Montenegro Montenegrin, Presidential-parliamentary
Serbian, democracy; President Filip
Bosniak, Vujanovic
Albanian
Netherlands Dutch Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Jan Peter
Balkenende
Norway Norwegian, Lapp, Parliamentary democracy;
Finnish Prime Minister Jens
Stoltenberg
Poland Polish Presidential-parliamentary
democracy; President Lech
Kaczynski
Portugal Portuguese Presidential-parliamentary
democracy; Prime Minister
Jose Socrates
Romania Romanian, Presidential-parliamentary
Hungarian, democracy; Prime Minister
German Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Russia Russian, others Presidential-parliamentary
democracy; President Vladimir
Putin
San Marino Italian Parliamentary democracy;
Co-Captains Regent elected
every six months from the
Great and General Council
Serbia Serbo-Croatian, Presidential-parliamentary
Albanian (transitional); President
Boris Tadic
Slovakia Slovak, Parliamentary democracy;
Hungarian Prime Minister Robert Fico
Slovenia Slovenian, Parliamentary democracy;
Serbo-Croatian, Prime Minister Janez Jansa
others
Spain Spanish, Parliamentary democracy; Prime
Catalan, Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez
Galician, Basque Zapatero
Sweden Swedish, Lapp, Parliamentary democracy;
Finnish Prime Minister Fredrik
Reinfeldt
Switzerland German, French, Parliamentary democracy;
Italian, rotating President from
Romansch, others seven-member Federal Council
Ukraine Ukranian, Presidential-parliamentary
Russian, democracy; President Viktor
Romanian, Yushchenko
Polish,
Hungarian
United Kingdom English, Welsh, Parliamentary democracy;
(England, Scotland, Scottish, Gaelic Prime Minister Tony Blair
Wales, N. Ireland)
Vatican City Italian, Latin, Papal state; Pope Benedict XVI
others
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Albania 1912 93/80 $4,900
27 72/79 0.780
Andorra 1278 99/99 $24,000
15 NA NA
Austria 1156 NA $32,700
16 76/82 0.936
Belarus 1991 99/99 $6,900
16 63/75 0.786
Belgium 1830 99/99 $31,400
17 76/82 0.945
Bosnia and 1992 98/91 $6,800
Herzegovina 16 71/77 0.786
Bulgaria 1908 99/98 $9,600
14 69/76 0.808
Croatia 1991 99/98 $11,600
16 71/78 0.841
Czech Republic 1993 99/99 $19,500
15 73/79 0.874
Denmark 900s 99/99 $34,600
19 76/80 0.941
Estonia 1991 99/99 $16,700
15 66/78 0.853
Finland 1917 99/99 $30,900
17 75/82 0.941
France 486 99/99 $29,900
18 77/84 0.938
Germany 1871 99/99 $30,400
14 76/82 0.930
Greece 1829 99/97 $22,200
15 77/81 0.912
Hungary 1001 99/99 $16,300
16 69/77 0.862
Iceland 1944 99/99 $35,600
22 79/83 0.956
Ireland 1921 99/99 $41,000
21 75/80 0.946
Italy 1861 99/98 $29,200
14 78/83 0.934
Latvia 1991 99/99 $13,200
15 67/77 0.836
Liechtenstein 1719 99/99 $25,000
18 79/82 NA
Lithuania 1991 99/99 $13,700
17 66/78 0.852
Luxembourg 1839 99/99 $55,600
19 75/81 0.949
Macedonia 1991 98/94 $7,800
21 71/76 0.797
Malta 1964 92/94 $19,900
18 77/81 0.867
Moldova 1991 99/99 $1,800
20 65/72 0.671
Monaco 1419 99/99 $27,000
13 NA NA
Montenegro 2006 NA $3,800
21 NA NA
Netherlands 1579 99/99 $30,500
18 77/81 0.943
Norway 1905 99/99 $42,300
20 78/83 0.963
Poland 1918 99/99 $13,300
17 71/79 0.858
Portugal 1140 96/91 $19,300
16 75/81 0.904
Romania 1878 99/98 $8,200
16 68/75 0.792
Russia 1991 99/99 $11,100
15 59/72 0.795
San Marino 301 97/95 $34,600
15 78/84 NA
Serbia 1992 99/94 $4,400
19 69/75 NA
Slovakia 1993 99/99 $16,100
17 70/78 0.849
Slovenia 1991 99/99 $21,600
14 74/81 0.904
Spain 1492 99/97 $25,500
14 77/84 0.928
Sweden 1523 99/99 $29,800
17 78/83 0.949
Switzerland 1291 99/99 $32,300
16 79/84 0.947
Ukraine 1991 99/99 $7,200
14 63/74 0.766
United Kingdom circa 900 99/99 $30,300
(England, Scotland, 18 76/81 0.939
Wales, N. Ireland)
Vatican City 1929 100 NA
NA NA NA
ASIA
URBAN
POP. %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Afghanistan 251,772 22 Kabul
31,100,000 2.6
Armenia 11,506 64 Yerevan
3,000,000 0.4
Azerbaijan 33,436 52 Baku
8,500,000 1.1
Bahrain 266 100 Manama
700,000 1.8
Bangladesh 55,598 23 Dhaka
146,600,000 1.9
Bhutan 18,147 31 Thimphu
900,000 1.3
Brunei 2,228 72 Bandar Seri
400,000 1.7 Begawan
Cambodia 69,900 15 Phnom Penh
14,100,000 2.1
China 3,696,100 37 Beijing
1,311,400,000 0.6
Cyprus 3,571 66 Nicosia
1,000,000 0.4
East Timor 5,741 22 Dili
1,000,000 2.7
Georgia 26,911 52 Tbilisi
4,400,000 0.1
India 1,269,340 29 New Delhi
1,121,800,000 1.7
Indonesia 735,355 42 Jakarta
225,500,000 1.4
Iran 630,575 67 Tehran
70,300,000 1.2
Iraq 169,236 68 Baghdad
29,600,000 2.6
Israel (5) 8,131 91 Jerusalem
7,200,000 1.5
Japan 145,869 79 Tokyo
127,800,000 0
Jordan 34,444 82 Amman
5,600,000 2.4
Kazakhstan 1,049,151 57 Astana
15,300,000 0.8
Korea, North 46,541 60 Pyongyang
23,100,000 0.9
Korea, South 38,324 80 Seoul
48,500,000 0.4
Kuwait 6,880 96 Kuwait
2,700,000 1.7
Kyrgyzstan 76,641 35 Bishkek
5,200,000 1.4
Laos 91,429 19 Vientiane
6,100,000 2.3
Lebanon 4,015 87 Beirut
3,900,000 1.5
Malaysia 27,317 62 Kuala
26,900,000 1.6 Lumpur
Maldives 116 27 Male
300,000 1.5
Mongolia 604,826 57 Ulaanbaatar
2,600,000 1.2
Myanmar (Burma) 261,228 29 Naypyidaw
51,000,000 1.1 Myodaw
Nepal 56,826 14 Kathmandu
26,000,000 2.2
Oman 82,031 71 Muscat
2,600,000 2.0
Pakistan 307,375 34 Islamabad
165,800,000 2.4
Philippines 115,830 48 Manila
86,300,000 2.1
Qatar 4,247 100 Doha
800,000 1.6
Saudi Arabia 829,996 86 Riyadh
24,100,000 2.7
Singapore 239 100 Singapore
4,500,000 0.6
Sri Lanka 25,332 20 Colombo
19,900,000 1.3
Syria 71,498 50 Damascus
19,500,000 2.5
Taiwan 13,969 78 Taipei
22,800,000 0.3
Tajikistan 55,251 26 Dushanbe
7,000,000 2.2
Thailand 198,116 33 Bangkok
65,200,000 0.7
Turkey 299,158 59 Ankara
73,700,000 1.3
Turkmenistan 188,456 47 Ashgabat
5,300,000 1.6
United Arab 32,278 74 Abu Dhabi
Emirates 4,900,000 1.3
Uzbekistan 172,741 36 Tashkent
26,200,000 1.6
Vietnam 128,066 26 Hanoi
84,200,000 1.3
Yemen 203,849 26 Sanaa
21,800,000 3.2
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Afghanistan Pashtu, Afghan Transitional democracy;
Persian, Turkic, President Hamid Karzai
others
Armenia Armenian, Russian, Presidential-parliamentary
others democracy; President Robert
Kocharian
Azerbaijan Azeri, Russian, Presidential (dominant party);
Armenian, others President Ilham Aliyev
Bahrain Arabic, English, Monarchy; King Hamad bin 'Isa
Farsi, Urdu Al Khalifah
Bangladesh Bengali, English Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia
Bhutan Dzongkha, Tibetan, Monarchy; King Jigme Singye
and Nepalese Wangchuk
dialects
Brunei Malay, English, Monarchy; Sultan and Prime
Chinese Minister Sir Hassanal Bolkiah
Mu'izzadin Waddaulah
Cambodia Khmer, French Dominant party;
Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen
China Mandarin, other Communist one-party state;
Chinese dialects, President Hu Jintao
other languages
Cyprus Greek, Turkish, Presidential-parliamentary
English democracy; President Tassos
Papadopoulos
East Timor Tetun, Portuguese, Presidential-parliamentary
Indonesian, English democracy (transitional);
President Xanana Gusmao
Georgia Georgian, Russian, Presidential-parliamentary
Armenian, Azeri democracy; President Mikheil
Ossetian, others Saakashvili
India Hindi, English, many Parliamentary democracy;
others Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Indonesia Bahasa Indonesian, Parliamentary democracy;
English, Dutch, President Susilo Bambang
others Yudhoyono
Iran Farsi, Turkic, Presidential-parliamentary
Kurdish, Luri, under Islamic religious
others control; President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad
Iraq Arabic, Kurdish, Transitional; Prime Minister
Assyrian, Armenian Nuri al-Maliki
Israel (5) Hebrew, Arabic, Parliamentary democracy;
English Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Japan Japanese Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Jordan Arabic, English Constitutional monarchy;
King Abdullah II
Kazakhstan Kazakh, Russian, Dominant party;
Ukrainian, others President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Korea, North Korean Communist dictatorship;
General Secretary Kim Jong II
Korea, South Korean, English Presidential-parliamentary
Arabic, English democracy; President Roh
Moo-hyun
Kuwait Arabic, English Monarchy; Emir Sheikh Sabbah
Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah
Kyrgyzstan Kirghiz, Russian Presidential-parliamentary in
transition; President
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Laos Lao, French, Communist one-party state;
English, others President Choummaly Sayasone
Lebanon Arabic, French, Presidential-parliamentary
Armenian, English with Syrian influence;
President Emile Lahoud
Malaysia Malay, English, Dominant party; Prime Minister
Chinese dialects, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
many others Badawi
Maldives Maldivian Divehi, Presidential dictatorship;
English President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Mongolia Khalkha Mongol, Presidential-parliamentary
Turkic, Russian, democracy; Prime Minister
Chinese Miyeegombo Enkhbold
Myanmar (Burma) Burmese, others Military; General Than Shwe
Nepal Nepali, others Constitutional monarchy
with limited parliament;
King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
Oman Arabic, English, Monarchy; Prime Minister and
Baluchi, Urdu, Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id
others Arabic al-Said
Pakistan Urdu, Punjabi, Military; President General
Sindhi, Siraiki, Pervez Musharraf
English, others
Philippines Filipino, English Presidential-legislative
democracy; President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo
Qatar Arabic, English Monarchy; Emir Sheikh Hamid
bin Khalifah al-Thani
Saudi Arabia Arabic Monarchy; King and Prime
Minister Abdullah bin Abd
al-Aziz Al-Saud
Singapore Chinese, Malay, Dominant party;
Tamil, English Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Sri Lanka Tamil, Sinhala, Presidential-parliamentary
English democracy; President Mahinda
Rajapakse
Syria Arabic, Kurdish, Dominant party (military-
Armenian, dominated); President Bashar
French, others al-Assad
Taiwan Mandarin Chinese, Presidential-parliamentary
Taiwanese, others democracy; President Chen
Shui-bian
Tajikistan Tajik, Russian Presidential (transitional);
President Imomali Rakhmonov
Thailand Thai, English, Military controlled in
regional dialects transition; General Sondhi
Boonyaratkaln
Turkey Turkish, Kurdish, Parliamentary democracy;
Arabic Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan
Turkmenistan Turkmen, Uzbek, Presidential dictatorship;
Russian, others President Saparmurat Niyazov
United Arab Arabic, Farsi, Federation of traditional
Emirates English, Hindi, monarchies; President Khalifa
Urdu bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan
Uzbekistan Uzbek, Russian, Presidential (dominant party);
Tajik, others President Islam Karimov
Vietnam Vietnamese, French, Communist one-party state;
Chinese, English, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
Khmer, others
Yemen Arabic Dominant party;
President Ali Abdullah Saleh
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Afghanistan 1919 51/21 $800
45 41/42 NA
Armenia 1918 99/98 $4,500
22 67/75 0.759
Azerbaijan 1991 99/98 $4,800
24 70/75 0.729
Bahrain 1971 92/85 $23,000
28 73/75 0.846
Bangladesh 1971 54/32 $2,100
35 61/62 0.520
Bhutan 1949 60/34 $1,400
33 62/64 0.536
Brunei 1984 96/91 $23,600
30 72/77 0.866
Cambodia 1949 85/64 $2,200
37 57/63 0.521
China 1912 95/87 $6,800
20 70/74 0.755
Cyprus 1960 99/96 $21,500 GREEK (4)
20 75/80 $7,135 TURKISH
0.891
East Timor 2002 59 $400
43 54/56 0.513
Georgia 1991 99/99 $3,300
19 69/75 0.732
India 1947 70/48 $3,300
36 62/63 0.602
Indonesia 1945 93/83 $3,600
29 67/72 0.697
Iran 1502 86/73 $8,300
29 69/72 0.736
Iraq 1932 56/24 $3,400
42 57/60 NA
Israel (5) 1948 97/94 $24,600
28 78/82 0.915
Japan 660 B.C. 99/99 $31,500
14 79/86 0.943
Jordan 1946 96/86 $4,700
37 71/72 0.753
Kazakhstan 1991 99/98 $8,200
27 61/72 0.761
Korea, North 1945 99/99 $1,700
27 68/73 NA
Korea, South 1945 99/97 $20,400
19 74/81 0.901
Kuwait 1961 85/82 $19,200
26 77/79 0.844
Kyrgyzstan 1991 99/98 $2,100
32 64/72 0.702
Laos 1949 77/56 $1,900
43 53/56 0.545
Lebanon 1943 93/82 $6,200
27 70/74 0.759
Malaysia 1957 92/85 $12,100
33 72/76 0.796
Maldives 1965 97/97 $3,900
33 70/70 0.745
Mongolia 1921 98/98 $1,900
29 64/68 0.679
Myanmar (Burma) 1948 89/81 $1,700
32 57/63 0.578
Nepal 1768 63/35 $1,400
41 62/63 0.526
Oman 1650 83/67 $13,200
33 73/75 0.781
Pakistan 1947 62/35 $2,400
41 61/63 0.527
Philippines 1946 93/93 $5,100
35 67/72 0.758
Qatar 1971 89/89 $27,400
23 71/76 0.849
Saudi Arabia 1932 85/71 $12,800
38 70/74 0.772
Singapore 1965 97/89 $28,100
20 78/82 0.907
Sri Lanka 1948 95/90 $4,300
26 71/77 0.751
Syria 1946 90/64 $3,900
37 71/75 0.721
Taiwan 1949 96 $27,600
19 73/79 NA
Tajikistan 1991 99/99 $1,200
32 61/66 0.652
Thailand 1238 95/91 $8,300
23 68/75 0.778
Turkey 1923 94/79 $8,200
29 69/74 0.750
Turkmenistan 1991 99/98 $8,000
34 58/67 0.738
United Arab 1971 76/82 $43,400
Emirates 25 75/80 0.849
Uzbekistan 1991 99/99 $1,800
35 63/70 0.694
Vietnam 1945 94/87 $2,800
29 70/73 0.704
Yemen 1990 71/30 $900
46 59/62 0.489
OCEANIA
URBAN
POP. %
AREA (SQ MI) POP. RISE
COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL
Australia 2,988,888 91 Canberra
20,600,000 0.6
Fiji 7,054 46 Suva
800,000 1.4
Kiribati 282 43
100,000 2.3 Tarawa
Marshall 69 68 Majuro
Islands 100,000 3.3
Micronesia 270 22 Palikir
100,000 2.0
Nauru 9 100 Yaren District
10,000 1.9
New Zealand 104,452 89 Wellington
4,100,000 0.7
Palau 178 77 Koror
20,000 0.7
Papua New 178,703 13 Port
Guinea 6,000,000 2.1 Moresby
Samoa 1,097 22 Apia
200,000 2.4
Solomon 11,158 16 Honiara
Islands 500,000 2.6
Tonga 290 23 Nuku'alofa
100,000 1.8
Tuvalu 10 47 Funafuti
10,000 1.7
Vanuatu 4,707 21 Port-Vila
200,000 2.5
MAJOR POLITICAL SYSTEM & HEAD
COUNTRY LANGUAGES OF GOVERNMENT
Australia English, Aboriginal Parliamentary democracy;
languages Prime Minister John Howard
Fiji English, Fijian, Parliamentary democracy and
Hindustani traditional chiefs;
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Kiribati
English, Gilbertese Presidential-legislative
democracy, President Anote Tong
Marshall English, Marshallese Parliamentary democracy and
Islands dialects, Japanese tradetional chiefs; President
Kessai H. Note
Micronesia English, Trukese, Parliamentary democracy;
Pohnpein, Yapese, President Joseph J. Urusemal
Kosraean
Nauru Nauruan, English Parliamentary democracy;
President Ludwig Scotty
New Zealand English, Maori Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Helen Clark
Palau English, Sonsorol'ese, Presidential democracy and
Palauan, others traditional chiefs; President
Tommy Remengesau
Papua New English, pidgin Parliamentary democracy;
Guinea English, Motu, Prime Minister Sir Michael
many others Somare
Samoa Samoan, English Parliamentary democracy and
traditional chiefs; Prime
Minister Tuilaepa Sailele
Malielegaoi
Solomon Melanesian pidgin, Parliamentary democracy;
Islands English, others Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare
Tonga Tongan, English Monarchy; King George Tupou V
Tuvalu Tuvaluan, English Parliamentary democracy;
Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia
Vanuatu English, French, Parliamentary democracy;
Bislama Prime Minister Ham Lini
DATE OF LITERACY
ORIGIN RATE (%) PER
% OF POP. LIFE CAPITA GDP
COUNTRY UNDER 15 EXPECTANCY HDI
Australia 1901 99/99 $31,900
20 78/83 0.955
Fiji 1970 96/92 $6,000
31 66/71 0.752
Kiribati 1979 NA $800
39 58/64 NA
Marshall 1986 94/94 $2,300
Islands 42 NA NA
Micronesia 1986 91/88 $3,900
39 67/67 NA
Nauru 1968 NA $5,000
39 58/66 NA
New Zealand 1907 99/99 $25,200
21 77/81 0.933
Palau 1994 93/90 $5,800
24 69/73 NA
Papua New 1975 71/58 $2,600
Guinea 41 55/56 0.523
Samoa 1962 99/99 $5,600
41 72/74 0.776
Solomon 1978 NA $1,700
Islands 40 62/63 0.594
Tonga 1970 99/99 $2,300
35 70/72 0.810
Tuvalu 1978 NA $1,100
36 62/65 NA
Vanuatu 1980 NA $2,900
41 66/69 0.659
SOURCES: For area, population, urban population, annual population
rise, percent of population under 15 years, and life expectancy:
2006 World Population Data Sheet (Population Reference Bureau) *
For capital, major languages, date of origin, literacy rate, and
per capita GDP: The World Factbook 2006 (Central Intelligence
Agency). Per capita GDP for Equatorial Guinea from The World
Factbook 2005; current figure in dispute * For political systems:
Based on information from annual editions of Freedom in the World,
a publication of Freedom House (a nonprofit human-rights
organization), World Book Encyclopedia, and the U.S. State
Department and its Web site (www.state.gov) * For heads of
government: Based on information from the GeoCities "Rulers"
Web site (www.rulers.org), the State Department and its Web site,
and the CIA World Factbook * For HDI: Human Development Report
2005 (United Nations Development Program). Figures are all the
latest available from each source for each country. Information
updated as of September 25, 2006.
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