the ANP has played a large role in the country’s politics since independence in 1962, including coups in 1965 and 1991; it was a key backer of BOUTEFLIKA’s election in 1999 and remained a center of power during his 20-year rule; the military was instrumental in BOUTEFLIKA’s resignation in 2019 when it withdrew support and called for him to be removed from office
in 2021, Algeria had the largest defense budget (approximately $9 billion) and one of the best-equipped militaries in Africa
the ANP traditionally has focused on internal stability and on Morocco where relations as of 2021 remained tense over Western Sahara and Algerian accusations that Morocco supports the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a separatist group in Algeria’s Kabylie region; however, following the Arab Spring events of 2011 and a series of cross-border terrorist attacks emanating from Mali in 2012-2013, particularly the 2013 attack on a commercial gas plant by al-Qa’ida-linked terrorists that resulted in the deaths of 35 hostages and 29 jihadists, it has made a concerted effort to beef up security along its other borders and promote regional security cooperation; since 2013, additional Army and paramilitary forces were deployed to the borders with Tunisia, Libya, Niger, and Mali to interdict and deter cross-border attacks by Islamic militant groups; in addition, Algeria has provided security assistance to some neighboring countries, particularly Tunisia, and conducted joint military/counter-terrorism operations
" @@ -1161,7 +1162,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "more than 100,000 (Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) (2018); 6,627 (Syria) (2020)" + "text": "more than 100,000 (Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) (2018); 6,750 (Syria) (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/africa/ao.json b/africa/ao.json index 0158bbbc..8b5cc4ee 100644 --- a/africa/ao.json +++ b/africa/ao.json @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1199,7 +1199,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "47,216 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,272 (Guinea), 6,357 (Cote d'Ivoire), 5,725 (Mauritania) (2021)" + "text": "37,091 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,272 (Guinea), 6,357 (Cote d'Ivoire), 5,725 (Mauritania) (2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/bc.json b/africa/bc.json index b9e914f3..23915a5a 100644 --- a/africa/bc.json +++ b/africa/bc.json @@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "2,350,667 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "71.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "72.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "71.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "72.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1140,7 +1140,7 @@ "text": "the BDF has a mix of foreign-supplied and mostly older weapons and equipment, largely from Europe and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Bechuanaland/Botswana did not have a permanent military during colonial times, with the British colonial administrators relying instead on small, lightly armed constabularies such as the Bechuanaland Mounted Police, the Bechuanaland Border Police, and by the early 1960s, the Police Mobile Unit (PMU); after independence in 1966, Botswana militarized the PMU and gave it responsibility for the country’s defense rather than create a conventional military force; however, turmoil in neighboring countries and numerous cross-border incursions by Rhodesian and South African security forces demonstrated that the PMU was inadequate for defending the country and led to the establishment of the BDF in 1977; as of 2021, the BDF’s primary missions included securing territorial integrity/border security and internal duties such as disaster relief and anti-poaching
as of 2021, the Army was comprised of approximately 4 small combat brigades (2 infantry, 1 light armored, 1 artillery), while the Air Force had 1 fighter/ground attack squadron; Botswana has no navy, but the Army has a marine unit with boats and other river craft for patrolling the country’s numerous waterways, particularly the Chobe River and Okavango swamps
Botswana participates in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force, and in 2021 contributed nearly 300 troops to the SADC’s effort to help the Mozambique Government suppress an insurgency
" diff --git a/africa/bn.json b/africa/bn.json index 64a77e9e..a2b70c6c 100644 --- a/africa/bn.json +++ b/africa/bn.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a West African kingdom that rose to prominence in about 1600 and over the next two and a half centuries became a regional power, largely based on its slave trade. France began to control the coastal areas of Dahomey in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960; it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975.
A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent, who won a second five-year term in March 2011. Patrice TALON, a wealthy businessman, took office in 2016 after campaigning to restore public confidence in the government.
" + "text": "| Present day Benin is comprised of about 42 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba in the southeast, who migrated from what is now Nigeria in the 12th century; the Dendi in the north-central area, who came from Mali in the 16th century; the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Ottamari in the Atakora mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the south-central area; and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja, who came from Togo, on the coast. The Kingdom of Dahomey emerged on the Abomey plateau in the 17th century and was a regional power for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dahomey had an organized domestic economy, international trade with Europeans, and a highly organized military. The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known as a major source of enslaved people. France began to control the coastal areas of Dahomey in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960; it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent, who won a second five-year term in March 2011. Patrice TALON, a wealthy businessman, took office in 2016; the space for pluralism, dissent, and free expression has narrowed under his administration. Talon won a second term in April 2021. |
the modern FARDC was created out of the armed factions of the two Congo wars of 1996-1997 and 1998-2003; as part of the peace accords that ended the last war, the largest rebel groups were incorporated into the FARDC; many armed groups (at least 70 and by some recent estimates more than 100), however, continue to fight; as of 2021, the FARDC was actively engaged in combat operations against numerous armed groups inside the country, particularly in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, although violence also continues in Maniema, Kasai, Kasai Central, and Tanganyika provinces; the military is widely assessed as being unable to provide adequate security throughout the country due to insufficient training, poor morale and leadership, ill-discipline and corruption, low equipment readiness, a fractious ethnic makeup, and the sheer size of the country and diversity of armed rebel groups
the modern FARDC was created out of the armed factions of the two Congo wars of 1996-1997 and 1998-2003; as part of the peace accords that ended the last war, the largest rebel groups were incorporated into the FARDC; many armed groups (at least 70 and by some recent estimates more than 100), however, continue to fight; as of 2022, the FARDC was actively engaged in combat operations against numerous armed groups inside the country, particularly in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, although violence also continues in Maniema, Kasai, Kasai Central, and Tanganyika provinces; the military is widely assessed as being unable to provide adequate security throughout the country due to insufficient training, poor morale and leadership, ill-discipline and corruption, low equipment readiness, a fractious ethnic makeup, and the sheer size of the country and diversity of armed rebel groups
" + "text": "the 2013 coup resulted in the institutional collapse of the FACA; its forces were overwhelmed and forced to flee to neighboring countries; reportedly only 10% of the FACA returned after the coup, and it has struggled to rebuild in the years of instability since; the European Union, France, Russia, the UN, and the US are providing various levels of security assistance
" } }, "Transnational Issues": { @@ -1123,7 +1123,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "5,570 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2021)" + "text": "5,796 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "722,101 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2021)" diff --git a/africa/cv.json b/africa/cv.json index f6e8933d..7914deec 100644 --- a/africa/cv.json +++ b/africa/cv.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. The fusing of European and various African cultural traditions is reflected in Cabo Verde’s Krioulo language, music, and pano textiles. 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. Cabo Verde continues to sustain one of Africa's most stable democratic governments and one of its most stable economies, maintaining a currency formerly pegged to the Portuguese escudo and then the euro since 1998. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cabo Verde's expatriate population - concentrated in Boston and Western Europe - is greater than its domestic one. Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Cabo Verde’s population descends from its first permanent inhabitants in the late 15th-century – a preponderance of West African slaves, a small share of Portuguese colonists, and even fewer Italians, Spaniards, and Portuguese Jews. Among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable. Islands in the east are very dry and are home to the country's growing tourism industry. The more western islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged their soil fertility and vegetation. For centuries, the country’s overall population size has fluctuated significantly, as recurring periods of famine and epidemics have caused high death tolls and emigration." + "text": "The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. The fusing of European and various African cultural traditions is reflected in Cabo Verde’s Krioulo language, music, and pano textiles. 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. Cabo Verde continues to sustain one of Africa's most stable democratic governments and one of its most stable economies, maintaining a currency formerly pegged to the Portuguese escudo and then the euro since 1998. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cabo Verde's expatriate population - concentrated in Boston and Western Europe - is greater than its domestic one. Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Cabo Verde’s population descends from its first permanent inhabitants in the late 15th-century – a preponderance of West African slaves, a small share of Portuguese colonists, and even fewer Italians and Spaniards. Among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable. Islands in the east are very dry and are home to the country's growing tourism industry. The more western islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged their soil fertility and vegetation. For centuries, the country’s overall population size has fluctuated significantly, as recurring periods of famine and epidemics have caused high death tolls and emigration. In November 2021, Jose Maria NEVES was sworn in as Cabo Verde's latest president." } }, "Geography": { @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "67.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "67.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1088,7 +1088,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "115 (2020)" + "text": "115 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/dj.json b/africa/dj.json index 2ab2af08..24dfd02a 100644 --- a/africa/dj.json +++ b/africa/dj.json @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.56% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.56% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1111,7 +1111,7 @@ "text": "the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) received zero incidents of piracy and armed robbery in 2020 for the Horn of Africa; while there were no recorded incidents, the IMB PRC warns that Somalia pirates continue to possess the capacity to carry out attacks in the Somali basin and wider Indian Ocean; in particular, the report warns that, \"Masters and crew must remain vigilant and cautious when transiting these waters.\"; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, contributed to the drop in incidents; the EU naval mission, Operation ATALANTA, continues its operations in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean through 2022; naval units from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, the US, and other countries also operate in conjunction with EU forces; China has established a logistical base in Djibouti to support its deployed naval units in the Horn of Africa" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "
as of 2021, China, France, Italy, Japan, and the US maintained bases in Djibouti for regional military missions, including counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, crisis response, and security assistance (note – France has multiple bases and hosts troop contingents from Germany and Spain); the EU and NATO have also maintained a presence to support multinational naval counter-piracy operations and maritime training efforts; in 2017, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia announced plans for the Saudis to build a military base there, although no start date was announced
" @@ -1129,7 +1129,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "12,139 (Somalia), 5,666 (Yemen) (2020)" + "text": "5,972 (Yemen) (mid-year 2021); 14,227 (Somalia) (2021)" } } } diff --git a/africa/eg.json b/africa/eg.json index 4f90d77a..de80cb7f 100644 --- a/africa/eg.json +++ b/africa/eg.json @@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1214,7 +1214,7 @@ "text": "1,000 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,050 Mali (MINUSMA) (Sep 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "voluntary enlistment possible from age 16; 18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation - 14-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation; active service length depends on education; high school drop-outs serve for the full 36 months, while college graduates serve for lesser periods of time, depending on their education (2021)", + "text": "voluntary enlistment possible from age 16 (men and women); 18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation - 14-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation; active service length depends on education; high school drop-outs serve for the full 36 months, while college graduates serve for lesser periods of time, depending on their education (2021)", "note": "note - over half of the military, as well as a considerable portion of the Central Security Force, is comprised of conscripts" }, "Military - note": { @@ -1233,10 +1233,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "70,022 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2020); 136,727 (Syria) (refugees), 50,759 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,245 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 19,347 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 15,532 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,449 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,806 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,770 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "70,022 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2021); 136,727 (Syria) (refugees), 50,759 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,245 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 19,347 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 15,532 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,449 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,806 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,770 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "10 (2020)" + "text": "7 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/ek.json b/africa/ek.json index 4841d988..9be2b60b 100644 --- a/africa/ek.json +++ b/africa/ek.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule; it is one of the smallest countries in Africa consisting of a mainland territory and five inhabited islands. The capital of Malabo is located on the island of Bioko, approximately 25 km from the Cameroonian coastline in the Gulf of Guinea. Between 1968 and 1979, autocratic President Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA virtually destroyed all of the country's political, economic, and social institutions before being deposed by his nephew Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO in a coup. President OBIANG has ruled since October 1979. He has been elected several times since 1996, and was most recently reelected in 2016. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, presidential and legislative elections since 1996 have generally been labeled as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has placed legal and bureaucratic barriers that hinder political opposition. Equatorial Guinea experienced rapid economic growth in the early years of the 21st century due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in 1996. Production peaked in late 2004 and has slowly declined since, although aggressive searches for new oil fields continue. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in massive increases in government revenue in past years, the drop in global oil prices as of 2014 has placed significant strain on the state budget and pushed the country into recession. Oil revenues have mainly been used for the development of infrastructure and there have been limited improvements in the population's living standards. Equatorial Guinea continues to seek to diversify its economy and to increase foreign investment. The country hosts major regional and international conferences and continues to seek a greater role in international affairs, and leadership in the sub-region." + "text": "
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule; it is one of the smallest countries in Africa consisting of a mainland territory and five inhabited islands. The capital of Malabo is located on the island of Bioko, approximately 25 km from the Cameroonian coastline in the Gulf of Guinea. Between 1968 and 1979, autocratic President Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA virtually destroyed all of the country's political, economic, and social institutions before being deposed by his nephew Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO in a violent coup. President OBIANG has ruled since October 1979. He has been elected several times since 1989, and was most recently reelected in 2016. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, presidential and legislative elections since 1996 have been considered flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has placed legal and bureaucratic barriers that hinder political opposition. Equatorial Guinea experienced rapid economic growth in the early years of the 21st century due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in 1996. Production peaked in late 2004 and has slowly declined since, although aggressive searches for new oil fields continue. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in massive increases in government revenue in past years, generally lower global oil prices since 2014 and depreciating oil fields have placed significant strain on the state budget. While oil revenues have mainly been used for the development of infrastructure, corruption has hindered socio-economic development and there have been limited improvements in the population's living standards. Equatorial Guinea continues to seek to diversify its economy and to increase foreign investment. The country hosts major regional and international conferences and continues to seek a greater role in international affairs, and leadership in the sub-region.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "73.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "73.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/er.json b/africa/er.json index cdc6cb3f..b65ac4a5 100644 --- a/africa/er.json +++ b/africa/er.json @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42% of total population (2021)" + "text": "42.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42% of total population (2021)" + "text": "42.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1075,7 +1075,8 @@ "text": "the Eritrean Defense Forces inventory is comprised primarily of older Russian and Soviet-era systems; Eritrea was under a UN arms embargo from 2009 to 2018; from the 1990s to 2008, Russia was the leading supplier of arms to Eritrea, followed by Belarus; in 2019, Eritrea expressed interest in purchasing Russian arms, including missile boats, helicopters, and small arms (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service (18-27 for female conscription); 18-month conscript service obligation, which includes 4-6 months of military training and one‐year of military or other national service (military service is most common); note - in practice, military service reportedly is often extended indefinitely (2021)" + "text": "18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service (18-27 for female conscription); 18-month conscript service obligation, which includes 4-6 months of military training and one‐year of military or other national service (military service is most common); note - in practice, military service reportedly is often extended indefinitely (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2020, women reportedly made up as much as 30% of the Eritrean military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "
in 2020-2021, the Eritrean military assisted the Ethiopian Government in its war with the Tigray regional government, providing ground forces and combat aircraft; information is limited and varied, but the Eritrean military in 2021 reportedly consisted of about 20 Army divisions (approximately 15 light infantry, 4 mechanized, and 1 commando/special operations) while the Air Force had 2 fighter/ground attack squadrons
" diff --git a/africa/et.json b/africa/et.json index 2f3d862c..2f132547 100644 --- a/africa/et.json +++ b/africa/et.json @@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "110,871,031 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "22.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "22.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "22.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "22.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/ga.json b/africa/ga.json index 996ba55e..560e1f65 100644 --- a/africa/ga.json +++ b/africa/ga.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "In the 10th century, Muslim merchants established some of The Gambia’s earliest large settlements as trans-Saharan trade hubs. These settlements eventually grew into major export centers sending slaves, gold, and ivory across the Sahara. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, European colonial powers began establishing trade with The Gambia. In 1664, the United Kingdom established a colony in The Gambia focused on exporting enslaved people across the Atlantic. During the roughly 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the UK and other European powers may have exported as many as 3 million people from The Gambia.
In 1965, The Gambia gained its independence from the UK. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed the short-lived confederation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1994, Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup overthrowing the president and banning political activity. JAMMEH won every presidential election until 2016. In December 2016, after 22 years of authoritarian rule, President JAMMEH lost to Adama BARROW during free and fair elections. Due to The Gambia’s poor human rights record under JAMMEH, international development partners had substantially reduced aid to the country. These channels have now reopened under the administration of President BARROW. Since the 2016 election, The Gambia and the US have enjoyed improved relations. US assistance to the country has supported military education and training programs, capacity building, and democracy-strengthening activities.
" + "text": "
In the 10th century, Muslim merchants established some of The Gambia’s earliest large settlements as trans-Saharan trade hubs. These settlements eventually grew into major export centers sending slaves, gold, and ivory across the Sahara. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, European colonial powers began establishing trade with The Gambia. In 1664, the United Kingdom established a colony in The Gambia focused on exporting enslaved people across the Atlantic. During the roughly 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the UK and other European powers may have exported as many as 3 million people from The Gambia.
The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed the short-lived confederation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1994, Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup overthrowing the president and banning political activity. He subsequently won every presidential election until 2016, when he lost to Adama BARROW, who headed an opposition coalition during free and fair elections. BARROW won re-election in December 2021. The Gambia is the only member of the Economic Community of West African States that does not have presidential term limits. Since the 2016 election, The Gambia and the US have enjoyed improved relations. US assistance to the country has supported military education and training programs, capacity building, and democracy-strengthening activities.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -558,10 +558,10 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "President Adama BARROW (since 19 January 2017); Vice President Isatou TOURAY (since 15 March 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government" + "text": "President Adama BARROW (since 19 January 2022); Vice President Isatou TOURAY (since 15 March 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government" }, "head of government": { - "text": "President Adama BARROW (since 19 January 2017); Vice President Isatou TOURAY (since 15 March 2019)" + "text": "President Adama BARROW (since 19 January 2022); Vice President Isatou TOURAY (since 15 March 2019)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Cabinet appointed by the president" diff --git a/africa/gb.json b/africa/gb.json index 244489ed..f5bcbc4d 100644 --- a/africa/gb.json +++ b/africa/gb.json @@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "2,284,912 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "90.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "90.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "90.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "90.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/gh.json b/africa/gh.json index 5dc805ce..18bfc20a 100644 --- a/africa/gh.json +++ b/africa/gh.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first Sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS of the National Democratic Congress won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state. MILLS died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president, John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election. In 2016, Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO of the NPP defeated MAHAMA, marking the third time that Ghana’s presidency has changed parties since the return to democracy." + "text": "
Ghana is a multiethnic country rich in natural resources and is one of the most stable and democratic countries in West Africa. Ghana has been inhabited for at least several thousand years, however, little is known about its early inhabitants. By the 12th century, the gold trade started to boom in Bono (Bonoman) state in what is today southern Ghana, and it became the genesis of Akan power and wealth in the region. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese, followed by other European powers, arrived and contested for trading rights. Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged in the area, among the most powerful were the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north and the Asante (Ashanti) Empire in the south. By the mid-18th century, Asante was a highly organized state with immense wealth; it provided enslaved people for the Atlantic slave trade, and in return received firearms that facilitated its territorial expansion. The Asante resisted increasing British influence in the coastal areas, engaging in a series of wars during the 19th century before ultimately falling under British control. Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first Sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence, with Kwame NKRUMAH as its first leader.
Ghana endured a series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS of the National Democratic Congress won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state. MILLS died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president, John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election. In 2016, Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO of the NPP defeated MAHAMA, marking the third time that Ghana’s presidency had changed parties since the return to democracy. AKUFO-ADDO was reelected in 2020. In recent years, Ghana has taken an active role in promoting regional stability and is highly integrated in international affairs.
Guinea's deep Muslim heritage arrived via the neighboring Almoravid Empire in the 11th century. Following Almoravid decline, Guinea existed on the fringe of several African kingdoms all competing for regional dominance. In the 13th century, the Mali Empire took control of Guinea, encouraging its already growing Muslim faith. After the fall of the West African empires, various smaller kingdoms controlled Guinea. In the 18th century, Fulani Muslims established an Islamic state in central Guinea that represents one of the earliest examples of a written constitution and alternating leadership. While European traders first arrived in the 16th century, it was the French who secured colonial rule in the 19th century.
In 1958, Guinea became independent from France, and Sekou TOURE established an authoritarian regime. TOURE ruled until his death in 1984. After TOURE’s death, General Lansana CONTE staged a coup and seized the government. CONTE organized and won presidential elections in 1993, 1998, and 2003. Upon CONTE's death in December 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seized power, and suspended the constitution. In September 2009, presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally, killing more than 150 people. In early December 2009, CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and exiled to Burkina Faso. In 2010 and 2013 respectively, the country held its first free and fair presidential and legislative elections. Alpha CONDE won the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections. CONDE's first cabinet was the first all-civilian government in Guinean history. In March 2020, Guinea passed a constitutional referendum that extended presidential terms and reset CONDE’s term count, and later that year, Alpha CONDE won a controversial third presidential term. On 5 September 2021, Col Mamady DOUMBOUYA led a military coup by a National Committee of Rally and Development that arrested President CONDE, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the government. DOUMBOUYA is declared President on 17 September 2021. A charter of transition, issued in late September, made DOUMBOUYA transitional president for an undefined period, and on 1 October 2021, he was formally sworn in.
Guinea's deep Muslim heritage arrived via the neighboring Almoravid Empire in the 11th century. Following Almoravid decline, Guinea existed on the fringe of several African kingdoms, all competing for regional dominance. In the 13th century, the Mali Empire took control of Guinea, encouraging its already growing Muslim faith. After the fall of the West African empires, various smaller kingdoms controlled Guinea. In the 18th century, Fulani Muslims established an Islamic state in central Guinea that represents one of the earliest examples of a written constitution and alternating leadership. While European traders first arrived in the 16th century, it was the French who secured colonial rule in the 19th century.
In 1958, Guinea achieved independence from France. Sekou TOURE became Guinea’s first post-independence president; he established a dictatorial regime and ruled until his death in 1984, after which General Lansana CONTE staged a coup and seized the government. He too established an authoritarian regime and manipulated presidential elections until his death in December 2008, when Captain Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seized power, and suspended the constitution. In September 2009, presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally, killing more than 150 people in Conakry, the capital. In early December 2009, CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and exiled to Burkina Faso. In 2010 and 2013 respectively, the country held its first free and fair presidential and legislative elections. Alpha CONDE won the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections. CONDE's first cabinet was the first all-civilian government in Guinean history. In March 2020, Guinea passed a new constitution in a national referendum that changed presidential term limit rules. CONDE argued that, given this change, he was allowed to run for a third term, which he then won in October 2020. On 5 September 2021, Col Mamady DOUMBOUYA led special forces troops in a successful military coup, ousting and arresting CONDE and establishing the National Committee of Rally and Development (CNRD). DOUMBOUYA and the CNRD suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and the legislature. DOUMBOUYA was sworn in as transition president on 1 October 2021, and appointed Mohamed BEAVOGUI as transition prime minister. BEAVOGUI subsequently formed a largely technocratic cabinet. Guinean authorities are attempting to form a National Transition Council, which will act as a transitional legislature.
" + "text": "
Various small kingdoms ruled the area of Cote d'Ivoire between the 15th and 19th centuries, when European explorers arrived and then began to expand their presence. In 1844, France established a protectorate. During this period, many of these kingdoms and tribes fought to maintain their cultural identities - some well into the 20th century. For example, the Sanwi kingdom - originally founded in the 17th century - tried to break away from Cote d’Ivoire and establish an independent state in 1969.
Cote d’Ivoire achieved independence from France in 1960 but has maintained close ties with France. The export and production of cocoa and foreign investment drove economic growth that led Cote d’Ivoire to become one of the most prosperous states in West Africa. In December 1999, a military coup overthrew the government. In late 2000, junta leader Robert GUEI held rigged elections and declared himself the winner. Popular protests forced him to step aside and Laurent GBAGBO was elected. In September 2002, Ivoirian dissidents and members of the military launched a failed coup that developed into a civil war. In 2003, a cease-fire resulted in rebels holding the north, the government holding the south, and peacekeeping forces occupying a buffer zone in the middle. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister. The two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in five months of violent conflict. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters and UN and French forces. In 2015, OUATTARA won a second term. In October 2020, OUATTARA won a controversial third presidential term, despite a two-term limit in the Ivoirian constitution, in an election boycotted by the opposition. Through political compromise with OUATTARA, the opposition did participate peacefully in March 2021 legislative elections and won a substantial minority of seats. Also in March 2021, the International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled on a final acquittal for GBAGBO, who was on trial for crimes against humanity, paving the way for GBAGBO’s June 2021 return to Abidjan.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "28,088,455 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "52.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "52.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1212,7 +1212,7 @@ "text": "308,000 (post-election conflict in 2010-11, as well as civil war from 2002-04; land disputes; most pronounced in western and southwestern regions) (2019)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "954,531 (2020); note - many Ivoirians lack documentation proving their nationality, which prevent them from accessing education and healthcare; birth on Ivorian soil does not automatically result in citizenship; disputes over citizenship and the associated rights of the large population descended from migrants from neighboring countries is an ongoing source of tension and contributed to the country's 2002 civil war; some observers believe the government's mass naturalizations of thousands of people over the last couple of years is intended to boost its electoral support base; the government in October 2013 acceded to international conventions on statelessness and in August 2013 reformed its nationality law, key steps to clarify the nationality of thousands of residents; since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration to eradicate statelessness in West Africa in February 2015, 6,400 people have received nationality papers" + "text": "952,969 (mid-year 2021); note - many Ivoirians lack documentation proving their nationality, which prevent them from accessing education and healthcare; birth on Ivorian soil does not automatically result in citizenship; disputes over citizenship and the associated rights of the large population descended from migrants from neighboring countries is an ongoing source of tension and contributed to the country's 2002 civil war; some observers believe the government's mass naturalizations of thousands of people over the last couple of years is intended to boost its electoral support base; the government in October 2013 acceded to international conventions on statelessness and in August 2013 reformed its nationality law, key steps to clarify the nationality of thousands of residents; since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration to eradicate statelessness in West Africa in February 2015, 6,400 people have received nationality papers; in September 2020, Cote d'Ivoire adopted Africa's first statelessness determination procedure to regularize the status of stateless people" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/ke.json b/africa/ke.json index dd395b56..53ac56fb 100644 --- a/africa/ke.json +++ b/africa/ke.json @@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "54,685,051 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "28.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "29% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "28.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "29% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1234,13 +1234,13 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "280,479 (Somalia), 135,255 (South Sudan), 30,534 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 20,647 (Ethiopia), 7,203 (Burundi) (2021)" + "text": "280,479 (Somalia), 135,255 (South Sudan), 48,284 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 20,647 (Ethiopia), 7,203 (Burundi) (2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "190,000 (election-related violence, intercommunal violence, resource conflicts, al-Shabaab attacks in 2017 and 2018) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "16,820 (2020); note - the stateless population consists of Nubians, Kenyan Somalis, and coastal Arabs; the Nubians are descendants of Sudanese soldiers recruited by the British to fight for them in East Africa more than a century ago; Nubians did not receive Kenyan citizenship when the country became independent in 1963; only recently have Nubians become a formally recognized tribe and had less trouble obtaining national IDs; Galjeel and other Somalis who have lived in Kenya for decades are included with more recent Somali refugees and denied ID cards" + "text": "16,820 (mid-year 2021); note - the stateless population consists of Nubians, Kenyan Somalis, and coastal Arabs; the Nubians are descendants of Sudanese soldiers recruited by the British to fight for them in East Africa more than a century ago; Nubians did not receive Kenyan citizenship when the country became independent in 1963; only recently have Nubians become a formally recognized tribe and had less trouble obtaining national IDs; Galjeel and other Somalis who have lived in Kenya for decades are included with more recent Somali refugees and denied ID cards" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/li.json b/africa/li.json index 2c57e64b..f0542a6e 100644 --- a/africa/li.json +++ b/africa/li.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "
With 28 ethnic groups and languages, Liberia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. For hundreds of years, the Mali and Songhai Empires claimed most of Liberia. Beginning in the 15th century, European traders began establishing outposts along the Liberian coast. Unlike its neighbors, however, Liberia did not fall under European colonial rule. In the early 19th century, the United States began sending freed enslaved people and other people of color to Liberia to establish settlements. In 1847, these settlers declared independence from the United States, writing their own constitution and establishing Africa’s first republic.
Early in Liberia’s history, tensions arose between the Americo-Liberian settlers and the indigenous population. In 1980, Samuel DOE, who was from the indigenous population, led a military coup and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 permitted an election that brought TAYLOR to power. In 2000, fighting resumed. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted President TAYLOR’s resignation. TAYLOR was later convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague for his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. In late 2005, President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF became president after two years of transitional governments; she was the first female head of state in Africa. In 2011, JOHNSON SIRLEAF won reelection but struggled to rebuild Liberia's economy, particularly following the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, and to reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. In 2017, former soccer star George WEAH won the presidential runoff election.
" + "text": "
With 28 ethnic groups and languages, Liberia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. For hundreds of years, the Mali and Songhai Empires claimed most of Liberia. Beginning in the 15th century, European traders began establishing outposts along the Liberian coast. Unlike its neighbors, however, Liberia did not fall under European colonial rule. In the early 19th century, the United States began sending freed enslaved people and other people of color to Liberia to establish settlements. In 1847, these settlers declared independence from the United States, writing their own constitution and establishing Africa’s first republic.
Early in Liberia’s history, tensions arose between the Americo-Liberian settlers and the indigenous population. In 1980, Samuel DOE, who was from the indigenous population, led a military coup and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 permitted an election that brought TAYLOR to power. In 2000, fighting resumed. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted President TAYLOR’s resignation. TAYLOR was later convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague for his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. In late 2005, President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF became president after two years of transitional governments; she was the first female head of state in Africa. In 2011, JOHNSON SIRLEAF won reelection but struggled to rebuild Liberia's economy, particularly following the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, and to reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. In 2017, former soccer star George WEAH won the presidential runoff election, marking the first successful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another since the end of Liberia’s civil wars. Like his predecessor, WEAH has struggled to improve the country’s economy. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2023.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.41% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" @@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.41% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" @@ -1122,7 +1122,8 @@ "text": "150 Mali (MINUSMA) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-35 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2020, women made up about .4% of the active military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "
the first militia unit established for defense of the colony was raised in 1832; the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) traces its origins to the 1908 establishment of the Liberia Frontier Force, which became the Liberian National Guard in 1965; the AFL was established in 1970; at the end of the second civil war in 2003, military and police forces were disbanded and approximately 100,000 military, police, and rebel combatants were disarmed; the AFL began to rebuild in 2003 with US assistance and the first infantry battalion of the restructured AFL was re-activated in late 2007; a second battalion was added in 2008
the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was established in 2003 as a peacekeeping force; at its height, UNMIL was comprised of about 15,000 personnel, including more than 3,000 troops absorbed from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peacekeeping mission; Liberian forces reassumed full control of the country’s security in June of 2016, and the UNMIL mission was ended in 2018
as of 2021, the AFL was comprised mostly of a small ground force consisting of 2 infantry battalions, while the Coast Guard had only a few small patrol boats; the AFL had no aircraft
" diff --git a/africa/lt.json b/africa/lt.json index ca303dc4..79364d99 100644 --- a/africa/lt.json +++ b/africa/lt.json @@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "2,177,740 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "29.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "29.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "29.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "29.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/ly.json b/africa/ly.json index 2d28f846..fbbb9416 100644 --- a/africa/ly.json +++ b/africa/ly.json @@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -504,10 +504,10 @@ "text": "Prime Minister Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH (since 5 February 2021)" }, "cabinet": { - "text": "GNU Presidency Council - consisting of 3 members: Musa al-KONI (representing Libya's south region), Abdullah al-LAFI (representing the west region), and Mohammad Younes MANFI (representing the east region)" + "text": "3-member GNU Presidency Council: Musa al-KONI (representing Libya's south region), Abdullah al-LAFI (representing the west region), and Mohammad Younes MANFI (representing the east region)" }, "elections/appointments": { - "text": "election originally scheduled for 24 December 2021 postponed until at least late January 2022 due to disagreements among the political factions" + "text": "Libya’s first direct presidential election was scheduled for 24 December 2021
" }, "election results": { "text": "on 5 February 2021, a UN-led forum elected - in a runoff - Mohammed Al MENFI chairman, Presidential Council and Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH, prime minister" @@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ }, "Judicial branch": { "highest courts": { - "text": "Libya's judicial system is comprised of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts. The judicial system is factious given the ongoing tension between Libya's eastern and western regions. Since 2011, Libyan political factions and armed groups have targeted judges and courthouses." + "text": "Libya's judicial system consists of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts; the judicial system is factious given the ongoing tension between Libya's eastern and western regions; since 2011, Libyan political factions and armed groups have targeted judges and courthouses" } }, "Political parties and leaders": { diff --git a/africa/ma.json b/africa/ma.json index 72156bfe..9c58c382 100644 --- a/africa/ma.json +++ b/africa/ma.json @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "39.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.26% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "39.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.26% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1148,7 +1148,7 @@ "text": "Madagascar has an all-volunteer military; 18-25 years of age for males; service obligation 18 months; women are permitted to serve in all branches (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "one of the military’s duties is assisting the gendarmerie with maintaining law and order in rural areas, particularly in areas affected by cattle rustling and banditry (2021)
" + "text": "one of the military’s duties is assisting the gendarmerie with maintaining law and order in rural areas, particularly in areas affected by banditry, cattle rustling (cattle thieves are known as dahalo), and criminal groups (2021)
" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/africa/mi.json b/africa/mi.json index 6a296da3..962f3ea6 100644 --- a/africa/mi.json +++ b/africa/mi.json @@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "20,308,502 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "17.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "18% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "17.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "18% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1166,7 +1166,7 @@ "text": "700 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; high school equivalent required for enlisted recruits and college equivalent for officer recruits; initial engagement is 7 years for enlisted personnel and 10 years for officers (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); high school equivalent required for enlisted recruits and college equivalent for officer recruits; initial engagement is 7 years for enlisted personnel and 10 years for officers (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "as of 2021, the Malawi Defense Force’s primary responsibility was external security; it was also tasked as necessary with carrying out policing or other domestic activities, such as disaster relief; Malawi contributes regularly to African Union and UN peace support operations
" @@ -1178,7 +1178,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "32,142 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 12,169 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers), 7,407 (Rwanda) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "32,451 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 12,169 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers), 7,407 (Rwanda) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" } } } diff --git a/africa/ml.json b/africa/ml.json index 3c84d2ac..04e6eaed 100644 --- a/africa/ml.json +++ b/africa/ml.json @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "44.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "45.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "44.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "45.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1156,13 +1156,13 @@ "text": "the FAMa's inventory consists primarily of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years it has received limited quantities of mostly second-hand armaments from more than a dozen countries (2021)" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "note - Mali is part of a five-nation anti-jihadist task force known as the G5 Sahel Group, set up in 2014 with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger" + "text": "Mali is part of a five-nation anti-jihadist task force known as the G5 Sahel Group, set up in 2014 with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger; it has committed 1,100 troops and 200 gendarmes to the force; in early 2020, G5 Sahel military chiefs of staff agreed to allow defense forces from each of the states to pursue terrorist fighters up to 100 km into neighboring countries; the G5 force is backed by the UN, US, and France; G5 troops periodically conduct joint operations with French forces deployed to the Sahel under Operation Barkhane " }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service (men and women); 2-year conscript service obligation (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "prior to the coups in August 2020 and May 2021, the Malian military had intervened in the political arena at least five times since the country gained independence in 1960; two attempts failed (1976 and 1978), while three succeeded in overturning civilian rule (1968, 1991, and 2012); the military collapsed in 2012 during the fighting against Tuareg rebels and Islamic militants; it has been since rebuilt, but continues to have limited capabilities and is heavily reliant on external assistanceIn 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half-century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 75% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - an organization advocating the territory’s independence - and restarted negotiations over the status of the territory in December 2018. On 10 December 2020, the US recognized Morocco's sovereignty over all of Western Sahara.
King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the North Africa region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In September 2015, Morocco held its first direct elections for regional councils, one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in October 2016. In December 2020, Morocco signed a normalization agreement with Israel, similar to those that Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan had concluded with Israel earlier in 2020 .
" + "text": "In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half-century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 75% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - an organization advocating the territory’s independence - and restarted negotiations over the status of the territory in December 2018. On 10 December 2020, the US recognized Morocco's sovereignty over all of Western Sahara.
King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the North Africa region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In September 2015, Morocco held its first direct elections for regional councils, one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in October 2016, but it lost its plurality to the probusiness National Rally of Independents (RNI) in September 2021. In December 2020, Morocco signed a normalization agreement with Israel, similar to those that Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan had concluded with Israel earlier in 2020.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "64.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "64.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -540,10 +540,7 @@ "text": "34 01 N, 6 49 W" }, "time difference": { - "text": "UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" - }, - "daylight saving time": { - "text": "+1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October" + "text": "UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "name derives from the Arabic title \"Ribat el-Fath,\" meaning \"stronghold of victory,\" applied to the newly constructed citadel in 1170" @@ -595,10 +592,10 @@ "text": "King MOHAMMED VI (since 30 July 1999)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister Saad-Eddine al-OTHMANI (since 17 March 2017)" + "text": "Prime Minister Aziz AKHANNOUCH (since 7 October 2021)" }, "cabinet": { - "text": "Council of Ministers chosen by the prime minister in consultation with Parliament and appointed by the monarch " + "text": "Council of Ministers chosen by the prime minister in consultation with Parliament and appointed by the monarch; the monarch chooses the ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Islamic Affairs, and National Defense Administration" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from the majority party following legislative elections" @@ -606,7 +603,7 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "bicameral Parliament consists of:the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; in 2020, there were 98 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region; although a 24% decrease from the total number of incidents in 2019, it included all three hijackings and 9 of 11 ships fired upon worldwide; while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping; in 2020, a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 95% of kidnappings worldwide; approximately 51% of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria, which is a decrease from the 71% in 2019 and an indication pirates are traveling further to target vessels; Nigerian pirates are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-002 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 9 January 2021, which states in part, \"Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea.”
" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "as of early 2022, the Nigerian military was sub-Saharan Africa’s largest and regarded as one of its most capable forces; it was focused largely on internal security and faced a number of challenges that have stretched its resources, however; in the northeast, the military was conducting counterinsurgency/counter-terrorist operations against the Boko Haram (BH) and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) terrorist groups, where it has deployed as many as 70,000 troops at times and jihadist-related violence has killed an estimated 35-40,000 people, mostly civilians, since 2009 (as of late 2021); in the northwest, it faced growing threats from criminal gangs, bandits, and violence associated with historical and ongoing farmer-herder conflicts, as well as BH and ISWA terrorists; bandits in the northwest are estimated to number in the low 10,000s and violence there has killed more than 10,000 since the mid-2010s; the military also continued to protect the oil industry in the Niger Delta region against militants and criminal activity, although the levels of violence there have decreased in recent years; in May 2021, a contingent of military troops and police were deployed to eastern Nigeria to quell renewed agitation for a state of Biafra (Biafra seceded from Nigeria in the late 1960s, sparking a civil war that caused more than 1 million deaths)the Nigerian military traces its origins to the Nigeria Regiment of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the WAFF served with distinction in both East and West Africa during World War I; in 1928, it received royal recognition and was re-named the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF); the RWAFF went on to serve in World War II as part of the British 81st and 82nd (West African) divisions in the East Africa and Burma campaigns; in 1956, the Nigeria Regiment of the RWAFF was renamed the Nigerian Military Forces (NMF) and in 1958, the colonial government of Nigeria took over control of the NMF from the British War Office; the Nigerian Armed Forces were established following independence in 1960
" diff --git a/africa/od.json b/africa/od.json index 6017b706..59780f49 100644 --- a/africa/od.json +++ b/africa/od.json @@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "20.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "20.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "20.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "20.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1028,10 +1028,11 @@ "text": "the SSPDF inventory is primarily of Soviet origin; from 2010 to 2015, Russia and the United Arab Emirates were the leading suppliers of arms and equipment; South Sudan has been under a UN arms embargo since 2018 (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 12-24 months service (2021)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military service; 12-24 months service (2021)", + "note": "note - in 2019, women made up less than 10% of the active military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), was founded as a guerrilla movement against the Sudanese Government in 1983 and participated in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005); the Juba Declaration that followed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 unified the SPLA and the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF), the second-largest rebel militia remaining from the civil war, under the SPLA name; in 2017, the SPLA was renamed the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) and in September 2018 was renamed again as the SSPDFFor much of its history, Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and the Kaabu kingdom. In the 16th century, Portugal began establishing trading posts along Guinea-Bissau’s shoreline. Initially, the Portuguese were restricted to the coastline and islands. However, the slave and gold trade was lucrative to local African leaders, and the Portuguese were slowly able expand their power and influence inland. Starting in the 18th century, the Mali Empire and Kingdom of Kaabu slowly disintegrated into smaller local entities. By the 19th century, Portugal had fully incorporated Guinea-Bissau into its empire.
Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established General Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. VIEIRA's regime suppressed political opposition and purged political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In May 1999, a military mutiny and civil war led to VIEIRA's ouster. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA. In September 2003, a bloodless military coup overthrew YALA and installed businessman Henrique ROSA as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was reelected pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. In June 2009, Malam Bacai SANHA was elected, but he passed away in January 2012 from a long-term illness. In April 2012, a military coup prevented the second-round of the presidential election from taking place. Following mediation from the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS), a civilian transitional government assumed power. In 2014, Jose Mario VAZ won a free and fair election. In June 2019, VAZ became the first president in Guinea-Bissau’s history to complete a full presidential term. After winning the 2019 presidential elections, Umaro SISSOCO EMBALO was sworn in as president.
For much of its history, Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and the Kaabu Kingdom. In the 16th century, Portugal began establishing trading posts along Guinea-Bissau’s shoreline. Initially, the Portuguese were restricted to the coastline and islands. However, the slave and gold trade was lucrative to local African leaders, and the Portuguese were slowly able to expand their power and influence inland. Starting in the 18th century, the Mali Empire and Kingdom of Kaabu slowly disintegrated into smaller local entities. By the 19th century, Portugal had fully incorporated Guinea-Bissau into its empire.
Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established General Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. VIEIRA's regime suppressed political opposition and purged political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In May 1999, a military mutiny and civil war led to VIEIRA's ouster. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA. In September 2003, a bloodless military coup overthrew YALA and installed businessman Henrique ROSA as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was reelected, pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. In June 2009, Malam Bacai SANHA was elected president, but he passed away in January 2012 from a long-term illness. In April 2012, a military coup prevented the second-round of the presidential election from taking place. Following mediation from the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS), a civilian transitional government assumed power. In 2014, Jose Mario VAZ was elected president after a free and fair election. In June 2019, VAZ became the first president in Guinea-Bissau’s history to complete a full presidential term. Umaro Sissoco EMBALO was elected president in December 2019, but he did not take office until February 2020 because of a prolonged challenge to the election results.
the RDF is widely regarded as one of Africa’s best trained and most capable and professional military forces; as of late 2021, over 5,000 RDF personnel were deployed on missions in the African countries of the Central African Republic, Mozambique, and South Sudan
" @@ -1153,7 +1153,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "77,252 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 47,884 (Burundi) (2021)" + "text": "77,116 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 47,884 (Burundi) (2021)" + }, + "stateless persons": { + "text": "9,500 (mid-year 2021)" } } } diff --git a/africa/se.json b/africa/se.json index 7dd0489b..e6328e59 100644 --- a/africa/se.json +++ b/africa/se.json @@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58% of total population (2021)" + "text": "58.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58% of total population (2021)" + "text": "58.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ "text": "the SPDF's inventory primarily consists of Soviet-era equipment delivered in the 1970s and 1980s; since 2010, the SPDF has received limited amounts of more modern equipment (mostly donations of patrol boats and aircraft) from several suppliers led by China and India (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-28 years of age for voluntary military service (18-25 for officers); 6-year initial commitment; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-28 (18-25 for officers) years of age for voluntary military service (including women); 6-year initial commitment; no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "formed in 1977, the SPDF's primary responsibility is maritime security, particularly countering illegal fishing, piracy, and drug smuggling
" diff --git a/africa/sf.json b/africa/sf.json index 7a9d8873..ed5ed427 100644 --- a/africa/sf.json +++ b/africa/sf.json @@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "56,978,635 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1196,7 +1196,7 @@ }, "Military deployments": { "text": "950 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (Oct 2021)", - "note": "note - in 2021, South Africa sent a contingent of about 300 troops to Mozambique as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) force to help quell an insurgency; the South African Government approved a deployment of up to 1,500 troops" + "note": "note - in 2021, South Africa sent a contingent of about 1,500 troops to Mozambique as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) force to help quell an insurgency" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2021)", @@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "23,054 (Somalia), 15,629 (Ethiopia) (2020); 57,595 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "23,054 (Somalia), 15,629 (Ethiopia) (mid-year 2021); 57,595 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "5,000 (2020)" diff --git a/africa/sg.json b/africa/sg.json index 3dc1f5df..d56e312e 100644 --- a/africa/sg.json +++ b/africa/sg.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Senegal is one of the few countries in the world with evidence of continuous human life from the Paleolithic era to present. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Jolof Empire ruled most of Senegal. Starting in the 15th century, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain traded along the Senegalese coast. Senegal’s location on the western tip of Africa made it a favorable base for the European slave trade. European powers used the Senegalese island of Goree as a base to purchase slaves from the warring chiefdoms on the mainland, and at the height of the slave trade in Senegal, over one-third of the Senegalese population was enslaved. In 1815, France abolished slavery and began expanding inland. During the second half of the 19th century, France took possession of Senegal as a French colony. In 1959, the French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan were merged and granted independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. The union broke up after only a few months. In 1982, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never implemented, and the union dissolved in 1989.as of 2021, Senegalese security forces continued to be engaged in a low-level counterinsurgency campaign in the southern Casamance region against various factions of the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of the Casamance; while violent incidents have decreased since a tacit cease-fire was reached in 2012, the insurgency, which began in 1982, remains one of longest running low-level conflicts in the world, claiming more than 5,000 lives and leaving another 60,000 displaced
" diff --git a/africa/sh.json b/africa/sh.json index 5a164d8c..dac2ee4d 100644 --- a/africa/sh.json +++ b/africa/sh.json @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "40.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "40.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "40.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "40.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/sl.json b/africa/sl.json index 8e41cb53..b17008eb 100644 --- a/africa/sl.json +++ b/africa/sl.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Continuously populated for at least 2,500 years, the dense jungle in the area of Sierra Leone allowed the region to remain relatively protected from invaders from empires in West Africa. Traders introduced Sierra Leone to Islam, which occupies a central role in Sierra Leonean culture and history. In the 17th century, the British set up a trading post near present-day Freetown. The trade originally involved timber and ivory, but later expanded to enslaved people. In 1787, following the American Revolution, Sierra Leone became a destination for black British loyalists from the new United States. After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, British ships delivered thousands of liberated Africans to Sierra Leone. During the 19th century, the colony gradually expanded inland.
In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. While Sierra Leone held free and fair elections in 1962 and 1967, Siaka STEVENS - Sierra Leone’s second prime minister - quickly reverted to authoritarian tendencies, outlawing most political parties and ruling from 1967 to 1985. In 1991, Sierra Leonean soldiers launched a civil war against STEVENS’ ruling party. The war caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). In 1998, a Nigerian-led West African coalition military force intervened, installing Tejan KABBAH - who was originally elected in 1996 - as prime minister. In 2002, KABBAH officially announced the end of the war. Since 1998, Sierra Leone has conducted uninterrupted democratic elections.
" + "text": "Continuously populated for at least 2,500 years, the dense jungle in the area of Sierra Leone allowed the region to remain relatively protected from invaders from empires in West Africa. Traders introduced Sierra Leone to Islam, which occupies a central role in Sierra Leonean culture and history. In the 17th century, the British set up a trading post near present-day Freetown. The trade originally involved timber and ivory, but later expanded to enslaved people. In 1787, following the American Revolution, Sierra Leone became a destination for black British loyalists from the new United States. After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, British ships delivered thousands of liberated Africans to Sierra Leone. During the 19th century, the colony gradually expanded inland.
In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. While Sierra Leone held free and fair elections in 1962 and 1967, Siaka STEVENS - Sierra Leone’s second prime minister - quickly reverted to authoritarian tendencies, outlawing most political parties and ruling from 1967 to 1985. In 1991, Sierra Leonean soldiers launched a civil war against STEVENS’ ruling party. The war caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). In 1998, a Nigerian-led West African coalition military force intervened, installing Tejan KABBAH - who was originally elected in 1996 - as prime minister. In 2002, KABBAH officially announced the end of the war. Since 1998, Sierra Leone has conducted uninterrupted democratic elections, dominated by the two main political parties. In 2018, Julius Maada BIO of the Sierra Leone People’s Party won the presidential election that saw a high voter turnout despite some allegations of voter intimidation. The next presidential election is scheduled for March 2023.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/so.json b/africa/so.json index 2e18855d..4c685d09 100644 --- a/africa/so.json +++ b/africa/so.json @@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "46.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "47.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "46.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "47.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1063,7 +1063,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "6,371 (Yemen) (2020)" + "text": "6,979 (Yemen) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "2.968 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; 2011 famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government's allied forces) (2020)" diff --git a/africa/su.json b/africa/su.json index 6425ade3..15a3a52f 100644 --- a/africa/su.json +++ b/africa/su.json @@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "35.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "36% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "35.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "36% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1183,7 +1183,7 @@ "text": "18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory or voluntary military service; 1-2 year service obligation (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "in October 2020, after almost a year of negotiations, Sudan’s transitional government and a broad alliance of armed rebel groups known as the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) signed a peace agreement; the SRF rebels had operated in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile provinces; under the agreement, SRF fighters are to be slowly incorporated into joint units with government security forces over a period of 39 months; however, two rebel groups – the Darfur-based Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which controls territory in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile provinces, are not part of the agreement; in March 2021, the Sudanese Government and the SPLM-N agreed to re-start peace talks
prior to the October 2021 overthrow of the Sovereignty Council, the Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the Sudanese military and security forces have a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exports
in October 2020, after almost a year of negotiations, Sudan’s transitional government and a broad alliance of armed rebel groups known as the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) signed a peace agreement; the SRF rebels had operated in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile provinces; under the agreement, SRF fighters are to be slowly incorporated into joint units with government security forces over a period of 39 months; however, two rebel groups – the Darfur-based Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which controls territory in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile provinces, are not part of the agreement; in March 2021, the Sudanese Government and the SPLM-N agreed to re-start peace talks
prior to the October 2021 overthrow of the Sovereignty Council, the Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the Sudanese military and security forces have a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exports
From the 11th to the 16th centuries, various ethnic groups settled the Togo region. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the coastal region became a major trading center for enslaved people, and the surrounding region took on the name of \"The Slave Coast.\" In 1884, Germany declared a region including present-day Togo as a protectorate called Togoland. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. French Togoland became Togo upon independence in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multi-party elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has been in power almost continually since 1967 and its successor, the Union for the Republic, maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Togo held its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. Since then, President GNASSINGBE has started the country along a gradual path to democratic reform. Togo has held multiple presidential and legislative elections, and in 2019 held its first local elections in 32 years. Despite those positive moves, political reconciliation has moved slowly, and the country experiences periodic outbursts of protests by frustrated citizens that have led to violence between security forces and protesters. Constitutional changes in 2019 to institute a runoff system in presidential elections and to establish term limits has done little to reduce the resentment many Togolese feel after more than 50 years of one-family rule. GNASSINGBE became eligible for his current fourth term and one additional fifth term under the new rules.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "8,283,189 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1164,7 +1164,7 @@ "text": "the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; in 2020, there were 98 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region; although a 24% decrease from the total number of incidents in 2019, it included all three hijackings and 9 of 11 ships fired upon worldwide; while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping; in 2020, a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 95% of kidnappings worldwide; approximately 51% of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria, which is a decrease from the 71% in 2019 and an indication pirates are traveling further to target vessels; Nigerian pirates are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-002 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 9 January 2021, which states in part, \"Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea.”" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for military service; 2-year service obligation; the military is an all-volunteer force (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for military service; 2-year service obligation; no conscription; women have been able to serve since 2007 (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "
the first Togolese Army unit was created in 1963, while the Air Force was established in 1964; the Navy was not established until 1976; since its creation, the Togolese military has a history of interfering in the country’s politics with assassinations, coups, influence, and a large military crackdown in 2005 that killed hundreds; over the past decade, it has made some efforts to reform and professionalize; over the same period, the military has increased its role in UN peacekeeping activities and as of 2021, more than 10% of the Army was deployed on peacekeeping missions; Togolese police have also been deployed on peacekeeping operations, and Togo maintains a regional peacekeeping training center for military and police in Lome; the Navy and Air Force have increasingly focused on combating piracy and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea
" diff --git a/africa/tp.json b/africa/tp.json index fd88d0c4..8a93c8f8 100644 --- a/africa/tp.json +++ b/africa/tp.json @@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "75.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "75.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "75.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "75.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/ts.json b/africa/ts.json index 018c430a..ecf208fd 100644 --- a/africa/ts.json +++ b/africa/ts.json @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "70.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "70.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -534,10 +534,10 @@ "text": "President Kais SAIED (elected 13 October, sworn in 23 October 2019)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister Najla Bouden ROMDHANE (since 11 October 2021)" + "text": "Prime Minister Najla BOUDEN Romdhane (since 11 October 2021)" }, "cabinet": { - "text": "selected by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly of the Representatives of the People" + "text": "selected by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly of the Representatives of the People; note - on 11 October 2021, SAIED and BOUDEN appointed a new cabinet without approval by the suspended parliament" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 15 September 2019 with a runoff on 13 October 2019 (next to be held in 2024); following legislative elections, the prime minister is selected by the winning party or winning coalition and appointed by the president" @@ -548,13 +548,13 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "unicameral Assembly of the Representatives of the People or Majlis Nuwwab ash-Sha'b (Assemblee des representants du peuple) (217 seats; 199 members directly elected in Tunisian multi-seat constituencies and 18 members in multi-seat constituencies living abroad by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - in mid-December 2021, President Kais SAIED announced that the parliament, which he suspended the previous July, would be extended until a general election in December 2022, nearly two years earlier than the expected election date of late October 2024" + "text": "note: on 25 July 2021, President SAIED indefinitely suspended the Assemblyas of 2021, the Tunisian military’s primary operational areas of focus were counter-terrorism, counterinsurgency, and border security; it was conducting counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations against al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Islamic State of ash-Sham (ISIS)-linked militants who have been fighting a low-intensity insurgency, mostly in the mountainous region along the border with Algeria, particularly the Chaambi Mountains near the city of Kasserine; the military maintained the lead role for security in this area and also routinely conducted joint operations with Algerian security forces against these groups, as well to counter smuggling and trafficking activities; the military in recent years also has increased its role in securing the southern border against militant activity, smuggling, and trafficking from war-torn Libya; since 2015, Tunisia has constructed a complex structure of berms, trenches, and water-filled moats, complemented by electronic surveillance equipment such as motion detectors, ground surveillance radars, and infrared sensors along the 220-kilometer border with Libya; in the remote southern areas of the border with Libya, buffer/exclusion zones have also been established where the military has the lead for counter-terrorism efforts; outside of these border areas, the Ministry of Interior has the lead responsibility for counter-terrorism in Tunisia, particularly for urban areas; the National Police Anti-Terrorism Brigade (BAT) and the National Guard Special Unit have the lead for MOI counterterrorism operations
Tunisia has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
the UPDF, which is constitutionally granted seats in parliament, is widely viewed as a key constituency for MUSEVENI; it has been used by MUSEVENI and the NRM to break up rallies, raid opposition offices, and surveil rival candidates
the UPDF has conducted operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo against a Congo-based Ugandan rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department in March 2021 as the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC; see the Terrorist Group Appendix); beginning in 2012, the UPDF also led regional efforts to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a small, violent group of Ugandan origin that conducted widespread attacks against civilians in much of Central Africa; the UPDF withdrew from the mission in 2017 after declaring that the LRA no longer posed a security threat
Uganda intervened in the South Sudan civil war in 2013-2016 and UPDF forces have clashed with South Sudanese forces along the border as recently as 2020
" + "text": "the UPDF, which is constitutionally granted seats in parliament, is widely viewed as a key constituency for MUSEVENI; it has been used by MUSEVENI and the NRM to break up rallies, raid opposition offices, and surveil rival candidates
as of 2021, the UPDF was conducting operations along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (including cross-border operations) against a Congo-based Ugandan rebel group, the Allied Democratic Front (ADF), which was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department in March 2021 as the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC; see the Terrorist Group Appendix); in addition, elements of the UPDF were deployed in the northeast region of Karamoja against cattle rustlers and criminal gangs
beginning in 2012, the UPDF led regional efforts to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a small, violent group of Ugandan origin that conducted widespread attacks against civilians in much of Central Africa; the UPDF withdrew from the mission in 2017 after declaring that the LRA no longer posed a security threat
Uganda intervened in the South Sudan civil war in 2013-2016 and UPDF forces have clashed with South Sudanese forces along the border as recently as 2020
the military traces its history back to the formation of the Uganda Rifles in 1895; the Uganda Rifles were merged with the Central Africa Regiment and the East Africa Rifles to form the King’s African Rifles (“KAR”) in 1902, which participated in both world wars; the UPDF was established in 1995
the Namibian Defense Force (NDF) was created in 1990, largely from demobilized former members of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) and the South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF); PLAN was the armed wing of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), while SWATF was an auxiliary of the South African Defense Force and comprised the armed forces of the former South West Africa, 1977-1989; from 1990-1995, the British military assisted with the forming and training the NDF
" @@ -1184,7 +1185,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "5,641 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "5,702 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" } } } diff --git a/africa/wz.json b/africa/wz.json index aa15dfc1..f51df2bb 100644 --- a/africa/wz.json +++ b/africa/wz.json @@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "1,113,276 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "24.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "24.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "24.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "24.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/africa/za.json b/africa/za.json index cc2ce569..abd2d85d 100644 --- a/africa/za.json +++ b/africa/za.json @@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "19,077,816 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "45.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "45.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "45.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "45.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "64,321 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,087 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "64,821 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,087 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/africa/zi.json b/africa/zi.json index aa61b61d..0eb11269 100644 --- a/africa/zi.json +++ b/africa/zi.json @@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "14,829,988 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "32.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "32.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "32.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "32.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "11,199 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" + "text": "11,756 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/aq.json b/australia-oceania/aq.json index 022d0313..b4823da1 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/aq.json +++ b/australia-oceania/aq.json @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.26% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.26% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/as.json b/australia-oceania/as.json index 6a6e36e9..2d76a2da 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/as.json +++ b/australia-oceania/as.json @@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "86.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "86.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "86.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "86.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1184,10 +1184,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "12,606 (Iran), 10,659 (Afghanistan), 5,416 (Pakistan) (2020)" + "text": "12,701 (Iran), 10,108 (Afghanistan), 5,400 (Pakistan) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "5,221 (2020)" + "text": "5,770 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/bp.json b/australia-oceania/bp.json index 69087d6e..377c964b 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/bp.json +++ b/australia-oceania/bp.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Settlers from Papua arrived on Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to Solomon Islands and the two groups mixed extensively. Despite significant inter-island trade, no attempts were made to unite the islands into a single political entity. In 1568, Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA became the first European to spot the islands. After a failed Spanish attempt at creating a permanent European settlement on the islands in the late 1500s, Solomon Islands remained free of European contact until 1767 when British explorer Philip CARTERET sailed by the islands. The islands were regularly visited by European explorers and American and British whaling ships into the 1800s, followed by missionaries in the 1850s.
Germany declared a protectorate over the northern Solomon Islands in 1885 and the UK established a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893. In 1899, Germany transferred its Solomon Islands to the UK in exchange for the UK relinquishing all claims in Samoa. The UK tried to encourage plantation farming but few Europeans were willing to go to Solomon Islands and the UK left most services - such as education and medical services - to missionaries. In 1942, Japan invaded Solomon Islands and significant battles against Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign proved a turning point in the Pacific war. World War II destroyed large parts of Solomon Islands and a nationalism movement emerged near the end of the war. By 1960, the British relented to allow for some local autonomy. The islands were granted self-government in 1976 and independence two years later under Prime Minister Sir Peter KENILOREA.
In 1999, longstanding ethnic tensions between ethnic Guale in Honiara and ethnic Malaitans in Honiara’s suburbs erupted in civil war, leading thousands of Malaitans to take refuge in Honiara and Guale to flee the city. In 2000, newly-elected Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE focused on peace agreements and distributing resources equally among groups, but his actions bankrupted the government in 2001 and led to SOGAVARE’s ouster. In 2003, Solomon Islands requested international assistance to reestablish law and order. The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which ended in 2017, was generally effective in improving the security situation. In 2006, riots broke out in Honiara and the city’s Chinatown burned over allegations that the prime minister took money from China. SOGAVARE was reelected prime minister for a fourth time following elections in 2019 and that same year announced Solomon Islands would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.
Settlers from Papua arrived on Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to Solomon Islands and the two groups mixed extensively. Despite significant inter-island trade, no attempts were made to unite the islands into a single political entity. In 1568, Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA became the first European to spot the islands. After a failed Spanish attempt at creating a permanent European settlement on the islands in the late 1500s, Solomon Islands remained free of European contact until 1767 when British explorer Philip CARTERET sailed by the islands. The islands were regularly visited by European explorers and American and British whaling ships into the 1800s, followed by missionaries in the 1850s.
Germany declared a protectorate over the northern Solomon Islands in 1885 and the UK established a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893. In 1899, Germany transferred its Solomon Islands to the UK in exchange for the UK relinquishing all claims in Samoa. The UK tried to encourage plantation farming but few Europeans were willing to go to Solomon Islands and the UK left most services - such as education and medical services - to missionaries. In 1942, Japan invaded Solomon Islands and significant battles against Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign proved a turning point in the Pacific war. World War II destroyed large parts of Solomon Islands and a nationalism movement emerged near the end of the war. By 1960, the British relented to allow for some local autonomy. The islands were granted self-government in 1976 and independence two years later under Prime Minister Sir Peter KENILOREA.
In 1999, longstanding ethnic tensions between ethnic Guale in Honiara and ethnic Malaitans in Honiara’s suburbs erupted in civil war, leading thousands of Malaitans to take refuge in Honiara and Guale to flee the city. In 2000, newly-elected Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE focused on peace agreements and distributing resources equally among groups, but his actions bankrupted the government in 2001 and led to SOGAVARE’s ouster. In 2003, Solomon Islands requested international assistance to reestablish law and order. The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which ended in 2017, was generally effective in improving the security situation. In 2006, riots broke out in Honiara and the city’s Chinatown burned over allegations that the prime minister took money from China. SOGAVARE was reelected prime minister for a fourth time following elections in 2019 and that same year announced Solomon Islands would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. In late November 2021, protestors, mostly from the island of Malaita calling for SOGAVARE’s removal and more development in Malaita, sparked rioting in Honiara.
Austronesians settled Fiji around 1000 B.C., followed by successive waves of Melanesians starting around the first century A.D. Fijians traded with Polynesian groups in Samoa and Tonga, and by about 900, much of Fiji was in the Tu’i Tongan Empire’s sphere of influence. The Tongan influence declined significantly by 1200 while Melanesian seafarers continued to periodically arrive in Fiji, further mixing Melanesian and Polynesian cultural traditions. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to spot Fiji in 1643, followed by British explorer James COOK in 1774. Captain William BLIGH plotted the islands in 1789. In the 1800s, merchants, traders, and whalers frequented the islands and the first missionaries arrived in 1835. Rival kings and chiefs competed for power, at times aided by Europeans and their weapons, and in 1865, Seru Epenisa CAKOBAU united many groups into the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti. The arrangement proved weak and a subsequent attempt in 1871 to centralize power as a Kingdom of Fiji also faltered. Fearing a hostile takeover by a foreign power, CAKOBAU ceded Fiji to the UK in 1874.
The first British governor set up a plantation-style economy and brought in more than 60,000 Indians as indentured laborers, most of whom chose to stay in Fiji rather than return to India when their contracts expired. In the early 1900s, society was divided along ethnic lines, with iTaukei (indigenous Fijians), Europeans, and Indo-Fijians living in separate areas and maintaining their own languages and traditions. ITaukei fears of an Indo-Fijian takeover of government delayed independence through the 1960s; Fiji achieved independence in 1970 with agreements in place to allocate parliamentary seats by ethnic groups. Long-serving Prime Minister Kamisese MARA largely balanced these ethnic divisions but concerns about growing Indo-Fijian political influence led to two coups in 1987. A new constitution in 1990 cemented iTaukei control of politics, leading thousands of Indo-Fijians to leave. A reformed constitution in 1997 was more equitable and led to the election of an Indo-Fijian prime minister in 1999, who was ousted in a coup the following year. In 2005, the new prime minister put forward a bill that would grant pardons to the coup perpetrators, leading Commodore Josaia BAINIMARAMA to launch a coup in 2006. BAINIMARAMA appointed himself prime minister in 2007 and continues to hold the position after elections in 2014 and 2018 that international observers deemed credible.
With well-developed infrastructure, Fiji has become a hub for the Pacific, hosting the secretariat for the Pacific Islands Forum and the main campus of the University of the South Pacific. In addition, Fiji is a center for Pacific tourism, and Nadi International Airport is by far the busiest airport in a pacific island country.
Austronesians settled Fiji around 1000 B.C., followed by successive waves of Melanesians starting around the first century A.D. Fijians traded with Polynesian groups in Samoa and Tonga, and by about 900, much of Fiji was in the Tu’i Tongan Empire’s sphere of influence. The Tongan influence declined significantly by 1200 while Melanesian seafarers continued to periodically arrive in Fiji, further mixing Melanesian and Polynesian cultural traditions. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to spot Fiji in 1643, followed by British explorer James COOK in 1774. Captain William BLIGH plotted the islands in 1789. In the 1800s, merchants, traders, and whalers frequented the islands and the first missionaries arrived in 1835. Rival kings and chiefs competed for power, at times aided by Europeans and their weapons, and in 1865, Seru Epenisa CAKOBAU united many groups into the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti. The arrangement proved weak and in 1871 CAKOBAU formed the Kingdom of Fiji in an attempt to centralize power. Fearing a hostile takeover by a foreign power as the kingdom’s economy began to falter, CAKOBAU ceded Fiji to the UK in 1874.
The first British governor set up a plantation-style economy and brought in more than 60,000 Indians as indentured laborers, most of whom chose to stay in Fiji rather than return to India when their contracts expired. In the early 1900s, society was divided along ethnic lines, with iTaukei (indigenous Fijians), Europeans, and Indo-Fijians living in separate areas and maintaining their own languages and traditions. ITaukei fears of an Indo-Fijian takeover of government delayed independence through the 1960s; Fiji achieved independence in 1970 with agreements in place to allocate parliamentary seats by ethnic groups. Long-serving Prime Minister Kamisese MARA largely balanced these ethnic divisions but concerns about growing Indo-Fijian political influence led to two coups in 1987. A new constitution in 1990 cemented iTaukei control of politics, leading thousands of Indo-Fijians to leave. A reformed constitution in 1997 was more equitable and led to the election of an Indo-Fijian prime minister in 1999, who was ousted in a coup the following year. In 2005, the new prime minister put forward a bill that would grant pardons to the coup perpetrators, leading Commodore Josaia BAINIMARAMA to launch a coup in 2006. BAINIMARAMA appointed himself prime minister in 2007 and continues to hold the position after elections in 2014 and 2018 that international observers deemed credible.
With well-developed infrastructure, Fiji has become a hub for the Pacific, hosting the secretariat for the Pacific Islands Forum and the main campus of the University of the South Pacific. In addition, Fiji is a center for Pacific tourism, and Nadi International Airport is by far the busiest airport in a Pacific island country.
New Zealand has been part of the Australia, New Zealand, and US Security (ANZUS) Treaty since 1951; however, the US suspended its ANZUS security obligations to New Zealand in 1986 after New Zealand implemented a policy barring nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered warships from its ports; the US and New Zealand signed the Wellington Declaration in 2010, which reaffirmed close ties between the two countries, and in 2012 signed the Washington Declaration, which provided a framework for future security cooperation and defense dialogues; in 2016, a US naval ship conducted the first bilateral warship visit to New Zealand since the 1980s
New Zealand has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
" diff --git a/australia-oceania/pc.json b/australia-oceania/pc.json index fcf44836..a23f2379 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/pc.json +++ b/australia-oceania/pc.json @@ -150,9 +150,6 @@ "text": "less than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown" }, "Urbanization": { - "urban population": { - "text": "0% of total population (2012)" - }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "NA" } @@ -257,9 +254,6 @@ } }, "Urbanization": { - "urban population": { - "text": "0% of total population (2012)" - }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "NA" } diff --git a/australia-oceania/ps.json b/australia-oceania/ps.json index f9ba4138..b4075fc4 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/ps.json +++ b/australia-oceania/ps.json @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "82% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "82% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/rm.json b/australia-oceania/rm.json index 8459a75e..0b8b0a3a 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/rm.json +++ b/australia-oceania/rm.json @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/tl.json b/australia-oceania/tl.json index 12f768e7..cf7babee 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tl.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tl.json @@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "0% of total population (2021)" + "text": "0% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "0% of total population (2021)" + "text": "0% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/tn.json b/australia-oceania/tn.json index c757c2bc..99d06ef3 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tn.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tn.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The first humans arrived in Tonga around 1000 B.C. The islands’ politics were probably highly centralized under the Tu’i Tonga, or Tongan king, by A.D. 950, and by 1200, the Tu’i Tonga had expanded his influence throughout Polynesia and into Melanesia and Micronesia. The Tongan Empire began to decline in the 1300s, descending into civil wars, a military defeat to Samoa, and internal political strife that saw successive leaders assassinated. By the mid-1500s, some Tu’i Tongans were ethnic Samoan and day-to-day administration of Tonga was transferred to a new position occupied by ethnic Tongans.
Tonga participated in World War I as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, but the Tonga Defense Force (TDF) was not established until 1939 at the beginning of World War II; in 1943, New Zealand helped train about 2,000 Tongan troops who saw action in the Solomon Islands; the TDF was disbanded at the end of the war, but was reactivated in 1946 as the Tonga Defense Services (TDS); in 2013, the name of the TDS was changed to His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga (HMAF); Tongan troops deployed to Iraq from 2004-2008 and Afghanistan to support UK forces from 2010-2014
" diff --git a/australia-oceania/tv.json b/australia-oceania/tv.json index e87fe1b6..74639910 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tv.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tv.json @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "65.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.08% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "65.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.08% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Acting Governor General Teniku TALESI HonoluluBarbados has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security; the RSS is headquartered in Barbados
" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json index fd675643..6e93b2bf 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json @@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "352,655 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "83.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "83.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "83.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "83.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ "note": "note: the Bahamas is a member of the 15-member Caribbean Community but is not party to the agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice as its highest appellate court; the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal for The Bahamas" }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Christopher MORTIMER, interim leader]The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party on 19 April 2021 following the resignation of Raul CASTRO.
The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in July 2015. The embargo remains in place, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense.
Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called \"wet-foot, dry-foot\" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Illicit Cuban migration by sea has since dropped significantly, but land border crossings continue. In FY 2018, the US Coast Guard interdicted 312 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2018, 7,249 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US.
" + "text": "The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European encounter of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He handed off the pesidency in February 2008 to his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party on 19 April 2021 following the retirement of Raul CASTRO, and continues to serve as both president and first secretary.
Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to reestablish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in July 2015. The embargo remains in place, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense.
Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called \"wet-foot, dry-foot\" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Irregular Cuban maritime migration has dropped significantly since FY 2016, when migrant interdictions at sea topped 5,000, but land border crossings continue. In FY 2021, the US Coast Guard interdicted 838 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2021, 39,303 Cuban nationals presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1120,10 +1120,10 @@ "text": "the Cuban military inventory is comprised of ageing Russian and Soviet-era equipment; the last recorded arms delivery to Cuba was by Russia in 2004; in 2019, Russia approved a loan for approximately $43-50 million for Cuba's purchase of spare parts and armored vehicles (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation for men; women may volunteer (2021)" + "text": "17-28 years of age for compulsory (men) and volunteer (men and women) military service; 2-year service obligation for men (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the FAR has a large role in the Cuban economy through several military owned and operated conglomerates, including such sectors as banking, hotels, industry, retail, and tourism (2021)" + "text": "the FAR has a large role in the Cuban economy through several military owned and operated conglomerates, including such sectors as banking, hotels, industry, retail, transportation, and tourism (2021)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json index ebe28734..3bb25cf8 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json @@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "71.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "71.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "71.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "71.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Judith PESTAINA]the National Civilian Police (Ministry of Justice and Public Security) is responsible for maintaining public security, while the Ministry of Defense is responsible for maintaining national security; the constitution separates public security and military functions, but allows the president to use the armed forces in exceptional circumstances to maintain internal peace and public security; Salvadoran presidents have deployed military troops for internal security duties for years, and President BUKELE has continued the tradition; in November 2019, he signed a decree authorizing military involvement in police duties to combat gang violence, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking, as well as assisting with border security; as of 2021, about half of the Army was reportedly deployed in support of the National Police
" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json index 8f1f0292..a9529571 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json @@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "36.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "36.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.86% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "36.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "36.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.86% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "National Democratic Congress or NDC [Nazim BURKE]since the 2000s, the Guatemalan Government has frequently used the Army to support the National Civil Police (PNC; under the Ministry of Government) in internal security operations (as permitted by the constitution) to combat organized crime, gang violence, and narco-trafficking
the military held power during most of the country’s 36-year civil war (1960-1996) and conducted a campaign of widespread violence and repression, particularly against the country’s majority indigenous population; more than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed or disappeared during the conflict
" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json index cbff5d59..f9a8ed2f 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when Christopher COLUMBUS first landed on it in 1492 - were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but relied heavily on the forced labor of enslaved Africans and environmentally degrading practices. In the late 18th century, Toussaint L'OUVERTURE led a revolution of Haiti's nearly half a million slaves that ended France's rule on the island. After a prolonged struggle, and under the leadership of Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, Haiti became the first country in the world led by former slaves after declaring its independence in 1804, but it was forced to pay an indemnity to France for more than a century and was shunned by other countries for nearly 40 years. After the US occupied Haiti from 1915-1934, Francois \"Papa Doc\" DUVALIER and then his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” DUVALIER led repressive and corrupt regimes that ruled Haiti from 1957-1971 and 1971-1986, respectively. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years. On 4 October 2016, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti, resulting in over 500 deaths and causing extensive damage to crops, houses, livestock, and infrastructure. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti continues to experience bouts of political instability.
" + "text": "
The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when Christopher COLUMBUS first landed on it in 1492 - were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but relied heavily on the forced labor of enslaved Africans and environmentally degrading practices. In the late 18th century, Toussaint L'OUVERTURE led a revolution of Haiti's nearly half a million slaves that ended France's rule on the island. After a prolonged struggle, and under the leadership of Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, Haiti became the first country in the world led by former slaves after declaring its independence in 1804, but it was forced to pay an indemnity to France for more than a century and was shunned by other countries for nearly 40 years. After the US occupied Haiti from 1915-1934, Francois \"Papa Doc\" DUVALIER and then his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” DUVALIER led repressive and corrupt regimes that ruled Haiti from 1957-1971 and 1971-1986, respectively. Haiti has long been plagued by natural disasters. In January 2010, a massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years. More recently, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit in August 2021, causing well over 2,000 deaths and about 500,000 needed emergency humanitarian aid. The most recent natural disaster came just two months after the president was assassinated in his own home, leading the country into extra-constitutional territory and contributing to the country’s state of instability. Haiti is currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, as well as one of the most unequal in wealth distribution.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "11,198,240 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ } }, "Religions": { - "text": "Protestant/Methodist/Adventist/Jehovah's Witness 51.8%, Roman Catholic 35.4%, Vodou 1.7%, none 11% (2016-17 est.)", - "note": "note: many Haitians practice elements of Vodou in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; Vodou was recognized as an official religion in 2003" + "text": "Catholic 55%, Protestant 29%, Vodou 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10% (2018 est.)", + "note": "note: 50-80% of Haitians incorporate some elements of Vodou culture or practice in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; Vodou was recognized as an official religion in 2003" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58% of total population (2021)" + "text": "58.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58% of total population (2021)" + "text": "58.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "Acting President Ariel HENRY (since 20 July 2021); note - Prime Minister Ariel HENRY has assumed the responsibilities of president following the assassination of President Jovenel MOISE on 7 July 2021; an election is expected to be held on 7 November 2021; MOISE had been president since 7 February 2017" + "text": "President (vacant); note - Prime Minister Ariel HENRY assumed executive responsibilities, including naming Cabinet members, following the assassination President MOISE on 7 July 2021; new elections have not yet been scheduled." }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Ariel HENRY (since 20 July 2021)" @@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ "text": "Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president; parliament must ratify the Cabinet and Prime Minister's governing policy" }, "elections/appointments": { - "text": "president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a single non-consecutive term); last election originally scheduled for 9 October 2016 but postponed until 20 November 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew" + "text": "president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a single non-consecutive term); last election had been originally scheduled for 9 October 2016 but was postponed until 20 November 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew" }, "election results": { "text": "as of 2021, the primary responsibilities for the TTDF were conducting border and maritime security, providing disaster relief, and countering narcotics trafficking in support of law enforcement
" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json index fa2edf7a..389aacf8 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json @@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "93.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "94% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "93.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "94% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/uc.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/uc.json index f005fabd..e04c4c53 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/uc.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/uc.json @@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "89.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "89% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "89.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "89% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json index ed1b443a..563488f0 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "53.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "53.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Democratic Republican Party or DRP [Anesia BAPTISTE]
as of 2021, Turkmenistan continued to pursue a nationalist and isolationist security policy and has declined to participate in post-Soviet military groupings such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization military alliance (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO); however, in September 2020, it participated in a Russian-led multinational military exercise held in southern Russia’s Astrakhan region alongside Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Mongolian, Syrian, Iranian, Egyptian, Belarusian, Turkish, Armenian, and Azerbaijani contingents
as of 2021, Turkmenistan was trying to improve its naval capabilities on the Caspian Sea by expanding ship building capabilities and adding larger vessels to the Navy’s inventory; in 2018, it opened its first naval shipyard and in August 2021, the Navy commissioned its largest warship, a corvette that was jointly constructed with Turkey
" @@ -1109,7 +1109,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,924 (2020)" + "text": "4,107 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/central-asia/uz.json b/central-asia/uz.json index b91701ae..6bf8f51b 100644 --- a/central-asia/uz.json +++ b/central-asia/uz.json @@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "50.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "50.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "50.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "50.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1123,7 +1123,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "69,791 (2020)" + "text": "59,136 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json index 5f49f116..7db0cb02 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json @@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ "text": "18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for voluntary military service; no conscription (a 2010 law reintroducing conscription has not yet entered into force); 2-year service obligation; male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be stretched to 5 years in an officially declared emergency (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "since the country's founding, the armed forces have been heavily involved in domestic politics and ran the country for five decades following a military coup in 1962; the military controls three key security ministries (Defense, Border, and Home Affairs), one of two vice presidential appointments, 25% of the parliamentary seats, and has a proxy political party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)as of 2021, there were approximately 20 ethnic-based armed groups operating in Burma with strengths of a few hundred up to more than 20,000 estimated fighters; they reportedly controlled about one-third of the country’s territory, primarily in the border regions; key groups included the United Wa State Army, Karen National Union, Kachin Independence Army, Arakan Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army
in 2015, the Burmese Government signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with eight mostly small armed groups, including the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council, Karen National Union, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, and the Shan State Army-South; seven other groups did not sign the NCA, but have since signed bi-lateral ceasefires with the Burmese Government, including the National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Army, New Mon State Army, Karenni Army, National Socialist Council of Nagaland–Khaplang, and the United Wa State Army, which in 2021 was assessed to be the largest and most capable group, with more than 20,000 fighters; others, including the Arakan Army (Chin, Kachin, Rakhine, Shan states), Kachin Independence Army (Kachin state), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (Shan state), Shanni Nationalities Army (Kachin state), and Taang National Liberation Army (Shan state) continued to engage in active insurgent operations against the Burmese Government in 2021; in March 2021, the Karen National Union resumed fighting with the Burmese military
as of 2021, Burma also had a large number (estimates run into the thousands) of armed militias which took many different forms and varied in allegiances and size; most were pro-government and associated with the Tatmadaw; some were integrated within the Tatmadaw’s command structure as Border Guard Forces (BGF); the BGF were organized as 325-man battalions, which included a mix of militia forces, ethnic armed groups, and government soldiers; they were armed, supplied, and paid by the Tatmadaw; other pro-government militias were not integrated within the Tatmadaw command structure, but received direction from the military and were recognized as government militias; the amount of support they received from the Tatmadaw varied depending on local security conditions; the third type of pro-government militias were small community-based units that were armed, coordinated, and trained by local Tatmadaw forces and activated as needed; anti-government militias were typically associated with ethnic-based armed organizations
" + "text": "since the country's founding, the armed forces have been heavily involved in domestic politics, running the country for five decades following a military coup in 1962; prior to the 2021 coup, the military already controlled three key security ministries (Defense, Border, and Home Affairs), one of two vice presidential appointments, 25% of the parliamentary seats, and had a proxy political party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)
as of 2021, there were approximately 20 ethnic-based armed groups operating in Burma with strengths of a few hundred up to more than 20,000 estimated fighters; they reportedly controlled about one-third of the country’s territory, primarily in the border regions; key groups included the United Wa State Army, Karen National Union, Kachin Independence Army, Arakan Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army
in 2015, the Burmese Government signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with eight mostly small armed groups, including the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council, Karen National Union, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, and the Shan State Army-South; seven other groups did not sign the NCA, but have since signed bi-lateral ceasefires with the Burmese Government, including the National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Army, New Mon State Army, Karenni Army, National Socialist Council of Nagaland–Khaplang, and the United Wa State Army, which in 2021 was assessed to be the largest and most capable group, with more than 20,000 fighters; others, including the Arakan Army (Chin, Kachin, Rakhine, Shan states), Kachin Independence Army (Kachin state), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (Shan state), Shanni Nationalities Army (Kachin state), and Taang National Liberation Army (Shan state) continued to engage in active insurgent operations against the Burmese Government in 2021; in March 2021, the Karen National Union resumed fighting with the Burmese military
as of 2021, Burma also had a large number (estimates run into the thousands) of armed militias which took many different forms and varied in allegiances and size; most were pro-government and associated with the Tatmadaw; some were integrated within the Tatmadaw’s command structure as Border Guard Forces (BGF); the BGF were organized as 325-man battalions, which included a mix of militia forces, ethnic armed groups, and government soldiers; they were armed, supplied, and paid by the Tatmadaw; other pro-government militias were not integrated within the Tatmadaw command structure, but received direction from the military and were recognized as government militias; the amount of support they received from the Tatmadaw varied depending on local security conditions; the third type of pro-government militias were small community-based units that were armed, coordinated, and trained by local Tatmadaw forces and activated as needed; anti-government militias were typically associated with ethnic-based armed organizations
" } }, "Transnational Issues": { @@ -1201,7 +1201,7 @@ "text": "505,000 (government offensives against armed ethnic minority groups near its borders with China and Thailand, natural disasters, forced land evictions) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "600,000 (2020); note - Rohingya Muslims, living predominantly in Rakhine State, are Burma's main group of stateless people; the Burmese Government does not recognize the Rohingya as a \"national race\" and stripped them of their citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law, categorizing them as \"non-nationals\" or \"foreign residents\"; under the Rakhine State Action Plan drafted in October 2014, the Rohingya must demonstrate their family has lived in Burma for at least 60 years to qualify for a lesser naturalized citizenship and the classification of Bengali or be put in detention camps and face deportation; native-born but non-indigenous people, such as Indians, are also stateless; the Burmese Government does not grant citizenship to children born outside of the country to Burmese parents who left the country illegally or fled persecution, such as those born in Thailand; the number of stateless persons has decreased dramatically because hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017 to escape violence" + "text": "600,000 (mid-year 2021); note - Rohingya Muslims, living predominantly in Rakhine State, are Burma's main group of stateless people; the Burmese Government does not recognize the Rohingya as a \"national race\" and stripped them of their citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law, categorizing them as \"non-nationals\" or \"foreign residents\"; under the Rakhine State Action Plan drafted in October 2014, the Rohingya must demonstrate their family has lived in Burma for at least 60 years to qualify for a lesser naturalized citizenship and the classification of Bengali or be put in detention camps and face deportation; native-born but non-indigenous people, such as Indians, are also stateless; the Burmese Government does not grant citizenship to children born outside of the country to Burmese parents who left the country illegally or fled persecution, such as those born in Thailand; the number of stateless persons has decreased dramatically because hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017 to escape violence" }, "note": "note: estimate does not include stateless IDPs or stateless persons in IDP-like situations because they are included in estimates of IDPs (2017)" }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json index 0a67e45a..ccd54049 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json @@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "78.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "20,863 (2020); note - thousands of stateless persons, often ethnic Chinese, are permanent residents and their families have lived in Brunei for generations; obtaining citizenship is difficult and requires individuals to pass rigorous tests on Malay culture, customs, and language; stateless residents receive an International Certificate of Identity, which enables them to travel overseas; the government is considering changing the law prohibiting non-Bruneians, including stateless permanent residents, from owning land" + "text": "20,863 (mid-year 2021); note - thousands of stateless persons, often ethnic Chinese, are permanent residents and their families have lived in Brunei for generations; obtaining citizenship is difficult and requires individuals to pass rigorous tests on Malay culture, customs, and language; stateless residents receive an International Certificate of Identity, which enables them to travel overseas; the government is considering changing the law prohibiting non-Bruneians, including stateless permanent residents, from owning land" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json index 3362d676..78054acd 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json @@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "24.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "25.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -435,7 +435,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "24.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "25.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1179,7 +1179,8 @@ "text": "200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 180 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 330 Mali (MINUSMA) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (conscription only selectively enforced since 1993) (2021)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (conscription only selectively enforced since 1993); women may volunteer (2021)", + "note": "note - in 2018, women made up an estimated 6% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "
the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) was re-established in 1993 under the first coalition government from the merger of the Cambodian Government’s military forces (Cambodian People’s Armed Forces) and the two non-communist resistance forces (Sihanoukist National Army, aka National Army for Khmer Independence, and the Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces); thousands of communist Khmer Rouge fighters began surrendering by 1994 under a government amnesty program and the last of the Khmer Rouge forces (National Army of Democratic Kampuchea) were demobilized or absorbed into the RCAF in 1999
" @@ -1191,7 +1192,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "57,444 (2020)" + "text": "57,444 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ch.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ch.json index e58347af..7ec9b620 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ch.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ch.json @@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "62.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "62.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1229,7 +1229,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "303,095 (Vietnam), undetermined (North Korea) (2020)" + "text": "303,107 (Vietnam), undetermined (North Korea) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "undetermined (2021)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/hk.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/hk.json index 34d7fc21..6b61aa8e 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/hk.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/hk.json @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json index b90cdbc4..88d4ec6f 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json @@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "57.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "57.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ }, "Capital": { "name": { - "text": "Jakarta; note - Indonesian lawmakers on 18 January 2022 approved the relocation of the country’s capital from Jakarta to a site in East Kalimantan, a jungle area of Borneo; the move to Nusantara, the name of the new capital, will take several years " + "text": "Jakarta; note - Indonesian lawmakers on 18 January 2022 approved the relocation of the country’s capital from Jakarta to a site in East Kalimantan, a jungle area of Borneo; the move to Nusantara, the name of the new capital, will take several years" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "6 10 S, 106 49 E" @@ -1179,8 +1179,8 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD)), Navy (TNI-Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL), includes Marine Corps (Korps Marinir, KorMar), Naval Aviation Center (PUSPENERBAL)), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU)), National Air Defense Command (Komando Pertahanan Udara Nasional (Kohanudnas)), Armed Forces Special Operations Command (Kopassus), Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), National Army Reserve Component (Komcad)
Japan was disarmed after its defeat in World War II; shortly after the Korean War began in 1950, US occupation forces in Japan created a 75,000-member lightly armed force called the National Police Reserve; the current Self Defense Force was founded in 1954
in addition to having one of the region’s largest and best equipped militaries, Japan’s alliance with the US (signed in 1951) is one of the cornerstones of the country’s security, as well as a large part of the US security role in Asia; as of 2021, nearly 55,000 US troops and other military assets, including aircraft and naval ships, were stationed in Japan and have exclusive use of more than 80 bases and facilities; in exchange for their use, the US guarantees Japan’s security; the Japanese Government provides about $2 billion per year to offset the cost of stationing US forces in Japan
Japan has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; the Singapore Straits saw 23 attacks against commercial vessels in 2020, vessels were boarded in 22 of the 23 incidents, one crew was injured, another taken hostage and two threatened during these incidents
" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent and proof of age); mandatory retirement age 60; women serve in the Malaysian Armed Forces; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent and proof of age); mandatory retirement age 60; women serve in the Malaysian Armed Forces; no conscription (2021)", + "note": "note - in 2020, the Malaysian Armed Forces announced a goal of having 10% of the active military comprised of women" }, "Military - note": { "text": "maritime security has long been a top priority for the Malaysian Armed Forces, but it has received even greater emphasis in the 2000s, particularly anti-piracy operations in the Strait of Malacca and countering Chinese naval incursions in Malaysia’s Economic Exclusion Zone, as well as addressing identified shortfalls in maritime capabilities; as such, it has undertaken modest efforts to procure more modern ships, improve air and maritime surveillance, expand the Navy’s support infrastructure (particularly bases/ports) and domestic ship-building capacities, restructure naval command and control, and increase naval cooperation with regional and international partners; as of 2021, for example, the Navy had 6 frigates fitting out or under construction and scheduled for completion by 2023, which will increase the number of operational frigates from 2 to 8; in addition, it began tri-lateral air and naval patrols with Indonesia and the Philippines in 2017; Malaysia also cooperates closely with the US military, including on maritime surveillance and participating regularly in bilateral and multilateral training exercises
" @@ -1203,10 +1204,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "119,579 (Burma) (2020)" + "text": "120,126 (Burma) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "111,298 (2020); note - Malaysia's stateless population consists of Rohingya refugees from Burma, ethnic Indians, and the children of Filipino and Indonesian illegal migrants; Burma stripped the Rohingya of their nationality in 1982; Filipino and Indonesian children who have not been registered for birth certificates by their parents or who received birth certificates stamped \"foreigner\" are not eligible to attend government schools; these children are vulnerable to statelessness should they not be able to apply to their parents' country of origin for passports" + "text": "112,003 (mid-year 2021); note - Malaysia's stateless population consists of Rohingya refugees from Burma, ethnic Indians, and the children of Filipino and Indonesian illegal migrants; Burma stripped the Rohingya of their nationality in 1982; Filipino and Indonesian children who have not been registered for birth certificates by their parents or who received birth certificates stamped \"foreigner\" are not eligible to attend government schools; these children are vulnerable to statelessness should they not be able to apply to their parents' country of origin for passports" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json index 420c66dd..e9c9314d 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Papua New Guinea (PNG) was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. PNG’s harsh geography consisting of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys, kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s incredible ethnic and linguistic diversity. Agriculture was independently developed by some of these groups. Around 500 B.C., Austronesian voyagers settled along the coast. Spanish and Portuguese explorers periodically visited the island starting in the 1500s but none made it into the country’s interior. American and British whaling ships frequented the islands off the coast of New Guinea in the mid-1800s. In 1884, Germany declared a protectorate - and eventually a colony - over the northern part of what would become PNG and named it German New Guinea; days later the UK followed suit on the southern part and nearby islands and called it Papua. Most of their focus was on the coastal regions, leaving the highlands largely unexplored.
The UK put its colony under Australian administration in 1902 and formalized the act in 1906. At the outbreak of World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea and continued to rule it after the war as a League of Nations Mandate. The discovery of gold along the Bulolo River in the 1920s, led prospectors to venture into the highlands, where they found about 1 million people living in isolated communities. Japan invaded New Guinea in 1941 and reached Papua the following year. Allied victories during the New Guinea campaign pushed out the Japanese, and after the end of the war, Australia combined the two territories into one administration. Sir Michael SOMARE won elections in 1972 on the promise of achieving independence, which was realized in 1975.
A secessionist movement in Bougainville, an island well endowed in copper and gold resources, reignited in 1988 with debates about land use, profits, and an influx of outsiders at the Panguna Copper Mine. Following elections in 1992, the PNG government took a hardline stance against Bougainville rebels and the resulting civil war led to about 20,000 deaths. In 1997, the PNG government hired mercenaries to support its troops in Bougainville, sparking an army mutiny and forcing the prime minister to resign. PNG and Bougainville signed a truce in 1997 and a peace agreement in 2001, which granted Bougainville - including some nearby islands - autonomy. An internationally-monitored nonbinding referendum asking Bougainvilleans to chose independence or greater self rule occurred in November 2019, with 98% of voters opting for independence.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. PNG’s harsh geography consisting of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys, kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s incredible ethnic and linguistic diversity. Agriculture was independently developed by some of these groups. Around 500 B.C., Austronesian voyagers settled along the coast. Spanish and Portuguese explorers periodically visited the island starting in the 1500s but none made it into the country’s interior. American and British whaling ships frequented the islands off the coast of New Guinea in the mid-1800s. In 1884, Germany declared a protectorate - and eventually a colony - over the northern part of what would become PNG and named it German New Guinea; days later the UK followed suit on the southern part and nearby islands and called it Papua. Most of their focus was on the coastal regions, leaving the highlands largely unexplored.
The UK put its colony under Australian administration in 1902 and formalized the act in 1906. At the outbreak of World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea and continued to rule it after the war as a League of Nations Mandate. The discovery of gold along the Bulolo River in the 1920s, led prospectors to venture into the highlands, where they found about 1 million people living in isolated communities. Japan invaded New Guinea in 1941 and reached Papua the following year. Allied victories during the New Guinea campaign pushed out the Japanese, and after the end of the war, Australia combined the two territories into one administration. Sir Michael SOMARE won elections in 1972 on the promise of achieving independence, which was realized in 1975.
A secessionist movement in Bougainville, an island well endowed in copper and gold resources, reignited in 1988 with debates about land use, profits, and an influx of outsiders at the Panguna Copper Mine. Following elections in 1992, the PNG government took a hardline stance against Bougainville rebels and the resulting civil war led to about 20,000 deaths. In 1997, the PNG government hired mercenaries to support its troops in Bougainville, sparking an army mutiny and forcing the prime minister to resign. PNG and Bougainville signed a truce in 1997 and a peace agreement in 2001, which granted Bougainville autonomy. An internationally-monitored nonbinding referendum asking Bougainvilleans to chose independence or greater self rule occurred in November 2019, with 98% of voters opting for independence.
The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. A 21-year rule by Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a \"people power\" movement in Manila (\"EDSA 1\") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts that prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. His administration was marked by increased stability and by progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another \"people power\" movement (\"EDSA 2\") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2004. Her presidency was marred by several corruption allegations but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction following the 2008 global financial crisis, expanding each year of her administration. Benigno AQUINO III was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2010 and was succeeded by Rodrigo DUTERTE in May 2016.
The Philippine Government faces threats from several groups, some of which are on the US Government's Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Manila has waged a decades-long struggle against ethnic Moro insurgencies in the southern Philippines, which led to a peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front and a separate agreement with a break away faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The decades-long Maoist-inspired New People's Army insurgency also operates through much of the country. In 2017, Philippine armed forces battled an ISIS-Philippines siege in Marawi City, driving DUTERTE to declare martial law in the region. The Philippines faces increased tension with China over disputed territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea.
" + "text": "The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. A 21-year rule by Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a \"people power\" movement in Manila (\"EDSA 1\") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts that prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. His administration was marked by increased stability and by progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another \"people power\" movement (\"EDSA 2\") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2004. Her presidency was marred by several corruption allegations but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction following the 2008 global financial crisis, expanding each year of her administration. Benigno AQUINO III was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2010 and was succeeded by Rodrigo DUTERTE in May 2016.
The Philippine Government faces threats from several groups, some of which are on the US Government's Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Manila has waged a decades-long struggle against ethnic Moro insurgencies in the southern Philippines, which led to a peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front and a separate agreement with a break away faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The decades-long Maoist-inspired New People's Army insurgency also operates through much of the country. In 2017, Philippine armed forces battled an ISIS-East Asia siege in Marawi City, driving DUTERTE to declare martial law in the region. The Philippines faces increased tension with China over disputed territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "47.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "48% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "47.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "48% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of:the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; an emerging threat area lies in the Celebes and Sulu Seas between the Philippines and Malaysia where three ships were attacked in 2020; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen
" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-23 years of age (officers 21-29) for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-23 years of age (officers 21-29; 21-26 for women officers) for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2020, women made up about 6% of the active military; women were allowed to enter the Philippine Military Academy and train as combat soldiers in 1993" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the US and Philippines agreed to a mutual defense treaty in 1951; the Philippines has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
as of 2021, the AFP's primary operational focus was on internal security duties, particularly in the south, where several insurgent and terrorist groups operated and up to 60% of the armed forces were deployed; additional combat operations were being conducted against the Communist Peoples Party/New People’s Army, which was active mostly on Luzon, the Visayas, and areas of Mindanaoas of 2021, the Singapore Armed Forces were widely viewed as the best equipped in southeast Asia; the Army was largely based on conscripts and reservists with a small cadre of professional soldiers, while the Air Force and Navy were primarily comprised of well-trained professionals
" + "text": "the SAF's roots go back to 1854 when the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps was formed under colonial rule; the first battalion of regular soldiers, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment, was organized in 1957; the modern SAF was established in 1965; as of 2021, the SAF was widely viewed as the best equipped military in southeast Asia; the Army was largely based on conscripts and reservists with a small cadre of professional soldiers, while the Air Force and Navy were primarily comprised of well-trained professionals
" } }, "Terrorism": { @@ -1126,7 +1126,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,109 (2020)" + "text": "1,109 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json index 5c1a4064..7bf6b317 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json @@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "52.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "52.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "52.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "estimates for the size of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) vary widely; approximately 350,000 active duty personnel (240,000 Army; 65,000 Navy; 45,000 Air Force); est. 20,000 Thai Rangers; est. 5-6,000 Internal Security Operations Command (2021)" + "text": "estimates for the size of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) vary widely; approximately 260,000 active duty personnel (150,000 Army; 65,000 Navy; 45,000 Air Force); est. 20,000 Thai Rangers; est. 5-6,000 Internal Security Operations Command (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the RTARF has a diverse array of foreign-supplied weapons systems, including a large amount of obsolescent or second-hand US equipment; since 2010, Thailand has received military equipment from nearly 20 countries with China, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, and the US as the leading suppliers (2021)" @@ -1198,8 +1198,8 @@ "text": "275 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males register at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation varies by educational qualifications (2021)", - "note": "note - information varies, but conscripts reportedly comprise as much as 50% of the RTARF; around 100,000 males are drafted each year" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); 21 years of age for compulsory military service (men only); males register at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation varies by educational qualifications (2021)", + "note": "note(s) - information varies, but conscripts reportedly comprise as much as 50% of the RTARF; around 100,000 males are drafted each year; as of 2020, women comprised about 8% of active military personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "including the most recent in 2014, the military has attempted more than 20 coups since the fall of absolute monarchy in 1932Thailand has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
" @@ -1217,7 +1217,7 @@ "text": "41,000" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "480,695 (2020) (estimate represents stateless persons registered with the Thai Government; actual number may be as high as 3.5 million); note - about half of Thailand's northern hill tribe people do not have citizenship and make up the bulk of Thailand's stateless population; most lack documentation showing they or one of their parents were born in Thailand; children born to Burmese refugees are not eligible for Burmese or Thai citizenship and are stateless; most Chao Lay, maritime nomadic peoples, who travel from island to island in the Andaman Sea west of Thailand are also stateless; stateless Rohingya refugees from Burma are considered illegal migrants by Thai authorities and are detained in inhumane conditions or expelled; stateless persons are denied access to voting, property, education, employment, healthcare, and driving" + "text": "554,103 (mid-year 2021) (estimate represents stateless persons registered with the Thai Government; actual number may be as high as 3.5 million); note - about half of Thailand's northern hill tribe people do not have citizenship and make up the bulk of Thailand's stateless population; most lack documentation showing they or one of their parents were born in Thailand; children born to Burmese refugees are not eligible for Burmese or Thai citizenship and are stateless; most Chao Lay, maritime nomadic peoples, who travel from island to island in the Andaman Sea west of Thailand are also stateless; stateless Rohingya refugees from Burma are considered illegal migrants by Thai authorities and are detained in inhumane conditions or expelled; stateless persons are denied access to voting, property, education, employment, healthcare, and driving" }, "note": "note: Thai nationality was granted to more than 23,000 stateless persons between 2012 and 2016; in 2016, the Government of Thailand approved changes to its citizenship laws that could make 80,000 stateless persons eligible for citizenship, as part of its effort to achieve zero statelessness by 2024 (2018)" }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/tt.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/tt.json index 35ef994c..3452b174 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/tt.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/tt.json @@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "32.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "32.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json index 81b4af6c..f2bffc73 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json @@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "79.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "79.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "79.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "79.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -993,7 +993,8 @@ "text": "the Taiwan military is armed mostly with second-hand weapons and equipment provided by the US; Taiwan also has a domestic defense industry capable of building and upgrading a range of weapons systems, including surface naval craft and submarines (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "starting with those born in 1994, males 18-36 years of age may volunteer for military service or must complete 4 months of compulsory military training (or substitute civil service in some cases); men born before December 1993 are required to complete compulsory service for 1 year (military or civil); men are subject to training recalls up to four times for periods not to exceed 20 days for 8 years after discharge; women may enlist, but are restricted to noncombat roles in most cases; as part of its transition to an all-volunteer military in December 2018, the last cohort of one-year military conscripts completed their service obligations (2021)" + "text": "starting with those born in 1994, males 18-36 years of age may volunteer for military service or must complete 4 months of compulsory military training (or substitute civil service in some cases); men born before December 1993 are required to complete compulsory service for 1 year (military or civil); men are subject to training recalls up to four times for periods not to exceed 20 days for 8 years after discharge; women may enlist, but are restricted to noncombat roles in most cases; as part of its transition to an all-volunteer military in December 2018, the last cohort of one-year military conscripts completed their service obligations (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2018, women made up about 14% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the US Taiwan Relations Act of April 1979 states that the US shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and shall maintain the capacity of the US to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan (2021)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json index 44d1f4b3..c64c0866 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "38.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "38.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "32,890 (2020); note - Vietnam's stateless ethnic Chinese Cambodian population dates to the 1970s when thousands of Cambodians fled to Vietnam to escape the Khmer Rouge and were no longer recognized as Cambodian citizens; Vietnamese women who gave up their citizenship to marry foreign men have found themselves stateless after divorcing and returning home to Vietnam; the government addressed this problem in 2009, and Vietnamese women are beginning to reclaim their citizenship" + "text": "30,581 (mid-year 2021); note - Vietnam's stateless ethnic Chinese Cambodian population dates to the 1970s when thousands of Cambodians fled to Vietnam to escape the Khmer Rouge and were no longer recognized as Cambodian citizens; Vietnamese women who gave up their citizenship to marry foreign men have found themselves stateless after divorcing and returning home to Vietnam; the government addressed this problem in 2009, and Vietnamese women are beginning to reclaim their citizenship" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/europe/al.json b/europe/al.json index 8184da6b..1137c153 100644 --- a/europe/al.json +++ b/europe/al.json @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1116,7 +1116,8 @@ "text": "the Albanian military was previously equipped with mostly Soviet-era weapons that were sold or destroyed; its inventory now includes a mix of mostly donated and second-hand European and US equipment; since 2010, it has received limited amounts of equipment from France, Germany, and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age in case of general/partial compulsory mobilization; conscription abolished 2010 (2021)" + "text": "19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age in case of general/partial compulsory mobilization; conscription abolished 2010 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2020, women comprised about 14% of the military's full-time personnel, including 20% of the officers" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Albania officially became a member of NATO in 2009" @@ -1134,7 +1135,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,031 (2020)" + "text": "1,528 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 11,827 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-January 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/an.json b/europe/an.json index dbeb4687..1a83cab0 100644 --- a/europe/an.json +++ b/europe/an.json @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/au.json b/europe/au.json index 41949050..d773103d 100644 --- a/europe/au.json +++ b/europe/au.json @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "59% of total population (2021)" + "text": "59.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "59% of total population (2021)" + "text": "59.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1149,7 +1149,8 @@ "text": "290 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 340 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); 170 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (6 months), or optionally, alternative civil/community service (9 months); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service; in a January 2012 referendum, a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system (2021)" + "text": "registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (6 months), or optionally, alternative civil/community service (9 months); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service; in a January 2012 referendum, a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 4% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Austria is constitutionally non-aligned, but is an EU member and actively participates in EU peacekeeping and crisis management operations under the Common Security and Defense Policy; Austria is not a member of NATO, but joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework in 1995 and participates in NATO-led crisis management and peacekeeping operations; as of 2021, more than 100,000 Austrian military and civilian personnel have taken part in more than 50 international peace support and humanitarian missions since 1960
" @@ -1167,10 +1168,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "54,903 (Syria), 40,096 (Afghanistan), 9,152 (Iraq), 8,074 (Somalia), 7,513 (Russia), 6,878 (Iran) (2020)" + "text": "57,887 (Syria), 41,037 (Afghanistan), 9,661 (Iraq), 8,212 (Somalia), 7,046 (Iran), 7,003 (Russia) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,267 (2020)" + "text": "3,229 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/be.json b/europe/be.json index d132c964..0fce2740 100644 --- a/europe/be.json +++ b/europe/be.json @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "98.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "98.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "98.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "98.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1139,7 +1139,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 1995 (2021)", - "note": "note - in 2020, women comprised about 9% of the Belgian military" + "note": "note - in 2020, women comprised about 9% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Belgium is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are comprised of the former Bosnian-Croat Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Vojska Federacije Bosne i Hercegovin, VF) and the Bosnian-Serb Republic of Serbia Army (Vojska Republike Srpske, VRS); the two forces were unified under the 2003 Law on Defense, which also established the country’s Ministry of Defense
Bosnia and Herzegovina joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 2007 and was invited to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan in 2010; as of 2021, NATO maintained a military headquarters in Sarajevo with the mission of assisting Bosnia and Herzegovina with the PfP program and promoting closer integration with NATO, as well as providing logistics and other support to the European Union Force deployed there
" @@ -1153,7 +1154,7 @@ "text": "99,000 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks displaced by inter-ethnic violence, human rights violations, and armed conflict during the 1992-95 war) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "66 (2020)" + "text": "149 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 85,908 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/bo.json b/europe/bo.json index 9556d517..5ad89f55 100644 --- a/europe/bo.json +++ b/europe/bo.json @@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "79.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "80.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "79.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "80.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "6,296 (2020)" + "text": "6,104 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/europe/bu.json b/europe/bu.json index df672cf0..8b6d1974 100644 --- a/europe/bu.json +++ b/europe/bu.json @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76% of total population (2021)" + "text": "76.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76% of total population (2021)" + "text": "76.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1156,7 +1156,8 @@ "text": "the Bulgarian Armed Forces inventory consists primarily of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years Bulgaria has procured limited amounts of more modern weapons systems from Western countries, including France, Italy, Norway, and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in 2007; service obligation 6-9 months (2021)" + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in 2007; service obligation 6-9 months (2021)", + "note": "note - in 2021, women comprised about 17% of the Bulgarian military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Bulgaria officially became a member of NATO in 2004" @@ -1174,10 +1175,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "18,310 (Syria) (2020)" + "text": "19,014 (Syria) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,141 (2020)" + "text": "1,143 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 67,634 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-November 2021); Bulgaria is predominantly a transit country" }, diff --git a/europe/cy.json b/europe/cy.json index 87704de3..0abce4fb 100644 --- a/europe/cy.json +++ b/europe/cy.json @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "66.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "66.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.76% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "66.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "66.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.76% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1148,7 +1148,7 @@ "text": "Cypriot National Guard (CNG): 18-50 years of age for compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of age for voluntary service; 14-month service obligation (2021)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was set up in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island and bring about a return to normal conditions; the UNFICYP mission had about 1,000 personnel as of August 2021" + "text": "the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was set up in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island and bring about a return to normal conditions; the UNFICYP mission had about 1,000 personnel as of November 2021" } }, "Terrorism": { @@ -1163,13 +1163,13 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "8,797 (Syria) (2020)" + "text": "9,820 (Syria) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "228,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced since 1974) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "56 (2020)" + "text": "66 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 31,219 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/da.json b/europe/da.json index 060317f4..665e6911 100644 --- a/europe/da.json +++ b/europe/da.json @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "88.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "88.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.54% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "88.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "88.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.54% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1135,11 +1135,12 @@ "text": "the Danish military inventory is comprised of a mix of modern European, US, and domestically-produced equipment; the US is the largest supplier of military equipment to Denmark since 2010; the Danish defense industry is active in the production of naval vessels, defense electronics, and subcomponents of larger weapons systems, such as the US F-35 fighter aircraft (2021)" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "140 Middle East/Iraq (NATO) (2021)" + "text": "140 Middle East/Iraq (NATO) (2021)", + "note": "note - in early 2022, Denmark deployed about 90 troops to Mali to assist French-led international counterterrorist operations against Islamic militants; the troops are scheduled to remain until 2023" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months depending on specialization; former conscripts are assigned to mobilization units; women eligible to volunteer for military service; in addition to full time employment, the Danish Military offers reserve contracts in all three branches (2021)", - "note": "note(s) - women have been able serve in all military occupations, including combat arms, since 1988; conscientious objectors can choose to instead serve 6 months in a non-military position, for example in Beredskabsstyrelsen (dealing with non-military disasters like fires, flood, pollution, etc.) or overseas foreign aid work" + "note": "note(s) - women have been able serve in all military occupations, including combat arms, since 1988; as of 2019, they made up about 8% of the military's full-time personnel; conscientious objectors can choose to instead serve 6 months in a non-military position, for example in Beredskabsstyrelsen (dealing with non-military disasters like fires, flood, pollution, etc.) or overseas foreign aid work" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Denmark is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949
Denmark is a member of the EU, but opted out of the EU’s Common Defense and Security Policy, and therefore does not participate in EU military operations or in the cooperation on development and acquisition of military capabilities within the EU framework
the Danish Armed Forces cooperate closely with the militaries of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009
EU Battlegroups are rapid reaction multinational military units that form a key part of the EU's capacity to respond to emerging crises and conflicts; their deployment is subject to a unanimous decision by the EU Council; the core of a battlegroup typically consists of one infantry battalion (about 1,500 troops) reinforced with combat and combat service support units; the composition of the supporting units may differ depending on the mission; the troops and equipment are drawn from EU member states and under the direction of a lead nation; 2 battlegroups are always on standby for a period of 6 months; the battlegroups were declared operational in 2007, but have never been used operationally due to political and financial obstacles
the EU partners with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); NATO is an alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe; its role is to safeguard the security of its member countries by political and military means; NATO conducts crisis management and peacekeeping missions; member countries that participate in the military aspect of the Alliance contribute forces and equipment, which remain under national command and control until a time when they are required by NATO for a specific purpose (i.e. conflict or crisis, peacekeeping); NATO, however, does possess some common capabilities owned and operated by the Alliance, such as the early warning radar aircraft; relations between NATO and the EU were institutionalized in the early 2000s, building on steps taken during the 1990s to promote greater European responsibility in defense matters; cooperation and coordination covers a broad array of issues, including crisis management, defense and political consultations, civil preparedness, capacity building, military capabilities, maritime security, planning, cyber defense, countering hybrid threats, information sharing, logistics, defense industry, counterterrorism, etc.; NATO and the EU have 21 member countries in common
Eurocorps, which supports both the EU and NATO, was formally established in 1992 and activated the following year; it originated in 1987 with the French-German Brigade; Belgium (1993), Spain (1994), and Luxembourg (1996) joined over the next few years; five additional countries participate in Eurocorps as associated nations: Greece, Poland, and Turkey (since 2002), Italy and Romania (since 2009 and 2016 respectively); Eurocorps is headquartered in Strasbourg, France
the Irish Defense Forces trace their origins back to the Irish Volunteers, which was established in 1913; the Irish Volunteers took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921
Ireland has a long-standing policy of military neutrality; however, it participates in international peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, as well as crisis management; Ireland is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and has committed a battalion of troops to the EU’s Rapid Reaction Force; Ireland is not a member of NATO, but has a relationship going back to 1997 when it deployed personnel in support of the NATO-led peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ireland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1999; Ireland has been an active participate in UN peacekeeping operations since the 1950s
" @@ -1148,7 +1149,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "106 (2020)" + "text": "107 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/europe/en.json b/europe/en.json index f84d943f..08c57233 100644 --- a/europe/en.json +++ b/europe/en.json @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "69.6% of total population (2021)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "69.6% of total population (2021)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1153,7 +1153,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "men 18-27 for compulsory military or governmental service, conscript service requirement 8-11 months depending on education; NCOs, reserve officers, and specialists serve 11 months; women can volunteer and as of 2018, women could serve in any branch of the military (2021)", - "note": "note(s) - conscripts comprise about half (approximately 3,000-3,300) of the Estonian military's 6,500 active personnel and serve in all branches, except for the Air Force, which does not have conscripts; in 2020, women comprised about 10% of the professional military force" + "note": "note(s) - conscripts comprise about half (approximately 3,000-3,300) of the Estonian military's 6,500 active personnel and serve in all branches, except for the Air Force, which does not have conscripts; in 2020, women comprised about 10% of the full-time professional military force" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Estonia officially became a member of NATO in 2004since 2017, Estonia has hosted a multi-national NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; the battlegroup is led by the UK and had about 800 troops on a continuous rotational basis as of 2021
NATO also has provided air protection for Estonia since 2004 through its Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on 4-month rotations; NATO fighter aircraft have been hosted at Estonia’s Ämari Air Base since 2014
" @@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "73,214 (2020); note - following independence in 1991, automatic citizenship was restricted to those who were Estonian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants; thousands of ethnic Russians remained stateless when forced to choose between passing Estonian language and citizenship tests or applying for Russian citizenship; one reason for demurring on Estonian citizenship was to retain the right of visa-free travel to Russia; stateless residents can vote in local elections but not general elections; stateless parents who have been lawful residents of Estonia for at least five years can apply for citizenship for their children before they turn 15 years old" + "text": "71,873 (mid-year 2021); note - following independence in 1991, automatic citizenship was restricted to those who were Estonian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants; thousands of ethnic Russians remained stateless when forced to choose between passing Estonian language and citizenship tests or applying for Russian citizenship; one reason for demurring on Estonian citizenship was to retain the right of visa-free travel to Russia; stateless residents can vote in local elections but not general elections; stateless parents who have been lawful residents of Estonia for at least five years can apply for citizenship for their children before they turn 15 years old" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/ez.json b/europe/ez.json index 7929b619..38c8c328 100644 --- a/europe/ez.json +++ b/europe/ez.json @@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "74.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "74.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1140,7 +1140,8 @@ "text": "the Czechia military has small numbers of troops deployed under EU, NATO, and UN command in several countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, and Mali (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription abolished 2004 (2021)" + "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription abolished 2004 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Czechia joined NATO in 1999; Czechia, Hungary, and Poland were invited to begin accession talks at NATO's Madrid Summit in 1997, and in March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join the Alliance" @@ -1152,7 +1153,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,492 (2020)" + "text": "1,498 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/fi.json b/europe/fi.json index 1ee44dd0..c545c245 100644 --- a/europe/fi.json +++ b/europe/fi.json @@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "85.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "85.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "85.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "85.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "at age 18, all Finnish men are obligated to serve 5.5-12 months of service within a branch of the military or the Border Guard (length of service depends on the type of duty), and women 18-29 may volunteer for service; there is also an option to perform non-military service which lasts for 8.5 or 11.5 months; after completing their initial conscript obligation, individuals enter the reserves and remain eligible for mobilization until the age of 50 for rank-and-file and 60 for non-commissioned and commissioned officers (2021)", - "note": "note(s) - Finland trains approximately 21,000 conscripts each year; since 2017, between 1,000 and 1,700 women have volunteered for military service annually" + "note": "note(s) - Finland trains approximately 21,000 conscripts each year; since 2017, between 1,000 and 1,700 women have volunteered for military service annually; as of 2019, women made up about 4% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Finland is not a member of NATO, but the two actively cooperate in peace-support operations, exercise together, and exchange analysis and information; Finland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994; Finnish Armed Forces participated in NATO-led military operations and missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq
Finland is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and actively participates in CSDP crisis management missions and operations
the Finnish Armed Forces closely cooperate with the militaries of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009
" @@ -1156,10 +1156,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "8,398 (Iraq) (2020)" + "text": "9,053 (Iraq) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,428 (2020)" + "text": "3,416 (mid-year 2021)" } } } diff --git a/europe/fo.json b/europe/fo.json index 1bc995a7..6b1f0e6f 100644 --- a/europe/fo.json +++ b/europe/fo.json @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "42.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "42.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "42.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/fr.json b/europe/fr.json index ea59f9a6..3efa51f8 100644 --- a/europe/fr.json +++ b/europe/fr.json @@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1206,7 +1206,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "the French military has approximately 205,000 active duty troops (115,000 Army; 35,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force; 15,000 other, such as joint staffs, medical service, etc.); approximately 100,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 75,000 National Guard (2021)" + "text": "the French military has approximately 205,000 active duty troops (115,000 Army; 35,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force; 15,000 other, such as joint staffs, administration, logistics, procurement, medical service, etc.); approximately 100,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 75,000 National Guard (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the French military's inventory consists almost entirely of domestically-produced weapons systems, including some jointly-produced with other European countries; there is a limited mix of armaments from other Western countries, particularly the US; France has a defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems (2021)" @@ -1235,10 +1235,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "31,546 (Afghanistan), 23,764 (Sri Lanka), 21,849 (Syria), 20,236 (Sudan), 18,332 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 16,775 (Russia), 14,268 (Serbia and Kosovo), 13,277 (Guinea), 12,459 (Turkey), 10,894 (Cambodia), 9,075 (Iraq), 8,343 (China), 7,6,71 (Vietnam), 7,318 (Eritrea), 7,023 (Cote d'Ivoire), 6,496 (Bangladesh), 6,397 (Laos), 6,229 (Albania), 5,891 (Mauritania), 5,774 (Somalia), 5,576 (Mali) (2020)" + "text": "37,744 (Afghanistan), 23,980 (Sri Lanka), 23,510 (Syria), 21,070 (Sudan), 19,007 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 16,995 (Russia), 15,090 (Guinea), 14,296 (Serbia and Kosovo), 13,180 (Turkey), 10,849 (Cambodia), 9,328 (Iraq) 8,519 (China), 8,338 (Cote d'Ivoire), 8,218 (Eritrea), 7,628 (Vietnam), 6,947 (Bangladesh), 6,649 (Somalia), 6,642 (Albania), 6,371 (Laos), 6,074 (Mauritania), 5,908 (Mali) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "2,068 (2020)" + "text": "2,094 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/gi.json b/europe/gi.json index 15900071..4268671e 100644 --- a/europe/gi.json +++ b/europe/gi.json @@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" @@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" diff --git a/europe/gk.json b/europe/gk.json index 767b5c3f..25a0152b 100644 --- a/europe/gk.json +++ b/europe/gk.json @@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/gm.json b/europe/gm.json index 1dfc9a4d..cc3581bd 100644 --- a/europe/gm.json +++ b/europe/gm.json @@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -566,14 +566,15 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of:Italy is an active participant in EU, NATO, UN, and other multinational military, security, and humanitarian operations abroad; as of 2021, it hosted the headquarters for the EU’s Mediterranean naval operations force (EUNAVFOR-MED) in Rome and the US Navy’s 6th Fleet in Naples; Italy was admitted to the UN in 1955 and in 1960 participated in its first UN peacekeeping mission, the UN Operation in Congo (ONUC); since 1960, it has committed more than 60,000 troops to UN missions, and as of 2021, was the top supplier of military and police forces among Western and EU nations to UN peacekeeping operations; since 2006, Italy has hosted a training center in Vicenza for police personnel destined for peacekeeping missions
" @@ -1197,10 +1198,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "18,473 (Nigeria), 14,484 (Pakistan), 12,096 (Afghanistan), 10,063 (Mali), 7,704 (Somalia), 5,740 (Gambia) (2020)" + "text": "19,441 (Nigeria), 15,337 (Pakistan), 12,962 (Afghanistan), 10,609 (Mali), 7,901 (Somalia), 5,845 (Gambia), 5,079 (Iraq) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,000 (2020)" + "text": "3,000 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 591,119 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/je.json b/europe/je.json index dfb649f9..db3ab045 100644 --- a/europe/je.json +++ b/europe/je.json @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "31% of total population (2021)" + "text": "31.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/lg.json b/europe/lg.json index ed9c55be..b347fcfb 100644 --- a/europe/lg.json +++ b/europe/lg.json @@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "68.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "68.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1154,7 +1154,8 @@ "text": "the Latvian military's inventory is limited and consists of a mixture of Soviet-era and more modern--mostly second-hand--European and US equipment; since 2010, it has received limited amounts of equipment from several European countries, as well as the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (abolished 2007) (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (abolished 2007) (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women comprised about 16% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Latvia officially became a member of NATO in 2004since 2017, Latvia has hosted a multi-national NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; the battlegroup is led by Canada and had about 1,500 troops on a continuous rotational basis as of 2021
NATO also has provided air protection for Latvia since 2004 through its Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on 4-month rotations
" @@ -1166,7 +1167,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "209,167 (2020); note - individuals who were Latvian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants were recognized as Latvian citizens when the country's independence was restored in 1991; citizens of the former Soviet Union residing in Latvia who have neither Latvian nor other citizenship are considered non-citizens (officially there is no statelessness in Latvia) and are entitled to non-citizen passports; children born after Latvian independence to stateless parents are entitled to Latvian citizenship upon their parents' request; non-citizens cannot vote or hold certain government jobs and are exempt from military service but can travel visa-free in the EU under the Schengen accord like Latvian citizens; non-citizens can obtain naturalization if they have been permanent residents of Latvia for at least five years, pass tests in Latvian language and history, and know the words of the Latvian national anthem" + "text": "209,168 (mid-year 2021); note - individuals who were Latvian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants were recognized as Latvian citizens when the country's independence was restored in 1991; citizens of the former Soviet Union residing in Latvia who have neither Latvian nor other citizenship are considered non-citizens (officially there is no statelessness in Latvia) and are entitled to non-citizen passports; children born after Latvian independence to stateless parents are entitled to Latvian citizenship upon their parents' request; non-citizens cannot vote or hold certain government jobs and are exempt from military service but can travel visa-free in the EU under the Schengen accord like Latvian citizens; non-citizens can obtain naturalization if they have been permanent residents of Latvia for at least five years, pass tests in Latvian language and history, and know the words of the Latvian national anthem" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/lh.json b/europe/lh.json index 874d9a53..02f5c53b 100644 --- a/europe/lh.json +++ b/europe/lh.json @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "68.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "68.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1170,7 +1170,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "19-26 years of age for conscripted military service (males); 9-month service obligation; in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008; 18-38 for voluntary service (male and female) (2021)", - "note": "note - Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system" + "note": "note(s) - Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system; as of 2019, women comprised about 12% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Lithuania officially became a member of NATO in 2004since 2017, Lithuania has hosted a multi-national NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; the battlegroup is led by Germany and had about 1,250 troops on a continuous rotational basis as of 2021
NATO also has provided air protection for Lithuania since 2004 through its Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on 4-month rotations; NATO fighter aircraft are hosted at Lithuania’s Šiauliai Air Base
" @@ -1182,7 +1182,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "2,720 (2020)" + "text": "2,721 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/lo.json b/europe/lo.json index 7817fc6b..b75e6cdf 100644 --- a/europe/lo.json +++ b/europe/lo.json @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "53.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.17% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "53.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "53.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.17% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1118,7 +1118,8 @@ "text": "240 Cyprus (UNFICYP); up to 175 Latvia (NATO) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription in peacetime suspended in 2004; women are eligible to serve (2021)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription in peacetime suspended in 2004; women are eligible to serve (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up around 12% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Slovakia officially became a member of NATO in 2004" @@ -1130,7 +1131,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,532 (2020)" + "text": "1,532 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/ls.json b/europe/ls.json index 11149ffe..5af1b013 100644 --- a/europe/ls.json +++ b/europe/ls.json @@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "14.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "14.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "14.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "14.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/lu.json b/europe/lu.json index 0527c642..d5da8ada 100644 --- a/europe/lu.json +++ b/europe/lu.json @@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "91.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "91.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "91.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "91.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1094,7 +1094,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of Luxembourg's Army is a mix of European and US equipment; since 2010, it has received small quantities of equipment from Germany, Norway, and Sweden (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 1969); Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2021)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 1969); Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 8% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Luxembourg is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949" @@ -1106,7 +1107,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "194 (2020)" + "text": "194 (mid-year 2021)" } } } diff --git a/europe/md.json b/europe/md.json index a5dc023f..34fbfb37 100644 --- a/europe/md.json +++ b/europe/md.json @@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1129,7 +1129,8 @@ "text": "the Moldovan military's inventory is limited and almost entirely comprised of older Russian and Soviet-era equipment; since 2000, it has received small amounts of donated material from other nations, including the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; male registration required at age 16; 1-year service obligation (2021)" + "text": "18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; male registration required at age 16; 1-year service obligation (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 20% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Moldova is constitutionally neutral, but has maintained a relationship with NATO since 1992; bilateral cooperation started when Moldova joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994; Moldova has contributed small numbers of troops to NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) since 2014, and a civilian NATO liaison office was established in Moldova in 2017 at the request of the Moldovan Government to promote practical cooperation and facilitate support (2021)" @@ -1144,7 +1145,7 @@ "text": "6,779 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,405 (2020)" + "text": "3,372 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/mj.json b/europe/mj.json index fe2077a7..1ec9fcef 100644 --- a/europe/mj.json +++ b/europe/mj.json @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "67.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "68.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1151,7 +1151,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of the Armed Forces of Montenegro is small and consists mostly of equipment inherited from the former Yugoslavia military, with a limited mix of other imported systems; since 2010, it has received small quantities of equipment from Austria, Turkey, and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006 (2021)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 6% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Montenegro officially became a member of NATO in 2017" @@ -1165,7 +1166,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "472 (2020)" + "text": "458 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 20,695 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/mk.json b/europe/mk.json index 9f20ccff..5a53a3b0 100644 --- a/europe/mk.json +++ b/europe/mk.json @@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "59.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "58.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "59.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ "text": "President Stevo PENDAROVSKI (since 12 May 2019)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister Dimitar KOVACEVSKI (since 16 January 2022) " + "text": "Prime Minister Dimitar KOVACEVSKI (since 16 January 2022)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers elected by the Assembly by simple majority vote" @@ -1095,7 +1095,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of North Macedonia's Army consists mostly of Soviet-era equipment; since 2010, it has received small amounts of equipment from Ireland and Turkey (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 8% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "North Macedonia officially became the 30th member of NATO in 2020" @@ -1113,7 +1114,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "558 (2020)" + "text": "553 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 525,216 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/mn.json b/europe/mn.json index 7ed180bd..03bcde1b 100644 --- a/europe/mn.json +++ b/europe/mn.json @@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/mt.json b/europe/mt.json index 3f6f2297..736d24fc 100644 --- a/europe/mt.json +++ b/europe/mt.json @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "94.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "94.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "94.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "94.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1096,7 +1096,7 @@ "text": "the small inventory of the Armed Forces of Malta consists of equipment from a mix of European countries, particularly Italy, and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Malta maintains a security policy of neutrality, but contributes to EU and UN military missions and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (suspended in 1996, but reactivated in 2008); it also participates in various bilateral and multinational military exercises; Malta cooperates closely with Italy on defense matters; in 1973, Italy established a military mission in Malta to provide advice, training, and search and rescue assistance
" @@ -1108,7 +1108,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "11 (2020)" + "text": "11 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 8,119 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals by sea (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/nl.json b/europe/nl.json index 948621af..1fbb906b 100644 --- a/europe/nl.json +++ b/europe/nl.json @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17 years of age for an all-volunteer force; conscription remains in place, but the requirement to show up for compulsory military service was suspended in 1997 (2021)", - "note": "note - in 2020, women comprised about 10% of the military" + "note": "note - in 2019, women made up about 11% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Netherlands is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949
since 1973, the Dutch Marine Corps has worked closely with the British Royal Marines, including jointly in the UK-Netherlands amphibious landing force
a Dutch Army airmobile infantry brigade and a mechanized infantry brigade have been integrated into the German Army since 2014 and 2016 respectively
the Norwegian Armed Forces cooperate closely with the militaries of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009
(2021)" @@ -1139,10 +1139,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "15,311 (Syria), 12,520 (Eritrea), 5,263 (Somalia) (2020)" + "text": "15,542 (Syria), 11,965 (Eritrea) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "4,206 (2020)" + "text": "4,154 (mid-year 2021)" } } } diff --git a/europe/pl.json b/europe/pl.json index 6d43e9e1..1b0630cf 100644 --- a/europe/pl.json +++ b/europe/pl.json @@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "60.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "60.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "60.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "60.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires B. Bix ALIU (since January 2021)" + "text": "Ambassador Mark BRZEZINSKI (since 19 January 2022)" }, "embassy": { "text": "Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, 00-540 Warsaw" @@ -1202,7 +1202,8 @@ "note": "note: Poland contributes about 2,500 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Poland and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2021)" + "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Poland joined NATO in 1999; Czechia, Hungary, and Poland were invited to begin accession talks at NATO's Madrid Summit in 1997, and in March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join the Alliancesince 2017, Poland has hosted a multi-national NATO battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; the battlegroup is led by the US and had about 1,000 troops on a continuous rotational basis as of 2021
" @@ -1223,7 +1224,7 @@ "text": "9,870 (Russia) (2019)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "1,390 (2020)" + "text": "1,389 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/po.json b/europe/po.json index 9778b01c..57fdc872 100644 --- a/europe/po.json +++ b/europe/po.json @@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "66.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "67.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "66.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "67.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -552,10 +552,10 @@ "text": "unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; 226 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote and 4 members - 2 each in 2 constituencies representing Portuguese living abroad - directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) (e.g. 2019)" }, "elections": { - "text": "last held on 6 October 2019 (next to be held on 30 January 2022); note - early elections were called after parliament was dissolved on 3 November 2021 because of the 27 October 2021 rejection of the government's budget (e.g. 2019)" + "text": "last held on 30 January 2022 (next to be held in January 2026); note - early elections were called after parliament was dissolved on 3 November 2021 because of the 27 October 2021 rejection of the government's budget (e.g. 2019)" }, "election results": { - "text": "percent of vote by party - PS 36.4%, PSD 27.8%, B.E. 9.5%, CDU 6.5%, other 20.8%; seats by party - PS 108, PSD 79, B.E. 19, CDU 12, other 12; composition (as of October 2021) - men 138, women 92, percent of women 40% (e.g. 2019)" + "text": "percent of vote by party - PS 41.7%, PSD 27.8%, IL 5%, BE 4.5%, CDU 4.4%, PAN 1.5%, L 1.3%, Madeira First 0.9%, Democratic Alliance (in the Azores) 0.5%, other 12.4%; seats by party - PS 117, PSD 71, BE 19, IL 12, CDU 12, Madeira First 3, Democratic Alliance 2, PAN 1, L 1; composition (as of October 2021) - men 138, women 92, percent of women 40% (e.g. 2019)" } }, "Judicial branch": { @@ -570,7 +570,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party (Partido do Centro Democratico Social-Partido Popular) or CDS-PP [Assuncao CRISTAS]Serbia does not aspire to join NATO, but has cooperated with the Alliance since 2006 when it joined the Partnership for Peace program
" @@ -1174,13 +1175,13 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "17,675 (Croatia), 8,129 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (2019)" + "text": "17,336 (Croatia), 7,997 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "196,995 (most are Kosovar Serbs, some are Roma, Ashkalis, and Egyptian (RAE); some RAE IDPs are unregistered) (2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "2,144 (includes stateless persons in Kosovo) (2020)" + "text": "2,113 (includes stateless persons in Kosovo) (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 813,549 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021); Serbia is predominantly a transit country and hosts an estimated 6,228 migrants and asylum seekers as of September 2021" }, diff --git a/europe/ro.json b/europe/ro.json index 9fd855ba..4b39cb0f 100644 --- a/europe/ro.json +++ b/europe/ro.json @@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "54.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "54.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "54.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "54.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1186,7 +1186,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "275 (2020)" + "text": "314 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 9,211 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021)" }, diff --git a/europe/si.json b/europe/si.json index 1c77b87e..c9f51f3c 100644 --- a/europe/si.json +++ b/europe/si.json @@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "55.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "55.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.54% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "55.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "55.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.54% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1135,7 +1135,8 @@ "text": "230 Kosovo (NATO) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2021)" + "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); conscription abolished in 2003 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Slovenia officially became a member of NATO in 2004" diff --git a/europe/sm.json b/europe/sm.json index 31099dce..c72acca5 100644 --- a/europe/sm.json +++ b/europe/sm.json @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "97.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "97.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "97.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "97.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/europe/sp.json b/europe/sp.json index 98a37f87..3fb3b40d 100644 --- a/europe/sp.json +++ b/europe/sp.json @@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "81.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1188,7 +1188,8 @@ "text": "approximately 200 Iraq (training mission, counter-ISIS coalition); 350 Latvia (NATO); 625 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 400 Mali (EUTM); 150 Turkey (NATO) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency (2021)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Spain joined NATO in 1982, but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996Sweden maintains a policy of military non-alignment, but cooperates with NATO and regional countries; it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has contributed to NATO-led missions, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo
the Swedish military cooperates closely with the military forces of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009
Sweden is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and contributes to CSDP missions and operations
" @@ -1156,10 +1157,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "114,609 (Syria), 29,927 (Afghanistan), 27,421 (Eritrea), 12,784 (Somalia), 11,635 (Iraq), 7,507 (Iran) (2020)" + "text": "114,995 (Syria), 28,744 (Afghanistan), 26,911 (Eritrea), 11,574 (Somalia), 11,153 (Iraq), 7,516 (Iran) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "50,414 (2020); note - the majority of stateless people are from the Middle East and Somalia" + "text": "50,098 (mid-year 2021); note - the majority of stateless people are from the Middle East and Somalia" } } } diff --git a/europe/sz.json b/europe/sz.json index 876347b3..b1654e9d 100644 --- a/europe/sz.json +++ b/europe/sz.json @@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "74% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "74% of total population (2021)" + "text": "74.1% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1168,10 +1168,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "37,816 (Eritrea), 19,869 (Syria), 14,523 (Afghanistan), 6,016 (Sri Lanka), 5,447 (Turkey) (2020)" + "text": "38,219 (Eritrea), 20,043 (Syria), 14,649 (Afghanistan), 6,069 (Sri Lanka), 6,197 (Turkey) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "711 (2020)" + "text": "684 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/uk.json b/europe/uk.json index a77efb45..83b2049c 100644 --- a/europe/uk.json +++ b/europe/uk.json @@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "84.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "84.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "84.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "84.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1165,7 +1165,8 @@ "text": "approximately 1,000 Brunei; approximately 400 Canada (BATUS); approximately 2,200 Cyprus; 250 Cyprus (UNFICYP); 830 Estonia (NATO); approx. 1,200 Falkland Islands; est. 200 Germany (note - previously about 2,500, but the UK withdrew all but 200 troops by 2021); 570 Gibraltar; approx. 1,400 Middle East (coalition against ISIS; NATO); up to 350 Kenya (BATUK); approximately 400 Mali (EUTM, MINUSMA, and Operation Barkhane); 150 Poland (NATO) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "slight variations by service, but generally 16-36 years of age for enlisted (with parental consent under 18) and 18-29 for officers; minimum length of service 4 years; women serve in military services including ground combat roles; conscription abolished in 1963 (2021)" + "text": "slight variations by service, but generally 16-36 years of age for enlisted (with parental consent under 18) and 18-29 for officers; minimum length of service 4 years; women serve in military services including ground combat roles; conscription abolished in 1963 (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2019, women made up about 11% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the UK is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949in 2010, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, up to and including high intensity combat operations; the CJEF has no standing forces, but would be available at short notice for UK-French bilateral, NATO, EU, UN, or other operations; combined training exercises began in 2011; as of 2020, the CJEF was assessed as having full operating capacity with the ability to rapidly deploy over 10,000 personnel capable of high intensity operations, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance
in 2014, the UK led the formation of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a pool of high-readiness military forces from Baltic and Scandinavian countries able to respond to a wide range of contingencies both in peacetime and in times of crisis or conflict; its principal geographic area of interest is the High North, North Atlantic, and Baltic Sea regions, where the JEF can complement national capabilities or NATO’s deterrence posture, although it is designed to be flexible and prepared to respond to humanitarian crises further afield; the JEF consists of 10 countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) and was declared operational in 2018; most of the forces in the pool are British, and the UK provides the most rapidly deployable units as well as the command and control elements
" @@ -1183,10 +1184,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "20,433 (Iran), 14,016 (Eritrea), 10,994 (Sudan), 10,919 (Syria), 9,351 (Afghanistan), 8,350 (Pakistan), 6,399 (Iraq), 5,338 (Sri Lanka) (2020)" + "text": "21,011 (Iran), 14,503 (Eritrea), 11,251 (Sudan), 11,412 (Syria), 9,469 (Afghanistan), 8,357 (Pakistan), 6,933 (Iraq), 5,200 (Sri Lanka) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "4,662 (2020)" + "text": "3,968 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/up.json b/europe/up.json index 94380f4c..b6cef749 100644 --- a/europe/up.json +++ b/europe/up.json @@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "69.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "69.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "69.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "-0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1179,10 +1179,10 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "conscription abolished in 2012, but reintroduced in 2014; 20-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 12 months (2021)", - "note": "note(s) - the Ukrainian military has a mix of conscripts (14,000 conscripted in 2021) and professional soldiers on contracts; by law, conscripts cannot serve on the frontlines, but have the opportunity to sign short or long-term contracts upon the expiration of their terms of service; women can volunteer and have served in the Ukrainian armed forces since 1993; as of 2021, women comprised approximately 20% of the military; in late 2021, the Ukrainian Government began requiring women between 18 and 60 who are fit for military service and work in a broad range of professions to register with Ukraine's armed forcessince 2014, the Ukrainian military has sought to implement reforms in line with NATO standards, improve individual and unit training, revise doctrine, upgrade arms and equipment, streamline command and control, reduce reliance on conscripts, and expand elite units such as the Air Assault and Special Operations Forces; the military also has received considerable assistance and material support from NATO and the US (2021)
" + "text": "as of 2021, the Ukrainian military’s primary concern was Russia’s material support for armed separatist forces in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk where the conflict has become stalemated along a 250-mile front known as the line of contact; since the cease-fire of October 2019, sporadic exchanges of fire have continued through 2021since 2014, the Ukrainian military has sought to implement reforms in line with NATO standards, improve individual and unit training, revise doctrine, upgrade arms and equipment, streamline command and control, reduce reliance on conscripts, and expand elite units such as the Air Assault and Special Operations Forces; the military also has received assistance and material support from NATO and the US (2021)
" } }, "Transnational Issues": { @@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@ "text": "734,000 (Russian-sponsored separatist violence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "35,875 (2020); note - citizens of the former USSR who were permanently resident in Ukraine were granted citizenship upon Ukraine's independence in 1991, but some missed this window of opportunity; people arriving after 1991, Crimean Tatars, ethnic Koreans, people with expired Soviet passports, and people with no documents have difficulty acquiring Ukrainian citizenship; following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, thousands of Crimean Tatars and their descendants deported from Ukraine under the STALIN regime returned to their homeland, some being stateless and others holding the citizenship of Uzbekistan or other former Soviet republics; a 1998 bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Uzbekistan simplified the process of renouncing Uzbek citizenship and obtaining Ukrainian citizenship" + "text": "35,875 (mid-year 2021); note - citizens of the former USSR who were permanently resident in Ukraine were granted citizenship upon Ukraine's independence in 1991, but some missed this window of opportunity; people arriving after 1991, Crimean Tatars, ethnic Koreans, people with expired Soviet passports, and people with no documents have difficulty acquiring Ukrainian citizenship; following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, thousands of Crimean Tatars and their descendants deported from Ukraine under the STALIN regime returned to their homeland, some being stateless and others holding the citizenship of Uzbekistan or other former Soviet republics; a 1998 bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Uzbekistan simplified the process of renouncing Uzbek citizenship and obtaining Ukrainian citizenship" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/vt.json b/europe/vt.json index b3f0d612..c04a4d27 100644 --- a/europe/vt.json +++ b/europe/vt.json @@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "100% of total population (2021)" + "text": "100% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/middle-east/ae.json b/middle-east/ae.json index 548dfd69..7e89a0a5 100644 --- a/middle-east/ae.json +++ b/middle-east/ae.json @@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.5% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1125,7 +1125,8 @@ "text": "estimates vary; reportedly a few hundred remain in Yemen; maintains military bases in Eritrea and Somalia (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men (compulsory service initiated in 2014); 17 years of age for male volunteers with parental approval; males can volunteer up to age 40; 24-month general service obligation, 16 months for secondary school graduates; women can volunteer to serve for 9 months regardless of education (2021)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men (compulsory service initiated in 2014); 17 years of age for male volunteers with parental approval; males can volunteer up to age 40; 24-month general service obligation, 16 months for secondary school graduates; women can volunteer to serve for 9 months regardless of education (2021)", + "note": "note - compulsory service may be completed in the uniformed military, the Ministry of Interior, the State Security Service, or other institutions designated by the military leadership" }, "Military - note": { "text": "as of 2021, the UAE was closely aligned with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on regional security issues; it hosted a multipurpose air, ground, and naval French military base, which included the French naval command for the Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN); the UAE has a defense cooperation agreement with the US and, as of 2021, hosted about 3,500 US troops, mostly air and naval personnel
in 2015, UAE intervened militarily in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition in support of the Republic of Yemen Government with an estimated 3,500 troops, as well as supporting air and naval forces; UAE withdrew its main military force from Yemen in 2019, but has retained a small military presence while working with proxies in southern Yemen, most notably the Southern Transitional Council (STC); as of 2021, UAE had recruited, trained, and equipped an estimated 150-200,000 Yemeni fighters and formed them into dozens of militia and paramilitary units
the UAE's military traces its origins to the establishment of the Trucial Oman Scouts in 1951, a joint UK-Abu Dhabi organization modeled after Jordan’s Arab Legion, which became the Abu Dhabi Defense Force in 1965; the modern Emirati armed forces were formed in 1976
boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies
" }, + "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { + "stateless persons": { + "text": "5 (mid-year 2021)" + } + }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "a transshipment point for illegal narcotics and a pass-through for drug proceeds; numerous exchange houses and general trading companies increase potential for money; major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics" } diff --git a/middle-east/aj.json b/middle-east/aj.json index 457ece08..576e7a2a 100644 --- a/middle-east/aj.json +++ b/middle-east/aj.json @@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.8% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1132,7 +1132,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of the Azerbaijan military is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era weapons systems with a smaller mix of equipment from other countries; since 2010, Russia is the leading supplier of arms to Azerbaijan, followed by Israel and Turkey (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "men age 18-35 years for compulsory military service; service obligation 18 months (non-university graduate) or 12 months (university graduates); 17 years of age for voluntary service; 17-year-olds are considered to be on active service at cadet military schools (2021)" + "text": "men age 18-35 years for compulsory military service; service obligation 18 months (non-university graduate) or 12 months (university graduates); 17 years of age for voluntary service (men and women); 17-year-olds are considered to be on active service at cadet military schools (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2018, women made up an estimated 3% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "since November 2020, Russia has deployed about 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a cease-fire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; fighting erupted between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September of 2020; Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces (the \"Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army\") backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994; six weeks of fighting resulted in about 6,000 deaths and ended after Armenia ceded swathes of Nagorno-Karabakh territory; tensions remained high through 2021, and both sides have accused the other of provocations since the fighting ended; Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of a series of border intrusions and of seizing pockets of territory" @@ -1153,7 +1154,7 @@ "text": "735,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh; IDPs are mainly ethnic Azerbaijanis but also include ethnic Kurds, Russians, and Turks predominantly from occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh; includes IDPs' descendants, returned IDPs, and people living in insecure areas and excludes people displaced by natural disasters; around half the IDPs live in the capital Baku) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "3,585 (2020)" + "text": "3,585 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/middle-east/am.json b/middle-east/am.json index 14218f21..d2404ec4 100644 --- a/middle-east/am.json +++ b/middle-east/am.json @@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "63.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "63.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1100,8 +1100,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of the Armenian Armed Forces includes mostly Russian and Soviet-era equipment (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, which can be served as an officer upon deferment for university studies if enrolled in officer-producing program; 17-year-olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel; citizens aged 27 to 50 are registered in the military reserve and may be called to serve if mobilization is declared (2021)", - "note": "note - conscripts comprise about half of the military's active personnel" + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary (men and women) or compulsory (men only) military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, which can be served as an officer upon deferment for university studies if enrolled in officer-producing program; 17-year-olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel; citizens aged 27 to 50 are registered in the military reserve and may be called to serve if mobilization is declared; males under the age 36 years, who have not previously served as contract servicemen and are registered in the reserve, as well as females, regardless of whether they are registered in the reserve can be enrolled in contractual military service as privates (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2021, conscripts comprised about half of the military's active personnel; as of 2018, women made up about 13% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "since November 2020, Russia has deployed about 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a cease-fire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; fighting erupted between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September of 2020; Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces (the \"Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army\") backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994; six weeks of fighting resulted in about 6,000 deaths and ended after Armenia ceded swathes of Nagorno-Karabakh territory; tensions remained high through 2021, and both sides have accused the other of provocations since the fighting ended; Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of a series of border intrusions and of seizing pockets of territoryInhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly-created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel by late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since HAMAS’s takeover, Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them; a reconciliation agreement signed in October 2017 remains unimplemented.
In July 2014, HAMAS and other Gaza-based militant groups engaged in a 51-day conflict with Israel culminating in late August with an open-ended truce. Since 2014, Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces have exchanged projectiles and air strikes respectively, sometimes lasting multiple days and resulting in multiple deaths on both sides. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process have negotiated multiple ceasefires to avert a broader conflict. Since March 2018, HAMAS has coordinated weekly demonstrations along the Gaza security fence, many of which have turned violent, resulting in one Israeli soldier death and several Israeli soldier injuries as well as more than 200 Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries.
" + "text": "The Gaza Strip has been under the de facto governing authority of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) since 2007, and has faced years of conflict, poverty, and humanitarian crises. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the Gaza Strip area has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The Gaza Strip fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; Israel captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly-created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank.
In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip, but it continues to control the Gaza Strip’s land and maritime borders and airspace. In early 2006, HAMAS won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council election. Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS’s violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Since HAMAS’s takeover, Israel and Egypt have enforced tight restrictions on movement and access of goods and individuals into and out of the territory. Fatah and HAMAS have since reached a series of agreements aimed at restoring political unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank but have struggled to enact them.
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces periodically exchange projectiles and air strikes, respectively, threatening broader conflict. In May 2021, HAMAS launched rockets at Israel, sparking an 11-day conflict that also involved other Gaza-based militant groups. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process have negotiated ceasefires to avert a broader conflict. Since 2018, HAMAS has also coordinated demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel security fence. Many of these protests have turned violent, resulting in several Israeli soldiers’ deaths and injuries as well as more than 200 Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries, most of which occurred during weekly March of Return protests from 2018 to the end of 2019.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ "text": "droughts" }, "Geography - note": { - "text": "strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip; the Gaza Strip settlements were evacuated in 2005" + "text": "once a strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes that has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history; Israel evacuated its civilian settlements and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in 2005" } }, "People and Society": { @@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ "text": "Qita' Ghazzah" }, "etymology": { - "text": "named for the largest city in the region, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as \"Ghazzat\")" + "text": "named for the largest city in the enclave, Gaza, whose settlement can be traced back to at least the 15th century B.C. (as \"Ghazzat\")" } } }, @@ -719,7 +719,7 @@ }, "Transnational Issues": { "Disputes - international": { - "text": "the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in September 2005
" + "text": "according to the Oslo Accords, the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in September 2005
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { diff --git a/middle-east/ir.json b/middle-east/ir.json index ceea6e5c..7bacefd4 100644 --- a/middle-east/ir.json +++ b/middle-east/ir.json @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "76.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "76.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1182,7 +1182,7 @@ "text": "2.6 million undocumented Afghans, 780,000 Afghan refugee card holders, 20,000 Iraqi refugee card holders (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "34 (2020)" + "text": "34 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/middle-east/is.json b/middle-east/is.json index 797bf3e4..0ba168e8 100644 --- a/middle-east/is.json +++ b/middle-east/is.json @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -575,14 +575,14 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Democratic Union [Nitzan HOROWITZ] (alliance includes Democratic Israel, Meretz, Green Movement)
Joint List [Ayman ODEH] (alliance includes Hadash, Ta’al, United Arab List, Balad)
Kahol Lavan [Benny GANTZ] (alliance includes Israeli Resilience, Yesh Atid, Telem)
Labor-Gesher [Amir PERETZ]
Likud [Binyamin NETANYAHU]
Otzma Yehudit [Itamar BEN-GVIR]
Religous Zionist Party [Belzalel SMOTRICH, chairperson]
SHAS [Arye DERI]
United Torah Judaism, or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN] (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)
Yamina [Ayelet SHAKED]
Yesh Atid [Yair LAPID]
Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
Zehut [Moshe FEIGLIN]
Blue and White [Benny GANTZ]
Joint Arab List [Ayman ODEH] (alliance includes Hadash, Ta’al, United Arab List, Balad)
Labor [Amir PERETZ]
Likud [Binyamin NETANYAHU]
Meretz [Nitzan HOROWITZ]
New Hope [Gideon SA'AR]
Ra'am [Mansour ABBAS]
Religous Zionist Party [Belzalel SMOTRICH, chairperson]
SHAS [Arye DERI]
United Torah Judaism, or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN] (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)
Yamina [Naftali BENNETT]
Yesh Atid [Yair LAPID]
Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
as of 2021 and since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian, Iranian-backed militia and Hizballah forces, and some Syrian Government troops; over the same period, the IDF has carried out numerous strikes against Hizballah in Lebanon in response to attacks on Israeli territory; Israel fought a month-long war in Lebanon with Hizballah in 2006 (see Appendix-T for details on Hizballah)
as of 2021, the IDF also conducted frequent operations against the HAMAS and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups operating out of the Gaza Strip; since seizing control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, HAMAS has claimed responsibility for numerous rocket attacks into Israel and organized protests at the border between Gaza and Israel, resulting in violent clashes, casualties, and reprisal military actions by the IDF; HAMAS and Israel fought an 11-day conflict in May of 2021, which ended in an informal truce; sporadic clashes continued through 2021, including incendiary balloon attacks from Palestinian territory and retaliatory IDF strikes; PIJ has conducted numerous attacks on Israel since the 1980s, including a barrage of mortar and rocket strikes in February 2020 (see Appendix-T for more details on HAMAS and Palestine Islamic Jihad)
Israel has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
as of 2021 and since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian, Iranian-backed militia and Hizballah forces, and some Syrian Government troops; over the same period, the IDF has carried out numerous strikes against Hizballah in Lebanon in response to attacks on Israeli territory; Israel fought a month-long war in Lebanon with Hizballah in 2006 (see Appendix-T for details on Hizballah)
as of 2021, the IDF also conducted frequent operations against the HAMAS and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups operating out of the Gaza Strip; since seizing control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, HAMAS has claimed responsibility for numerous rocket attacks into Israel and organized protests at the border between Gaza and Israel, resulting in violent clashes, casualties, and reprisal military actions by the IDF; HAMAS and Israel fought an 11-day conflict in May of 2021, which ended in an informal truce; sporadic clashes continued through 2021, including incendiary balloon attacks from Palestinian territory and retaliatory IDF strikes; PIJ has conducted numerous attacks on Israel since the 1980s, including a barrage of mortar and rocket strikes in February 2020 (see Appendix-T for more details on HAMAS and Palestine Islamic Jihad)
Israel has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
" @@ -591,8 +591,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Ahrar al-Urdun (Free People of Jordan) Party [Samir al-ZU'BI]
the Jordanian military traces its origins back to the Arab Legion, which was formed under the British protectorate of Transjordan in the 1920s
due largely to its proximity to regional conflicts in Iraq and Syria, the presence of major terrorist organizations in both of those countries, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the highest priorities of Jordan’s military and security services in 2021 included securing its borders and the potential for domestic terrorist attacks; the terrorist group Hizballah and Iranian-backed militia forces were operating in southwestern Syria near Jordan’s border while fighters from the Islamic State of ash-Sham and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group continued operating in both Iraq and Syria; ISIS fighters included Jordanian nationals, some of whom have returned to Jordan; meanwhile, individuals and groups sympathetic to Palestine have planned and conducted terrorist attacks in Jordan
Jordan has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994
Al-Ahbash or Association of Islamic Charitable Projects [Adnan TARABULSI]
Amal Movement [Nabih BERRI]
Azm Movement [Najib MIQATI]
Ba’th Arab Socialist Party of Lebanon [Fayiz SHUKR]
Free Patriotic Movement or FPM [Gibran BASSIL]
Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad al-HARIRI]
Hizballah [Hassan NASRALLAH]
Islamic Actions Front [Sheikh Zuhayr al-JU’AYD]
Kata'ib Party [Sami GEMAYEL]
Lebanese Democratic Party [Talal ARSLAN]
Lebanese Forces or LF [Samir JA'JA]
Marada Movement [Sulayman FRANJIEH]
Progressive Socialist Party or PSP [Walid JUNBLATT]
Social Democrat Hunshaqian Party [Sabuh KALPAKIAN]Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]
Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Hanna al-NASHIF]
Tashnaq or Armenian Revolutionary Federation [Hagop PAKRADOUNIAN]
Al-Ahbash or Association of Islamic Charitable Projects [Adnan TARABULSI]
Amal Movement [Nabih BERRI]
Azm Movement [Najib MIQATI]
Ba’th Arab Socialist Party of Lebanon [Fayiz SHUKR]
Free Patriotic Movement or FPM [Gibran BASSIL]
Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad al-HARIRI]
Hizballah [Hassan NASRALLAH]
Islamic Actions Front [Sheikh Zuhayr al-JU’AYD]
Kata'ib Party [Sami GEMAYEL]
Lebanese Democratic Party [Talal ARSLAN]
Lebanese Forces or LF [Samir JA'JA]
Marada Movement [Sulayman FRANJIEH]
Progressive Socialist Party or PSP [Walid JUNBLATT]
Social Democrat Hunshaqian Party [Sabuh KALPAKIAN]
Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Rabi BANAT]
Tashnaq or Armenian Revolutionary Federation [Hagop PAKRADOUNIAN]
as of late 2021, the Lebanese military faced multiple challenges, including securing the border with war-torn Syria from infiltrations of militants linked to the Islamic State and al-Qa’ida terrorist groups and maintaining stability along its volatile border with Israel, where the Iranian-backed and Lebanon-based militant group Hizballah conducted a war with Israel in 2006 and tensions remained high, including occasional armed skirmishes; in 2021, the military also faced a financial crisis as government debt and national economic difficulties undercut its ability to fully pay and supply personnel, which has sparked domestic and international fears that the armed forces may disintegrate
as of late 2021, the Lebanese military faced multiple challenges, including securing the border with war-torn Syria from infiltrations of militants linked to the Islamic State and al-Qa’ida terrorist groups and maintaining stability along its volatile border with Israel, where the Iranian-backed and Lebanon-based militant group Hizballah conducted a war with Israel in 2006 and tensions remained high, including occasional armed skirmishes; in 2021, the military also faced a financial crisis as government debt and national economic difficulties undercut its ability to fully pay and supply personnel, which has sparked domestic and international fears that the armed forces may disintegrate
the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-003A Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea-Threats to US and International Shipping from Iran) effective 26 February 2021, which states in part that \"heightened military activities and increased political tensions in this region continue to present risk to commercial shipping...there is a continued possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take actions against US and partner interests in the region\"; Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel has been established to provide escorts for commercial shipping transiting the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman
" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (women have been allowed to serve since 2011); no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) have a longstanding security relationship with the British military going back to the 18th century; as of 2021, the SAF and the British maintained a joint training base in Oman and exercised together regularly; in 2017, Oman and the British signed an agreement allowing the British military the use of facilities at Al Duqm Port; in 2019, the US obtained access to the port
" diff --git a/middle-east/qa.json b/middle-east/qa.json index 62a452c8..ffb4df6c 100644 --- a/middle-east/qa.json +++ b/middle-east/qa.json @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "99.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "99.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.66% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "99.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "99.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.66% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ "text": "Amir TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani (since 25 June 2013)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh KHALID ibn Khalifa ibn Abdul Aziz Al Thani (since 28 January 2020); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs KHALID bin Mohamed AL Attiyah (since 14 November 2017); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs MOHAMED bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (since 14 November 2017)" + "text": "Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh KHALID bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani (since 28 January 2020); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs KHALID bin Mohamed AL Attiyah (since 14 November 2017); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs MOHAMED bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (since 14 November 2017)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers appointed by the amir" @@ -1077,10 +1077,11 @@ "text": "in 2021, Turkey agreed to train Qatari fighter pilots and allow the temporary deployment of up to 36 Qatari military aircraft and 250 personnel" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "conscription for males aged 18-35 introduced in 2013; compulsory service times range from 4-12 months, depending on the cadets educational and professional circumstances; women are permitted to serve in the armed forces, including as uniformed officers and pilots (2021)" + "text": "conscription for males aged 18-35 introduced in 2013; compulsory service times range from 4-12 months, depending on the cadets educational and professional circumstances; since 2018, women have been permitted to serve in the armed forces, including as uniformed officers and pilots (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2020, the military incorporated about 2,000 conscripts annually" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "as of 2021, Qatar hosted more than 8,000 US military forces and the regional headquarters for the US Central Command (CENTCOM; established 1983) at various military facilities, including the large Al Udeid Air Base; Qatar also hosted as many as 5,000 Turkish military forces at two bases established in 2014 and 2019
" + "text": "as of 2021, Qatar hosted more than 8,000 US military forces and the regional headquarters for the US Central Command (CENTCOM; established 1983) at various military facilities, including the large Al Udeid Air Base; Qatar also hosted as many as 5,000 Turkish military forces at two bases established in 2014 and 2019
Qatar (as of early 2022) has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. One of his male descendants rules the country today, as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong ongoing campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. US troops returned to the Kingdom in October 2019 after attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
From 2005 to 2015, King ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud incrementally modernized the Kingdom. Driven by personal ideology and political pragmatism, he introduced a series of social and economic initiatives, including expanding employment and social opportunities for women, attracting foreign investment, increasing the role of the private sector in the economy, and discouraging businesses from hiring foreign workers. These reforms have accelerated under King SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz, who ascended to the throne in 2015, and has since lifted the Kingdom's ban on women driving and allowed cinemas to operate for the first time in decades. Saudi Arabia saw some protests during the 2011 Arab Spring but not the level of bloodshed seen in protests elsewhere in the region. Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province protested primarily against the detention of political prisoners, endemic discrimination, and Bahraini and Saudi Government actions in Bahrain. Riyadh took a cautious but firm approach by arresting some protesters but releasing most of them quickly and by using its state-sponsored clerics to counter political and Islamist activism.
The government held its first-ever elections in 2005 and 2011, when Saudis went to the polls to elect municipal councilors. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the first time in municipal council elections, with 19 women winning seats. After King SALMAN ascended to the throne in 2015, he placed the first next-generation prince, MUHAMMAD BIN NAYIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, in the line of succession as Crown Prince. He designated his son, MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, as the Deputy Crown Prince. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of 10 countries in a military campaign to restore the legitimate government of Yemen, which had been ousted by Huthi forces allied with former president ALI ABDULLAH al-Salih. The war in Yemen has drawn international criticism for civilian casualties and its effect on the country’s dire humanitarian situation. In December 2015, then Deputy Crown Prince MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN announced Saudi Arabia would lead a 34-nation Islamic Coalition to fight terrorism (it has since grown to 41 nations). In May 2017, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology (also known as \"Etidal\") as part of its ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism. In June 2017, King SALMAN elevated MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN to Crown Prince.
The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 16% of the world's proven oil reserves as of 2015. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the Kingdom. In April 2016, the Saudi Government announced a broad set of socio-economic reforms, known as Vision 2030. Low global oil prices throughout 2015 and 2016 significantly lowered Saudi Arabia’s governmental revenue. In response, the government cut subsidies on water, electricity, and gasoline; reduced government employee compensation packages; and announced limited new land taxes. In coordination with OPEC and some key non-OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia agreed cut oil output in early 2017 to regulate supply and help elevate global prices.
" + "text": "Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. One of his male descendants rules the country today, as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong ongoing campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. US troops returned to the Kingdom in October 2019 after attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
From 2005 to 2015, King ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud incrementally modernized the Kingdom. Driven by personal ideology and political pragmatism, he introduced a series of social and economic initiatives, including expanding employment and social opportunities for women, attracting foreign investment, increasing the role of the private sector in the economy, and discouraging businesses from hiring foreign workers. These reforms have accelerated under King SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz, who ascended to the throne in 2015, and has since lifted the Kingdom's ban on women driving, implemented education reforms, funded green initiatives, and allowed cinemas to operate for the first time in decades. Saudi Arabia saw some protests during the 2011 Arab Spring but not the level of bloodshed seen in protests elsewhere in the region. Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province protested primarily against the detention of political prisoners, endemic discrimination, and Bahraini and Saudi Government actions in Bahrain. Riyadh took a cautious but firm approach by arresting some protesters but releasing most of them quickly and by using its state-sponsored clerics to counter political and Islamist activism.
The government held its first-ever elections in 2005 and 2011, when Saudis went to the polls to elect municipal councilors. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the first time in municipal council elections, with 19 women winning seats. After King SALMAN ascended to the throne in 2015, he placed the first next-generation prince, MUHAMMAD BIN NAYIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, in the line of succession as Crown Prince. He designated his son, MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, as the Deputy Crown Prince. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of 10 countries in a military campaign to restore the legitimate government of Yemen, which had been ousted by Huthi forces allied with former president ALI ABDULLAH al-Salih. The war in Yemen has drawn international criticism for civilian casualties and its effect on the country’s dire humanitarian situation. In December 2015, then Deputy Crown Prince MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN announced Saudi Arabia would lead a 34-nation Islamic Coalition to fight terrorism (it has since grown to 41 nations). In May 2017, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology (also known as \"Etidal\") as part of its ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism. In June 2017, King SALMAN elevated MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN to Crown Prince. Since then, he has jockeyed for influence with neighboring countries in a bid to be the region’s main power broker.
The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 17% of the world's proven oil reserves as of 2020. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the Kingdom. In April 2016, the Saudi Government announced a broad set of socio-economic reforms, known as Vision 2030. Low global oil prices throughout 2015 and 2016 significantly lowered Saudi Arabia’s governmental revenue. In response, the government cut subsidies on water, electricity, and gasoline; reduced government employee compensation packages; and announced limited new land taxes. In coordination with OPEC and some key non-OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia agreed cut oil output in early 2017 to regulate supply and help elevate global prices. In early 2020, this agreement by the so-called OPEC+ coalition collapsed. Saudi Arabia launched a price war by flooding the market with low-priced oil before returning to the negotiating table to agree to OPEC+’s largest and longest-lasting output cut. This cut helped to buoy prices that had collapsed as a result of the price war and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "84.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "84.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.69% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "84.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "84.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.69% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -526,9 +526,9 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "unicameral Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms); note - in early 2013, the monarch granted women 30 seats on the Council" + "text": "unicameral Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 seats plus a speaker; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms); note - in early 2013, the monarch granted women 30 seats on the Council" }, - "note": "note: composition as of 2013 - men 121, women 30, percent of women 19.9%" + "note": "note: composition as of 2021 - men 121, women 30, percent of women 19.9%" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest courts": { @@ -1129,7 +1129,7 @@ "text": "est. 2,500-5,000 Yemen (varies depending on operations, which continued into 2021) (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "17-40 for men; no conscription; as of 2021, women (aged 17-40) were allowed to serve in the Army, Air Defense, Navy, Strategic Missile Force, medical services, and internal security forces up to the rank of non-commissioned officer (2021)" + "text": "17-40 for men; no conscription; as of 2021, women (aged 18-40) were allowed to serve in the Army, Air Defense, Navy, Strategic Missile Force, medical services, and internal security forces up to the rank of non-commissioned officer (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "in 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened militarily in Yemen in support of the Republic of Yemen Government against the separatist Huthis; as of 2021, the coalition (consisting largely of Saudi forces) and the Huthis continued to engage in fighting, mostly with air and missile forces, although heavy ground fighting was also reportedly taking place over the key province of Marib; the Saudis have conducted numerous air strikes in northern Yemen, while the Huthis have launched attacks into Saudi territory with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles armed with explosives; the Saudi-led coalition controlled the country’s airspace and the port of Hodeida; Saudi Arabia also has raised and equipped paramilitary/militia security forces in Yemen--based largely on tribal or regional affiliation--to deploy along the Saudi-Yemen border, especially the areas bordering the governorates of Saada and Al-Jawf
" @@ -1147,7 +1147,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { - "text": "70,000 (2020); note - thousands of biduns (stateless Arabs) are descendants of nomadic tribes who were not officially registered when national borders were established, while others migrated to Saudi Arabia in search of jobs; some have temporary identification cards that must be renewed every five years, but their rights remain restricted; most Palestinians have only legal resident status; some naturalized Yemenis were made stateless after being stripped of their passports when Yemen backed Iraq in its invasion of Kuwait in 1990; Saudi women cannot pass their citizenship on to their children, so if they marry a non-national, their children risk statelessness" + "text": "70,000 (mid-year 2021); note - thousands of biduns (stateless Arabs) are descendants of nomadic tribes who were not officially registered when national borders were established, while others migrated to Saudi Arabia in search of jobs; some have temporary identification cards that must be renewed every five years, but their rights remain restricted; most Palestinians have only legal resident status; some naturalized Yemenis were made stateless after being stripped of their passports when Yemen backed Iraq in its invasion of Kuwait in 1990; Saudi women cannot pass their citizenship on to their children, so if they marry a non-national, their children risk statelessness" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/middle-east/sy.json b/middle-east/sy.json index 5b5a6a79..52d5e7db 100644 --- a/middle-east/sy.json +++ b/middle-east/sy.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional, albeit unsuccessful, peace talks over its return. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'ath Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In May 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was approved by popular referendum.
Influenced by major uprisings that began elsewhere in the region, and compounded by additional social and economic factors, antigovernment protests broke out first in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 with protesters calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials. Demonstrations and violent unrest spread across Syria with the size and intensity of protests fluctuating. The government responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the Emergency Law, new laws permitting new political parties, and liberalizing local and national elections - and with military force and detentions. The government's efforts to quell unrest and armed opposition activity led to extended clashes and eventually civil war between government forces, their allies, and oppositionists.
International pressure on the ASAD regime intensified after late 2011, as the Arab League, the EU, Turkey, and the US expanded economic sanctions against the regime and those entities that support it. In December 2012, the Syrian National Coalition, was recognized by more than 130 countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. In September 2015, Russia launched a military intervention on behalf of the ASAD regime, and domestic and foreign government-aligned forces recaptured swaths of territory from opposition forces, and eventually the country’s second largest city, Aleppo, in December 2016, shifting the conflict in the regime’s favor. The regime, with this foreign support, also recaptured opposition strongholds in the Damascus suburbs and the southern province of Dar’a in 2018. The government lacks territorial control over much of the northeastern part of the country, which is dominated by the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF has expanded its territorial hold over much of the northeast since 2014 as it has captured territory from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Since 2016, Turkey has also conducted three large-scale military operations into Syria, capturing territory along Syria's northern border in the provinces of Aleppo, Ar Raqqah, and Al Hasakah. Political negotiations between the government and opposition delegations at UN-sponsored Geneva conferences since 2014 have failed to produce a resolution of the conflict. Since early 2017, Iran, Russia, and Turkey have held separate political negotiations outside of UN auspices to attempt to reduce violence in Syria. According to an April 2016 UN estimate, the death toll among Syrian Government forces, opposition forces, and civilians was over 400,000, though other estimates placed the number well over 500,000. As of December 2019, approximately 6 million Syrians were internally displaced. Approximately 11.1 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across the country, and an additional 5.7 million Syrians were registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and North Africa. The conflict in Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises worldwide.
" + "text": "Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional, albeit unsuccessful, peace talks over its return. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'ath Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In May 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was approved by popular referendum.
Influenced by major uprisings that began elsewhere in the region, and compounded by additional social and economic factors, antigovernment protests broke out first in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 with protesters calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials. Demonstrations and violent unrest spread across Syria with the size and intensity of protests fluctuating. The government responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the Emergency Law, new laws permitting new political parties, and liberalizing local and national elections - and with military force and detentions. The government's efforts to quell unrest and armed opposition activity led to extended clashes and eventually civil war between government forces, their allies, and oppositionists.
International pressure on the ASAD regime intensified after late 2011, as the Arab League, the EU, Turkey, and the US expanded economic sanctions against the regime and those entities that support it. In December 2012, the Syrian National Coalition, was recognized by more than 130 countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. In September 2015, Russia launched a military intervention on behalf of the ASAD regime, and domestic and foreign government-aligned forces recaptured swaths of territory from opposition forces, and eventually the country’s second largest city, Aleppo, in December 2016, shifting the conflict in the regime’s favor. The regime, with this foreign support, also recaptured opposition strongholds in the Damascus suburbs and the southern province of Dar’a in 2018. The government lacks territorial control over much of the northeastern part of the country, which is dominated by the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and a smaller area dominated by Turkey. The SDF expanded its territorial hold beyond its traditional homelands, subsuming much of the northeast since 2014 as it battled the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Since 2016, Turkey has been engaged in northern Syria and has conducted three large-scale military operations to capture territory along Syria's northern border in the provinces of Aleppo, Ar Raqqah, and Al Hasakah. Some opposition forces organized under the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and Turkish forces have maintained control of northwestern Syria along the Turkish border with the Afrin area of Aleppo Province since 2018. In 2019, Turkey and its opposition allies occupied formerly SDF controlled territory between the cities of Tall Abyad to Ra’s Al ‘Ayn along Syria’s northern border. The extremist organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Nusrah Front) in 2017 emerged as the predominate opposition force in Idlib Province, and still dominates an area also hosting additional Turkish forces. Negotiations between the government and opposition delegations at UN-sponsored Geneva conferences since 2014 and separately held discussions between Iran, Russia, and Turkey since early 2017 have failed to produce a resolution to the conflict. According to a September 2021 UN estimate, the death toll resulting from the past 10 years of civil war is more than 350,000, although the UN acknowledges that this is the minimum number of verifiable deaths and is an undercount. As of late 2021, approximately 6.7 million Syrians were internally displaced and approximately 14 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across the country. An additional 5.7 million Syrians were registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and North Africa. The conflict in Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises worldwide.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "56.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.1% of total population (2021)" + "text": "56.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ }, "Constitution": { "history": { - "text": "several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012; note - in late January 2021, UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution, resumed following a delay in mid-2020 because several delegates tested positive for the COVID-19 virus" + "text": "several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012; note - UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution, are ongoing; delegates met twice in 2021" }, "amendments": { "text": "proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the People’s Assembly members; following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president" @@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ "text": "President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister Hussein ARNOUS (since 30 August 2020); Deputy Prime Minister Ali Abdullah AYOUB (Gen.) (since 30 August 2020)" + "text": "Prime Minister Hussein ARNOUS (since 30 August 2020); Deputy Prime Minister Ali Abdullah AYOUB (Lt Gen.) (since 30 August 2020)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers appointed by the president" @@ -1102,7 +1102,7 @@ "note": "note - the SAF is largely comprised of conscripts" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; as of August 2021, UNDOF consisted of about 1,250 personnelas of 2021, multiple actors were conducting military operations in Syria in support of the ASAD government or Syrian opposition forces, as well in pursuit of their own security goals, such counterterrorism; operations have included air strikes, direct ground combat, and sponsoring proxy forces, as well as providing non-lethal military support, including advisors, technicians, arms and equipment, funding, intelligence, and training:
pro-ASAD elements operating in Syria have included Lebanese Hezbollah, Iranian, Iranian-backed Shia militia, and Russian forces; since early in the civil war, the ASAD government has relied on Lebanese Hezbollah (see Appendix T for further information), as well as Iran and Iranian-backed forces, for combat operations and to hold territory; Iran has provided military advisors and combat troops from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (including the Qods Force; see Appendix T for further information), as well as intelligence, logistical, material, technical, and financial support; it has funded, trained, equipped, and led Shia militia/paramilitary units comprised of both Syrian and non-Syrian personnel, primarily from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan; Russia intervened at the request of the ASAD government in 2015 and has since provided air support, special operations forces, military advisors, private military contractors, training, arms, and equipment; Iranian and Russian support has also included assisting Syria in combating the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS; see Appendix T) terrorist group
Turkey intervened militarily in 2016 to combat Kurdish militants and ISIS, support select Syrian opposition forces, and establish a buffer along portions of its border with Syria; as of 2021, Turkey continued to maintain a considerable military presence in northern Syria; it has armed and trained militia/proxy forces, such as the Syrian National Army, which was formed in late 2017 of Syrian Arab and Turkmen rebel factions in the Halab (Aleppo) province and northwestern Syria
the US and some regional and European states have at times backed Syrian opposition forces militarily and/or conducted military operations, primarily against ISIS; the US has operated in Syria since 2015 with ground forces and air strikes; as of late 2021, the majority the ground forces were deployed in the Eastern Syria Security Area (ESSA, which includes parts of Hasakah and Dayr az Zawr provinces east of the Euphrates River) in support of operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS, while the remainder were in southeast Syria around Tanf supporting counter-ISIS operations by the Jaysh Mughawir al-Thawra (MaT, or Revolutionary Commando Army) Syrian opposition force; the US has also conducted air strikes against Syrian military targets in response to Syrian Government use of chemical weapons against opposition forces and civilians; in addition, France, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UK have provided forms of military assistance to opposition forces and/or conducted operations against ISIS, including air strikes
Israel has conducted hundreds of military air strikes in Syria, mostly targeting Hezbollah, Iranian, and/or Iranian-backed militia targets
the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are an anti-ASAD regime coalition of forces composed primarily of Kurdish, Sunni Arab, and Syriac Christian fighters; it is dominated and led by Kurdish forces, particularly the People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia; the SDF began to receive US support in 2015 and as of 2021 was the main local US partner in its counter-ISIS campaign; the SDF has internal security, anti-terror, and commando units; Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization (see Appendix T)
the ISIS terrorist group (see Appendix T) lost its last territorial stronghold to SDF forces in 2019, but continued to maintain a low-level insurgency through 2021; as of late 2021, the SDF held about 10,000 captured suspected ISIS fighters in detention facilities across northern Syria, including 2,000 from countries other than Iraq and Syria
as of 2021, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; formerly known as al-Nusrah Front) terrorist organization (see Appendix T) was the dominate militant group in northwest Syria and asserted considerable influence and control over the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Iblib de-escalation zone; as of 2021, the group had an estimated 10,000 fighters
" + "text": "the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; as of November 2021, UNDOF consisted of about 1,250 personnelas of 2022, multiple actors were conducting military operations in Syria in support of the ASAD government or Syrian opposition forces, as well in pursuit of their own security goals, such counterterrorism; operations have included air strikes, direct ground combat, and sponsoring proxy forces, as well as providing non-lethal military support, including advisors, technicians, arms and equipment, funding, intelligence, and training:
pro-ASAD elements operating in Syria have included Lebanese Hezbollah, Iranian, Iranian-backed Shia militia, and Russian forces; since early in the civil war, the ASAD government has relied on Lebanese Hezbollah (see Appendix T for further information), as well as Iran and Iranian-backed forces, for combat operations and to hold territory; Iran has provided military advisors and combat troops from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (including the Qods Force; see Appendix T for further information), as well as intelligence, logistical, material, technical, and financial support; it has funded, trained, equipped, and led Shia militia/paramilitary units comprised of both Syrian and non-Syrian personnel, primarily from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan; Russia intervened at the request of the ASAD government in 2015 and has since provided air support, special operations forces, military advisors, private military contractors, training, arms, and equipment; Iranian and Russian support has also included assisting Syria in combating the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS; see Appendix T) terrorist group
Turkey intervened militarily in 2016 to combat Kurdish militants and ISIS, support select Syrian opposition forces, and establish a buffer along portions of its border with Syria; as of 2022, Turkey continued to maintain a considerable military presence in northern Syria; it has armed and trained militia/proxy forces, such as the Syrian National Army, which was formed in late 2017 of Syrian Arab and Turkmen rebel factions in the Halab (Aleppo) province and northwestern Syria
the US and some regional and European states have at times backed Syrian opposition forces militarily and/or conducted military operations, primarily against ISIS; the US has operated in Syria since 2015 with ground forces and air strikes; as of 2022, the majority the ground forces were deployed in the Eastern Syria Security Area (ESSA, which includes parts of Hasakah and Dayr az Zawr provinces east of the Euphrates River) in support of operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS, while the remainder were in southeast Syria around Tanf supporting counter-ISIS operations by the Jaysh Mughawir al-Thawra (MaT, or Revolutionary Commando Army) Syrian opposition force; the US has also conducted air strikes against Syrian military targets in response to Syrian Government use of chemical weapons against opposition forces and civilians; in addition, France, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UK have provided forms of military assistance to opposition forces and/or conducted operations against ISIS, including air strikes
Israel has conducted hundreds of military air strikes in Syria, mostly targeting Hezbollah, Iranian, and/or Iranian-backed militia targets
the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are an anti-ASAD regime coalition of forces composed primarily of Kurdish, Sunni Arab, and Syriac Christian fighters; it is dominated and led by Kurdish forces, particularly the People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia; the SDF began to receive US support in 2015 and as of 2021 was the main local US partner in its counter-ISIS campaign; the SDF has internal security, anti-terror, and commando units; Turkey views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization (see Appendix T)
the ISIS terrorist group (see Appendix T) lost its last territorial stronghold to SDF forces in 2019, but continued to maintain a low-level insurgency as of 2022; in addition, the SDF held about 10,000 captured suspected ISIS fighters in detention facilities across northern Syria, including 2,000 from countries other than Iraq and Syria
as of 2021, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; formerly known as al-Nusrah Front) terrorist organization (see Appendix T) was the dominate militant group in northwest Syria and asserted considerable influence and control over the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Iblib de-escalation zone; as of 2021, the group had an estimated 10,000 fighters
" } }, "Terrorism": { @@ -1117,13 +1117,13 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "568,730 (Palestinian Refugees), 12,399 (Iraq)(2020)" + "text": "568,730 (Palestinian Refugees) (2020); 12,435 (Iraq) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "6.568 million (ongoing civil war since 2011) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "160,000 (2020); note - Syria's stateless population consists of Kurds and Palestinians; stateless persons are prevented from voting, owning land, holding certain jobs, receiving food subsidies or public healthcare, enrolling in public schools, or being legally married to Syrian citizens; in 1962, some 120,000 Syrian Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, rendering them and their descendants stateless; in 2011, the Syrian Government granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian Kurds as a means of appeasement; however, resolving the question of statelessness is not a priority given Syria's ongoing civil war" + "text": "160,000 (mid-year 2021); note - Syria's stateless population consists of Kurds and Palestinians; stateless persons are prevented from voting, owning land, holding certain jobs, receiving food subsidies or public healthcare, enrolling in public schools, or being legally married to Syrian citizens; in 1962, some 120,000 Syrian Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, rendering them and their descendants stateless; in 2011, the Syrian Government granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian Kurds as a means of appeasement; however, resolving the question of statelessness is not a priority given Syria's ongoing civil war" }, "note": "note: the ongoing civil war has resulted in more than 5.4 million registered Syrian refugees - dispersed in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey - as of December 2021" }, diff --git a/middle-east/tu.json b/middle-east/tu.json index 839f1eae..3061ccd4 100644 --- a/middle-east/tu.json +++ b/middle-east/tu.json @@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "76.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1187,7 +1187,8 @@ "note": "note(s) - between 2016 and 2020, Turkey conducted four major military campaigns in northern Syria; Turkey also has deployed troops into northern Iraq on numerous occasions to combat the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), including large operations involving thousands of troops in 2007, 2011, and 2018; its most recent incursions were smaller-scale raids in April and February of 2021; in 2020, Turkey deployed an undetermined number of Turkish military troops and an estimated 3,500-5,000 Syrian fighters to Libya to support the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA)Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the West Bank has been dominated by many different peoples throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), which annexed the West Bank in 1950; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began, and in 2001 negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area.
The landlocked West Bank - the larger of the two Palestinian territories - is home to some three million Palestinians. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the West Bank has been dominated by many different peoples throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), which annexed the West Bank in 1950; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.
In addition to establishing the PA as an interim government, the Oslo accords divided the West Bank into three areas with one fully managed by the PA, another fully administered by Israel, and a third with shared control until a permanent agreement could be reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began across the Palestinian territories, and in 2001 negotiations for a permanent agreement between the PLO and Israel on final status issues stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area.
The PA last held national elections in 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and HAMAS’s violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In December 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In recent years, Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements.
Since 1994, the PA has administered parts of the West Bank under its control, mainly the major Palestinian population centers and areas immediately surrounding them. Roughly 60% of the West Bank remains under full Israeli civil and military control, impeding movement of people and goods through the territory." } }, "Geography": { @@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ } }, "Population distribution": { - "text": "Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem" + "text": "the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "droughts" @@ -182,11 +182,11 @@ "text": "-4.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { - "text": "Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem" + "text": "the most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "77% of total population (2021)" + "text": "77.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ "text": "West Bank" }, "etymology": { - "text": "name refers to the location of the region - occupied and administered by Jordan after 1948 - that fell on the far side (west bank) of the Jordan River in relation to Jordan proper; the designation was retained following the 1967 Six-Day War and the subsequent changes in government" + "text": "name refers to the location of the region of the British Mandate of Palestine that was occupied and administered by Jordan in 1948, as it is located on the far side (west bank) of the Jordan River in relation to Jordan proper; the designation was retained following the 1967 Six-Day War and the subsequent changes in administration" } } }, @@ -879,7 +879,7 @@ }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { - "text": "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Kahane Chai; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine", + "text": "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; HAMAS; Kahane Chai; Palestine Islamic Jihad; Palestine Liberation Front; Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine", "note": "note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T" } }, diff --git a/middle-east/ym.json b/middle-east/ym.json index bebfdb95..8bded664 100644 --- a/middle-east/ym.json +++ b/middle-east/ym.json @@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" @@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.2% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)" @@ -583,10 +583,10 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "bicameral Parliament or Majlis consists of:
Canada is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD; established 1958); NORAD is a Canada-US bi-national military command responsible for monitoring and defending North American airspace; traditionally, a Canadian Armed Forces officer has served as the deputy commander of NORAD
Canada’s defense relationship with the US extends back to the Ogdensburg Declaration of 1940, when the two countries formally agreed on military cooperation, including the establishment of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), which continued to be the highest-level bilateral defense forum between Canada and the US as of 2021
British troops withdrew from Canada in 1871 as part of the UK-US Treaty of Washington; following the withdrawal, the first Canadian militia, known as the Royal Canadian Regiment, was organized in 1883 to protect Canadian territory and defend British interests abroad, which it did in the South African War (1899-1902), Canada’s first overseas conflict; militia units formed the backbone of the more than 425,000 Canadian soldiers that went to Europe during World War I in what was called the Canadian Expeditionary Force; the Royal Canadian Navy was created in 1910, while the Canadian Air Force was established in 1920 and became the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924; the Canadian Army was officially founded in 1942; a unified Canadian Armed Forces was created in 1968
" @@ -1211,10 +1211,10 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "22,400 (Venezuela) (refugees and migrants), 8,082 (Nigeria), 6,387 (Turkey), 6,085 (Pakistan), 5,916 (China), 5,085 (Iran) (2020)" + "text": "22,400 (Venezuela) (refugees and migrants) (2020); 9,883 (Nigeria), 7,571 (Turkey), 7,385 (Iran), 6,965 (Pakistan), 6,287 (China), 5,244 (Colombia) (mid-year 2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "4,139 (2020)" + "text": "3,823 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/north-america/gl.json b/north-america/gl.json index 26d294b7..150aea8c 100644 --- a/north-america/gl.json +++ b/north-america/gl.json @@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "87.5% of total population (2021)" + "text": "87.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/north-america/mx.json b/north-america/mx.json index 699b026d..f3dc96e1 100644 --- a/north-america/mx.json +++ b/north-america/mx.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century. Elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning antiestablishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in December 2018.
The global financial crisis in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn in Mexico the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century. Elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning antiestablishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in December 2018.
The global financial crisis in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn in Mexico the following year. Growth rebounded to about 5% in 2010, but then averaged roughly half that for the rest of the decade. In 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Mexico's GDP contracted by 8.3%, its lowest level since the Great Depression. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) or MC [Clemente CASTANEDA Hoeflich]
Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI [Claudia RUIZ Massieu]
Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico) or PVEM [Karen CASTREJON Trujillo]
Movement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional) or MORENA [Mario DELGADO Carillo]
National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Antonio CORTES Mendoza]
Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ZAMBRANO Grijalva]
Together We Make History (Juntos Hacemos Historia) - alliance that includes MORENA, PT, PVEM
This Is For Mexico (Va Por Mexico) – alliance that includes PAN, PRI, and PRD
In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.
After World War II, an era of Peronist populism and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents. The years 2003-15 saw Peronist rule by Nestor and Cristina FERNANDEZ de KIRCHNER, whose policies isolated Argentina and caused economic stagnation. With the election of Mauricio MACRI in November 2015, Argentina began a period of reform and international reintegration.
" + "text": "In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.
After World War II, an era of populism under former President Juan Domingo PERON - the founder of the Peronist political movement - and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents. The years 2003-15 saw Peronist rule by Nestor KIRCHNER (2003-07) and his spouse Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (2007-15), who oversaw several years of strong economic growth (2003-11) followed by a gradual deterioration in the government’s fiscal situation and eventual economic stagnation and isolation. Argentina underwent a brief period of economic reform and international reintegration under Mauricio MACRI (2015-19), but a recession in 2018-19 and frustration with Macri’s economic policies ushered in a new Peronist government in 2019 led by President Alberto FERNANDEZ and Vice President FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER.
" } }, "Geography": { @@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "92.2% of total population (2021)" + "text": "92.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MaryKay CARLSON (since 20 January 2021)" + "text": "Ambassador Marc Robert STANLEY (since 24 January 2022)" }, "embassy": { "text": "Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getulio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil underwent more than a half century of populist and military government until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Having successfully weathered a period of global financial difficulty in the late 20th century, Brazil was seen as one of the world's strongest emerging markets and a contributor to global growth. The awarding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the first ever to be held in South America, was seen as symbolic of the country's rise. However, from about 2013 to 2016, Brazil was plagued by a sagging economy, high unemployment, and high inflation, only emerging from recession in 2017. Former President Dilma ROUSSEFF (2011-2016) was removed from office in 2016 by Congress for having committed impeachable acts against Brazil's budgetary laws, and her vice president, Michel TEMER, served the remainder of her second term. In October 2018, Jair BOLSONARO won the presidency with 55% of the vote and assumed office on 1 January 2019.
" + "text": "Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getulio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. VARGAS governed over various versions of democratic and authoritarian regimes from 1930 to 1945. Democratic rule returned (including a democratically elected VARGAS administration from 1951-55) and lasted until 1964, when the military overthrew President Joao GOULART. The military regime censored journalists and repressed and tortured dissidents in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The dictatorship lasted until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers, and the Brazilian Congress passed its current constitution in 1989.
By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Having successfully weathered a period of global financial difficulty in the late 20th century, under President Luiz Inacio LULA da Silva (2003-2010) Brazil was seen as one of the world's strongest emerging markets and a contributor to global growth. The awarding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the first ever to be held in South America, was symbolic of the country's rise. However, from about 2013 to 2016, Brazil was plagued by a sagging economy, high unemployment, and high inflation, only emerging from recession in 2017. Former President Dilma ROUSSEFF (2011-2016) was removed from office in 2016 by Congress for having committed impeachable acts against Brazil's budgetary laws, and her vice president, Michel TEMER, served the remainder of her second term. A money-laundering investigation, Operation Lava Jato, uncovered a vast corruption scheme and prosecutors charged several high-profile Brazilian politicians with crimes. Former-President LULA was convicted of accepting bribes and served jail time from 2018-19, although his conviction was overturned in early 2021. In October 2018, Jair BOLSONARO won the presidency with 55% of the second-round vote and assumed office on 1 January 2019.
the Chilean Army was founded in 1810, but traces its origins back to the Army of the Kingdom of Chile, which was established by the Spanish Crown in the early 1600s; the Navy traces its origins to 1817; it was first led by a British officer and its first ships were largely crewed by American, British, and Irish sailors; by the 1880s, the Chilean Navy was one of the most powerful in the Americas, and included the world’s first protected cruiser (a ship with an armored deck to protect vital machine spaces); Chile's military aviation was inaugurated in 1913 with the creation of a military aviation school
" diff --git a/south-america/co.json b/south-america/co.json index 20a23bff..516e624c 100644 --- a/south-america/co.json +++ b/south-america/co.json @@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "82% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "81.7% of total population (2021)" + "text": "82% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ "text": "8,176,460 (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and drug traffickers since 1985) (2021)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "11 (2020)" + "text": "11 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/south-america/ec.json b/south-america/ec.json index c7e3a837..d38038c5 100644 --- a/south-america/ec.json +++ b/south-america/ec.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the \"Republic of the Equator.\" 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. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. General elections were held in April 2021, and voters elected Guillermo LASSO president; he took office the following month." + "text": "What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the \"Republic of the Equator.\" 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. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. Guillermo LASSO was elected president in April 2021 becoming the country's first center-right president in nearly two decades when he took office the following month." } }, "Geography": { @@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "64.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "64.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "64.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1182,7 +1182,8 @@ "text": "the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters as at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen; there has been a slight increase with three attacks reported in 2019 and four in 2020" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for selective conscript military service, although conscription was suspended in 2008; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Ecuadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation; females have been allowed to serve in all branches since 2012 (2021)" + "text": "18 years of age for selective conscript military service, although conscription was suspended in 2008; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Ecuadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation; females have been allowed to serve in all branches since 2012 (2021)", + "note": "note - in 2017, women made up an estimated 3% of the military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "border conflicts with Peru dominated the military’s focus until the late 1990s; as of 2021, border security remained a priority, but in more recent years, security challenges have shifted towards counterinsurgency and counter-narcotics operations, particularly in the northern border area where violence and other criminal activity related to terrorism, insurgency, and narco-trafficking in Colombia, as well as refugees from Venezuela, has spilled over the border; troop deployments along the border with Colombia were scaled back following the 2016 signing of a peace agreement between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group (see Appendix T), but recent violence associated with FARC dissidents to the agreement have led Ecuador and Colombia to reinforce their shared border; since 2012, the Ecuadorian Government has also expanded the military’s role in general public security and counter-narcotics operations, in part due to police corruption and ineffectiveness
the military has had a large role in Ecuador’s political history; it ruled the country from 1963-1966 and 1972-1979, and supported a dictatorship in 1970-1972; during the 1980s, the military remained loyal to the civilian government, but civilian-military relations were at times tenuous, and the military had considerable autonomy from civilian oversight; it was involved in coup attempts in 2000 and 2010
" diff --git a/south-america/fk.json b/south-america/fk.json index 83376247..12fe1742 100644 --- a/south-america/fk.json +++ b/south-america/fk.json @@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "79.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.53% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "78.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "79.3% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.53% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/south-america/gy.json b/south-america/gy.json index 60d251a1..bfc711cf 100644 --- a/south-america/gy.json +++ b/south-america/gy.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was elected in 2001 and again in 2006. Early elections held in May 2015 resulted in the first change in governing party and the replacement of President Donald RAMOTAR by current President David GRANGER. After a December 2018 no-confidence vote against the GRANGER government, national elections will be held before the scheduled spring 2020 date." + "text": "Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was elected in 2001 and again in 2006. Early elections held in May 2015 resulted in the first change in governing party and the replacement of President Donald RAMOTAR by current President David GRANGER. After a December 2018 no-confidence vote against the GRANGER government, national elections were constitutionally required to take place within three months. After over a year of extra-constitutional rule by the GRANGER administration, elections were held, though voting irregularities led to a nationwide recount. The current Irfaan ALI administration was sworn in to office in August 2020. The discovery of oil in 2015 has been the primary economic and political focus, with many hoping the significant reserves will transform one of the poorest countries in the region." } }, "Geography": { @@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "787,971 (July 2021 est.)", - "note": "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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected" + "note": "note: estimates for this country explicitly taken into account the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { @@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "26.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "27% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "26.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "27% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "A New and United Guyana or ANUG [Ralph RAMKARRAN]
Ministry of Internal Affairs: the National Police of Paraguay includes the Special Police Operations Force (Fuerza de Operaciones Policiales Especiales)
(2021)" + "text": "Armed Forces Command (Commando de las Fuerzas Militares): Army (Ejercito), Navy (Armada, includes marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea)as of 2021, the Peruvian security forces continued to conduct operations against remnants of the Shining Path terrorist group (aka Sendero Luminoso; see Appendix T), particularly in the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro River Valleys (VRAEM) of eastern Peru; the military had approximately 8,000-10,000 troops in the VRAEM under a special combined military-police command, including 3 army infantry battalions
" diff --git a/south-america/uy.json b/south-america/uy.json index ab4f1446..d3520954 100644 --- a/south-america/uy.json +++ b/south-america/uy.json @@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "95.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "95.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "95.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "95.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1159,7 +1159,8 @@ "text": "815 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 210 Golan Heights (UNDOF) (Oct 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age (18-22 years of age for Navy) for male or female voluntary military service; up to 40 years of age for specialists; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies (2021)" + "text": "18-30 years of age (18-22 years of age for Navy) for male or female voluntary military service; up to 40 years of age for specialists; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2017, women comprised about 19% of the active military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "as of 2021, the military had some domestic responsibilities, including perimeter security for a number of prisons and border security; in 2020, the military deployed more than 1,000 troops to assist the National Police in securing the land border with Brazil and the riverine border with Argentina as part of a border control law passed in 2018
" @@ -1172,6 +1173,9 @@ "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "15,200 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)" + }, + "stateless persons": { + "text": "5 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/south-america/ve.json b/south-america/ve.json index 41111187..1c4b7dd9 100644 --- a/south-america/ve.json +++ b/south-america/ve.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959, although the re-election of current disputed President Nicolas MADURO in an election boycotted by most opposition parties was widely viewed as fraudulent. Under Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, and his hand-picked successor, MADURO, the executive branch has exercised increasingly authoritarian control over other branches of government. National Assembly President Juan GUAIDO is currently recognized by more than 50 countries - including the United States - as the interim president while MADURO retains control of all other institutions within the country and has the support of security forces. Venezuela is currently authoritarian with only one democratic institution - the National Assembly - and strong restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press. The ruling party's economic policies expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production, and overdependence on the petroleum industry for revenues, among others. However, Caracas in 2019 relaxed some economic controls to mitigate some impacts of the economic crisis driven by a drop in oil production. Current concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, high inflation, and widespread shortages of basic consumer goods, medicine, and medical supplies." + "text": "Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959, although the 2018 re-election of current disputed President Nicolas MADURO in an election boycotted by most opposition parties was widely viewed as fraudulent. Under Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, and his hand-picked successor, MADURO, the executive branch has exercised increasingly authoritarian control over other branches of government. The last opposition-controlled institution is the National Assembly that was elected in 2015, whose president Juan GUAIDO is currently recognized by several countries - including the United States - as the interim president of Venezuela. MADURO held legislative elections for a new National Assembly in 2020, but the opposition boycotted these elections and the resulting assembly is viewed by the opposition and its international allies as illegitimate. The MADURO regime places strong restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party's economic policies expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production, and overdependence on the petroleum industry for revenues, among others. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an ongoing economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted over 6 million Venezuelans to migrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. The US has imposed financial and sectoral sanctions on the MADURO regime since 2017. Caracas has since relaxed some economic controls to mitigate the impact of its economic crisis, such as allowing increased currency and import flexibility for private citizens and companies. Other concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, and corruption." } }, "Geography": { @@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "88.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "88.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "88.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "88.4% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1131,7 +1131,8 @@ "text": "The International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen; in 2020, no attacks were reported which was a decrease from the six attacks in 2019" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; all citizens of military service age (18-50 years old) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training, although “forcible recruitment” is forbidden (2021)" + "text": "18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; all citizens of military service age (18-50 years old) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training, although “forcible recruitment” is forbidden (2021)", + "note": "note - as of 2017, women made up more than 20% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "between 2013 and 2017, Venezuela established at least a dozen military-led firms in a variety of economic sectors, such as agriculture, banking, construction, insurance, the media, mining, oil, and tourism; as of 2020, military officers reportedly led at least 60 state-owned companies" diff --git a/south-asia/af.json b/south-asia/af.json index 1e87847b..d4946639 100644 --- a/south-asia/af.json +++ b/south-asia/af.json @@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "26.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "26.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "26.3% of total population (2021)" + "text": "26.6% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ } }, "Government type": { - "text": "formerly presidential Islamic republic" + "text": "the United States does not recognize the Taliban government
" }, "Capital": { "name": { @@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ }, "Judicial branch": { "highest courts": { - "text": "the Taliban has a longstanding Ulema shura consisting of Islamic jurists and scholars; prior to the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan had a Supreme Court (consisting of a supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions)" + "text": "the Taliban has a longstanding Ulema Shura consisting of Islamic jurists and scholars; prior to the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan had a Supreme Court (consisting of a supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions)" }, "judge selection and term of office": { "text": "previously a court chief and justices were appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices served single 10-year terms" @@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "72,185 (Pakistan) (2020)" + "text": "72,188 (Pakistan) (mid-year 2021)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "3.547 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2020)" diff --git a/south-asia/bg.json b/south-asia/bg.json index db7909a0..bab05050 100644 --- a/south-asia/bg.json +++ b/south-asia/bg.json @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "38.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "39.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1230,13 +1230,13 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "907,766 (Burma) (2021) (includes an estimated 756,554 Rohingya refugees who have fled conflict since 25 August 2017)" + "text": "918,841 (Burma) (2021) (includes an estimated 756,554 Rohingya refugees who have fled conflict since 25 August 2017)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "427,000 (conflict, development, human rights violations, religious persecution, natural disasters) (2020)" }, "stateless persons": { - "text": "866,457 (2020)" + "text": "889,704 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/south-asia/bt.json b/south-asia/bt.json index a806122b..6b28a243 100644 --- a/south-asia/bt.json +++ b/south-asia/bt.json @@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "43% of total population (2021)" + "text": "43.7% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" diff --git a/south-asia/ce.json b/south-asia/ce.json index 38df2e3a..8cb30a08 100644 --- a/south-asia/ce.json +++ b/south-asia/ce.json @@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "18.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "19% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "18.9% of total population (2021)" + "text": "19% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@ "text": "110 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 125 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 240 Mali (MINUSMA) (Sep 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-22 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)" + "text": "18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (men and women); no conscription (2021)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Sri Lanka traditionally has had close security ties to India; India participated in the counter-insurgency war against the LTTE from 1987-1991, losing over 1,000 soldiers in the conflict; as of 2021, the Sri Lankan and Indian militaries continued to conduct exercises together, and India trains over 1,000 Sri Lankan soldiers per year; however, since the end of the war with LTTE, Sri Lanka has also increased military ties with China, including acquiring military equipment, hosting naval port calls, and sending personnel to China for training
" diff --git a/south-asia/in.json b/south-asia/in.json index fef48b0b..b296ab4d 100644 --- a/south-asia/in.json +++ b/south-asia/in.json @@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "35.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "35.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "35.4% of total population (2021)" + "text": "35.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ "text": "Council of States - last held by state and territorial assemblies at various dates in 2019 (next originally scheduled for March, June, and November 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled throughout 2021 to fill expiry seats)Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Sheikh Imran ABDULLA]
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party or DRP [Ahmed Thasmeen ALI]
Maldives Development Alliance or MDA [Ahmed Shiyam MOHAMED]
Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]
Maldives Labor and Social Democratic Party or MLSDP [Ahmed SHIHAM]
Maldives Thirdway Democrats or MTD [Ahmed ADEEB]
Maumoon/Maldives Reform Movement or MRM [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]
National Democratic Congress [Yousuf Maaniu] (formed in 2020)
People's National Congress or PNC [Abdul Raheem ABDULLA] (formed in early 2019)
Progressive Party of Maldives or PPM
Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP [Qasim IBRAHIM]
Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Sheikh Imran ABDULLA]
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party or DRP [Abdulla JABIR]
Maldives Development Alliance or MDA [Ahmed Shiyam MOHAMED]
Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]
Maldives Labor and Social Democratic Party or MLSDP [Ahmed SHIHAM]
Maldives Thirdway Democrats or MTD [Ahmed ADEEB]
Maumoon/Maldives Reform Movement or MRM [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]
National Democratic Congress [Yousuf Maaniu] (formed in 2020)
People's National Congress or PNC [Abdul Raheem ABDULLA] (formed in early 2019)
Progressive Party of Maldives or PPM
Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP [Qasim IBRAHIM]
Nepal became a member of the UN in 1955 and has been an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations since, sending its first military observers to a UN peacekeeping mission in 1958 and its first peacekeeping military contingent to Egypt in 1974
most-spoken language: English 16.5%, Mandarin Chinese 14.6%, Hindi 8.3%, Spanish 7%, French 3.6%, Arabic 3.6%, Bengali 3.4%, Russian 3.4%, Portuguese 3.3%, Indonesian 2.6% (2020 est.)
most-spoken first language: Mandarin Chinese 12.3%, Spanish 6%, English 5.1%, Arabic 5.1%, Hindi 3.5%, Bengali 3.3%, Portuguese 3%, Russian 2.1%, Japanese 1.7%, Punjabi, Western 1.3%, Javanese 1.1% (2018 est.)
note 1: the six UN languages - Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian, and Spanish (Castilian) - are the mother tongue or second language of about 45% of the world's population, and are the official languages in more than half the states in the world; some 400 languages have more than a million first-language speakers (2018)
note 2: all told, there are estimated to be just over 7,115 languages spoken in the world (2020); approximately 80% of these languages are spoken by less than 100,000 people; about 150 languages are spoken by fewer than 10 people; communities that are isolated from each other in mountainous regions often develop multiple languages; Papua New Guinea, for example, boasts about 840 separate languages (2018)
note 3: approximately 2,300 languages are spoken in Asia, 2,140, in Africa, 1,310 in the Pacific, 1,060 in the Americas, and 290 in Europe (2020)
" }, "Religions": { - "text": "Christian 31.1%, Muslim 24.9%, Hindu 15.2%, Buddhist 6.6%, folk religions 5.6%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unaffiliated 15.6% (2015 est.)" + "text": "Christian 31.1%, Muslim 24.9%, Hindu 15.2%, Buddhist 6.6%, folk religions 5.6%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unaffiliated 15.6% (2020 est.)" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { @@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" @@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { - "text": "56.6% of total population (2021)" + "text": "57% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"