Botswana (2002) | Macedonia (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 10 districts and four town councils*; Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*, South-East, Southern | 85 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debartsa, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rastusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Skopje, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci
note: the ten municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute "greater Skopje" |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 40% (male 319,988; female 316,961)
15-64 years: 55.8% (male 428,638; female 458,777) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 26,965; female 39,903) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.5% (male 217,057/female 202,465)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 707,489/female 697,150) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 97,117/female 123,984) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts | wheat, grapes, rice, tobacco, corn, millet, cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry, mutton |
Airports | 92 (2001) | 17 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 76
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 18 (2002) |
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km |
total: 25,333 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Texas | slightly larger than Vermont |
Background | Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy, one of the most robust on the continent, is dominated by diamond mining. | International recognition of Macedonia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its trade blockade in 1995 and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, although differences over Macedonia's name remain. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement - which ended the 2001 ethnic Albanian armed insurgency - and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia. |
Birth rate | 28.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 12 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $2.3 billion
expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02 ) |
revenues: $1.198 billion
expenditures: $1.245 billion, including capital expenditures of $114 million (2004 est.) |
Capital | Gaborone | Skopje |
Climate | semiarid; warm winters and hot summers | warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 | adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland |
conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia
conventional short form: Macedonia; note - the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia |
Currency | pula (BWP) | - |
Death rate | 26.26 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 8.73 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $325 million (2001) | $1.863 billion (2004 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGING
embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence Edward BUTLER
embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 2 311-6180 FAX: [389] 2 311-7103 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV
chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Nikola DIMITROV
chancery: Suite 302, 1101 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3063 FAX: [1] (202) 337-3093 consulate(s) general: Southfield (Michigan) |
Disputes - international | none | ethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia |
Economic aid - recipient | $73 million (1995) (1995) | $250 million (2003 est.) |
Economy - overview | Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $7,800 in 2001. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for four-fifths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. | At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the center and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the down-sized Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then rose by a moderate 3.4% in 2003, and is estimated at 1.3% in 2004. Unemployment at one-third of the workforce remains a critical economic problem. Much of the extensive grey market activity falls outside official statistics. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.451 billion kWh (2000) | 7.216 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 986 million kWh (2000) | 953 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 500 million kWh (2000) | 6.273 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m |
lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m |
Environment - current issues | overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources | air pollution from metallurgical plants |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% | Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census) |
Exchange rates | pulas per US dollar - 6.8353 (January 2002), 5.8412 (2001), 5.1018 (2000), 4.6244 (1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997) | Macedonian denars per US dollar - 49.41 (2004), 54.32 (2003), 64.35 (2002), 68.04 (2001), 65.9 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3% |
chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Vlado BUCKOVSKI (since 17 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties SDSM, LDP, and BDI elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; two-round election last held 14 April and 28 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly; election last held 1 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%, Sasko KEDEV 37.3%; Vlado BUCKOVSKI elected prime minister by the Assembly |
Exports | $2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | diamonds 80%, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles (2001) | food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel |
Exports - partners | EFTA 85%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 10%, Zimbabwe 2% (1999) | Serbia and Montenegro 31.4%, Germany 19.9%, Greece 8.9%, Croatia 6.9%, US 4.9% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center | a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $12.4 billion (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4%
industry: 44% (including 36% mining) services: 52% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 26% services: 62.8% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7,100 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.7% (2001 est.) | 1.3% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 00 S, 24 00 E | 41 50 N, 22 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country | landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe |
Highways | total: 10,217 km
paved: 5,620 km unpaved: 4,597 km (1999) |
total: 8,684 km
paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,144 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although most criminal activity is thought to be domestic and not a financial center, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement (no arrests or prosecutions for money laundering to date) |
Imports | $2.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products (2000) | machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; food products, automobiles |
Imports - partners | Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 77%, EFTA 9%, Zimbabwe 4% (1999) | Greece 15.4%, Germany 13.1%, Serbia and Montenegro 10.4%, Slovenia 8.6%, Bulgaria 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Romania 4.7% (2004) |
Independence | 30 September 1966 (from UK) | 8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsing independence from Yugoslavia) |
Industrial production growth rate | 2.4% (2001 est.) | 0% (2004 est.) |
Industries | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles | coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles, wood products, tobacco, food processing, buses, steel |
Infant mortality rate | 64.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 10.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.6% (2001 est.) | 0.4% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 11 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1998 est.) | 550 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) | Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges |
Labor force | 264,000 formal sector employees (2000) | 855,000 (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | NA | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km |
total: 766 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia and Montenegro 221 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.61%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.38% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 22.26%
permanent crops: 1.81% other: 75.93% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), Setswana | Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census) |
Legal system | based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 54.3%, BNF 24.7%, other 21%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1 |
unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; all serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Together for Macedonia coalition 60 (SDSM 43, LDP 12, others 5), VMRO-DPMNE 33 (VMRO 28 and LDT 5), Democratic Union for Integration 16, Democratic Party of Albanians 7, Party for Democratic Prosperity 2, National Democratic Party 1, Socialist Party of Macedonia 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 35.29 years
male: 35.15 years female: 35.43 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 73.73 years
male: 71.28 years female: 76.37 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.8% male: 80.5% female: 59.9% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1% male: 98.2% female: 94.1% (2002 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, north of South Africa | Southeastern Europe, north of Greece |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
Military branches | Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police | Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM; includes Air and Air Defense Command) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $135 million (FY01/02) | $200 million (FY01/02 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.5% (FY01/02) | 6% (FY01/02 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 384,888 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 202,685 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 19,479 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) | Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day and Ilinden |
Nationality | noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) |
noun: Macedonian(s)
adjective: Macedonian |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility | high seismic risks |
Natural resources | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver | low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] |
Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic League of the Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH/DPA [Arben XHAFERI, president]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Republican Union of Macedonia or DRUM [Dosta DIMOVSKA]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [leader NA]; Democratic Union for Integration or BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Agrarian Party or VMRO-Agrarian Party [Marjan GJORCEV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE (including VMRO and LDT) [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Option or VMRO-Vistinska [Boris ZMEJKOVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Macedonian [Boris STOJMENOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Democratic Party or PDK [Basri HALITI]; National Farmers' Party [Vejljo TANTAROV]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Vlado BUCKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Together for Macedonia coalition (including the SDSM and LDP) [Vlado BUCKOVSI]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Civic Movement of Macedonia [Gordana SILJANOVSKA]; Movement for Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic Integration [Dosta DIMOVSKA] |
Population | 1,591,232
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
2,045,262 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 47% (2000 est.) | 30.2% (2003 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.18% (2002 est.) | 0.26% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) | AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 252,720 (2000) | - |
Railways | total: 888 km
narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.) |
total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2004) |
Religions | indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15% | Macedonian Orthodox 32.4%, other Christian 0.2%, Muslim 16.9%, other and unspecified 50.5% (2002 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 389 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 131,000 (September 2001) | 560,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 270,000 (September 2001) | 830,000 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2001) | 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest | mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River |
Total fertility rate | 3.6 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.) | 37.7% (3rd quarter, 2004 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |