The world according to the CIA

World Facts

The world according to the CIA
October 2003
By Esme Friesen

Well, we can’t really begin to describe how an organization such as the CIA views the world – philosophically – but here are some snippits from their most recent World Factbook.

If you have any questions, or would like to us to publish world statistical data on a particular topic, please email the editor at: editor@galtglobalreview.com.

	Australia	Canada	United Kingdom	USA
Population (July 2003 est.)	19,731,984	32,207,113	60,094,648	290,342,554
Population Growth Rate (2003 est.)	0.93%	0.94%	0.3%	0.92%
GDP – Purchasing power parity (2002 est.)	$528 billion	$923 billion	$1.52 trillion	$10.4 trillion
GDP – Real Growth Rate (%)	3.6%	3.4%	1.6%	2.45%
GDP – per Capita (2002 est.) (2002 est.) (2002 est.)	$27,000	$29,400	$25,300	$37,600
GDP – by sector	agriculture: 3% industry: 26% services: 71%	agriculture: 2.3% industry: 26.5% services: 71.2%	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 24.9% services: 73.7%	agriculture: 2% industry: 18% services: 80%
Employment Rate (%)	93.76%	92.4%	94.8%	94.2%
Debt - External	$176.8 billion	N/A	N/A	$862 billion
Economic Aid Donor	$894 million	$1.3 billion	$4.5 billion	$6.9 billion
Exports	$66.3 Billion	$260.5 billion	$286.3 billion	$687 billion
Imports	$68 million	$229 billion	$330.1 billion	$1.165 trillion
Current Environmental Issues
	Soil erosion from over grazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity due to use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and popularity as a tourist site	Air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities	Continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%	Air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Environment – International Agreements
	Party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands Signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation	Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Industrial Production Growth Rate (2002 est.)	4.3%	2.2%	-3.4%	-0.4%
Electricity Production	198.2 billion kWh	566.3 billion kWh	360.9 billion kWh	3.719 trillion kWh
By source	fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% other: 0.9% nuclear: 0%	fossil fuel: 28% hydro: 57.9% other: 1.2% nuclear: 12.9%	fossil fuel: 73.8% hydro: 0.9% other: 1.6% nuclear: 23.7%	fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 5.6% other: 2.3% nuclear: 20.7%
Electricity consumption	184.33 billion kwh	504.4 billion kWh	346.1 billion kWh	3.479 trillion kWh
Electricity Exports / Imports	0 kWh / 0 kWh	38.4 billion kWh / 16.11 billion kWh	264 million kWh / 10.66 billion kWh	18.17 billion kWh / 38.48 billion kWh
Oil – Production	737,000 bbl/day	2.738 million bbl/day	2.541 million bbl/day	8.054 million bbl/day
Oil – Consumption	796,500 bbl/day	1.703 million bbl/day	1 .71 million bbl/day	19.65 million bbl/day
Oil – exports	523,400 bbl/day	1.703 million bbl/day	2.205 million bbl/day	N/A
Oil – imports	530,800 bbl/day	2.008 million bbl/day	1.418 million bbl/day	N/A
Oil – proved reserves	3.664 billion bbl	5.112 billion bbl l	4.741 billion bb	22.45 billion bbl
Natural Gas – proved reserves	2.407 trillion cu m	1.691 trillion cu m	714.9 billion cu m	5.195 trillion cu m
Telephone Lines	10.5 million	20.803 million	34.878 million	194 million
Cellular Phones	8.6 million	8.75 million	43.5 million	69.209 million
Internet Users	10.63 million	16.84 million	34.3 million	165.75 million

For more information on the above listed countries, or for information on countries not listed here, please go to http://www.cia.gov/cia/publication/factbook.html

Source: CIA World Factbook 2003; All currency in US Dollars

© Copyright 2002 Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Unless otherwise specified, you may reprint this article, quote from it, use it in research or projects, duplicate it or distribute it. Credit of authorship and source MUST be given to galtglobalreview.com. Ownership of Copyright remains with Galt Western Personnel Ltd.

Return to Top

Business News / Business Roundup - Australia / Canada / Europe / United States / Careers / Classified / Information Technology / New Technology / Education News / World Facts / Book Reviews / Archives/Research