From b0e0bb80670d933a17762915c241f0954668e278 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Yo Robot Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2023 22:16:35 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] auto-update week 40 --- africa/by.json | 2 +- africa/cm.json | 4 +-- africa/eg.json | 4 +-- africa/er.json | 4 +-- africa/et.json | 5 ++-- africa/ga.json | 6 ++--- africa/gb.json | 6 ++--- africa/iv.json | 2 +- africa/ke.json | 2 +- africa/ma.json | 10 ++++---- africa/mo.json | 16 +++++++++++- africa/ni.json | 20 ++++++++++++--- africa/rw.json | 3 ++- africa/sf.json | 22 ++++++++++++++--- africa/sg.json | 2 +- africa/su.json | 16 +++++++++++- africa/to.json | 4 +-- africa/uv.json | 4 +-- africa/wz.json | 6 ++--- africa/za.json | 6 ++--- australia-oceania/as.json | 6 ++--- australia-oceania/cw.json | 2 +- australia-oceania/fj.json | 2 +- australia-oceania/ne.json | 2 +- australia-oceania/nz.json | 22 ++++++++++++++--- australia-oceania/rm.json | 2 +- australia-oceania/tn.json | 2 +- central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json | 2 +- central-america-n-caribbean/do.json | 4 +-- central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json | 2 +- central-america-n-caribbean/es.json | 2 +- central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json | 2 +- central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json | 4 +-- central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json | 4 +-- central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json | 3 ++- central-america-n-caribbean/sc.json | 4 +-- central-asia/kz.json | 9 ++++--- central-asia/rs.json | 16 +++++++++++- central-asia/uz.json | 16 +++++++++++- east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json | 4 +-- east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json | 2 +- east-n-southeast-asia/id.json | 3 ++- east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json | 6 ++--- east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json | 2 +- east-n-southeast-asia/my.json | 2 +- east-n-southeast-asia/pf.json | 3 +++ east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json | 2 +- east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json | 16 +++++++++++- east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json | 2 +- europe/al.json | 4 +-- europe/bu.json | 2 +- europe/da.json | 2 +- europe/en.json | 4 +-- europe/fr.json | 6 ++--- europe/gm.json | 6 ++--- europe/gr.json | 6 ++--- europe/hr.json | 4 +-- europe/hu.json | 4 +-- europe/kv.json | 4 +-- europe/lg.json | 4 +-- europe/lh.json | 4 +-- europe/lo.json | 10 ++++---- europe/lu.json | 2 +- europe/mj.json | 6 ++--- europe/mk.json | 4 +-- europe/nl.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- europe/no.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- europe/pl.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- europe/ro.json | 4 +-- europe/si.json | 24 ++++++++++++++---- europe/sp.json | 22 ++++++++++++++--- europe/sw.json | 24 ++++++++++++++---- europe/sz.json | 10 ++++---- europe/uk.json | 38 ++++++++++++++++++++--------- europe/up.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- middle-east/ae.json | 4 +-- middle-east/aj.json | 2 +- middle-east/am.json | 6 ++--- middle-east/gg.json | 6 ++--- middle-east/ir.json | 4 +-- middle-east/iz.json | 2 +- middle-east/jo.json | 6 ++--- middle-east/ku.json | 4 +-- middle-east/qa.json | 2 +- middle-east/sa.json | 16 +++++++++++- middle-east/sy.json | 4 +-- middle-east/ym.json | 3 ++- north-america/ca.json | 2 +- north-america/us.json | 18 ++++++++++++-- south-america/ar.json | 2 +- south-america/co.json | 2 +- south-america/ec.json | 4 +-- south-america/ns.json | 2 +- south-asia/in.json | 2 +- south-asia/mv.json | 10 ++++---- south-asia/pk.json | 16 +++++++++++- world/xx.json | 16 ++++++------ 98 files changed, 498 insertions(+), 211 deletions(-) diff --git a/africa/by.json b/africa/by.json index 74e2b123..6b6252f5 100644 --- a/africa/by.json +++ b/africa/by.json @@ -1182,7 +1182,7 @@ "text": "the military has a mix of mostly older weapons and equipment typically of French, Russian, and Soviet origin, and a smaller selection of more modern secondhand equipment from such countries as China, South Africa, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service (2023)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "750 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); more than 3,000 in Somalia (ATMIS; note - foreign troop contingents under ATMIS are drawing down towards a final exit in December 2024) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/cm.json b/africa/cm.json index d138143a..1655474e 100644 --- a/africa/cm.json +++ b/africa/cm.json @@ -1270,10 +1270,10 @@ "note": "note: the BIR has approximately 5,000 personnel" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { - "text": "the FAC inventory includes a wide mix of mostly older or second-hand Chinese, Russian, and Western equipment, with a limited quantity of more modern weapons received in recent years from such countries as China, France, and Russia (2022)" + "text": "the FAC inventory includes a wide mix of mostly older or second-hand Chinese, Russian, and Western equipment, with a limited quantity of more modern weapons received in recent years from such countries as China, France, and Russia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; high school graduation required; service obligation 4 years (2023)" + "text": "18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription; high school graduation required; service obligation 4 years (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "750 (plus about 350 police) Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (May 2022)", diff --git a/africa/eg.json b/africa/eg.json index 8b74a2b8..a0ccf647 100644 --- a/africa/eg.json +++ b/africa/eg.json @@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ "text": "Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representatives" }, "elections/appointments": { - "text": "president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 26-28 March 2018 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives; note - following a constitutional amendment approved by referendum in April 2019, the presidential term was extended from 4 to 6 years and eligibility extended to 3 consecutive terms" + "text": "president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 26-28 March 2018 (next to be held 10 to 12 December 2023); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives; note - following a constitutional amendment approved by referendum in April 2019, the presidential term was extended from 4 to 6 years and eligibility extended to 3 consecutive terms" }, "election results": { "text": "Abdelfattah ELSISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdelfattah ELSISI (independent) 97.1%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.9%; note - more than 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalid" @@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@ "text": "the EAF's inventory is comprised of a mix of domestically produced, Soviet-era, and more modern, particularly Western, weapons systems; in recent years, the EAF has embarked on an extensive equipment modernization program with significant purchases from foreign suppliers; major suppliers have included France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the US; Egypt has an established defense industry that produces a range of products from small arms to armored vehicles and naval vessels; it also has licensed and co-production agreements with several countries, including the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "voluntary enlistment possible from age 16 for men and women; 18-30 years of age for conscript service for men; 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 (2023)", + "text": "voluntary enlistment possible from age 16 for men and 17 for women; 18-30 years of age for conscript service for men; 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 (2023)", "note": "note: conscripts are estimated to comprise over half of the military, as well as a considerable portion of the Central Security Force" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/africa/er.json b/africa/er.json index 1d82380c..c7aae6dd 100644 --- a/africa/er.json +++ b/africa/er.json @@ -1150,11 +1150,11 @@ "text": "the EDF 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, and in recent years, Eritrea has expressed interest in purchasing additional Russian equipment; in 2022, it reportedly received some UAVs from Russia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "Eritrea mandates military service for all citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 (18-27 for women if conscripted); 18-month conscript service obligation, which includes 4-6 months of military training and 12 months of military or other national service (military service is most common); in practice, military service is often extended indefinitely; citizens up to the age of 55 eligible for recall during mobilization (2023)", + "text": "Eritrea mandates military service for all citizens between the ages of 18 and 40; 18-month conscript service obligation, which includes 4-6 months of military training and 12 months of military or other national service (military service is most common); in practice, military and national service is often extended indefinitely; citizens up to the age of 55 eligible for recall during mobilization (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2020, women were estimated to make up as much as 30% of the Eritrean military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the military’s primary responsibilities are external defense, border security, and providing the regime a vehicle for national cohesion; the Army is the dominant service; it is a large, conscript-based force and estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including some that are mechanized, as well as a division of commandos/special forces; the Air Force has a small number of Soviet-era combat aircraft and helicopters, while the Navy maintains a limited number of coastal patrol vessels 

since the country's independence in 1991, the Eritrean military has participated in numerous conflicts, including the Hanish Island Crisis with Yemen (1995), the First Congo War (1996-1997), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1996-1998), the Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000), the Djiboutian-Eritrean border conflict (2008), and the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia (2020-2023) (2023)" + "text": "the military’s primary responsibilities are external defense, border security, and providing the regime a vehicle for national cohesion; the Army is the dominant service; it is a large, conscript-based force and estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including some that are mechanized, as well as a division of commandos/special forces; the Air Force has a small number of Soviet-era combat aircraft and helicopters, while the Navy maintains a limited number of coastal patrol vessels 

since the country's independence in 1991, the Eritrean military has participated in numerous conflicts, including the Hanish Island Crisis with Yemen (1995), the First Congo War (1996-1997), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1996-1998), the Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000), the Djiboutian-Eritrean border conflict (2008), and the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia (2020-2022); during the Tigray conflict, the Eritrean Defense Forces were accused of widespread human rights abuses including executions, rape, and torture of civilians within Ethiopia (2023)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/africa/et.json b/africa/et.json index 435eda14..3b8dbb5f 100644 --- a/africa/et.json +++ b/africa/et.json @@ -1266,14 +1266,13 @@ "text": "the ENDF's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, the ENDF has received arms from a variety of countries, including China, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates; Ethiopia has a modest industrial defense base centered on small arms and production of armored vehicles (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (although the military may, when necessary, recruit a person more than 22 years old); no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2023)", - "note": "note: during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, the Ethiopian Government issued a nationwide state of emergency that enabled officials to order military-age citizens to undergo training and accept military duty; the order also recalled retired military officers to active duty" + "text": "18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (although the military may, when necessary, recruit a person more than 22 years old); no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "approximately 5-8,000 in Somalia (up to 4,000 for ATMIS; the remainder under a bilateral agreement with the Somali Government; note - foreign troop contingents in Somalia under ATMIS are drawing down towards a final withdrawal in December 2024); 1,450 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) has traditionally been one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, most experienced, and best equipped militaries, but it suffered heavy casualties and equipment losses during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict; the Ground Forces are estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including several that are mechanized, along with at least 1 division of commandos/special forces; the Air Force has combat squadrons of multipurpose fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and armed unmanned aerial vehicles; ENDF operations are often supported by sizeable regional state paramilitary units 

the ENDF is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and internal threats from multiple internal armed groups; since 1998, the ENDF has engaged in several conventional and counterinsurgency operations, including border wars with Eritrea (1998-2000) and Somalia (2006-2008) and internal conflicts with the Tigray regional state (2020-2022), several insurgent groups and ethnic militias (including the ethnonationalist Amhara Fano), and the al-Shabaab terrorist group (see Appendix T); the ENDF is currently conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including in Oromya (Oromia) against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an insurgent group that claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group; in 2022, militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group launched an incursion into Ethiopia's Somali (Sumale) regional state, attacking villages and security forces; the Ethiopian Government claimed that regional security forces killed hundreds of al-Shabaab fighters and subsequently deployed additional ENDF troops into Somalia’s Gedo region to prevent further incursions (2023)" + "text": "the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) has traditionally been one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, most experienced, and best equipped militaries, but it suffered heavy casualties and equipment losses during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict; the Ground Forces are estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including several that are mechanized, along with at least one division of commandos/special forces; the Air Force has combat squadrons of multipurpose fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and armed unmanned aerial vehicles; ENDF operations are often supported by sizeable regional state paramilitary units 

the ENDF is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and internal threats from multiple internal armed groups; since 1998, the ENDF has engaged in several conventional and counterinsurgency operations, including border wars with Eritrea (1998-2000) and Somalia (2006-2008) and internal conflicts with the Tigray regional state (2020-2022), several insurgent groups and ethnic militias (including the ethnonationalist Amhara Fano), and the al-Shabaab terrorist group (see Appendix T); the ENDF is currently conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including in Oromya (Oromia) against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an insurgent group that claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group; in 2022, militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group launched an incursion into Ethiopia's Somali (Sumale) regional state, attacking villages and security forces; the Ethiopian Government claimed that regional security forces killed hundreds of al-Shabaab fighters and subsequently deployed additional ENDF troops into Somalia’s Gedo region to prevent further incursions (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/africa/ga.json b/africa/ga.json index 05980ccd..f3d00e01 100644 --- a/africa/ga.json +++ b/africa/ga.json @@ -1182,13 +1182,13 @@ "text": "estimated 3,000 military personnel (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { - "text": "the GAF has a limited and obsolescent equipment inventory originating from several suppliers, including China, the UK, and the US (2023)" + "text": "the GAF has a limited and obsolescent or secondhand equipment inventory originating from several suppliers, including China, Turkey, the UK, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (18-22 for officers); no conscription; service obligation 6 months (2023)" + "text": "18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (18-22 for officers); no conscription; service obligation six months (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Gambian security forces have a history of involvement in domestic politics, including multiple coups attempts and mutinies, with the latest being an attempted coup in 2022; since 2017, Gambia’s security sector has been undergoing reforms as part of a national reconstruction effort to recover from the 22 years of Yahya JAMMEH’s autocratic rule under which the security forces were severely under-resourced in terms of finances and equipment and were largely directed towards regime protection and suppressing dissent; international partners, including member states of the EU, particularly France and Germany, and the US have provided support to military and police reforms; several members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also provided security forces for stability, as well as assistance and training through the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG); as of 2023, ECOMIG continued to provide about 1,000 military and gendarmerie personnel from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal

the GAF is a lightly armed force with about 5 small infantry battalions, a handful of coastal patrol boats, and a few aircraft; in addition to external defense, the responsibilities of the GAF include providing maritime security, countering human trafficking, aiding civil authorities in emergencies and natural disaster relief, and engaging in activities such as engineering, education, health, and agriculture for domestic socio-economic development; the GAF also participates in peacekeeping missions, and since its first deployments in the 1990s, has been involved in more than 10 UN peacekeeping missions while contributing about 4,000 total troops 

the GAF traces its origins to the Gambia Regiment of the British Army; established in 1901, the Gambia Regiment was part of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF, later Royal West African Frontier Force or RWAFF) and served in both World Wars, including the British 1944-45 military campaign in Burma; the Gambia Regiment was disbanded in 1958 and replaced by the Field Force, a police paramilitary unit; the Field Force was responsible for The Gambia’s security until the establishment of the GAF in 1985; in addition, a defense agreement signed in 1965 between The Gambia and Senegal provided mutual assistance in the face of an external threat; from 1981-1989, The Gambia and Senegal formed a Confederal Army that was made up of troops from both countries (2023)" + "text": "the Gambian security forces have a history of involvement in domestic politics, including multiple coups attempts and mutinies, with the latest being an attempted coup in 2022; since 2017, Gambia’s security sector has been undergoing reforms as part of a national reconstruction effort to recover from the 22 years of Yahya JAMMEH’s autocratic rule under which the security forces were severely under-resourced in terms of finances and equipment and were largely directed towards regime protection and suppressing dissent; international partners, including member states of the EU, particularly France and Germany, Turkey, and the US have provided support to military and police reforms; several members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also provided security forces for stability, as well as assistance and training through the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG); as of 2023, ECOMIG continued to provide about 1,000 military and gendarmerie personnel from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal

the GAF is a lightly armed force with about 5 small infantry battalions, a handful of coastal patrol boats, and a few aircraft; in addition to external defense, the responsibilities of the GAF include providing maritime security, countering human trafficking, aiding civil authorities in emergencies and natural disaster relief, and engaging in activities such as engineering, education, health, and agriculture for domestic socio-economic development; the GAF also participates in peacekeeping missions, and since its first deployments in the 1990s, has been involved in more than 10 UN peacekeeping missions while contributing about 4,000 total troops 

the GAF traces its origins to the Gambia Regiment of the British Army; established in 1901, the Gambia Regiment was part of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF, later Royal West African Frontier Force or RWAFF) and served in both World Wars, including the British 1944-45 military campaign in Burma; the Gambia Regiment was disbanded in 1958 and replaced by the Field Force, a police paramilitary unit; the Field Force was responsible for The Gambia’s security until the establishment of the GAF in 1985; in addition, a defense agreement signed in 1965 between The Gambia and Senegal provided mutual assistance in the face of an external threat; from 1981-1989, The Gambia and Senegal formed a Confederal Army that was made up of troops from both countries (2023)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/africa/gb.json b/africa/gb.json index 56d8e2cd..e0e6541e 100644 --- a/africa/gb.json +++ b/africa/gb.json @@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Gabonese military is a small and lightly-armed force that is responsible for both external and internal security; some members of the military attempted a failed coup in 2019; the French military has maintained a long-term presence in Gabon; the Army’s core forces are the Republican Guard and an airborne infantry battalion, which are supported by several small regionally-based infantry units; the Gendarmerie has regionally-based “legions,” as well as mobile forces, a national parks security unit, and a special intervention group; the Air Force has a small number of older French-made fighter aircraft and some combat helicopters, also mostly of French origin; the Navy has a small force of patrol boats (2023)" + "text": "the Gabonese military is a small and lightly-armed force that is responsible for both external and internal security; it seized control of the government in August 2023; some members of the military attempted a failed coup in 2019; the Army’s core forces are the Republican Guard and an airborne infantry battalion, which are supported by several small regionally-based infantry units; the Gendarmerie has regionally-based “legions,” as well as mobile forces, a national parks security unit, and a special intervention group; the Air Force has a small number of older French-made fighter aircraft and some combat helicopters, also mostly of French origin; the Navy has a small force of patrol boats (2023)" }, "Maritime threats": { "text": "the International Maritime Bureau reported no incidents in 2022 in the waters off Gabon; 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; past incidents have been reported where vessels were attacked and crews kidnapped; these incidents showed that the pirates / robbers in the area are well armed and violent; pirates have robbed vessels and kidnapped crews for ransom; in the past, product tankers were hijacked and cargo stolen; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2023-008 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 30 June 2023, 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\"" @@ -1210,10 +1210,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Gabon does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials investigated more trafficking crimes and convicted more traffickers; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared to the previous year to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; for the third consecutive year, the government did not adopt its anti-trafficking national action plan and lacked inter-ministerial coordination; fewer potential victims were identified and efforts to identify, protect, and provide justice for victims remained inadequate; the government did not amend its law to ensure penalties for adult sex trafficking were commensurate with penalties for other grave crimes, nor report investigating allegations of judicial corruption related to trafficking crimes; therefore, Gabon was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Gabon does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials increased funding and capacity at an NGO-run shelter for victims, and also increased prosecutions and convictions of alleged traffickers; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared to the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; authorities did not report any referrals of victims to services and did not report efforts to identify, protect, or provide justice for adult victims—potential efforts that have been inadequate for several years; for the fourth consecutive year, the government did not adopt its anti-trafficking National Action Plan and lacked inter-ministerial coordination; officials did not report investigating allegations of judicial corruption related to trafficking crimes; therefore, Gabon remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Gabon, as well as victims from Gabon abroad; Gabon is a primary destination and transit country for West and Central African men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; poverty continues to represent a key risk factor in forced labor and sex trafficking; girls are exploited in forced labor in domestic service, markets, or roadside restaurants, and boys are forced to work as street vendors, mechanics, and laborers in the fishing sector; West African women are coerced into domestic servitude or commercial sex within Gabon; criminals may exploit children in illegal gold mines and wildlife trafficking; Gabonese labor recruiters force some Cameroonians to work on rubber and palm oil plantations in northern Gabon; West African traffickers reportedly exploit children from other countries to work in markets and urban centers in Gabon; shopkeepers force or coerce Gabonese children to work in markets; smugglers who assist foreign adults migrating to or through Gabon subject them to forced labor or commercial sex; some families willingly give children to intermediaries promising education or employment who instead subject the children to forced labor; women are exploited in sex trafficking at roadside bars, and brothel owners reportedly conduct child sex trafficking (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Gabon, as well as victims from Gabon abroad; Gabon is a primary destination and transit country for West and Central African men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; poverty continues to represent a key risk factor in forced labor and sex trafficking; girls are exploited in forced labor in domestic service, markets, or roadside restaurants, and boys are forced to work as street vendors, mechanics, and laborers in the fishing sector; West African women are coerced into domestic servitude or commercial sex within Gabon; criminals may exploit children in illegal gold mines and wildlife trafficking; Gabonese labor recruiters associated with large agricultural firms exploit English-speaking Cameroonians displaced by violence and insecurity in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions, forcing some Cameroonians to work on rubber and palm oil plantations in northern Gabon; West African traffickers reportedly exploit children from other countries to work in markets and urban centers in Gabon; smugglers who assist foreign adults migrating to or through Gabon subject them to forced labor or commercial sex; some families willingly give children to intermediaries promising education or employment who instead subject the children to forced labor; women are exploited in sex trafficking at roadside bars, and brothel owners reportedly conduct child sex trafficking; traffickers often operate outside the capital to avoid detection and take advantage of Gabon’s porous borders and unguarded beaches to import victims by car or boat (2023)" } } } diff --git a/africa/iv.json b/africa/iv.json index 0163ce47..3bf0c17b 100644 --- a/africa/iv.json +++ b/africa/iv.json @@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@ "text": "the inventory of the FACI consists mostly of older or second-hand equipment, typically of French or Soviet-era origin; Cote d'Ivoire was under a partial UN arms embargo from 2004 to 2016; in recent years it has received limited amounts of mostly second-hand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including Bulgaria, China, and France (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary male and female military service; conscription is not enforced (2023)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service for men and women; conscription is reportedly not enforced (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "650 Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ke.json b/africa/ke.json index 41564dd5..71417f55 100644 --- a/africa/ke.json +++ b/africa/ke.json @@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ "text": "the KDF's inventory traditionally carried mostly older or second-hand Western weapons systems, particularly from France, the UK, and the US; however, since the 2000s it has sought to modernize and diversify its imports, and suppliers have included several countries including China, Italy, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "no conscription; 18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary service (under 18 with parental consent; upper limit 30 years of age for specialists, tradesmen, or women with a diploma; 39 years of age for chaplains/imams); 9-year service obligation (7 years for Kenyan Navy) and subsequent 3-year re-enlistments; applicants must be Kenyan citizens (2023)" + "text": "no conscription; 18-26 years of age for voluntary service for men and women (under 18 with parental consent; upper limit 30 years of age for specialists, tradesmen, or women with a diploma; 39 years of age for chaplains/imams); 9-year service obligation (7 years for Kenyan Navy) and subsequent 3-year re-enlistments; applicants must be Kenyan citizens (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "260 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); up to 3,600 troops deployed in Somalia under ATMIS (note - ATMIS troop contingents are drawing down towards a final exit in December 2024) (2023)", diff --git a/africa/ma.json b/africa/ma.json index 587d74dd..ebcb2a7e 100644 --- a/africa/ma.json +++ b/africa/ma.json @@ -633,16 +633,16 @@ "text": "Ambassador Claire PIERANGELO (since 2 May 2022)" }, "embassy": { - "text": "Lot 207A, Andranoro, Antehiroka, 105 Antananarivo" + "text": "Lot 207A, Andranoro, Antehiroka, 105 Antananarivo - Madagascar" }, "mailing address": { "text": "2040 Antananarivo Place, Washington  DC 20521-2040" }, "telephone": { - "text": "[261] 20-23-480-00" + "text": "[261] 33-44-320-00" }, "FAX": { - "text": "[261] 20-23-480-35" + "text": "[261] 33-44-320-35" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
antanACS@state.gov

https://mg.usembassy.gov/" @@ -1205,10 +1205,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Madagascar does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials investigated slightly more trafficking crimes, cooperated with foreign governments on a trafficking investigation, and established a new mechanism to promote fair recruitment for potential migrants and raise awareness of trafficking indicators; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; there were no reports of prosecutions or convictions of traffickers; the government did not hold complicit officials accountable nor investigate reports of officials facilitating child sex trafficking; officials identified the fewest number of trafficking victims since 2016 and only provided services to half of the victims; the government lacked standard operating procedures for identifying victims and referring them to care; efforts to address internal crimes, including domestic servitude, forced begging, and child sex trafficking, remained inadequate; the government failed to allocate adequate resources to agencies responsible for anti-trafficking efforts and lacked a national action plan; therefore, Madagascar was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Madagascar does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials identified and provided services to more victims, launched an updated National Action Plan, took steps to reduce the demand for child sex tourism, and worked with an international organization to monitor Malagasy migrant workers’ conditions in Jordan; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; officials investigated fewer trafficking cases and did not report any prosecutions or convictions of suspected traffickers for the second consecutive year; the government did not hold complicit officials accountable nor investigate reports of officials facilitating child sex trafficking within Madagascar or labor trafficking of Malagasy workers abroad; for the third consecutive year, the government did not disburse funds to the National Office to Combat Human Trafficking, hindering nationwide progress and coordination; efforts to address internal crimes, including domestic servitude, forced begging, and child sex trafficking, remained inadequate, and officials continued to conflate human trafficking with other crimes including gender-based violence and sexual exploitation; therefore, Madagascar remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Madagascar, as well as victims from Madagascar abroad; traffickers exploit Malagasy children in child sex trafficking and forced labor in domestic service in homes and businesses, mining, street vending, agriculture, textile factories, and fishing; most child sex trafficking occurs in tourist destinations, urban cities, vanilla-growing regions, and around mining sites with the involvement and encouragement of family members; tourist operators, hotels, taxi drivers, massage centers, and local adults involved in commercial sex also facilitate this crime; girls as young as 13 are exploited in child sex tourism, often openly in bars, nightclubs, massage parlors, hotels, and private homes; Malagasy men exploit the majority of child sex trafficking victims, while most foreign sex tourists are French or Italian nationals; government officials are reportedly complicit in providing false identification documents to traffickers that facilitate child sex trafficking in Madagascar and forced labor in domestic service by Malagasy women abroad; many Malagasy women are employed as domestic workers in China, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, where they are at risk of trafficking; traffickers acting as labor recruiters send Malagasy women to China with false identity cards, where they are exploited in forced labor in agriculture or domestic servitude; Malagasy men may be exploited in forced labor in the services and construction industries in the Middle East and domestic servitude in China; Chinese nationals working at China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects in Madagascar were vulnerable to forced labor (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Madagascar, as well as victims from Madagascar abroad; traffickers exploit Malagasy children in child sex trafficking and forced labor in domestic service in homes and businesses, mining, street vending, agriculture, textile factories, and fishing; most child sex trafficking occurs in tourist destinations, urban cities, vanilla-growing regions, and around mining sites with the involvement and encouragement of family members; tourist operators, hotels, taxi drivers, massage parlor owners, and local adults involved in commercial sex also facilitate child sex trafficking; girls and boys as young as 12 are exploited in child sex tourism in coastal areas and major cities, often openly in bars, nightclubs, massage parlors, hotels, and private homes; Malagasy men exploit the majority of child sex trafficking victims, while most foreign sex tourists are French and Italian nationals, or to a lesser extent from other Western European countries and Comoros; government officials are reportedly complicit in providing false documents to facilitate illicit recruitment of Malagasy women to work in Gulf states; many Malagasy women are employed as domestic workers in China, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, where they are at risk of trafficking; traffickers acting as labor recruiters send Malagasy women to China with false identity cards, where they are exploited in forced labor in agriculture or domestic servitude; Malagasy men may be exploited in forced labor in the services and construction industries in the Middle East and domestic servitude in China; Chinese nationals working at China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects in Madagascar were vulnerable to forced labor (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/mo.json b/africa/mo.json index fab18028..a705ae7d 100644 --- a/africa/mo.json +++ b/africa/mo.json @@ -1182,7 +1182,21 @@ "text": "62 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "36", + "total": { + "text": "36" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "7" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "5" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "4" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "20" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/africa/ni.json b/africa/ni.json index a58a1f2a..a749ab6c 100644 --- a/africa/ni.json +++ b/africa/ni.json @@ -1172,7 +1172,21 @@ "text": "54 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "40", + "total": { + "text": "40" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "8" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "0" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "3" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "29" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1233,7 +1247,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Coast Guard), Air Force

Ministry of Interior: Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) (2023)", + "text": "Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN): Army, Navy (includes Coast Guard), Air Force

Ministry of Interior: Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) (2023)", "note": "note 1: the NSCDC is a paramilitary agency commissioned to assist the military in the management of threats to internal security, including attacks and natural disasters

note 2: the Office of the National Security Advisor is responsible for coordinating all security and enforcement agencies, including the Department of State Security (DSS), the NSCDC, the Ministry of Justice, and the NPF; border security responsibilities are shared among the NPF, the DSS, the NSCDC, Customs, Immigration, and the Nigerian military

note 3: some states have created local security forces in response to increased violence, insecurity, and criminality that have exceeded the response capacity of government security forces" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1260,7 +1274,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory consists of a wide variety of imported weapons systems of Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, Russian (including Soviet-era), and US origin; the military is undergoing a considerable modernization program, and in recent years has received equipment from nearly 20 countries with China and Russia as the leading suppliers; Nigeria is also developing a defense-industry capacity, including small arms, armored personnel vehicles, and small-scale naval production (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "175 Sudan/South Sudan (UNISFA); has about 200 police and military assigned to the MINUSMA mission in Mali (2023)", diff --git a/africa/rw.json b/africa/rw.json index 704e3933..a68d5e50 100644 --- a/africa/rw.json +++ b/africa/rw.json @@ -1187,7 +1187,8 @@ "text": "the RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western--largely French and South African--equipment; in recent years, Russia has been the top supplier of arms to Rwanda (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career (2023)" + "text": "18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2022, women comprised approximately 6% of the Rwanda Defense Force" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "4,000 Central African Republic (approximately 2,800 for MINUSCA, including 700 police; an additional 1,200 troops sent separately under a bilateral arrangement to support and train Central African military forces); up to 3,000 Mozambique (deployed mid-2021 under a bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 400 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/sf.json b/africa/sf.json index 53afab3d..527b7783 100644 --- a/africa/sf.json +++ b/africa/sf.json @@ -619,13 +619,13 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Nomaindiya MFEKETO (since 8 April 2020)" + "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ismail ESAU (since 14 August 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" }, "telephone": { - "text": "[1] (202) 232-4400" + "text": "[1] (202) 413-1953" }, "FAX": { "text": "[1] (202) 265-1607" @@ -1191,7 +1191,21 @@ "text": "407 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "130", + "total": { + "text": "130" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "21" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "7" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "101" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1279,7 +1293,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-22 (18-26 for college graduates) years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 2-year service obligation (2023)", - "note": "note: in 2019, women comprised about 30% of the military" + "note": "note: in 2020, women comprised about 30% of the military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "1,150 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); up to 1,500 Mozambique (part of a Southern African Development Community force to help quell an insurgency) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/sg.json b/africa/sg.json index e20cbe18..7af82300 100644 --- a/africa/sg.json +++ b/africa/sg.json @@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 19,000 active personnel (12,000 Army; 1,000 Navy/Coast Guard; 1,000 Air Force; 5,000 National Gendarmerie) (2023)" + "text": "approximately 25,000 active personnel (12,000 Army; 1,000 Navy/Coast Guard; 1,000 Air Force; 11,000 National Gendarmerie) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the FAS inventory includes mostly older or secondhand equipment from a variety of countries, including France, South Africa, and Russia/former Soviet Union; in recent years, the FAS has undertaken a modernization program and has received small amounts of newer equipment from more than 10 countries, with France as the leading supplier (2023)" diff --git a/africa/su.json b/africa/su.json index 20881570..8660253e 100644 --- a/africa/su.json +++ b/africa/su.json @@ -1128,7 +1128,21 @@ "text": "67 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "17", + "total": { + "text": "17" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "5" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "10" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/africa/to.json b/africa/to.json index 9b1ef438..eeb80439 100644 --- a/africa/to.json +++ b/africa/to.json @@ -1231,13 +1231,13 @@ "text": "the FAT has a small, mixed inventory of mostly older equipment from a variety of countries; in recent years, it has received limited amounts of equipment from several suppliers, including France, Russia, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for military service; 2-year service obligation; no conscription; women have been able to serve since 2007 (2022)" + "text": "18 years of age for military service; 24-month service obligation; no conscription; women have been able to serve since 2007 (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "725 (plus about 300 police) Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "since its creation in 1963, the Togolese military has had 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, however, it has made some efforts to reform and professionalize, as well as increase its role in UN peacekeeping activities; Togo maintains a regional peacekeeping training center for military and police in Lome; the FAT participates in multinational exercises and has received training from foreign partners, including France and the US

the FAT’s current focuses are primarily terrorism and maritime security; in recent years, it has increased operations in the northern border region of the country to boost border security and prevent terrorist infiltrations from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), a coalition of al-Qa'ida-affiliated militant groups based in Mali that also operates in neighboring Burkina Faso; in 2022, the Togolese Government declared a state of emergency in the north due to the threat from JNIM following an attack on a Togolese military post that killed several soldiers; the Navy and Air Force have increased focus on combating piracy and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea

the Army has a mixed force of small, lightly-armed combined arms, infantry, and commando regiments, as well as a rapid reaction force; the Gendarmerie includes mobile, regionally-based, and maritime units; the Navy operates a few patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of training, light attack-capable, and transport aircraft, as well as combat helicopters and a few armed UAVs acquired from Turkey in 2022 (2023)" + "text": "since its creation in 1963, the Togolese military has had 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, however, it has made some efforts to reform and professionalize, as well as increase its role in UN peacekeeping activities; Togo maintains a regional peacekeeping training center for military and police in Lome; the military participates in multinational exercises and has received training from foreign partners, including France and the US

the FAT’s current focuses are primarily terrorism and maritime security; in recent years, it has increased operations in the northern border region of the country to boost border security and prevent terrorist infiltrations from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), a coalition of al-Qa'ida-affiliated militant groups based in Mali that also operates in neighboring Burkina Faso; in 2022, the Togolese Government declared a state of emergency in the north due to the threat from JNIM following an attack on a Togolese military post that killed several soldiers; the Navy and Air Force have increased focus on combating piracy and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea

the Army has a mixed force of small, lightly-armed combined arms, infantry, and commando regiments, as well as a rapid reaction force; the Gendarmerie includes mobile, regionally-based, and maritime units; the Navy operates a few patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of training, light attack-capable, and transport aircraft, as well as combat helicopters and a few armed UAVs acquired from Turkey in 2022 (2023)" }, "Maritime threats": { "text": "for a second year the International Maritime Bureau reported no incidents in 2022 in the territorial and offshore waters of Togo; past incidents have been reported where vessels were attacked and crews kidnapped; these incidents showed that the pirates / robbers in the area are well armed and violent; pirates have robbed vessels and kidnapped crews for ransom; in the past, product tankers were hijacked and cargo stolen; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2023-008 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 30 June 2023, 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\"" diff --git a/africa/uv.json b/africa/uv.json index 1574b225..d99748d1 100644 --- a/africa/uv.json +++ b/africa/uv.json @@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Hermann Yirigouin TOE (since 27 September 2022)" + "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Jean-Baptiste GAGRE (since 31 July 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -1200,7 +1200,7 @@ "text": "the FABF has a mix of mostly older or secondhand equipment from a mix of suppliers, including France, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women may serve in supporting roles (2023)" + "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "650 (plus about 200 police) Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)", diff --git a/africa/wz.json b/africa/wz.json index 7e8ab058..b03213bb 100644 --- a/africa/wz.json +++ b/africa/wz.json @@ -552,13 +552,13 @@ }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { - "text": "bicameral Parliament (Libandla) consists of:
Senate (30 seats; 20 members appointed by the monarch and 10 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the House of Assembly; members serve 5-year terms)
House of Assembly (70 seats statutory, current 74; 59 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies or tinkhundla by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed, 10 members appointed by the monarch, 4 women elected by the members if representation of elected women is less than 30%, and 1 ex-officio member - the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms)" + "text": "bicameral Parliament (Libandla) consists of:
Senate (30 seats; 20 members appointed by the monarch and 10 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the House of Assembly; members serve 5-year terms)
House of Assembly (70 seats statutory, current 70; 59 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies or tinkhundla by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed, 10 members appointed by the monarch, 4 women elected by the members if representation of elected women is less than 30%, and 1 ex-officio member - the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms)" }, "elections": { - "text": "

Senate - last held on 23 October 2018 (next to be held - 31 October 2023)
House of Assembly - last held on 21 September 2018 (next to be held in 2023)

 

" + "text": "

Senate - last held on 23 October 2018 (next to be held - 31 October 2023)
House of Assembly - last held on 29 September 2023 (next to be held in 2028)

 

" }, "election results": { - "text": "

Senate - percent of seats by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 18, women 12, percent of women 40%

House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 59; composition - men 65, women 9, percent of women 12.2%; note - total Parliament percent of women 20.2%

" + "text": "

Senate - percent of seats by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 18, women 12, percent of women 40%

House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 59; composition - men 56, women 13, percent of women 5.38%; note - total Parliament percent of women 4%

" } }, "Judicial branch": { diff --git a/africa/za.json b/africa/za.json index ada3114c..77986033 100644 --- a/africa/za.json +++ b/africa/za.json @@ -1229,14 +1229,14 @@ "text": "the ZDF's inventory is largely comprised of Chinese, Russian, and Soviet-era armaments; in recent years, leading suppliers have included China and Italy (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age (17 with parental consent) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription; 12-year enlistment period (7 years active, 5 in the Reserves); must be Zambian citizens, holder of a green national registration card, and must have a school Grade 12 certification (2023)", - "note": "note: Zambia had military conscription from 1975-1980" + "text": "18-25 years of age (17 with parental consent) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription; 12-year enlistment period (7 years active, 5 in the Reserves) (2023)", + "note": "note: Zambia had military conscription from 1975-1980" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "925 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the ZDF is responsible for preserving the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; it also has some domestic security responsibilities in cases of national emergency; border security and support to African and UN peacekeeping operations are priorities; the ZDF is part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Standby Force and participates in multinational training exercises; it has received training assistance from China and the US

the Army’s principal combat forces are 3 light infantry brigades, supported by armored and artillery regiments; it also has a maritime patrol unit to provide security for the country’s lakes and rivers; the Air Force has small numbers of mostly Chinese-made combat aircraft and helicopters 

the ZDF traces its roots to the Northern Rhodesia Regiment, which was raised by the British colonial government to fight in World War II; the ZDF was established in 1964 from units of the dissolved Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland armed forces; it participated in a number of regional conflicts during the 1970s and 1980s; Zambia actively supported independence movements such as the Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA), the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), and the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) (2023)" + "text": "the Zambia Defense Forces are responsible for preserving the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; it also has some domestic security responsibilities in cases of national emergency; border security and support to African and UN peacekeeping operations are priorities; the ZDF is part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Standby Force and participates in multinational training exercises; it has received training assistance from China and the US

the Army’s principal combat forces are 3 light infantry brigades, supported by armored and artillery regiments; it also has a maritime patrol unit to provide security for the country’s lakes and rivers; the Air Force has small numbers of mostly Chinese-made combat aircraft and helicopters 

the ZDF traces its roots to the Northern Rhodesia Regiment, which was raised by the British colonial government to fight in World War II; the ZDF was established in 1964 from units of the dissolved Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland armed forces; it participated in a number of regional conflicts during the 1970s and 1980s; Zambia actively supported independence movements such as the Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA), the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), and the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) (2023)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/as.json b/australia-oceania/as.json index 7493826c..074e58fa 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/as.json +++ b/australia-oceania/as.json @@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ "text": "6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island" + "text": "Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island (6)" }, "Independence": { "text": "1 January 1901 (from the federation of UK colonies)" @@ -1267,8 +1267,8 @@ "note": "note: in 2023, the Australian defense ministry announced a new strategic review that called for the acquisition of more long-range deterrence capabilities, including missiles, submarines, and cyber tools" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription (abolished 1973); women allowed to serve in all roles, including combat arms, since 2013 (2022)", - "note": "note 1: foreign nationals who are permanent residents, particularly New Zealanders, or those who have applied for citizenship or overseas candidates who have appropriate experience and qualifications from an overseas military can apply to join the ADF 

note 2: in 2020-2021, women comprised nearly 20% of the military" + "text": "17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription (abolished 1973); women allowed to serve in all roles, including combat arms, since 2013 (2023)", + "note": "note 1: foreign nationals who are permanent residents, particularly New Zealanders, or those who have applied for citizenship or overseas candidates who have appropriate experience and qualifications from an overseas military can apply to join the ADF 

note 2: in 2022, women comprised about 20% of the military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "note: since the 1990s, Australia has deployed more than 30,000 personnel on nearly 100 UN peacekeeping and coalition military operations, including in Cambodia, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, and East Timor" diff --git a/australia-oceania/cw.json b/australia-oceania/cw.json index 25e8251b..e2901c9c 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/cw.json +++ b/australia-oceania/cw.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Polynesians from Tahiti were probably the first people to settle Rarotonga around A.D. 900. Over time, Samoans and Tongans also settled in Rarotonga, and Rarotongans voyaged to the northern Cook Islands, settling Manihiki and Rakahanga. Pukapuka and Penrhyn in the northern Cook Islands were settled directly from Samoa. Prior to European contact, there was considerable travel and trade between inhabitants of the different islands and atolls but they were not united in a single political entity. Spanish navigators were the first Europeans to spot the northern Cook Islands in 1595 followed by the first landing in 1606. The Cook Islands remained free of further European contact until the 1760s, and in 1773, British explorer James COOK saw Manuae in the southern Cook Islands. The islands were named after COOK in the 1820s by Russian mapmakers. English missionary activity during the 1820s and 1830s banned singing and dancing and converted most of the population.

Fearing France would militarily occupy the islands like it did in Tahiti, Rarotongans asked the UK for protectorate status in the 1840s and 1860s, which the UK ignored. In 1888, Queen MAKEA TAKAU of Rarotonga formally petitioned for protectorate status, which the UK reluctantly agreed to. In 1901, the UK placed Rarotonga and the rest of the islands in the New Zealand Colony and in 1915, the Cook Islands Act organized the Cook Islands into one political entity. It remained a protectorate until 1965, when New Zealand granted the Cook Islands self-government status. The Cook Islands has a great deal of local autonomy and is an independent member of international organizations, but it is in free association with New Zealand, which is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. Economic opportunities in the Cook Islands are sparse, and more Cook Islanders live in New Zealand than in the Cook Islands.

In a referendum in 1994, voters chose to keep the name Cook Islands rather than changing to a Maori name for the islands. The issue was revived in 2019, but after being poorly received by the diaspora in New Zealand, the government decided to retain the name Cook Islands but to provide a Maori name alongside it. The Maori name has not yet been determined." + "text": "Polynesians from Tahiti were probably the first people to settle Rarotonga around A.D. 900. Over time, Samoans and Tongans also settled in Rarotonga, and Rarotongans voyaged to the northern Cook Islands, settling Manihiki and Rakahanga. Pukapuka and Penrhyn in the northern Cook Islands were settled directly from Samoa. Prior to European contact, there was considerable travel and trade between inhabitants of the different islands and atolls but they were not united in a single political entity. Spanish navigators were the first Europeans to spot the northern Cook Islands in 1595 followed by the first landing in 1606. The Cook Islands remained free of further European contact until the 1760s, and in 1773, British explorer James COOK saw Manuae in the southern Cook Islands. The islands were named after COOK in the 1820s by Russian mapmakers. English missionary activity during the 1820s and 1830s banned singing and dancing and converted most of the population.

Fearing France would militarily occupy the islands like it did in Tahiti, Rarotongans asked the UK for protectorate status in the 1840s and 1860s, which the UK ignored. In 1888, Queen MAKEA TAKAU of Rarotonga formally petitioned for protectorate status, which the UK reluctantly agreed to. In 1901, the UK placed Rarotonga and the rest of the islands in the New Zealand Colony and in 1915, the Cook Islands Act organized the Cook Islands into one political entity. It remained a protectorate until 1965, when New Zealand granted the Cook Islands self-government status. The Cook Islands has a great deal of local autonomy and is an independent member of international organizations, but it is in free association with New Zealand, which is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. In September 2023, the US recognized the Cook Islands as a sovereign and independent state. Economic opportunities in the Cook Islands are sparse, and more Cook Islanders live in New Zealand than in the Cook Islands.

In a referendum in 1994, voters chose to keep the name Cook Islands rather than changing to a Maori name for the islands. The issue was revived in 2019, but after being poorly received by the diaspora in New Zealand, the government decided to retain the name Cook Islands but to provide a Maori name alongside it. The Maori name has not yet been determined." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/fj.json b/australia-oceania/fj.json index a64a7b6e..7a3f4819 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/fj.json +++ b/australia-oceania/fj.json @@ -1160,7 +1160,7 @@ "text": "the RFMF is lightly armed and equipped; Australia has provided patrol boats and a few armored personnel carriers; it also provides logistical support for RFMF regional or UN operations; in recent years, China has provided construction equipment and military vehicles (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 55 (2023)" + "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; mandatory retirement at age 55 (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "170 Egypt (MFO); 160 Iraq (UNAMI); 150 Golan Heights (UNDOF) (2023)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/ne.json b/australia-oceania/ne.json index dd89d979..c9dc868e 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/ne.json +++ b/australia-oceania/ne.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Voyagers from Samoa first settled on Niue around A.D. 900 and a second main group of settlers came from Tonga around 1500. With only one reliable source of fresh water, conflict was high on the island. There was continued contact with both Samoa and Tonga, and customs from those islands heavily influenced Niuean culture, including the formation of an island-wide kingship system in the early 1700s. These kings, or patu-iki, were elected by Niueans. In 1774, British explorer James COOK abandoned attempts to land on the island after several unsuccessful tries, and he named it Savage Island because of the warlike appearance of the Niueans. Missionaries arrived in 1830 but were also largely unsuccessful at staying on the island until 1846, when a Niuean trained as a Samoan missionary returned to the island and provided a space from which the missionaries could work. In addition to converting the population, the missionaries worked to stop the violent conflicts between Niueans and helped establish the first parliament in 1849.

In 1889, King FATAAIKI and other chiefs asked the UK for protectorate status, a request that was repeated in 1895. The UK finally agreed in 1900 and King TOGIA-PULU-TOAKI formally ceded Niue that year. In 1901, Niue was annexed to New Zealand and included as part of the Cook Islands. Niue’s remoteness and cultural and linguistic differences with the Cook Islands led New Zealand to separate Niue into its own administration in 1904. The island became internally self-governing in 1974; it is an independent member of international organizations but is in free association with New Zealand, which is responsible for defense and foreign affairs.

Economic opportunities in Niue are sparse. The population has trended downwards over recent decades, with substantial emigration to New Zealand. In 2004, a cyclone destroyed much of the southern part of the capital, Alofi, and left about 15% of the population homeless. Many chose not to rebuild and instead moved to New Zealand (2,400 km to the southwest), where approximately 90% of all ethnic Niueans live.

" + "text": "

Voyagers from Samoa first settled on Niue around A.D. 900 and a second main group of settlers came from Tonga around 1500. With only one reliable source of fresh water, conflict was high on the island. There was continued contact with both Samoa and Tonga, and customs from those islands heavily influenced Niuean culture, including the formation of an island-wide kingship system in the early 1700s. These kings, or patu-iki, were elected by Niueans. In 1774, British explorer James COOK abandoned attempts to land on the island after several unsuccessful tries, and he named it Savage Island because of the warlike appearance of the Niueans. Missionaries arrived in 1830 but were also largely unsuccessful at staying on the island until 1846, when a Niuean trained as a Samoan missionary returned to the island and provided a space from which the missionaries could work. In addition to converting the population, the missionaries worked to stop the violent conflicts between Niueans and helped establish the first parliament in 1849.

In 1889, King FATAAIKI and other chiefs asked the UK for protectorate status, a request that was repeated in 1895. The UK finally agreed in 1900 and King TOGIA-PULU-TOAKI formally ceded Niue that year. In 1901, Niue was annexed to New Zealand and included as part of the Cook Islands. Niue’s remoteness and cultural and linguistic differences with the Cook Islands led New Zealand to separate Niue into its own administration in 1904. The island became internally self-governing in 1974; it is an independent member of international organizations but is in free association with New Zealand, which is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. In September 2023, the US recognized Niue as a sovereign and independent state.

Economic opportunities in Niue are sparse. The population has trended downwards over recent decades, with substantial emigration to New Zealand. In 2004, a cyclone destroyed much of the southern part of the capital, Alofi, and left about 15% of the population homeless. Many chose not to rebuild and instead moved to New Zealand (2,400 km to the southwest), where approximately 90% of all ethnic Niueans live.

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/nz.json b/australia-oceania/nz.json index ca31e2fa..a7fbfa44 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/nz.json +++ b/australia-oceania/nz.json @@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ "text": "16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau" + "text": "Tokelau (1)" }, "Independence": { "text": "26 September 1907 (from the UK)" @@ -1129,7 +1129,21 @@ "text": "123 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "39", + "total": { + "text": "39" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "15" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "2" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "21" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1202,8 +1216,8 @@ "text": "the NZDF is equipped mostly with Western-supplied weapons and equipment with the US as the leading provider (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "17 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2023)", - "note": "note 1: New Zealand opened up all military occupations to women in 2000; women currently account for about 15% of regular armed forces personnel

note 2: as of 2022, the NZDF’s program for recruiting foreign volunteers had been suspended" + "text": "17 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2023)", + "note": "note 1: New Zealand opened up all military occupations to women in 2000; in 2022, women accounted for about 20% of armed forces personnel

note 2: as of 2022, the NZDF’s program for recruiting foreign volunteers had been suspended" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "up to 220 Antarctica (summer season only) (2022)" diff --git a/australia-oceania/rm.json b/australia-oceania/rm.json index 48fc83f0..de8c1167 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/rm.json +++ b/australia-oceania/rm.json @@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Gerald M. ZACKIOS (since 16 September 2016)" + "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Dixie LOMAE (since 1 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" diff --git a/australia-oceania/tn.json b/australia-oceania/tn.json index a65449ba..f977c489 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tn.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tn.json @@ -1117,7 +1117,7 @@ "text": "the Tonga military's inventory includes mostly light weapons and equipment from Australia, European countries (primarily the UK), and the US; nearly all of its military acquisitions in recent years have come from Australia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "voluntary military service for men and women 18-25 (16 with parental approval for non-combat positions); no conscription (2022)" + "text": "voluntary military service for men and women 18-25; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the HMAF’s primary missions are protecting the King and Tonga’s sovereignty; the HMAF has contributed small numbers of personnel to multinational military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Solomon Islands; it is a small force comprised of a royal guard company, a marine battalion, a few naval patrol boats, and a couple of aircraft for maritime patrolling, search and rescue, and training purposes

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

Tonga has a \"shiprider\" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Tonga's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; \"shiprider\" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json index 3d141803..dda01797 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json @@ -1113,7 +1113,7 @@ "text": "most of the RBDF's major equipment inventory is supplied by the Netherlands (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female service (18-60 for Reserves); no conscription (2023)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary service for men and women (18-60 for Reserves); no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "established in 1980; the RBDF's primary responsibilities are disaster relief, maritime security, and counter-narcotics operations; it also provides security at a detention center for migrants and performs some domestic security functions, such as guarding embassies; the RBDF is a naval force, but includes a lightly-armed marine infantry/commando squadron for base and internal security, as well as a few light non-combat aircraft; the maritime element has coastal patrol craft and patrol boats; the RBDF maintains training relationships with the UK and the US (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json index 2021b238..6f612b43 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json @@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "President Charles A. SAVARIN (since 2 October 2013)" + "text": "President Sylvanie BURTON (since 2 October 2023)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004)" @@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Judith-Anne ROLLE (since 16 December 2021)" + "text": "Ambassador Steve FERROL (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "3216 New Mexico Ave NW Washington, DC 20016" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json index 7b99a959..b4e826f6 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json @@ -1242,7 +1242,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "16-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (ages vary slightly according to military service; under 18 admitted with permission of parents); recruits must have completed primary school and be Dominican Republic citizens (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2021, women made up approximately 20% of the active duty military" + "note": "note: as of 2022, women made up approximately 22% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of the Dominican Republic; it also has an internal security role, which includes assisting with airport, border, port, tourism, and urban security, supporting the police in maintaining or restoring public order, countering transnational crime, and providing disaster or emergency relief/management; a key area of focus is securing the country’s 217-mile (350-kilometer) long border with Haiti; the Army in recent years, for example, has assigned 3 of its 6 infantry brigades and some 10-12,000 troops to assist with security along the Haitian border; these forces complement the approximately 700 troops of the Border Security Corps permanently deployed along the border; the Air Force and Navy also provide support to the Haitian border mission; the Army has a brigade dedicated to managing and providing relief during natural disasters; the military also contributes personnel to the National Drug Control Directorate, and both the Air Force and Navy devote assets to detecting and interdicting narcotics trafficking; the Navy conducts regular bilateral maritime interdiction exercises with the US Navy (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json index 5caf6652..9452f814 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json @@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ "text": "the FAES has a mix of mostly older imported platforms, largely from the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16-22 years of age for voluntary male or female service; service obligation is 12 months, with 11 months for officers and non-commissioned officers (2023)", + "text": "18-30 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; service obligation is 12 months, with 11 months for officers and non-commissioned officers (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2016, women made up about 6% of the active duty military" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json index df37396c..2189a3cc 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/gj.json @@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Yolande Yvonne SMITH (since 8 April 2019)" + "text": "Ambassador Tarlie FRANCIS (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json index 05816753..09daf4c9 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/ha.json @@ -1188,10 +1188,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Haiti does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; Haiti adopted national standard operating procedures for victim identification and support, improved oversight of vulnerable children in orphanages, completed a new national action plan, conducted extensive anti-trafficking training, and collaborated with NGOs on victim identification; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; traffickers operated with impunity and complicity, particularly in high-profile cases; no anti-trafficking law enforcement or victim protection efforts were reported apart from those involving children; the government did not fund the National Committee for the Fight Against Human Trafficking or adult victim services in fiscal year 2021 and made insufficient efforts to combat child domestic servitude; therefore, Haiti remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Haiti does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials initiated two prosecutions under the anti-trafficking law and assigned investigative judges in two additional high-profile cases; the government also identified and provided services to 11 adult trafficking victims, and also provided support to an unknown number of child victims and conducted an audit of judicial and child protection cases; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; impunity and complicity, particularly in high-profile cases, remained problems; Haiti lacked sustained law enforcement efforts and did not pursue investigations following victim identification; improvements in law enforcement or victim protection efforts were unclear because the government did not disaggregate information on anti-trafficking law enforcement or victim protection efforts; anti-trafficking agencies did not cooperate effectively, and the government did not make sufficient efforts to combat child domestic servitude; because the government has devoted sufficient resources to a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute significant efforts to meet the minimum standards, Haiti was granted a waiver per the TVPA from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3; therefore, Haiti remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Haiti, as well as Haitians abroad; most of Haiti’s trafficking cases involve children in forced labor and sex trafficking in domestic service; NGOs estimate between 150,000 and 300,000 children work in domestic servitude, of which about two-thirds are girls and one-third boys--mostly victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking, respectively; Haitian women and girls seeking jobs are instead exploited in commercial sex in the Dominican Republic or for sex tourism; child sex tourism reportedly takes place in Haiti, with most tourists coming from the United States, Canada, and Europe; traffickers target Haitian children in private or NGO-sponsored residential care centers, children working in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, internally displaced persons—including those displaced by natural disasters and gang violence—stateless people, Haitian migrants traveling from or returning to Haiti, and LGBTQI+ youth; female foreign nationals, especially from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, are particularly at risk for sex and labor trafficking in Haiti; Cuban medical workers in Haiti may have been forced to work by the Cuban government (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Haiti, as well as Haitians abroad; in 2023, officials estimated three million Haitians were at risk of trafficking; during the reporting period, Haiti suffered multiple crises, including gang violence, fuel shortages, irregular migration outflows, internal population displacements, a cholera epidemic, the breakdown of basic infrastructure, and the government’s inability to provide basic services—all of which increased vulnerability to trafficking and reduced government capacity to address it; most of Haiti’s trafficking cases involve children in forced labor and sex trafficking in domestic service; NGOs estimate that between 150,000 and 300,000 children work in domestic servitude, of which about two-thirds are girls and one-third boys—mostly victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking, respectively; female foreign nationals, especially citizens of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, are particularly at risk for sex and labor trafficking in Haiti; commercial sex typically takes place in upscale neighborhoods and resort areas to cater to foreigners; NGOs report child sex tourism occurs in Haiti, with most sex tourists coming from Canada, the US, and Europe; traffickers target Haitian children in private or NGO-sponsored residential care centers, children working in construction, agriculture, fisheries, domestic work, begging, and street vending, IDPs including those displaced by natural disasters, stateless people, LGBTQI+ youth, and those affected by gang violence; risks to migrants remained high, including from migrant smugglers who exploit migrant women in commercial sex to repay alleged debts; among all Haitian migrant groups, those traversing the Dominican Republic-Haiti border seeking economic opportunities were the largest and most vulnerable to trafficking; cross-border trafficking of Haitians include forced labor in the Dominican construction, service, and agricultural industries and sex trafficking in the Dominican tourism industry; Haitian adults and children also are at risk of fraudulent recruitment and forced labor in other Caribbean countries, South America, and the US; Cuban medical workers in Haiti may have been forced to work by the Cuban government (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json index 65e85170..2d87e9fd 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json @@ -1215,8 +1215,8 @@ "text": "the FFAA's inventory is comprised of mostly older imported equipment from Israel, the UK, and the US; in recent years, it has received limited amounts of military equipment from several countries, including Colombia and Israel (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary 2- to 3-year military service (men and women); no conscription (2022)", - "note": "note: as of 2017, women made up over 4% of the active duty military" + "text": "18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 24-36 month service obligation; no conscription (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2023, women made up about 9% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Honduran Armed Forces (FFAA) are responsible for maintaining the country’s territory, defending its sovereignty, providing emergency/humanitarian assistance, and supporting the National Police (HNP); the FFAA’s primary focus is internal and border security, and since 2011 a considerable portion of it has been deployed to support the HNP in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; military support to domestic security included the creation of the Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) in 2013 to provide security in areas controlled by street gangs to combat crime and make arrests; the PMOP also has sent personnel to reinforce security operations along the country’s border as part of a tri-national security task force with El Salvador and Guatemala; the FFAA has received military equipment, training, humanitarian, and technical assistance from the US military; the US military maintains a joint service task force co-located with the FFAA at Soto Cano Air Base

the Army’s combat forces include 5 infantry brigades, a special operations group, and approximately 8 military police battalions; the Navy is a small force focused on coastal and riverine security that operates an ocean-going patrol vessel acquired in 2019 and supported by flotillas of small coastal and riverine patrol boats, as well as a small naval infantry force; the Air Force has a handful of older US-made jet fighters and light ground attack aircraft (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json index d170438a..37188260 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json @@ -1157,7 +1157,8 @@ "text": "the JDF is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring equipment mostly from Europe and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent); 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2023)" + "text": "no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2022, women made up about 20% of the JDF's uniformed personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "in addition to its responsibility of defending against external aggression, the JDF's primary missions are border, internal, and maritime security, including support to police operations in combating crime and violence; other missions include search and rescue, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping; it has arrest authority and partners with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security, which directs policy for the security forces; the JDF participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises, including with the militaries of Canada, the UK, the US, and other Caribbean nations 

while Jamaica had a militia force as early as the 1660s, the JDF was constituted in 1962 from the West India Regiment (WIR), a British colonial regiment which dates back to 1795; troops for the WIR were recruited from freed slaves from North America, slaves purchased in the West Indies, and slaves from Africa bought off slave ships (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/sc.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/sc.json index 42ffbe0a..341b752b 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/sc.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/sc.json @@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Shanelle Natasha SIMMONDS (since 26 August 2022)" + "text": "Ambassador Jacinth HENRY-MARTIN (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "1203 19th St. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036" @@ -1034,7 +1034,7 @@ "text": "the SKNDF is lightly armed with equipment from Belgium, the UK, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service (under 18 with written parental permission); no conscription (2023)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (under 18 with written parental permission); no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "St. Kitts joined the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) in 1984; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, 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

SKNDF's missions included defense of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, protecting natural resources, interdicting narcotics trafficking, and providing humanitarian relief as needed (2023)" diff --git a/central-asia/kz.json b/central-asia/kz.json index 1b616bc9..0e86c134 100644 --- a/central-asia/kz.json +++ b/central-asia/kz.json @@ -1244,7 +1244,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces

Ministry of Internal Affairs: National Police, National Guard; Committee for National Security (KNB): Border Guard Service (2023)", + "text": "Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces

Ministry of Internal Affairs: National Police, National Guard

Committee for National Security (KNB): Border Guard Service (2023)", "note": "note: the National Guard is a gendarmerie type force administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also serves the Ministry of Defense; it is responsible for fighting crime, maintaining public order, and ensuring public safety; other duties include anti-terrorism operations, guarding prisons, riot control, and territorial defense in time of war" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1265,16 +1265,17 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "information varies; approximately 40,000 active-duty personnel (25,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Naval Forces; 12,000 Air and Air Defense Forces) (2023)" + "text": "information varies; approximately 40,000 active-duty personnel (25,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Naval Forces; 12,000 Air and Air Defense Forces); approximately 30,000 National Guard (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Kazakh military's inventory is comprised of mostly older Russian and Soviet-era equipment, and Russia continues to be the leading supplier of arms (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "all men 18-27 are required to serve in the military for 12-24 months (2023)" + "text": "all men 18-27 are required to serve in the military for 12-24 months; women may volunteer (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2022, more than 10,000 women served in the Kyrgyz Armed Forces and the National Guard" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "Kazakhstan’s armed forces were formed in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the disbandment of the Soviet Turkestan Military District whose forces formed the core of the new Kazakh military; the military’s principal responsibilities are territorial defense while the National Police, National Guard, Committee for National Security, and Border Service have primary responsibility for internal security, although the military may provide assistance as required; the military also participates in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations; in 2008, Kazakhstan opened up Central Asia’s first peacekeeper training center for military personnel of Kazakhstan, NATO, and other partners 

in 2022, Kazakhstan initiated a wide-ranging effort to enhance the country’s security sector, including organizational changes such as establishing new National Guard units, enhancing existing ones, and forming a special operations force, spending increases for equipment acquisitions, a new doctrine with renewed emphasis on defense of the border, and reforms to improve professionalism in the military

information on the military’s structure varies with the Land Forces reportedly having about 15 combat brigades, which include a mix of air assault and mechanized infantry, tank, artillery, and surface-to-surface missile forces; the Naval Forces include a naval infantry brigade and patrol craft for operating on the Caspian Sea; the Air Defense Forces have over 100 combat aircraft, largely of Soviet-origin, but also some more modern Russian-made fighter aircraft 

Kazakhstan has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and has obligated troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; it also has a relationship with NATO focused on democratic, institutional, and defense reforms; relations with NATO started in 1992, and Kazakhstan joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (2023)" + "text": "Kazakhstan’s armed forces were formed in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the disbandment of the Soviet Turkestan Military District whose forces formed the core of the new Kazakh military; the military’s principal responsibilities are territorial defense while the National Police, National Guard, Committee for National Security, and Border Service have primary responsibility for internal security, although the military may provide assistance as required; the military also participates in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations; in 2008, Kazakhstan opened up Central Asia’s first peacekeeper training center for military personnel of Kazakhstan, NATO, and other partners 

in 2022, Kazakhstan initiated a wide-ranging effort to enhance the country’s security sector, including organizational changes such as establishing new National Guard units, enhancing existing ones, and forming a special operations force, spending increases for equipment acquisitions, a new doctrine with renewed emphasis on defense of the border, and reforms to improve professionalism in the military

information on the military’s structure varies with the Land Forces reportedly having about 15 combat brigades, which include a mix of air assault and mechanized infantry, tank, artillery, and surface-to-surface missile forces; the Naval Forces include a naval infantry brigade and patrol craft for operating on the Caspian Sea; the Air Defense Forces have over 100 combat aircraft, largely of Soviet-origin, but also some more modern Russian-made fighter aircraft; the National Guard is organized into regions and deployed throughout the country

Kazakhstan has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and has obligated troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; it also has a relationship with NATO focused on democratic, institutional, and defense reforms; relations with NATO started in 1992, and Kazakhstan joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995 (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/central-asia/rs.json b/central-asia/rs.json index b6c91bdf..3b80c7b9 100644 --- a/central-asia/rs.json +++ b/central-asia/rs.json @@ -1210,7 +1210,21 @@ "text": "1,218 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "594", + "total": { + "text": "594" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "93" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "105" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "28" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "368" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/central-asia/uz.json b/central-asia/uz.json index 62d0d34f..29cf92a0 100644 --- a/central-asia/uz.json +++ b/central-asia/uz.json @@ -1138,7 +1138,21 @@ "text": "53 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "33", + "total": { + "text": "33" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "9" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "3" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "20" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json index 3c85fefb..3c39a1e2 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json @@ -1256,10 +1256,10 @@ "text": "the Burmese military inventory is comprised mostly of older Chinese and Russian/Soviet-era equipment with a smaller mix of more modern acquisitions from a variety of countries; in recent years, China and Russia have been the leading suppliers of military hardware; Burma has a limited defense industry, including a growing shipbuilding capability and some production of ground force equipment that is largely based on Chinese and Russian designs (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "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 (2023)" + "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; professional men (ages 18-45) and women (ages 18-35), including doctors, engineers, and mechanics, serve up to 3 years; service terms may be stretched to 5 years in an officially declared emergency (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "since the country’s founding, the Tatmadaw has been heavily involved in domestic politics and the national economy; it ran the country for five decades following a military coup in 1962; prior to the most recent coup in 2021, 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); it owns and operates two business conglomerates that have over 100 subsidiaries; the business activities of these conglomerates include banking and insurance, hotels, tourism, jade and ruby mining, timber, construction, real estate, and the production of palm oil, sugar, soap, cement, beverages, drinking water, coal, and gas; some of the companies supply goods and services to the military, such as food, clothing, insurance, and cellphone service; the military also manages a film industry, publishing houses, and television stations

the Tatmadaw's primary operational focus is internal security, and it is conducting widespread counterinsurgency operations against anti-regime forces that launched an armed rebellion following the 2021 coup and an array of ethnic armed groups (EAGs), some of which have considerable military capabilities; it has been accused of  committing atrocities in the conduct of its campaign against the pro-democracy movement and opposition forces 

the Army is the dominant service and largely configured for counterinsurgency operations, although it has some conventional warfare capabilities; its principal combat forces are organized into 10 centrally-commanded light infantry/rapid reaction divisions, which have a key role in fighting against insurgents; the light infantry divisions are supported by approximately 20 regionally-based, divisional-sized “military operations commands,” and several brigade-sized “regional operations commands”; the Army’s insurgency operations are supported by the National Police, which has dozens of paramilitary combat police battalions; the Air Force also has a large counterinsurgency role with more than 100 combat-capable aircraft and helicopters, mostly ground attack aircraft and helicopter gunships, complemented by some multipurpose fighters; the Navy has traditionally been a coastal defense force, and the majority of the combat fleet consists of fast attack and patrol vessels; however, in recent years the Navy has expanded its blue water capabilities and has a small force of frigates and corvettes, as well as a landing platform docking (LPD) amphibious assault ship and 2 attack submarines acquired since 2020

the military is supported by hundreds of pro-government militias; some are integrated within the Tatmadaw’s command structure as Border Guard Forces, which are organized as battalions with a mix of militia forces, ethnic armed groups, and government soldiers that are armed, supplied, and paid by the Tatmadaw; other pro-military government militias are not integrated within the Tatmadaw command structure but receive direction and some support from the military and are recognized as government militias; a third type of pro-government militias are small community-based units that are armed, coordinated, and trained by local Tatmadaw forces and activated as needed; the junta has raised new militia units to help combat the popular uprising

EAGs have been fighting for self-rule against the Burmese Government since 1948; there are approximately 20 such groups operating in Burma with strengths of a few hundred up to more than 25,000 estimated fighters; some are organized along military lines with \"brigades\" and \"divisions\" and armed with heavy weaponry, including artillery; they control large tracts of the country’s territory, primarily in the border regions; key groups include 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

the opposition National Unity Government claims its armed wing, the People's Defense Force (PDF), has more than 60,000 fighters loosely organized into battalions; in addition, several EAGs have cooperated with the NUG and supported local PDF groups (2023)" + "text": "since the country’s founding, the Tatmadaw has been heavily involved in domestic politics and the national economy; it ran the country for five decades following a military coup in 1962; prior to the most recent coup in 2021, 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); it owns and operates two business conglomerates that have over 100 subsidiaries; the business activities of these conglomerates include banking and insurance, hotels, tourism, jade and ruby mining, timber, construction, real estate, and the production of palm oil, sugar, soap, cement, beverages, drinking water, coal, and gas; some of the companies supply goods and services to the military, such as food, clothing, insurance, and cellphone service; the military also manages a film industry, publishing houses, and television stations

the Tatmadaw's primary operational focus is internal security, and it is conducting widespread counterinsurgency operations against anti-regime forces that launched an armed rebellion following the 2021 coup and an array of ethnic armed groups (EAGs), some of which have considerable military capabilities; it has been accused of committing atrocities in the conduct of its campaign against the pro-democracy movement and opposition forces 

the Army is the dominant service and largely configured for counterinsurgency operations, although it has some conventional warfare capabilities; its principal combat forces are organized into 10 centrally-commanded light infantry/rapid reaction divisions, which have a key role in fighting against insurgents; the light infantry divisions are supported by approximately 20 regionally-based, divisional-sized “military operations commands,” and several brigade-sized “regional operations commands”; the Army’s insurgency operations are supported by the National Police, which has dozens of paramilitary combat police battalions; the Air Force also has a large counterinsurgency role with more than 100 combat-capable aircraft and helicopters, mostly ground attack aircraft and helicopter gunships, complemented by some multipurpose fighters; the Navy has traditionally been a coastal defense force, and the majority of the combat fleet consists of fast attack and patrol vessels; however, in recent years the Navy has expanded its blue water capabilities and has a small force of frigates and corvettes, as well as a landing platform docking (LPD) amphibious assault ship and 2 attack submarines acquired since 2020

the military is supported by hundreds of pro-government militias; some are integrated within the Tatmadaw’s command structure as Border Guard Forces, which are organized as battalions with a mix of militia forces, ethnic armed groups, and government soldiers that are armed, supplied, and paid by the Tatmadaw; other pro-military government militias are not integrated within the Tatmadaw command structure but receive direction and some support from the military and are recognized as government militias; a third type of pro-government militias are small community-based units that are armed, coordinated, and trained by local Tatmadaw forces and activated as needed; the junta has raised new militia units to help combat the popular uprising

EAGs have been fighting for self-rule against the Burmese Government since 1948; there are approximately 20 such groups operating in Burma with strengths of a few hundred up to more than 25,000 estimated fighters; some are organized along military lines with \"brigades\" and \"divisions\" and armed with heavy weaponry, including artillery; they control large tracts of the country’s territory, primarily in the border regions; key groups include 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

the opposition National Unity Government claims its armed wing, the People's Defense Force (PDF), has more than 60,000 fighters loosely organized into battalions; in addition, several EAGs have cooperated with the NUG and supported local PDF groups (2023)" } }, "Transnational Issues": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json index 28bf08aa..83435883 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json @@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (conscription only selectively enforced since 1993; service is for 18 months); women may volunteer (2023)", - "note": "note: in 2018, women made up an estimated 6% of the active-duty military and 88 women held the rank of general" + "note": "note: as of 2018, women made up an estimated 6% of the active-duty military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "225 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 180 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 260 Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json index 55f54430..34046a3b 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/id.json @@ -1288,7 +1288,8 @@ "text": "the military's inventory is a wide mix of Chinese, Russian, and Western (including US) equipment; in recent years, the top suppliers have included China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the US; the TNI has been engaged in a modernization program for more than a decade with uneven success; Indonesia has a growing defense industry fueled by technology transfers and cooperation agreements with several countries; in 2019, the Indonesian Government said that growing its domestic defense industry was a national priority over the following 10 years (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-45 years of age for voluntary military service, with selective conscription authorized (males, age 18), but not utilized; 24-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (officers) (2023)" + "text": "18-45 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women, with selective conscription authorized (men, age 18), but not utilized; 24-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (officers) (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2023, women comprised about 7% of the Indonesian military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "225 (plus about 140 police) Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,025 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 1,225 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json index a4e1e7f6..b7631884 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json @@ -1265,14 +1265,14 @@ "text": "the JSDF is equipped with a mix of imported and domestically produced equipment; Japan has a robust defense industry and is capable of producing a wide range of air, ground, and naval weapons systems; the majority of its weapons imports are from the US and some domestically produced weapons are US-origin and manufactured under license (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (maximum enlistment age 32); no conscription (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2021, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (maximum enlistment age 32); no conscription (2022)", + "note": "note: as of 2023, women made up about 8% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "approximately 200 Djibouti (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "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 Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) was founded in 1954; the current JSDF is a trained and professional military equipped with modern weaponry; its primary concerns are China and North Korea, as well as protecting the country’s territorial waters, countering piracy and terrorism, and conducting humanitarian operations; it exercises regularly with the US military and increasingly with other regional countries, such as Australia; the ground forces are organized into 10 divisions and a number of independent brigades, which include airborne, air assault, and amphibious rapid reaction forces; the maritime force is one of the largest and most modern navies in the world; its principal warships include four helicopter carriers (two are undergoing conversion to light aircraft carriers), nearly 50 destroyers and frigates/destroyer escorts, three landing platform/dock (LPD) amphibious assault ships, and more than 20 attack-type submarines; it also has a large force of maritime aircraft, including over 150 for anti-submarine warfare; the Air Self Defense Force has over 300 modern combat aircraft, as well as more than 200 other aircraft for surveillance, early warning, electronic warfare, search and rescue, transportation, and logistics

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; approximately 55,000 US troops and other military assets, including aircraft and naval ships, are 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; in addition, it pays compensation to localities hosting US troops, rent for bases, and costs for new facilities to support the US presence; Japan also has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation

Article 9 of Japan’s 1947 constitution renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes; however, Japan has interpreted Article 9 to mean that it can maintain a military for national defense purposes and, since 1991, has allowed the JSDF to participate in noncombat roles overseas in a number of UN peacekeeping missions and in the US-led coalition in Iraq; in 2014-2015 the Japanese Government reinterpreted the constitution as allowing for \"collective self-defense,\" described as the use of force on others’ behalf if Japan’s security was threatened; in 2022, the government released three documents that provided a blueprint that could fundamentally reshape Japan’s approach to its security; the documents labeled China as an “unprecedented strategic challenge,” declared Japan’s intention to develop \"counterstrike” capabilities, including cruise missiles and armed drones, and outlined plans to increase Japan’s security-related expenditures to 2% of its national gross domestic product (GDP), in line with NATO standards; post-war Japan generally has limited defense spending to 1% of its GDP (2023)" + "text": "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 Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) was founded in 1954; the current JSDF is a trained and professional military equipped with modern weaponry; its primary concerns are China and North Korea, as well as protecting the country’s territorial waters, countering piracy and terrorism, and conducting humanitarian operations; it exercises regularly with the US military and increasingly with other regional countries, such as Australia; the ground forces are organized into 10 divisions and 11 independent brigades; the independent brigades include airborne, air assault, and amphibious rapid reaction forces; the maritime force is one of the largest and most modern navies in the world; its principal warships include four helicopter carriers (two are undergoing conversion to light aircraft carriers), nearly 50 destroyers and frigates/destroyer escorts, three landing platform/dock (LPD) amphibious assault ships, and more than 20 attack-type submarines; it also has a large force of maritime aircraft, including over 150 for anti-submarine warfare; the Air Self Defense Force has over 300 modern combat aircraft, as well as more than 200 other aircraft for surveillance, early warning, electronic warfare, search and rescue, transportation, and logistics

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; approximately 55,000 US troops and other military assets, including aircraft and naval ships, are 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; in addition, it pays compensation to localities hosting US troops, rent for bases, and costs for new facilities to support the US presence; Japan also has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation

Article 9 of Japan’s 1947 constitution renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes; however, Japan has interpreted Article 9 to mean that it can maintain a military for national defense purposes and, since 1991, has allowed the JSDF to participate in noncombat roles overseas in a number of UN peacekeeping missions and in the US-led coalition in Iraq; in 2014-2015 the Japanese Government reinterpreted the constitution as allowing for \"collective self-defense,\" described as the use of force on others’ behalf if Japan’s security was threatened; in 2022, the government released three documents that provided a blueprint that could fundamentally reshape Japan’s approach to its security; the documents labeled China as an “unprecedented strategic challenge,” declared Japan’s intention to develop \"counterstrike” capabilities, including cruise missiles and armed drones, and outlined plans to increase Japan’s security-related expenditures to 2% of its national gross domestic product (GDP), in line with NATO standards; post-war Japan generally has limited defense spending to 1% of its GDP (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json index fdffbadc..7d38a687 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json @@ -1250,7 +1250,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-35 years of age for compulsory military service for all men; minimum conscript service obligation varies by service - 18 months (Army, Marines, auxiliary police), 20 months (Navy, conscripted firefighters), 21 months (Air Force, social service), 36 months for alternative service; 18-29 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2023)", - "note": "note 1: women, in service since 1950, are able to serve in all branches, including as officers, and in 2022 comprised about 9% of the active duty military

note 2: the military brings on over 200,000 conscripts each year" + "note": "note 1: women, in service since 1950, are able to serve in all branches and as of 2022 some 15,000 served in the armed forces, including about 9% of the non-commissioned and commissioned officers

note 2: the military brings on over 200,000 conscripts each year" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "250 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 275 South Sudan (UNMISS); 170 United Arab Emirates; note - since 2009, South Korea has kept a naval flotilla with approximately 300 personnel in the waters off of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json index 82e96e1f..cd74014d 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json @@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service for men and women (younger with parental consent and proof of age); maximum age of 27 to enlist; mandatory retirement age 60; no conscription (2023)", - "note": "note - in 2020, the military announced a goal of having 10% of the active force comprised of women" + "note": "note: in 2020, the military announced a goal of having 10% of the active force comprised of women" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "830 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/pf.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/pf.json index b26dc8e9..8cea18b1 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/pf.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/pf.json @@ -197,6 +197,9 @@ "joint use (civil-military) airports": { "text": "0" }, + "other airports": { + "text": "0" + }, "note": "note 1: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
note 2: controlled by China" }, "Ports and terminals": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json index 56106615..23f72737 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json @@ -1205,7 +1205,7 @@ "text": "the PNGDF is lightly armed; most of its military assistance has come from Australia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)" + "text": "18-27 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the PNGDF is a small, lightly armed, and underfunded force tasked with defense of the country and its territories against external attack, as well as internal security and socio-economic development duties; the Land Element includes two infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, a signal squadron, an explosive ordnance disposal unit, and a preventive medicine platoon; the Air Element is a small air wing operating a light transport aircraft and two leased helicopters while the Maritime Element consists of four patrol boats and two landing craft

the PNGDF was established in 1973, and its primary combat unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until Papua New Guinea gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF

Papua New Guinea's traditional security partners are Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the US; Australia and the US are assisting the country with expanding and improving the Defense Force naval base at Lombrum on Manus Island; the US first established a Lombrum base in 1944 during World War II; in recent years, Papua New Guinea has established security ties with France and the UK; the US and PNG signed a defense cooperation agreement in May 2023, which included a shiprider agreement that provides the opportunity for PNG personnel to work on US Coast Guard and US Navy vessels, and vice versa, to tackle maritime crime such as illegal fishing (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json index eea4121a..c3aebde3 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json @@ -1164,7 +1164,21 @@ "text": "247 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "89", + "total": { + "text": "89" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "11" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "4" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "2" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "72" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json index 9a17c36e..7162865b 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json @@ -1125,7 +1125,21 @@ "text": "9 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "9", + "total": { + "text": "9" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "0" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "2" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "3" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "4" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Pipelines": { @@ -1182,7 +1196,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "information varies; approximately 60,000 active duty troops (45,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 8,000 Air Force) (2023)" + "text": "information varies; approximately 60,000 active-duty troops (45,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 8,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the SAF has a diverse and largely modern mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems; in recent years, France and the US have been the chief suppliers of arms; Singapore has the most developed arms industry in Southeast Asia and is also its largest importer of weapons (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json index ba6ce6f6..666a36e9 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json @@ -1060,7 +1060,7 @@ "note": "note: Taiwan trains about 120,000 reservists annually, but in 2022 announced intentions to increase that figure to 260,000" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { - "text": "the Taiwan military is armed mostly with secondhand weapons and equipment provided by the US, and the US has continued to be the largest provider of arms in recent years; Taiwan also has a domestic defense industry capable of building and upgrading a range of weapons systems, including surface ships and submarines (2023)" + "text": "the military is armed mostly with secondhand weapons and equipment provided by the US, and the US has continued to be the largest provider of arms in recent years; Taiwan also has a domestic defense industry capable of building and upgrading a range of weapons systems, including surface ships and submarines (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "starting with those born in 1994, men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 4 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; men born before December 1993 are required to complete compulsory service for 12 months (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, the last cohort of 12-month military conscripts completed their service obligations in December 2018 (2023)", diff --git a/europe/al.json b/europe/al.json index 6567e7fa..f351723e 100644 --- a/europe/al.json +++ b/europe/al.json @@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Floreta FABER (since 18 May 2015)" + "text": "Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -1215,7 +1215,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-27 (up to 32 in some cases) for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2010 (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2021, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel, including 20% of the officers" + "note": "note: as of 2023, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel, including 20% of the officers" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) are responsible for defending the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territory, assisting with internal security, providing disaster and humanitarian relief, and participating in international peacekeeping missions; the AAF has contributed small numbers of forces to several NATO missions since Albania joined NATO in 2009, including peacekeeping/stability missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq, and multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Latvia; it has also contributed to EU and UN missions; the AAF is a small, lightly armed force that has been undergoing a modernization effort to improve its ability to fulfill NATO missions, including training and equipment purchases; the primary ground combat units include three light infantry battalions (or battle groups), including one trained and certified for NATO missions, and a special operations regiment; the Naval Force and Coast Guard operate a small force of patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of helicopters (2023)" diff --git a/europe/bu.json b/europe/bu.json index be5c0d27..b2ecacb1 100644 --- a/europe/bu.json +++ b/europe/bu.json @@ -1290,7 +1290,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "22,226 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 65,765 (Ukraine) (as of 15 August 2023)" + "text": "22,226 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 56,845 (Ukraine) (as of 26 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "1,129 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/da.json b/europe/da.json index a656b5b9..7c1b409d 100644 --- a/europe/da.json +++ b/europe/da.json @@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Christina Markus LASSEN (since 16 September 2022)" + "text": "Ambassador Jesper Møller SØRENSEN (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008" diff --git a/europe/en.json b/europe/en.json index 3ba797db..1ef0508f 100644 --- a/europe/en.json +++ b/europe/en.json @@ -1208,14 +1208,14 @@ }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "approximately 7,000 active-duty personnel; approximately 15,000 Defense League (2023)", - "note": "note: the Estonian Defense Forces rely largely on reservists who have completed compulsory conscription in the previous 10 years to fill out its active duty and Territorial Defense units during a crisis; there are more than 40,000 trained reservists and approximately 230,000 Estonians are enrolled in the mobilization registry " + "note": "note: the Estonian Defense Forces rely largely on reservists who have completed compulsory conscription in the previous 10 years to fill out its active duty and Territorial Defense units during a crisis; there are more than 40,000 trained reservists and approximately 230,000 Estonians are enrolled in the mobilization registry" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Estonian military has a mix of Soviet-era and some more modern equipment, mostly from western European suppliers, as well as Israel, South Korea, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-27 for compulsory military or governmental service for men; conscript service requirement 8-11 months depending on education; non-commissioned officers, reserve officers, and specialists serve 11 months; women can volunteer, and as of 2018 could serve in any military branch (2023)", - "note": "note 1: conscripts comprise approximately 3,000-3,300 of the Estonian military's 7,000 active-duty personnel and serve in all branches, except for the Air Force; after conscript service, reservists are called up for training every 5 years; Estonia has had conscription since 1991

note 2: in 2020, women comprised about 10% of the full-time professional military force" + "note": "note 1: conscripts comprise approximately 3,000-3,300 of the Estonian military's 7,000 active-duty personnel and serve in all branches, except for the Air Force; after conscript service, reservists are called up for training every 5 years; Estonia has had conscription since 1991

note 2: in 2020, women comprised about 10% of the full-time professional military force; the National Defense League includes a Women's Voluntary Defense Organization of about 3,000 members" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Estonian military is a compact force that relies heavily on conscripts and reservists and the support of its NATO allies; Estonia’s defense policy aims to guarantee the country’s independence and sovereignty, protect its territorial integrity, including waters and airspace, and preserve constitutional order; Estonia’s main defense goals are developing and maintaining a credible deterrent to outside aggression and ensuring the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) can fulfill their commitments to NATO and interoperate with the armed forces of NATO and EU member states; the EDF’s primary external focus is Russia; since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Estonia has boosted defense spending, sent arms to Ukraine, and sought to boost the EDF’s capabilities in such areas as air defense, artillery, personnel readiness, and surveillance

Estonia has been a member of NATO since 2004 and is fully integrated within the NATO structure; since 2017, Estonia has hosted a UK-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; as the EDF Air Force does not have any combat aircraft, NATO has provided airspace protection for Estonia since 2004 through its Baltic Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on four-month rotations; NATO fighter aircraft have been hosted at Estonia’s Ämari Air Base since 2014; Estonia also hosts a NATO cyber security center; it cooperates closely with the EU on defense issues through the EU Common Security and Defense Policy and is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a pool of high-readiness military forces from 10 Baltic and Scandinavian countries designed to respond to a wide range of contingencies in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and High North regions; Estonia also has close defense ties with its Baltic neighbors and has bilateral military agreements with a number of European countries, as well as Canada and the US

the Estonian Army features a divisional headquarters, two infantry brigades, and an artillery battalion, plus supporting units; it would rely heavily on mobilized reserves during a crisis, which would be used to fill out active-duty units and staff territorial defense units; the Estonian Navy features a mine warfare flotilla; the EDF also has a special operations command (2023)" diff --git a/europe/fr.json b/europe/fr.json index 65941192..c8fc6ae9 100644 --- a/europe/fr.json +++ b/europe/fr.json @@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ "note": "note: France is divided into 13 metropolitan regions (including the \"collectivity\" of Corse or Corsica) and 5 overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 5 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna", + "text": "Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna (8)", "note": "note: the US Government does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a \"sui generis\" collectivity of France since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department" }, "Independence": { @@ -1311,8 +1311,8 @@ "note": "note: two major future acquisition programs for the French military included the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System, or FCAS (known in France as the système combat aérien du futur, or SCAF) and a next-generation tank development project with Germany known as the Main Ground Combat System, or MGCS" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (abolished 2001); 12-month service obligation (2022)", - "note": "note 1: in 2019, women comprised approximately 16% of the uniformed armed forces 

note 2: men between the ages of 17.5 and 39.5 years of age, of any nationality, may join the French Foreign Legion; those volunteers selected for service sign five-year contracts

note 3: in 2018, Parliament passed a law that would require military service for all genders beginning in 2024; President MACRON included the measure in his platform hoping that it would reinvigorate a sense of civic duty; the service would include two components: the first would take place around age 16 and include one month of training and civic service, while the second component would last between three months and a year and be more geared towards defense and security duties; France began a pilot for the program in 2019" + "text": "generally 17-30 years of age for both men and women with some variations by service, position, and enlisted versus officer; basic service contract is for 12 months; no conscription (abolished 2001) (2023)", + "note": "note 1: in 2023, women comprised more than 16% of the uniformed armed forces 

note 2: French citizens can also volunteer for the Voluntary Military Service (VMS), which allows unemployed youth aged 18-25 to learn a trade or gain work experience while receiving basic military training and sports activities; French citizens may also joint the military operational reserve up to age 72

note 3: men between the ages of 17.5 and 39.5 years of age, of any nationality, may join the French Foreign Legion; those volunteers selected for service sign five-year contracts" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "approximately 300 Central African Republic; approximately 1,000 Chad; 300 Comoros; approximately 900 Cote d'Ivoire; approximately 1,400 Djibouti; 300 Estonia (NATO); approximately 2,000 French Guyana; approximately 900 French Polynesia; approximately 1,000 French West Indies; 350 Gabon; approximately 500 Middle East (Iraq/Jordan/Syria); 650 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 1,400 New Caledonia; approximately 1,500 Niger (France has pledged to remove these troops by the end of 2023); approximately 1,700 Reunion Island; approximately 800 Romania (NATO); approximately 350 Senegal; approximately 650 United Arab Emirates (2023)", diff --git a/europe/gm.json b/europe/gm.json index 8d71bc3a..84a7aa3b 100644 --- a/europe/gm.json +++ b/europe/gm.json @@ -613,7 +613,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Emily Margarethe HABER (since 22 June 2018)" + "text": "Ambassador Andreas MICHAELIS (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007" @@ -1281,7 +1281,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (must have completed compulsory full-time education and have German citizenship); conscription ended July 2011; service obligation 7-23 months or 12 years; in July 2020, the government launched a new voluntary conscript initiative focused on homeland security tasks; volunteers serve for 7 months plus 5 months as reservists over a 6 year period (2023)", - "note": "note: women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 and account for about 12% of the German military" + "note": "note: women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 and accounted for about 12% of the active-duty German military in 2023" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "up to 500 Iraq (NATO); up to 1,400 Lithuania (NATO); approximately 1,100 Mali (MINUSMA/EUTM); 100 Niger; 280 Slovakia (NATO) (2023)", @@ -1315,7 +1315,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "664,238 (Syria), 183,631 (Afghanistan), 151,254 (Iraq), 64,496 (Eritrea), 47,658 (Iran), 38,755 (Turkey), 32,155 (Somalia), 13,334 (Russia), 12,155 (Nigeria), 9,250 (Pakistan), 6,257 (Serbia and Kosovo), 6,912 (Ethiopia), 5,532 (Azerbaijan) (mid-year 2022); 1,086,355 (Ukraine) (as of 3 September 2023)" + "text": "664,238 (Syria), 183,631 (Afghanistan), 151,254 (Iraq), 64,496 (Eritrea), 47,658 (Iran), 38,755 (Turkey), 32,155 (Somalia), 13,334 (Russia), 12,155 (Nigeria), 9,250 (Pakistan), 6,257 (Serbia and Kosovo), 6,912 (Ethiopia), 5,532 (Azerbaijan) (mid-year 2022); 1,094,155 (Ukraine) (as of 17 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "28,941 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/gr.json b/europe/gr.json index a1995b23..cfa3ac99 100644 --- a/europe/gr.json +++ b/europe/gr.json @@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Alexandra PAPADOPOULOU (since 6 February 2020)" + "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Theodoros BIZAKIS (since 22 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -1213,7 +1213,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "19-45 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 12-month obligation for all services (note - as an exception, the duration of the full military service is 9 instead of 12 months if conscripts, after the initial training, serve the entire remaining time in certain areas of the eastern borders, in Cyprus, or in certain military units); 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2023)", - "note": "note 1: compulsory service applies to any individual whom the Greek authorities consider to be Greek, regardless of whether the individual considers himself Greek, has a foreign citizenship and passport, or was born or lives outside of Greece; Greek citizens living permanently outside of Greece have the right to postpone their conscription; they are permanently exempted from their military obligations when they reach the age of 45 years old

note 2: up to 50% of the Greek military is comprised of conscripts

note 3: as of 2019, women comprised approximately 19% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note 1: compulsory service applies to any individual whom the Greek authorities consider to be Greek, regardless of whether the individual considers himself Greek, has a foreign citizenship and passport, or was born or lives outside of Greece; Greek citizens living permanently outside of Greece have the right to postpone their conscription; they are permanently exempted from their military obligations when they reach the age of 45 years old

note 2: up to 50% of the Greek military is comprised of conscripts

note 3: as of 2020, women comprised approximately 16% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 100 Kosovo (NATO); 140 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)" @@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "4,488 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 1,257,072 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 1,258,580 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis products and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime" diff --git a/europe/hr.json b/europe/hr.json index b1c87197..47a9e4dd 100644 --- a/europe/hr.json +++ b/europe/hr.json @@ -1230,7 +1230,7 @@ "text": "the majority of the military's inventory consists of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years Croatia has acquired some limited numbers of more modern weapon systems from Western suppliers, including France, Germany, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2022)", + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2021, women comprised nearly 15% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { @@ -1247,7 +1247,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "23,380 (Ukraine) (as of 8 September 2023)" + "text": "23,480 (Ukraine) (as of 22 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "2,889 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/hu.json b/europe/hu.json index c2cdccb2..3eedc6ae 100644 --- a/europe/hu.json +++ b/europe/hu.json @@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 2005); 6-month service obligation (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2019, women comprised approximately 20% of Hungary's full-time military personnel" + "note": "note: as of 2021, women comprised over 20% of Hungary's full-time military personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "150 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 150 Iraq (NATO); 430 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2023)" @@ -1286,7 +1286,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "53,375 (Ukraine) (as of 3 September 2023)" + "text": "53,375 (Ukraine) (as of 25 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "130 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/kv.json b/europe/kv.json index aa3288a3..83476e70 100644 --- a/europe/kv.json +++ b/europe/kv.json @@ -1020,7 +1020,7 @@ "text": "the KSF is equipped with small arms and light vehicles and has relied on limited amounts of donated equipment from several countries, particularly Turkey and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "service is voluntary; must be over the age of 18 and a citizen of Kosovo; upper age for enlisting is 30 for officers, 25 for other ranks, although these may be waived for recruits with key skills considered essential for the KSF
(2023)" + "text": "any citizen of Kosovo over the age of 18 is eligible to serve in the Kosovo Security Force; upper age for enlisting is 30 for officers, 25 for other ranks, although these may be waived for recruits with key skills considered essential for the KSF
(2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) was established in 2009 as a small (1,500 personnel), lightly armed disaster response force; the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) was charged with assisting in the development of the KSF and bringing it up to standards designated by NATO; the KSF was certified as fully operational by the North Atlantic Council in 2013, indicating the then 2,200-strong KSF was entirely capable of performing the tasks assigned under its mandate, which included non-military security functions that were not appropriate for the police, plus missions such as search and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, control and clearance of hazardous materials, firefighting, and other humanitarian assistance tasks; in 2019, Kosovo approved legislation that began a process to transition the KSF by 2028 into a multinational and professional armed forces (the Kosovo Armed Forces) led by a General Staff and comprised of a Land Force, a National Guard, a Logistics Command, and a Doctrine and Training Command; it would have a strength of up to 5,000 with about 3,000 reserves; at the same time, the KSF’s mission was expanded to include traditional military functions, such as territorial defense and international peacekeeping; the KSF’s first international mission was the deployment of a small force to Kuwait in 2021 

the NATO-led KFOR has operated in the country as a peace support force since 1999; in addition to assisting in the development of the KSF, KFOR is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment and ensuring freedom of movement for all citizens; it numbers about 3,700 troops from 27 countries; Kosovo regards the US as a key ally and security guarantor, and the US has provided considerable support to the KSF, including equipment and training (2023)" @@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ "IDPs": { "text": "16,000 (primarily ethnic Serbs displaced during the 1998-1999 war fearing reprisals from the majority ethnic-Albanian population; a smaller number of ethnic Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians fled their homes in 2004 as a result of violence) (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 8,935 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-June 2023)" + "note": "note: 9,011 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" } } } \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/europe/lg.json b/europe/lg.json index 18c74973..97c1f172 100644 --- a/europe/lg.json +++ b/europe/lg.json @@ -1183,7 +1183,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "National Armed Forces (Nacionalie Brunotie Speki): Land Forces (Latvijas Sauszemes Speki), Naval Force (Latvijas Juras Speki, includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flote)), Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), National Guard (aka Land Guard or Zemessardze)  (2023)", + "text": "National Armed Forces (Nacionalie Brunotie Speki or NBS): Land Forces (Latvijas Sauszemes Speki), Naval Force (Latvijas Juras Speki, includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flote)), Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), National Guard (aka Land Guard or Zemessardze) (2023)", "note": "note: the armed forces, the Defense Intelligence and Security Service, the Constitution Protection Bureau, and the National Guard are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense; the State Police, State Border Guards, and State Security Service are under the Ministry of Interior; the State Border Guard may become part of the armed forces during an emergency" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1211,7 +1211,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (abolished 2007) (2023)", - "note": "note 1: in 2023, the Latvian Parliament approved a plan to reinstate mandatory military service for men aged 18-27 (women voluntarily) beginning in 2024; service would be for 12 months in the Land Forces or alternatively in internal affairs, health, or welfare structures

note 2: as of 2019, women comprised about 16% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note 1: in 2023, the Latvian Parliament approved a plan to reinstate mandatory military service for men aged 18-27 (women voluntarily) beginning in 2024; service would be for 12 months in the Land Forces or alternatively in internal affairs, health, or welfare structures

note 2: as of 2022, women comprised about 16% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "130 Kosovo (KFOR/NATO) (2023)" diff --git a/europe/lh.json b/europe/lh.json index e1944459..d5f9a913 100644 --- a/europe/lh.json +++ b/europe/lh.json @@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "19-26 years of age for conscripted military service for men; 9-month service obligation; in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008; 18-38 for voluntary service for men and women (2023)", - "note": "note 1: Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system

note 2: as of 2019, women comprised about 12% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note 1: Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system

note 2: as of 2020, women comprised about 12% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "note: contributes about 350-550 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; units affiliated with the multinational brigade remain within the structures of the armed forces of their respective countries until the brigade is activated for participation in an international operation" @@ -1260,7 +1260,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "49,970 (Ukraine) (as of 7 September 2023)" + "text": "49,970 (Ukraine) (as of 15 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "2,720 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/lo.json b/europe/lo.json index 2f2b6c14..942ed8ff 100644 --- a/europe/lo.json +++ b/europe/lo.json @@ -559,10 +559,10 @@ "text": "unicameral National Council or Narodna Rada (150 seats; members directly elected in a single- and multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)" }, "elections": { - "text": "last held on 29 February 2020 (next to be held in September 2023)" + "text": "last held on 30 September 2023" }, "election results": { - "text": "percent of vote by party - OLaNO-NOVA 25%, Smer-SD 18.3%, Sme-Rodina or SR 8.2%, LSNS 8%, SaS 6.2%, Za Ludi or ZL 5.8%, other 28.5%; seats by party - OLaNO-NOVA 53, Smer-SD 38, Sme-Rodina 17, LSNS 17, SaS 13, Za Ludi 12; composition (as of April 2023) - men 117, women 33, percent of women 22%" + "text": "percent of vote by party - SMER-SSD 22.9%, PS 18%, Hlas-SD 14.7%, OL'aNO 8.9%, KDH 6.8%, SaS 6.3%, SNS 5.6%; seats by party SMER-SSD 42, PS 32, Hlas-SD 27, OL'aNO 16, KDH 12, SaS 11, 10

2020; percent of vote by party - OLaNO-NOVA 25%, Smer-SD 18.3%, Sme-Rodina or SR 8.2%, LSNS 8%, SaS 6.2%, Za Ludi or ZL 5.8%, other 28.5%; seats by party - OLaNO-NOVA 53, Smer-SD 38, Sme-Rodina 17, LSNS 17, SaS 13, Za Ludi 12; composition (as of April 2023) - men 117, women 33, percent of women 22%" } }, "Judicial branch": { @@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "Alliance-Szovetseg or A-S [Krisztian FORRO]
Democrats [Eduard HEGER]
Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]
For the People or Za Ludi [Veronika REMISOVA]
Freedom and Solidarity or SaS [Richard SULIK]
Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia or LSNS [Marian KOTLEBA]
Ordinary People and Independent Personalities - New Majority or OLaNO-NOVA [Igor MATOVIC]
Slovak National Party or SNS [Andrej DANKO]
Voice - Social Democracy or Hlas-SD [Petr PELLIGRINI]
We Are Family or Sme-Rodina [Boris KOLLAR] (formerly Party of Citizens of Slovakia)" + "text": "Alliance-Szovetseg or A-S [Krisztian FORRO]
Christian Union or KÚ [Anna ZABORSKA]
Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Ondrej DOSTAL]
Democrats [Eduard HEGER]
Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SSD [Robert FICO]
For the People or Za Ludi [Veronika REMISOVA]
Freedom and Solidarity or SaS [Richard SULIK]
Life National Party or Život–NS [Tomáš TARABA] (formerly Christian Democracy - Life and Prosperity - Alliance for Slovkia)
New Majority or NOVA [Gábor GRENDEL]
Ordinary People and Independent Personalities - New Majority or OLaNO-NOVA [Igor MATOVIC]
People's Party Our Slovakia or LSNS [Marian KOTLEBA]
Progressive Slovakia or PS [Michal SIMECKA]
Republic [Milan UHRIK]
Slovak National Party or SNS [Andrej DANKO]
Voice - Social Democracy or Hlas-SD [Petr PELLIGRINI]
We Are Family or Sme-Rodina [Boris KOLLAR] (formerly Party of Citizens of Slovakia)" }, "International organization participation": { "text": "Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" @@ -1204,7 +1204,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription in peacetime suspended in 2004 (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2019, women made up around 12% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note: as of 2020, women made up around 12% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "240 Cyprus (UNFICYP); up to 150 Latvia (NATO) (2023)", @@ -1229,7 +1229,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "107,415 (Ukraine) (as of 27 August 2023)" + "text": "109,115 (Ukraine) (as of 24 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "2,940 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/lu.json b/europe/lu.json index 869ad966..111f227d 100644 --- a/europe/lu.json +++ b/europe/lu.json @@ -1146,7 +1146,7 @@ "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Luxembourg Army (l'Armée Luxembourgeoise) (2023)", - "note": "note: the Grand Ducal Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Internal Security" + "note": "note: the Grand Ducal Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Internal Security" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { diff --git a/europe/mj.json b/europe/mj.json index b4d8666c..c64ad7df 100644 --- a/europe/mj.json +++ b/europe/mj.json @@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006 (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2021, women made up about 10% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note: as of 2023, women made up over 15% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Army of Montenegro is a small military focused on the defense of Montenegro’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, cooperating in international and multinational security, and assisting civil authorities during emergencies such as natural disasters; since Montenegro joined NATO in 2017, another focus has been integrating into the Alliance, including adapting NATO standards for planning and professionalization, structural reforms, and modernization by replacing its Soviet-era equipment; the Army trains and exercises with NATO partners and actively supports NATO missions and operations, committing small numbers of troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Eastern Europe; a few personnel have also been deployed on EU- and UN-led operations

the combat units of the Ground Forces include an infantry battalion, plus artillery and special forces; there are two additional infantry battalions in reserve; the Air Force has ground air defense units but no combat aircraft; the Navy is a coastal defense force with a small inventory of coastal patrol craft and patrol boats, plus a marine/special forces detachment  (2023)" @@ -1245,12 +1245,12 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "56,915 (Ukraine) (as of 4 September 2023)" + "text": "81,030 (Ukraine) (as of 18 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "468 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 33,178 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 33,335 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { diff --git a/europe/mk.json b/europe/mk.json index 52001631..c4d571b0 100644 --- a/europe/mk.json +++ b/europe/mk.json @@ -1162,7 +1162,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2023, women made up about 10.6% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note: as of 2023, women made up about 10% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM) is responsible for the defense of the country’s territory and independence, fulfilling North Macedonia’s commitments to NATO and European security, and contributing to EU, NATO, and UN peace and security missions; the ARSM has participated in multinational missions and operations in Afghanistan (NATO), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU), Eastern Europe (NATO), Iraq (NATO), Kosovo (NATO), and Lebanon (UN); a key area of focus over the past decade has been improving capabilities and bringing the largely Soviet-era-equipped ARSM up to NATO standards; it has increased its participation in NATO training exercises since becoming the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020 and currently has small numbers of combat troops deployed to Bulgaria and Romania as part of NATO’s Enhance Forward Presence mission implemented because of Russian military aggression against Ukraine

the ARSM is a joint force led by a general staff with subordinate commands for operations, logistics, reserves, special operations, and training; the Operational Command includes the active air and ground combat forces, which include a mechanized infantry brigade, an air brigade with a small combat helicopter squadron, and a ground air defense unit; the Special Operations Command has battalions of rangers and special forces, while the Reserve Forces Command has an infantry brigade (2023)" @@ -1180,7 +1180,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "17,315 (Ukraine) (as of 3 September 2023)" + "text": "17,315 (Ukraine) (as of 10 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "521 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/nl.json b/europe/nl.json index c6edb4a7..4cb6c269 100644 --- a/europe/nl.json +++ b/europe/nl.json @@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Andre HASPELS (since 16 September 2019)" + "text": "Ambassador Birgitta TAZELAAR (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -1160,7 +1160,21 @@ "text": "29 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "23", + "total": { + "text": "23" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "6" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "5" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "2" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "10" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/europe/no.json b/europe/no.json index 9e1a7032..93415ebf 100644 --- a/europe/no.json +++ b/europe/no.json @@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ "text": "11 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Agder, Innlandet, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Oslo, Rogaland, Troms og Finnmark, Trondelag, Vestfold og Telemark, Vestland, Viken" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard" + "text": "Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard (3)" }, "Independence": { "text": "7 June 1905 (union with Sweden declared dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union); notable earlier dates: ca. 872 (traditional unification of petty Norwegian kingdoms by HARALD Fairhair); 1397 (Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden); 1524 (Denmark-Norway); 17 May 1814 (Norwegian constitution adopted); 4 November 1814 (Sweden-Norway union confirmed)" @@ -1124,7 +1124,21 @@ "text": "95 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "67", + "total": { + "text": "67" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "25" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "6" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "35" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/europe/pl.json b/europe/pl.json index e7e34516..4c8527b6 100644 --- a/europe/pl.json +++ b/europe/pl.json @@ -1158,7 +1158,21 @@ "text": "126 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "87", + "total": { + "text": "87" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "13" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "13" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "0" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "61" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1276,7 +1290,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "959,875 (Ukraine) (as of 3 September 2023)" + "text": "959,875 (Ukraine) (as of 25 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "1,435 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/ro.json b/europe/ro.json index 2375e16b..9f835e4b 100644 --- a/europe/ro.json +++ b/europe/ro.json @@ -1273,12 +1273,12 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "86,810 (Ukraine) (as of 10 September 2023)" + "text": "85,255 (Ukraine) (as of 17 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "297 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 14,611 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-July 2023)" + "note": "note: 14,905 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

a source country for cannabis

" diff --git a/europe/si.json b/europe/si.json index eaa55383..85a23b3c 100644 --- a/europe/si.json +++ b/europe/si.json @@ -582,13 +582,13 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Darja FERLEZ (since 5 June 2023)" + "text": "Ambassador Iztok MIROŠIČ (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2410 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008" }, "telephone": { - "text": "[1] (202) 386-6601" + "text": "[1] (202) 386-6611" }, "FAX": { "text": "[1] (202) 386-6633" @@ -1142,7 +1142,21 @@ "text": "16 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "9", + "total": { + "text": "9" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "3" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "0" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "5" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1211,7 +1225,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; must be a citizen of the Republic of Slovenia; recruits sign up for 3-, 5-, or 10-year service contracts; conscription abolished in 2003 (2023)", - "note": "note: as of 2019, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel" + "note": "note: as of 2023, women comprised about 16% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "200 Kosovo (NATO); 100 Slovakia (NATO) (2023)", @@ -1227,7 +1241,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "10,140 (Ukraine) (as of 4 September 2023)" + "text": "10,240 (Ukraine) (as of 25 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "10 (2020)" diff --git a/europe/sp.json b/europe/sp.json index 111ec34b..b7667ec0 100644 --- a/europe/sp.json +++ b/europe/sp.json @@ -1165,7 +1165,21 @@ "text": "135 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "102", + "total": { + "text": "102" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "28" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "6" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "13" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "55" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1248,7 +1262,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 24-36 month initial obligation; women allowed to serve in all branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but the Spanish Government retains the right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; 18-58 for the voluntary reserves (2023)", - "note": "note 1: as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: the military recruits foreign nationals with residency in Spain from countries of its former empire, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela" + "note": "note 1: as of 2023, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: the military recruits foreign nationals with residency in Spain from countries of its former empire, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "approximately 200 Iraq (NATO/EU training assistance); up to 600 Latvia (NATO); 650 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 200 Romania (NATO); approximately 500 Mali (EUTM); 150 Turkey (NATO) (2023)", @@ -1282,12 +1296,12 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "14,994 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 438,400 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2022); 186,125 (Ukraine) (as of 8 September 2023)" + "text": "14,994 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 438,400 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2022); 190,380 (Ukraine) (as of 24 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "6,489 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 304,548 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals, including Canary Islands (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 304,984 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals, including Canary Islands (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

a primary European transit point for cocaine from South America and for hashish from Morocco; cocaine is shipped in raw or liquid form with mixed cargo to avoid detection or altered to escape detection Spanish chemists reconstitute it and distribute to Europe; minor domestic drug production; synthetic drugs, including ketamine, new psychoactive substances (NPS), and MDMA transit from Spain to the United States

" diff --git a/europe/sw.json b/europe/sw.json index 0c511f3d..1b9b8711 100644 --- a/europe/sw.json +++ b/europe/sw.json @@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Karin Ulrika OLOFSDOTTER (since 8 September 2017)" + "text": "Ambassador Urban AHLIN (since 15 September 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007" @@ -1150,7 +1150,21 @@ "text": "231 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "149", + "total": { + "text": "149" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "26" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "4" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "3" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "116" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { @@ -1236,13 +1250,13 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-47 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; service obligation: 7.5 months (Army), 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47; compulsory military service, abolished in 2010, was reinstated in January 2018; conscription is selective, includes both men and women (age 18), and requires 9-12 months of service (2023)", - "note": "note 1: Sweden conscripts about 5,500 men and women each year; it plans to increase this number to 8,000 by 2025

note 2: as of 2021, women made up about 11% of the military's full-time personnel

note 3: conscientious objectors in Sweden have the right to choose alternative service (called vapenfri tjänst); after completing alternative service, the conscript then belongs to the civilian reserve" + "note": "note 1: Sweden conscripts about 5,500 men and women each year; it plans to increase this number to 8,000 by 2025

note 2: as of 2023, women made over 20% of the military's personnel

note 3: conscientious objectors in Sweden have the right to choose alternative service (called vapenfri tjänst); after completing alternative service, the conscript then belongs to the civilian reserve" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "the Swedish military has small numbers of personnel deployed on multiple EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Swedish military is responsible for the defense of the country and its territories against armed attack, supporting Sweden’s national security interests, providing societal support, such as humanitarian aid, and contributing to international peacekeeping and peacemaking operations; it has a relatively small active duty force that is designed to be rapidly mobilized in a crisis; it is equipped with modern, mostly Swedish-made weapons, exercises regularly, and is backed up by a trained reserve and a large Home Guard; the military’s main focus is maintaining itself as a credible and visible deterrent through training and exercises, sustaining high levels of readiness, cooperating and collaborating with both domestic and foreign partners

Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment for over 200 years before applying for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; before then, Stockholm joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and contributed to NATO-led missions, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo; the military cooperates closely with the forces of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO; established 2009), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; Sweden is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and contributes to CSDP missions and operations, including EU battlegroups;
it also participates in UN-led missions; Sweden has close bilateral security relations with some NATO member states, particularly Finland, the UK, and the US

the military is headed by the Supreme Commander, who leads and supervises the force through Armed Forces Headquarters, which is the highest level of command and control of the military; the Army’s principal active combat arms units are approximately 14 battalions of armor, artillery, reconnaissance, security, and infantry forces, which include airborne/rangers, light, mechanized, and motorized infantry; in a crisis, the battalions would be filled out by reservists and formed into battlegroups/task forces and brigades; they are backed up by 40 Home Guard battalions comprised of locally based rapid-response units with mostly part-time but experienced soldiers; the Navy is organized into flotillas and an amphibious/naval infantry battalion; its principal warships are seven corvettes and four attack submarines; other combat vessels include patrol boats, fast attack craft, and minesweepers; all of the Navy’s warships are produced by Sweden; the Swedish Air Force has about 70 Swedish-made multirole fighter aircraft organized into wings with an additional 60 on order; the military also has a joint service special operations group directly under the Supreme Commander (2023)" + "text": "the Swedish military is responsible for the defense of the country and its territories against armed attack, supporting Sweden’s national security interests, providing societal support, such as humanitarian aid, and contributing to international peacekeeping and peacemaking operations; it has a relatively small active duty force that is designed to be rapidly mobilized in a crisis; it is equipped with modern, mostly Swedish-made weapons, exercises regularly, and is backed up by a trained reserve and a large Home Guard; the military’s main focus is maintaining itself as a credible and visible deterrent through training and exercises, sustaining high levels of readiness, cooperating and collaborating with both domestic and foreign partners

Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment for over 200 years before applying for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; before then, Stockholm joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and contributed to NATO-led missions, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo; the military cooperates closely with the forces of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO; established 2009), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; Sweden is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and contributes to CSDP missions and operations, including EU battlegroups; it also participates in UN-led missions; Sweden has close bilateral security relations with some NATO member states, particularly Finland, the UK, and the US

the military is headed by the Supreme Commander, who leads and supervises the force through Armed Forces Headquarters, which is the highest level of command and control of the military; the Army’s principal active combat arms units are approximately 14 battalions of armor, artillery, reconnaissance, security, and infantry forces, which include airborne/rangers, light, mechanized, and motorized infantry; in a crisis, the battalions would be filled out by reservists and formed into battlegroups/task forces and brigades; they are backed up by 40 Home Guard battalions comprised of locally based rapid-response units with mostly part-time but experienced soldiers; the Navy is organized into flotillas and an amphibious/naval infantry battalion; its principal warships are seven corvettes and four attack submarines; other combat vessels include patrol boats, fast attack craft, and minesweepers; all of the Navy’s warships are produced by Sweden; the Swedish Air Force has about 70 Swedish-made multirole fighter aircraft organized into wings with an additional 60 on order; the military also has a joint service special operations group directly under the Supreme Commander (2023)" } }, "Space": { @@ -1269,7 +1283,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "113,213 (Syria), 26,857 (Afghanistan), 25,849 (Eritrea), 10,464 (Iraq), 9,315 (Somalia), 7,146 (Iran) (mid-year 2022); 41,055 (Ukraine) (as of 7 September 2023)" + "text": "113,213 (Syria), 26,857 (Afghanistan), 25,849 (Eritrea), 10,464 (Iraq), 9,315 (Somalia), 7,146 (Iran) (mid-year 2022); 41,165 (Ukraine) (as of 21 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "46,515 (2022); note - the majority of stateless people are from the Middle East and Somalia" diff --git a/europe/sz.json b/europe/sz.json index c62384cf..5d079ef3 100644 --- a/europe/sz.json +++ b/europe/sz.json @@ -1212,8 +1212,8 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Swiss Armed Forces (aka Swiss Army or Schweizer Armee); Army (Heer; aka Land Forces), Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe)  (2023)", - "note": "note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Federal Department of Justice and Police, while the armed forces report to the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport" + "text": "Swiss Armed Forces (aka Swiss Army or Schweizer Armee); Army (Heer; aka Land Forces), Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2023)", + "note": "note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Federal Department of Justice and Police, while the Armed Forces report to the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2021": { @@ -1239,8 +1239,8 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons systems; in recent years, the US has been the leading supplier of military armaments to Switzerland; the Swiss defense industry produces a range of military land vehicles (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may volunteer; every Swiss male has to serve at least 245 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by six 19-day intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2023)", - "note": "note: conscientious objectors can choose 390 days of community service instead of military service" + "text": "18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; every Swiss male has to serve at least 245 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by six 19-day intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2023)", + "note": "note: conscientious objectors can choose 390 days of community service instead of military service; as of 2022, women comprised about 1% of the active Swiss military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "up to 165 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2023)" @@ -1270,7 +1270,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "14,726 (Eritrea), 11,441 (Afghanistan), 8,039 (Syria), (mid-year 2022); 65,815 (Ukraine) (as of 12 September 2023)" + "text": "14,726 (Eritrea), 11,441 (Afghanistan), 8,039 (Syria), (mid-year 2022); 66,065 (Ukraine) (as of 22 September 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "891 (2022)" diff --git a/europe/uk.json b/europe/uk.json index 85c6adfa..3ef5700d 100644 --- a/europe/uk.json +++ b/europe/uk.json @@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ "text": "

England: 24 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*);

two-tier counties: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire

London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton

unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset; Bedford; Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Bracknell Forest; Brighton and Hove; City of Bristol; Buckinghamshire; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire East; Cheshire West and Chester; Cornwall; Darlington; Derby; Dorset; Durham County*; East Riding of Yorkshire; Halton; Hartlepool; Herefordshire*; Isle of Wight*; Isles of Scilly; City of Kingston upon Hull; Leicester; Luton; Medway; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; North East Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire; North Northamptonshire; North Somerset; Northumberland*; Nottingham; Peterborough; Plymouth; Portsmouth; Reading; Redcar and Cleveland; Rutland; Shropshire; Slough; South Gloucestershire; Southampton; Southend-on-Sea; Stockton-on-Tees; Stoke-on-Trent; Swindon; Telford and Wrekin; Thurrock; Torbay; Warrington; West Berkshire; West Northamptonshire; Wiltshire; Windsor and Maidenhead; Wokingham; York

Northern Ireland: 5 borough councils, 4 district councils, 2 city councils;

borough councils: Antrim and Newtownabbey; Ards and North Down; Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon; Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim

district councils: Derry City and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh; Mid Ulster; Newry, Murne, and Down

city councils: Belfast; Lisburn and Castlereagh

Scotland: 32 council areas;

council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian

Wales: 22 unitary authorities;

unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, The Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Wrexham

" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Anguilla; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands" + "text": "Anguilla; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands (12)" }, "Independence": { "text": "no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)" @@ -658,41 +658,41 @@ }, "Economy": { "Economic overview": { - "text": "high-income, diversified non-EU European economy; sixth-largest importer and exporter globally; global financial and diplomatic leader; vulnerable private consumption-led growth; increased regional trade barriers post-Brexit; inflation hurting trade values" + "text": "high-income, diversified non-EU European economy; sixth-largest importer and exporter; global financial and diplomatic leader; nominal consumption-led growth; high inflation and increased interest rates eroding purchasing power despite real wage growth" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { + "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { + "text": "$3.136 trillion (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$3.028 trillion (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$2.816 trillion (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { - "text": "$3.166 trillion (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { + "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { + "text": "4.1% (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "7.52% (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2020": { "text": "-11.03% (2020 est.)" - }, - "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { - "text": "1.6% (2019 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { + "Real GDP per capita 2022": { + "text": "$46,800 (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$45,000 (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$42,000 (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP per capita 2019": { - "text": "$47,400 (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { @@ -1160,7 +1160,21 @@ "text": "460 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "271", + "total": { + "text": "271" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "51" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "25" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "1" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "194" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/europe/up.json b/europe/up.json index 169c22c2..d5200faa 100644 --- a/europe/up.json +++ b/europe/up.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20) but was reconquered and endured a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 around the time of the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control, patronage politics, and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

A peaceful mass protest referred to as the \"Orange Revolution\" in the closing months of 2004 and early 2005 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in legislative (Rada) elections, become prime minister in August 2006, and be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against students, civil society activists, and other civilians in favor of the agreement and fed up with blatant corruption led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office in June 2014; he was succeeded by Volodymyr ZELENSKY in May 2019.

Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula falsely claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a \"referendum\" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The \"referendum\" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the \"referendum\" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In mid-2014, Russia began supplying proxies in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel beginning an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized Russian proxy republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 with the aim of ending the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting or find a political solution. In a renewed attempt to alleviate ongoing clashes, leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany negotiated a follow-on Package of Measures in February 2015 to implement the Minsk agreements, but this effort failed as well. By early 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine.

On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion of the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion has received near universal international condemnation, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Russia made substantial gains in the early weeks of the invasion but underestimated Ukrainian resolve and combat capabilities. By the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had regained all territories in the north and northeast and made some advances in the east and south. Nonetheless, Russia in late September 2022 unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia - even though none was fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community.

The invasion has also created Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. As of 12 September 2023, there were 6.2 million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally, and 5.09 million people were internally displaced as of June 2023.  More than 26,700 civilian casualties had been reported, as of 27 August 2023. The invasion of Ukraine remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the conflict in Syria).

The Ukrainian people continue to fiercely resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has targeted civilian and critical infrastructure - including energy - to try to break the Ukrainian will. President ZELENSKYY has focused on the civic identity of Ukrainians, regardless of ethnic or linguistic background, to unite the country behind the goals of ending the war by regaining as much territory as possible and advancing Ukraine’s candidacy for membership in the European Union (EU). Support for joining the EU and NATO has grown significantly, overcoming the historical, and sometimes artificial, divide between eastern and western Ukraine.

" + "text": "

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20) but was reconquered and endured a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 around the time of the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control, patronage politics, and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

A peaceful mass protest referred to as the \"Orange Revolution\" in the closing months of 2004 and early 2005 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in legislative (Rada) elections, become prime minister in August 2006, and be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against students, civil society activists, and other civilians in favor of the agreement and fed up with blatant corruption led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office in June 2014; he was succeeded by Volodymyr ZELENSKY in May 2019.

Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula falsely claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a \"referendum\" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The \"referendum\" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the \"referendum\" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In mid-2014, Russia began supplying proxies in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel beginning an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized Russian proxy republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 with the aim of ending the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting or find a political solution. In a renewed attempt to alleviate ongoing clashes, leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany negotiated a follow-on Package of Measures in February 2015 to implement the Minsk agreements, but this effort failed as well. By early 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine.

On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion of the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion has received near universal international condemnation, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Russia made substantial gains in the early weeks of the invasion but underestimated Ukrainian resolve and combat capabilities. By the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had regained all territories in the north and northeast and made some advances in the east and south. Nonetheless, Russia in late September 2022 unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia - even though none was fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community.

The invasion has also created Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. As of 26 September 2023, there were 6.2 million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally, and 5.09 million people were internally displaced as of June 2023.  More than 27,100 civilian casualties had been reported, as of 10 September 2023. The invasion of Ukraine remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the conflict in Syria).

The Ukrainian people continue to fiercely resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has targeted civilian and critical infrastructure - including energy - to try to break the Ukrainian will. President ZELENSKYY has focused on the civic identity of Ukrainians, regardless of ethnic or linguistic background, to unite the country behind the goals of ending the war by regaining as much territory as possible and advancing Ukraine’s candidacy for membership in the European Union (EU). Support for joining the EU and NATO has grown significantly, overcoming the historical, and sometimes artificial, divide between eastern and western Ukraine.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1178,7 +1178,21 @@ "text": "215 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "108", + "total": { + "text": "108" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "17" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "15" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "4" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "72" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/middle-east/ae.json b/middle-east/ae.json index 8ffa4b2c..ab442c7b 100644 --- a/middle-east/ae.json +++ b/middle-east/ae.json @@ -1202,8 +1202,8 @@ "text": "the military's inventory is comprised of a wide variety of mostly modern imported equipment; over the past decade, the UAE has acquired military equipment from more than 20 countries with the US as the leading supplier; in recent years, the UAE has tried to boost its domestic defense industry (2023)" }, "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 volunteers with parental approval; men 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 (2022)", - "note": "note 1: compulsory service may be completed in the uniformed military, the Ministry of Interior, or other security institutions designated by the military leadership

note 2: the UAE military employs a considerable number—estimates range from a low of about 30% to as much as 70% of the force—of foreign personnel on contract; the UAE has also hired foreign mercenaries for some operations during its intervention in Yemen" + "text": "18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men (compulsory service initiated in 2014); 18-40 for voluntary service; 36-month service obligation for men without a secondary education and 11 months for secondary school graduates; women may volunteer (11-month service obligation regardless of education)  (2023)", + "note": "note 1: compulsory service may be completed in the uniformed military, the Ministry of Interior, or other security institutions designated by the military leadership

note 2: the UAE military employs a considerable number—estimates range from a low of about 30% to as much as 70% of the force—of foreign personnel on contract" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "continues to maintain a small force in Yemen; also maintains some troops at military bases in Eritrea and Somalia (Somaliland) (2023)", diff --git a/middle-east/aj.json b/middle-east/aj.json index b6ea52aa..15b69ba4 100644 --- a/middle-east/aj.json +++ b/middle-east/aj.json @@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ "note": "note: most of the military is made up of professional contract soldiers; as of 2018, women made up an estimated 3% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Azerbaijani military was established in 1991, although its origins go back to 1918; much of the military’s original equipment was acquired from former Soviet military forces that left Azerbaijan by 1992; territorial defense is the military’s primary focus, particularly with regards to neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; a secondary focus is guarding against Iran; the Ground Forces have five army corps, plus an independent combined arms army, which is assigned to the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxicvan (Nakhichevan); between them, the corps and the combined arms army have more than 20 mechanized or motorized combat brigades; the Ground Forces also have separate brigades of artillery, battlefield rockets, and special forces; the Air Force has about 30 Russian-origin fighters and ground attack aircraft, as well as some combat helicopters; the Navy patrols the Caspian Sea with a corvette and several coastal patrol craft

Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s strongest military partner, a relationship that has included weapons transfers, technical advice, bilateral training exercises, and key support during the 2020 conflict with Armenia; military reforms over the past decade and the operations of the Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 conflict reflected Turkish influence; Azerbaijan is not part of NATO but has had a cooperative relationship with it dating back to when it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has provided troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo (1999-2008) and Afghanistan (2002-2014) (2023)" + "text": "the Azerbaijani military was established in 1991, although its origins go back to 1918; much of the military’s original equipment was acquired from former Soviet military forces that left Azerbaijan by 1992; territorial defense is the military’s primary focus, particularly with regards to neighboring Armenia; a secondary focus is guarding against Iran; the Ground Forces have five army corps, plus an independent combined arms army, which is assigned to the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxicvan (Nakhichevan); between them, the corps and the combined arms army have more than 20 mechanized or motorized combat brigades; the Ground Forces also have separate brigades of artillery, battlefield rockets, and special forces; the Air Force has about 30 Russian-origin fighters and ground attack aircraft, as well as some combat helicopters; the Navy patrols the Caspian Sea with a corvette and several coastal patrol craft

Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s strongest military partner, a relationship that has included weapons transfers, technical advice, bilateral training exercises, and key support during the 2020 conflict with Armenia; military reforms over the past decade and the operations of the Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 conflict reflected Turkish influence; Azerbaijan is not part of NATO but has had a cooperative relationship with it dating back to when it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has provided troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo (1999-2008) and Afghanistan (2002-2014) (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/middle-east/am.json b/middle-east/am.json index e2f5a9f1..a6eb0d68 100644 --- a/middle-east/am.json +++ b/middle-east/am.json @@ -1206,11 +1206,11 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes mostly Russian and Soviet-era equipment (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 for voluntary/contract (men and women) or compulsory (men) military service; contract military service is 3-12 months or 3 or 5 years; conscripts serve 24 months; men under the age of 36, who have not previously served as contract servicemen and are registered in the reserve, as well as women, regardless of whether they are registered in the reserve can be enrolled in contractual military service; all citizens aged 27 to 50 are registered in the military reserve and may be called to serve if mobilization is declared (2023)", - "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; the Armenian Army established its first all-women combat unit in 2020" + "text": "18-27 for voluntary (men and women), contract (men and women) or compulsory (men) military service; contract military service is 3-12 months or 3 or 5 years; conscripts serve 24 months; men under the age of 36, who have not previously served as contract servicemen and are registered in the reserve, as well as women, regardless of whether they are registered in the reserve can be enrolled in contractual military service; all citizens aged 27 to 50 are registered in the military reserve and may be called to serve if mobilization is declared (2023)", + "note": "note: in 2023, Armenia approved six-month voluntary service for women, after which they have the option to switch to a five-year contract; previously, women served on a contract basis  

note 2: as of 2021, conscripts comprised about half of the military's active personnel; as of 2020, women made up about 10% of the active duty military; the Armenian Army established its first all-women combat unit in 2020" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Armenian Armed Forces were officially established in 1992, although their origins go back to 1918; the modern military’s missions include deterrence, territorial defense, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, as well as socio-economic development projects; territorial defense is its primary focus, particularly in regards to tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; from the early 1990s until 2022, Armenian military forces worked closely with the “Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army” (aka “Artsakh Defense Army”) to provide defense and security for Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions; Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

the bulk of the Armenian military’s ground combat forces are organized into five small corps that are  typically comprised of one or more Soviet-style “motorized rifle” (mechanized infantry) regiments, plus supporting units of artillery, reconnaissance, and tank forces; there are also separate artillery, air defense, battlefield rockets, and special operations forces; four of the five corps are typically deployed along the border with Azerbaijan with the fifth deployed along the border with Turkey; the ground forces also have a peacekeeping brigade; the air combat forces consist of small numbers of Soviet-era ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters; Armenia is landlocked so it has no naval forces  

Armenia has close military ties with Russia and hosts Russian military forces at two bases, as well as Russian border guards along multiple border areas; it has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and committed troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; Armenia has relations with NATO going back to 1992 when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council; in 1994, it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has contributed to the NATO force in Kosovo, as well as the former NATO deployment in Afghanistan (2023)" + "text": "the Armenian Armed Forces were officially established in 1992, although their origins go back to 1918; the modern military’s missions include deterrence, territorial defense, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, as well as socio-economic development projects; territorial defense is its primary focus, particularly in regards to tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

the bulk of the Armenian military’s ground combat forces are organized into five small corps that are  typically comprised of one or more Soviet-style “motorized rifle” (mechanized infantry) regiments, plus supporting units of artillery, reconnaissance, and tank forces; there are also separate artillery, air defense, battlefield rockets, and special operations forces; four of the five corps are typically deployed along the border with Azerbaijan with the fifth deployed along the border with Turkey; the ground forces also have a peacekeeping brigade; the air combat forces consist of small numbers of Soviet-era ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters; Armenia is landlocked so it has no naval forces  

Armenia has close military ties with Russia and hosts Russian military forces at two bases, as well as Russian border guards along multiple border areas; it has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and committed troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; Armenia has relations with NATO going back to 1992 when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council; in 1994, it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has contributed to the NATO force in Kosovo, as well as the former NATO deployment in Afghanistan (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/middle-east/gg.json b/middle-east/gg.json index 21e572fd..25d10569 100644 --- a/middle-east/gg.json +++ b/middle-east/gg.json @@ -1202,14 +1202,14 @@ }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "estimates vary; approximately 30,000 troops, including active National Guard forces (2023)", - "note": "note: in December 2020, the Parliament of Georgia adopted a resolution determining that the Georgian Defense Forces would have maximum peacetime strength of 37,000 troops" + "note": "note: in December 2020, the Parliament of Georgia adopted a resolution determining that the Georgian Defense Forces would have a maximum peacetime strength of 37,000 troops" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the majority of the military's inventory consists of Soviet-era weapons and equipment, although in recent years it has received armaments from a number of European countries, as well as the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription was abolished in 2016, but reinstated in 2017 for men 18-27 years of age; conscript service obligation is 12 months (2023)", - "note": "note 1: approximately 6-7,000 individuals are called up annually for conscription for service; approximately 25% enter the Defense Forces, while the remainder serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs or as prison guards in the Ministry of Corrections

note 2: as of 2019, women made up about 6% of the military's full-time personnel" + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription was abolished in 2016, but reinstated in 2017 for men 18-27 years of age; conscript service obligation is 12 months (2023)", + "note": "note 1: approximately 6-7,000 individuals are called up annually for conscription for service; approximately 25% enter the Defense Forces, while the remainder serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs or as prison guards in the Ministry of Corrections

note 2: as of 2022, women made up about 8% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Defense Forces of Georgia (DFG) are responsible for protecting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country; the DFG also provides units for multinational military operations abroad and supports the Border Police in border protection and civil authorities in counter-terrorist operations, if requested; it is focused primarily on Russia, which maintains military bases and troops in occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia; a five-day conflict with Russian forces in 2008 resulted in the defeat and expulsion of Georgian forces from the breakaway regions 

Georgia is not a member of NATO but has had a relationship with the Alliance since 1992 and declared its aspiration to join in 2002; the military is working to make itself more compatible with NATO and has participated in multinational exercises and security operations abroad with NATO, such as Afghanistan, where it was one of the top non-NATO contributors, and Kosovo; the DFG has also contributed troops to EU and UN missions

the DFG is divided into two regional commands (eastern and western); the Ground Forces make up the majority of the DFG, with four infantry and two artillery brigades; the Coast Guard/naval forces operate a mix of coastal patrol craft and patrol boats, while the Air Force has a handful of refurbished Soviet-era ground attack aircraft (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/ir.json b/middle-east/ir.json index fbd6292e..d24b301b 100644 --- a/middle-east/ir.json +++ b/middle-east/ir.json @@ -1225,11 +1225,11 @@ "text": "the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and mostly older foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian, Soviet, and US origin (US equipment acquired prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979); it also has some military equipment from North Korea, including midget submarines and ballistic missiles; in recent years, Iran has received some newer equipment from Russia; Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "military service is compulsory for all Iranian males 18/19 to approximately age 40; 16 for voluntary military service (may be as low as 15 for the Basij); conscript military service obligation is 18-24 months, depending on the location of service (soldiers serving in places of high security risk and deprived areas serve shorter terms); women exempt from military service (2023)", + "text": "military service is compulsory for all Iranian men 18/19 to approximately age 40; 16 for voluntary military service (may be as low as 15 for the Basij); conscript military service obligation is 18-24 months, depending on the location of service (soldiers serving in places of high security risk and deprived areas serve shorter terms); women exempted from military service (2023)", "note": "note: conscripts serve in the Artesh, IRGC, and Law Enforcement; approximately 80% of Artesh ground forces personnel are conscripts, while Navy and Air/Air Defense Force personnel are primarily volunteers; conscripts reportedly comprise more than 50% of the IRGC" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "estimated to have up to 3,000 military personnel in Syria (2022)", + "text": "continues to maintain a military presence in Syria reportedly of a few thousand personnel, mostly of special operations and IRGC forces (2023)", "note": "note: Iran has recruited, trained, and funded thousands of Syrian and foreign fighters to support the ASAD regime during the Syrian civil war" }, "Military - note": { diff --git a/middle-east/iz.json b/middle-east/iz.json index 09c93294..77add266 100644 --- a/middle-east/iz.json +++ b/middle-east/iz.json @@ -1199,7 +1199,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Army Aviation Command, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Air Defense Command, Special Forces Command, Special Security Division (Green Zone protection)

National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS; reports to the Prime Minister), Prime Minister's Special Forces Division, Presidential Brigades

Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police

Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate

Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC): Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Tribal Mobilization Forces (TMF); the PMF and TMF are a collection of approximately 60 militias of widely varied sizes and political interests

the federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military/militia (peshmerga) and security forces, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), each maintain their own forces: 

KRG Ministry of Peshmerga: Regional Guard Brigades; Unit (or Division) 70 Forces and Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) of the PUK; Unit (or Division) 80 Forces and Counterterrorism Directorate (CTD) of the KDP

KRG Ministry of Interior: both the KDP and PUK maintain separate police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence (Asayish) services under nominal Ministry of Interior control  (2023)" + "text": "Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Army Aviation Command, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Air Defense Command, Special Forces Command, Special Security Division (Green Zone protection)

National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS; reports to the Prime Minister), Prime Minister's Special Forces Division, Presidential Brigades

Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police

Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate

Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC): Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Tribal Mobilization Forces (TMF); the PMF and TMF are a collection of more than 50 militias of widely varied sizes and political interests

the federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military/militia (peshmerga) and security forces, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), each maintain their own forces: 

KRG Ministry of Peshmerga: Regional Guard Brigades; Unit (or Division) 70 Forces and Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) of the PUK; Unit (or Division) 80 Forces and Counterterrorism Directorate (CTD) of the KDP

KRG Ministry of Interior: both the KDP and PUK maintain separate police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence (Asayish) services under nominal Ministry of Interior control (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2022": { diff --git a/middle-east/jo.json b/middle-east/jo.json index 33a2baeb..c833834e 100644 --- a/middle-east/jo.json +++ b/middle-east/jo.json @@ -1205,7 +1205,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Army (includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior: Public Security Directorate (includes national police, the Gendarmerie, and the Civil Defense Directorate) (2023)", + "text": "Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Army (includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard

Ministry of Interior: Public Security Directorate (includes national police, the Gendarmerie, and the Civil Defense Directorate) (2023)", "note": "note: the armed forces report administratively to the minister of defense and have a support role for internal security; the prime minister serves as defense minister, but there is no separate ministry of defense" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1226,14 +1226,14 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 95,000 active duty armed forces personnel (80,000 Army; 14,000 Air Force; 500 Coast Guard); approximately 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2023)" + "text": "approximately 100,000 active-duty armed forces personnel (85,000 Army; 14,000 Air Force; 500-1,000 Coast Guard); approximately 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the JAF inventory is comprised of a wide mix of imported equipment from Europe, some Gulf States, Russia, and the US; in recent years, the Netherlands and the US have been the leading suppliers (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17 years of age for voluntary military service for men (women can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF); initial service term is 24 months, with option to reenlist for up to 18 years; conscription was abolished in 1991, but in 2020 Jordan announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service for jobless men aged between 25 and 29 with 12 months of service, made up of 3 months of military training and 9 months of professional and technical training; in 2019, Jordan announced a voluntary 4-month National Military Service program for men and women aged between 18-25 years who have been unemployed for at least 6 months; service would include 1 month for military training with the remaining 3 months dedicated to vocational training in the sectors of construction and tourism (2023)", - "note": "note: most women serve in the medical service; outside the medical service, women comprised about 1.5% of the military as of 2019" + "note": "note: women comprised about 1.5% of the military as of 2019" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "330 Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/ku.json b/middle-east/ku.json index f25959cd..0d120c07 100644 --- a/middle-east/ku.json +++ b/middle-east/ku.json @@ -1187,10 +1187,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Kuwait does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials reported disaggregated data for the first time, including data on a forced labor conviction and identification of male victims; Kuwait also implemented a program to increase oversight of foreign worker recruitment and provide greater protections to vulnerable migrants; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared to the previous year to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; there were fewer investigations of alleged trafficking crimes and significantly fewer convictions and prosecutions of traffickers; the government decreased funding for victims and domestic worker protection programs for the second consecutive year; no steps were taken to reform the visa sponsorship program that continued to leave migrant workers highly vulnerable to exploitation; some officials routinely used arbitration and administrative penalties rather than investigate cases as human trafficking crimes; the government did not regularly use standard procedures to proactively identify victims and refer them to protection services, and it continued to detain, prosecute, and deport potential trafficking victims; therefore, Kuwait was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Kuwait does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials assisted more vulnerable migrant workers at the government shelter, launched an online platform for domestic workers to file grievances, and continued to hold fraudulent recruitment agencies accountable; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared to the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; there were fewer investigations of alleged trafficking crimes and no prosecutions or convictions of traffickers; fewer victims were identified, and some officials continued to use arbitration and administrative penalties instead of investigating cases as potential human trafficking crimes; Kuwait did not implement procedures to identify and prevent trafficking, nor regularly use standard operating procedures to identify and refer victims to services; officials continued to detain, prosecute, and deport potential trafficking victims, including those fleeing forced labor or in commercial sex, without screening for trafficking indicators; the government did not take any new steps to reform its visa sponsorship system, leaving migrant workers highly vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking; therefore, Kuwait remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit foreign victims in Kuwait; men and women migrate primarily from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and other countries in South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East to work predominantly in the service, sanitation, construction, transportation, hospitality, and domestic service sectors; unskilled laborers and female domestic workers are especially vulnerable to forced labor and physical and sexual abuse; many labor-source countries, including Bhutan, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe continue to restrict female nationals from domestic employment in Kuwait due to the high risk they face; some visa sponsors subject migrants to forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, sex trafficking; Cuban nationals working in Kuwait may have been forced to work by the Cuban government; Kuwait’s sponsorship law restricts workers’ movements and penalizes them for leaving abusive workplaces; reports indicate some workers fleeing abusive employers are exploited in sex trafficking by recruiters or criminals (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit foreign victims in Kuwait; men and women migrate primarily from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and other countries in South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East to work predominantly in the service, sanitation, construction, transportation, security, hospitality, and domestic service sectors, and, most recently, nurses working for medical supply companies; unskilled laborers and female domestic workers are especially vulnerable to forced labor and physical and sexual abuse; undocumented Bidoon (stateless residents of Arab heritage) face challenges gaining lawful employment and remain vulnerable to trafficking; many labor-source countries, including Bhutan, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe continue to restrict their female nationals from domestic employment in Kuwait due to the high risk they face; some visa sponsors subject migrants to forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, sex trafficking; some officials allegedly take bribes or sell work permits to illegal recruiting companies or directly to migrants; Cuban nationals working in Kuwait may have been forced to work by the Cuban government; Kuwait’s sponsorship law restricts workers’ movements and penalizes them for leaving abusive workplaces; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labor inside private homes; reports indicate some workers fleeing abusive employers are exploited in sex trafficking by recruiters or criminals (2023)" } } } diff --git a/middle-east/qa.json b/middle-east/qa.json index 133fafa5..2bf80dad 100644 --- a/middle-east/qa.json +++ b/middle-east/qa.json @@ -1174,7 +1174,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "conscription for men aged 18-35 introduced in 2013; compulsory service times range from 4-12 months, depending on educational and professional circumstances; since 2018, women have been permitted to serve as volunteers in the armed forces, including as uniformed officers and pilots (2023)", - "note": "note 1: the military incorporates about 2,000 conscripts annually

note 2: Qatar recruits foreign contract soldiers to overcome manpower limitations; it is estimated that as much as 85% of the military is comprised of foreigners" + "note": "note 1: the military incorporates about 2,000 conscripts annually

note 2: Qatar recruits foreign contract soldiers to overcome manpower limitations" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the QAF is a small, well-equipped, and trained force that is responsible for defense against external threats; following the downturn in ties with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in the mid-2010s, the Qatari Government embarked on a major arms acquisition and modernization program to increase the QAF’s capabilities and regional standing; the Air Force has benefited the most, growing from an inventory of 12 older combat aircraft and a few fighter trainers in 2017 to a current inventory of about 60 modern multirole fighter aircraft from France, the UK, and the US; it is slated to grow to about 100 such aircraft by the mid-2020s; other aircraft acquisitions have included US attack helicopters; the Land Force has re-equipped its armored brigade and separate mechanized and artillery battalions with modern tanks, armored vehicles, and self-propelled artillery, mostly with purchases from Germany and Turkey; meanwhile, the Navy over the same period has received 4 corvettes and 4 offshore patrol vessels from Italy and Turkey

Qatar hosts the regional headquarters for the US Central Command (CENTCOM; established 1983) and more than 8,000 US military forces at various military facilities, including the large Al Udeid Air Base; it has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; Qatar also hosts thousands of Turkish military forces at two bases established in 2014 and 2019 (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/sa.json b/middle-east/sa.json index 10b3a1ad..809a3538 100644 --- a/middle-east/sa.json +++ b/middle-east/sa.json @@ -1131,7 +1131,21 @@ "text": "214 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "82", + "total": { + "text": "82" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "17" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "10" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "6" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "49" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/middle-east/sy.json b/middle-east/sy.json index 51c89fc3..0a85d065 100644 --- a/middle-east/sy.json +++ b/middle-east/sy.json @@ -1156,8 +1156,8 @@ "text": "the SAF's inventory is comprised mostly of older Russian and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, Russia has supplied the majority of Syria's imported weapons systems (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-42 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2022)", - "note": "note: the military is comprised largely of conscripts" + "text": "18-42 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve, including in combat arms (2023)", + "note": "note 1: the military is comprised largely of conscripts

note 2: Syrian women have been serving in combat roles since 2013; in 2015, the Syrian military created an all-female commando brigade" }, "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; UNDOF has about 1,000 personnel 

multiple actors are 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 the Syrian Arab Army, Lebanese Hizbollah, Iranian, Iranian-backed Shia militia, and Russian forces; since early in the civil war, the ASAD government has relied on Lebanese Hizballah (see Appendix T for further information), as well as Iran and Iranian-backed irregular forces, for combat operations and to hold territory; since 2011, 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 has intervened militarily several times since 2016 to combat Kurdish militants and ISIS, support select Syrian opposition forces, and establish a buffer along portions of its border with Syria; Turkey continues 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; the majority the US ground forces are 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 are in southeast Syria around At Tanf supporting counter-ISIS operations by the Syrian Free Army 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 against Syrian military, Hizbollah, Iranian, and/or Iranian-backed militia targets

the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a 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 2023 was the main local US partner in its counter-ISIS campaign; the SDF has internal security, counterterrorism, 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 continues to maintain a low-level insurgency; in addition, the SDF holds about 10,000 captured suspected ISIS fighters in detention facilities across northern Syria, including 2,000 from countries other than Iraq and Syria

the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; formerly known as al-Nusrah Front) terrorist organization (see Appendix T) is the dominant militant group in northwest Syria and asserted considerable influence and control over the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Iblib de-escalation zone and the Aleppo province (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/ym.json b/middle-east/ym.json index 0a9febe1..87e8ca08 100644 --- a/middle-east/ym.json +++ b/middle-east/ym.json @@ -1150,7 +1150,8 @@ "text": "the inventory of the Yemeni Government forces consists primarily of Russian and Soviet-era equipment, although much of it has been lost in the current conflict; since the start of the civil war in 2014, it has received limited amounts of donated equipment from some Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia and UAE, as well as the US

Houthi forces are armed largely with weapons seized from Yemeni Government forces; they are also reported to have received military hardware from Iran (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2001; 2-year service obligation (note - limited information since the start of the civil war in 2014) (2021)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2001; 2-year service obligation (note - limited information since the start of the civil war in 2014) (2022)", + "note": "note: as late as 2022, all parties to the ongoing conflict were implicated in child soldier recruitment and use; during the beginning of the truce in April 2022, the Houthis signed a plan with the UN to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers; Houthi leaders previously pledged to end the use of child soldiers in 2012, as did the Government of Yemen in 2014 " }, "Military - note": { "text": "government forces under the Yemeni Ministry of Defense are responsible for territorial defense, but also have internal security functions; their main focus is on the Houthi rebels and protecting Yemen’s maritime borders, which are susceptible to smuggling of fighters, arms, and other material support for the Houthis and terrorist groups operating in Yemen, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in Yemen; they are organized into brigades of armored, border guard, infantry, mechanized, presidential protection, and special forces; the brigades vary significantly in size, structure, and capabilities; the Air Force has small numbers of mostly Soviet-era aircraft while the Navy and Coast Guard have a few patrol boats

in 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt) intervened militarily in Yemen in support of the Republic of Yemen Government against the separatist Houthis; Saudi military forces conducted operations in Yemen and raised and equipped paramilitary/militia security forces in Yemen based largely on tribal or regional affiliation to deploy along the Saudi-Yemen border; UAE's participation in 2015 included several thousand ground troops, as well as supporting air and naval forces; UAE withdrew its main military force from Yemen in 2019, but has retained a smaller military presence while working with proxies in southern Yemen, most notably the Southern Transitional Council (STC); UAE has recruited, trained, and equipped tens of thousands of Yemeni fighters and formed them into dozens of militia and paramilitary units

Houthi forces are organized into combat, presidential protection, special forces, and tribal/militia/paramilitary brigades and independent battalions; the Houthis also have UAV and missile units, as well as naval forces (mines, missiles, and some boats); Iran has provided military and political support to the Houthis (2023)" diff --git a/north-america/ca.json b/north-america/ca.json index 03b0c912..e71d898f 100644 --- a/north-america/ca.json +++ b/north-america/ca.json @@ -1301,7 +1301,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "17 years of age for voluntary male and female military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for Reserve and Military College applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service obligation 3-9 years (2023)", - "note": "note 1: Canada opened up all military occupations to women in 2001; women currently comprise about 16% of the CAF

note 2: the CAF offers waivers to foreign nationals applying for military service only in exceptional cases — to individuals on international military exchanges, for example, or to candidates who have specialized skills in high demand" + "note": "note 1: Canada opened up all military occupations to women in 2001; women in 2023 comprised about 16% of the CAF

note 2: the CAF offers waivers to foreign nationals applying for military service only in exceptional cases — to individuals on international military exchanges, for example, or to candidates who have specialized skills in high demand" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "the CAF has approximately 1,000 military personnel forward deployed for NATO air, land, and sea missions in the European theater, including a ground task force in Latvia (2023)", diff --git a/north-america/us.json b/north-america/us.json index dfd49fbd..3f5374b5 100644 --- a/north-america/us.json +++ b/north-america/us.json @@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ "text": "50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island", + "text": "American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island (14)", "note": "note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political entities: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)" }, "Independence": { @@ -1180,7 +1180,21 @@ "note": "note - 24.5% of airports are public" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "5,054", + "total": { + "text": "5,054" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "1,606" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "162" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "31" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "3,255" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/south-america/ar.json b/south-america/ar.json index 96c17c45..3da679f1 100644 --- a/south-america/ar.json +++ b/south-america/ar.json @@ -1276,7 +1276,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription suspended in 1995; citizens can still be drafted in times of crisis, national emergency, or war, or if the Defense Ministry is unable to fill all vacancies to keep the military functional (2023)", - "note": "note - as of 2021, women comprised over 21% of the active duty military" + "note": "note: as of 2022, women comprised about 20% of the active duty military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "225 Cyprus (UNFICYP) (2023)" diff --git a/south-america/co.json b/south-america/co.json index e834732c..72946792 100644 --- a/south-america/co.json +++ b/south-america/co.json @@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-24 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; conscripted soldiers reportedly include regular soldiers (conscripts without a high school degree), drafted high school graduates (bachilleres), and rural (campesino) soldiers who serve in their home regions (2023)", - "note": "note 1: conscripts reportedly comprise about 50% of the Colombian military's active force with more than 50,000 conscripts brought into the military annually

note 2: the Colombian military first incorporated women in 1976 in administrative positions; women were incorporated as non-commissioned officers in 1983 and officers in 2009; women comprise about 1% of the military" + "note": "note 1: conscripts reportedly comprise about 50% of the Colombian military's active force with more than 50,000 conscripts brought into the military annually

note 2: the Colombian military first incorporated women in 1976 in administrative positions; women were incorporated as non-commissioned officers in 1983 and officers in 2009; women comprised about 1% of the military in 2023" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "275 Egypt (MFO) (2023)" diff --git a/south-america/ec.json b/south-america/ec.json index fc544d44..36e70c85 100644 --- a/south-america/ec.json +++ b/south-america/ec.json @@ -1239,8 +1239,8 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes a wide mix of mostly older equipment derived from a variety of sources such as Brazil, China, Russia, and the US; in recent years, Ecuador has received limited amounts of more modern material from several countries, including Germany and Spain (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-22 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 (2023)", - "note": "note: in 2017, women made up an estimated 3% of the military" + "text": "18-22 years of age for selective conscript military service for men, although conscription was suspended in 2008; 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 12-month service obligation (2023)", + "note": "note: in 2022, women made up an estimated 3-4% of the military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the military is responsible for preserving Ecuador’s national sovereignty and defending the integrity of the state; it also has some domestic security responsibilities and may complement police operations in maintaining public order if required; the military shares responsibility for border enforcement with the National Police; it trains regularly, participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises, and sends troops on UN peacekeeping missions; the military has defense ties to regional countries, such as Chile, Colombia, and Peru, and security ties with the US have been revived in recent years

border conflicts with Peru dominated the military’s focus until the late 1990s and border security remains a priority, but in more recent years, security challenges have included counterinsurgency and counternarcotics 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, have spilled over the border; the military has established a joint service task force for counterinsurgency and counternarcotics operations and boosted troop deployments along those borders; other missions include countering illegal mining, smuggling, and maritime piracy; since 2012, the Ecuadorian Government has expanded the military’s role in general public security and domestic crime operations, in part due to rising violence, police corruption, and police ineffectiveness 

the Joint Command of the Armed Forces (El Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas or CCFFAA) is the military’s highest body for planning, preparation, and strategic conduct of military operations; the chief of the CCFFAA is appointed by the president; the military is deployed throughout the country in five joint service operational commands or task forces; it also has a cyber defense command; the Army is organized into four regionally based divisions and approximately 12 combat brigades, including armored cavalry, artillery, aviation, infantry (including specialized jungle infantry), and special forces; the Navy is a compact force comprised of two frigates, six corvettes, three missile attack boats, and two attack submarines; it also has a small aviation force and a Marine Corps with about 2,000 amphibious infantry and commandos; the Air Force has small numbers of operational jet fighters and light ground attack aircraft, as well as some multirole helicopters  

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 (2023)" diff --git a/south-america/ns.json b/south-america/ns.json index 86f77dac..f72a63ad 100644 --- a/south-america/ns.json +++ b/south-america/ns.json @@ -1177,7 +1177,7 @@ "text": "the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; in recent years, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from India (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2022)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "key missions for the National Leger include border control and supporting domestic security; the military police has direct responsibility for immigration control at the country’s ports of entry; in addition, the military assists the police in combating crime, particularly narco-trafficking, including joint military and police patrols, as well as joint special security teams (2023)" diff --git a/south-asia/in.json b/south-asia/in.json index 933d7f00..47e6b00b 100644 --- a/south-asia/in.json +++ b/south-asia/in.json @@ -1316,7 +1316,7 @@ }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "ages vary by service, but generally 16.5-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)", - "note": "note 1: in 2022, the Indian Government announced that it would begin recruiting 46,000 men aged 17.5-21 annually to serve on 4-year contracts under a process called the Agnipath scheme; at the end of their tenure, 25% would be retained for longer terms of service, while the remainder would be forced to leave the military, although some of those leaving would be eligible to serve in the Coast Guard, the Merchant Navy, civilian positions in the Ministry of Defense, and in the paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles

note 2: as of 2022, women made up about .59% of the Army, 1.1% of the Air Force, and 6% of the Navy; women in the Army were not allowed to serve in combat arms; the Air Force has allowed women to serve as fighter pilots since 2016; in 2022, the Navy announced it would allow women to serve in every branch of the service, including submarines and aviation

note 3: the Indian military accepts citizens of Nepal and Bhutan; descendants of refugees from Tibet who arrived before 1962 and have resided permanently in India; peoples of Indian origin from nations such as Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India; eligible candidates from “friendly foreign nations” may apply to the Armed Forces Medical Services 

note 4: the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816), and the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; six regiments of Gurkhas (aka Gorkhas in India) regiments went to the new Indian Army; a seventh regiment was later added" + "note": "note 1: in 2022, the Indian Government announced that it would begin recruiting 46,000 men aged 17.5-21 annually to serve on 4-year contracts under a process called the Agnipath scheme; at the end of their tenure, 25% would be retained for longer terms of service, while the remainder would be forced to leave the military, although some of those leaving would be eligible to serve in the Coast Guard, the Merchant Navy, civilian positions in the Ministry of Defense, and in the paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles

note 2: as of 2023, women made up less than 1% of the Army, about 1% of the Air Force, and about 6% of the Navy 

note 3: the Indian military accepts citizens of Nepal and Bhutan; descendants of refugees from Tibet who arrived before 1962 and have resided permanently in India; peoples of Indian origin from nations such as Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India; eligible candidates from “friendly foreign nations” may apply to the Armed Forces Medical Services 

note 4: the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816), and the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; six regiments of Gurkhas (aka Gorkhas in India) regiments went to the new Indian Army; a seventh regiment was later added" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "1,800 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 200 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 675 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 2,300 South Sudan (UNMISS); 580 Sudan (UNISFA) (2023)" diff --git a/south-asia/mv.json b/south-asia/mv.json index 75f74d24..28cfd135 100644 --- a/south-asia/mv.json +++ b/south-asia/mv.json @@ -533,19 +533,19 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "President Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (since 17 November 2018); Vice President Faisal NASEEM (since 17 November 2018); the president is both chief of state and head of government" + "text": "President-elect Mohamed MUIZZI (since 30 September 2023); Vice President-elect Hussain Mohamed LATHEEF (since 30 September 2023); the president is both chief of state and head of government; inauguration scheduled for 17 November 2023" }, "head of government": { - "text": "President Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (since 17 November 2018); Vice President Faisal NASEEM (since 17 November 2018)" + "text": "President-elect Mohamed MUIZZI (since 30 September 2023); Vice President-elect Hussain Mohamed LATHEEF (since 30 September 2023)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by 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); first round held on 9 September 2023 (runoff to be held on 30 September 2023)" + "text": "president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); first round held on 9 September 2023 and runoff held on 30 September 2023 (next to be held in 2028)" }, "election results": { - "text": "
2023: first round results - Mohamed MUIZZI 46.1%, Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH 39.1%, Ilyas LEBEEB 7.1%, other 7.7%

2018: Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH elected president in first round; Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 58.3%, Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom (PPM) 41.7% 
" + "text": "
2023: first round results - Mohamed MUIZZI 46.1%, Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH 39.1%, Ilyas LEBEEB 7.1%, other 7.7%; Mohamed MUZZI elected president in second round; Mohamed MUZZI (PNC) 54%, Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 46%

2018: Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH elected president in first round; Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH (MDP) 58.3%, Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom (PPM) 41.7%" } }, "Legislative branch": { @@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ } }, "Political parties and leaders": { - "text": "

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 Third Way Democrats or MTD [Ahmed ADEEB]
Maumoon/Maldives Reform Movement or MRM [Ahmed Faris MAUMOON]
National Democratic Congress [Yousuf Maaniu]
People's National Congress or PNC [Abdul Raheem ABDULLA]
Progressive Party of Maldives or PPM [Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom, founder]
Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP [Qasim IBRAHIM]

(2020)" + "text": "

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 Third Way Democrats or MTD [Ahmed ADEEB]
Maumoon/Maldives Reform Movement or MRM [Ahmed Faris MAUMOON]
National Democratic Congress [Yousuf MAANIU]
People's National Congress or PNC [Abdul Raheem ABDULLA]
Progressive Party of Maldives or PPM [Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom, founder]
Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP [Qasim IBRAHIM]

(2020)" }, "International organization participation": { "text": "ADB, AOSIS, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO" diff --git a/south-asia/pk.json b/south-asia/pk.json index 27d5b688..58a47c22 100644 --- a/south-asia/pk.json +++ b/south-asia/pk.json @@ -1213,7 +1213,21 @@ "text": "151 (2021)" }, "Airports - with paved runways": { - "text": "108", + "total": { + "text": "108" + }, + "civil airports": { + "text": "5" + }, + "military airports": { + "text": "12" + }, + "joint use (civil-military) airports": { + "text": "5" + }, + "other airports": { + "text": "86" + }, "note": "note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)" }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { diff --git a/world/xx.json b/world/xx.json index 5fa80190..cdbb5d72 100644 --- a/world/xx.json +++ b/world/xx.json @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ }, "Geography": { "Geographic overview": { - "text": "

The surface of the Earth is approximately 70.9% water and 29.1% land. The former portion constitutes the World Ocean, the single largest feature of the planet and one that connects all places on the globe. The World Ocean is divided by the intervening continental landmasses into five major ocean basins, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. The World Factbook describes each of these five as oceans. Given the significant differences in direction and temperature of major ocean currents, as well as the effects of the major air masses above them, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are generally divided at the equator into the North and South Pacific Oceans and the North and South Atlantic Oceans, thus creating seven major water bodies - the so-called \"Seven Seas.\"

Some 97.5% of the Earth's water is saltwater. Of the 2.5% that is fresh, about two-thirds is frozen mostly locked up in the Antarctic ice sheets and mountain glaciers worldwide. If all the surface ice on earth fully melted, the sea level would rise about 70 m (230 ft).

In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about two weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere. Groundwater can take 50 years to just traverse 1 km (0.6 mi).

Earth's land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents. Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five, if the Eurasia designation is used).

North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Portions of five countries - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey - fall within both Europe and Asia, but in every instance the larger section is in Asia. These countries are considered part of both continents. Armenia and Cyprus, which lie completely in Western Asia, are geopolitically European countries.

Asia usually incorporates all the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a \"land mass\" termed Oceania or Australasia. Africa's northeast extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often included as part of Africa.

Although the above groupings are the most common, different continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts of the World, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.

Based on the seven-continent model, and grouping islands with adjacent continents, Africa has the most countries with 54. Europe contains 49 countries and Asia 48, but these two continents share five countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey. North America consists of 23 sovereign states, Oceania has 14, and South America 12.

countries by continent: Africa (54): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe;

Europe (49): Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia*, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan*, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia*, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey*, Ukraine, United Kingdom (* indicates part of the country is also in Asia);

Asia (48): Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia*, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan*, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia*, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey*, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen (* indicates part of the country is also in Europe);

North America (23): Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States;

Oceania (14): Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu;

South America (12): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Three of the states described above – France, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom – consist of smaller political entities that are referred to as countries. France considers French Polynesia an overseas country; the Kingdom of the Netherlands refers to all four of its constituent parts (Netherlands [proper], and the islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten) as countries; and the United Kingdom comprises the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While not recognized as sovereign states, The World Factbook does include descriptive entries for the French and Dutch island \"countries.\"

the World from space: Earth is the only planet in the Solar System to have water in its three states of matter: liquid (oceans, lakes, and rivers), solid (ice), and gas (water vapor in clouds). From a distance, Earth would be the brightest of the eight planets in the Solar System; this luminous effect would be because of the sunlight reflected by the planet's water.

Earth is also the only planet in the Solar System known to be active with earthquakes and volcanoes due to plate tectonics; these events form the landscape, replenish carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and erase impact craters caused by meteors.

Earth has a slight equatorial bulge - a difference between its equatorial and polar diameters - because of the centrifugal force exerted by the rotation of the planet about its axis. The equatorial diameter is 12,756 km, but the polar diameter is 12,714 km; this results in the Earth's circumference at the equator being 40,075 km, while the polar circumference is 40,008 km.

the physical World: The Earth is composed of three layers: the outer lithosphere (with its crust and uppermost solid mantle), the mantle (the thickest layer, with distinct upper and lower layers), and the core (with an outer (liquid) and inner (solid) core). Researchers have discovered that a transition zone (at a depth of 410-660 km (255-410 mi)) between the upper and lower mantle may well be hydrous (water-bearing). But this hydrous rock would neither feel wet nor drip water. At that depth, high temperatures and pressures structurally transform a mineral called olivine into another mineral ringwoodite - and ringwoodite can incorporate water, but not water in a liquid, solid, or gas form. The high temperatures and pressures cause: 1) water molecules to split, creating hydroxide ions (hydrogen and oxygen atoms bound together), and 2) create structural changes in ringwoodite so that it is able to contain hydroxide ions. Ringwoodite can hold 1 to 3% of its weight in hydroxide ions. Considering that the 250 km-transition zone is about 7% of the Earth's mass (the crust, by comparison, is only about 1%), it could include at least as much (if not several times more) water than all of the Earth's oceans.

" + "text": "

The surface of the Earth is approximately 70.9% water and 29.1% land. The former portion constitutes the World Ocean, the single largest feature of the planet and one that connects all places on the globe. The World Ocean is divided by the intervening continental landmasses into five major ocean basins, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic. The World Factbook describes each of these five as oceans. Given the significant differences in direction and temperature of major ocean currents, as well as the effects of the major air masses above them, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are generally divided at the equator into the North and South Pacific Oceans and the North and South Atlantic Oceans, thus creating seven major water bodies - the so-called \"Seven Seas.\"

Some 97.5% of the Earth's water is saltwater. Of the 2.5% that is fresh, about two-thirds is frozen mostly locked up in the Antarctic ice sheets and mountain glaciers worldwide. If all the surface ice on earth fully melted, the sea level would rise about 70 m (230 ft).

In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about two weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere. Groundwater can take 50 years to just traverse 1 km (0.6 mi).

Earth's land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents. Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five, if the Eurasia designation is used).

North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Portions of five countries - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey - fall within both Europe and Asia, but in every instance the larger section is in Asia. These countries are considered part of both continents. Armenia and Cyprus, which lie completely in Western Asia, are geopolitically European countries.

Asia usually incorporates all the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a \"land mass\" termed Oceania or Australasia. Africa's northeast extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often included as part of Africa.

Although the above groupings are the most common, different continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts of the World, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.

Based on the seven-continent model, and grouping islands with adjacent continents, Africa has the most countries with 54. Europe contains 49 countries and Asia 48, but these two continents share five countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey. North America consists of 23 sovereign states, Oceania has 16, and South America 12. In total, there are 197 countries recognized by the United States.

countries by continent: Africa (54): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe;

Europe (49): Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia*, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan*, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia*, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey*, Ukraine, United Kingdom (* indicates part of the country is also in Asia);

Asia (48): Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia*, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan*, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia*, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey*, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen (* indicates part of the country is also in Europe);

North America (23): Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States;

Oceania (16): Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu;

South America (12): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Three of the states described above – France, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom – consist of smaller political entities that are referred to as countries. France considers French Polynesia an overseas country; the Kingdom of the Netherlands refers to all four of its constituent parts (Netherlands [proper], and the islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten) as countries; and the United Kingdom comprises the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While not recognized as sovereign states, The World Factbook does include descriptive entries for the French and Dutch island \"countries.\"

the World from space: Earth is the only planet in the Solar System to have water in its three states of matter: liquid (oceans, lakes, and rivers), solid (ice), and gas (water vapor in clouds). From a distance, Earth would be the brightest of the eight planets in the Solar System; this luminous effect would be because of the sunlight reflected by the planet's water.

Earth is also the only planet in the Solar System known to be active with earthquakes and volcanoes due to plate tectonics; these events form the landscape, replenish carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and erase impact craters caused by meteors.

Earth has a slight equatorial bulge - a difference between its equatorial and polar diameters - because of the centrifugal force exerted by the rotation of the planet about its axis. The equatorial diameter is 12,756 km, but the polar diameter is 12,714 km; this results in the Earth's circumference at the equator being 40,075 km, while the polar circumference is 40,008 km.

the physical World: The Earth is composed of three layers: the outer lithosphere (with its crust and uppermost solid mantle), the mantle (the thickest layer, with distinct upper and lower layers), and the core (with an outer (liquid) and inner (solid) core). Researchers have discovered that a transition zone (at a depth of 410-660 km (255-410 mi)) between the upper and lower mantle may well be hydrous (water-bearing). But this hydrous rock would neither feel wet nor drip water. At that depth, high temperatures and pressures structurally transform a mineral called olivine into another mineral ringwoodite - and ringwoodite can incorporate water, but not water in a liquid, solid, or gas form. The high temperatures and pressures cause: 1) water molecules to split, creating hydroxide ions (hydrogen and oxygen atoms bound together), and 2) create structural changes in ringwoodite so that it is able to contain hydroxide ions. Ringwoodite can hold 1 to 3% of its weight in hydroxide ions. Considering that the 250 km-transition zone is about 7% of the Earth's mass (the crust, by comparison, is only about 1%), it could include at least as much (if not several times more) water than all of the Earth's oceans.

" }, "Map references": { "text": "Physical Map of the World" @@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ "text": "

land area about 16 times the size of the US

" }, "Area - rankings": { - "text": "

top fifteen World Factbook entities ranked by size: Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 sq km; Indian Ocean 68,556,000 sq km; Southern Ocean 20,327,000 sq km; Russia 17,098,242 sq km; Antarctica 14,200,000 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 sq km; Canada 9,984,670 sq km; United States 9,826,675 sq km; China 9,596,960 sq km; Brazil 8,515,770 sq km; Australia 7,741,220 sq km; European Union 4,324,782 sq km; India 3,287,263 sq km; Argentina 2,780,400 sq km

top ten largest water bodies: Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 sq km; Indian Ocean 68,556,000 sq km; Southern Ocean 20,327,000 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 sq km; Coral Sea 4,184,100 sq km; South China Sea 3,595,900 sq km; Caribbean Sea 2,834,000 sq km; Bering Sea 2,520,000 sq km; Mediterranean Sea 2,469,000 sq km

top ten largest landmasses: Asia 44,568,500 sq km; Africa 30,065,000 sq km; North America 24,473,000 sq km; South America 17,819,000 sq km; Antarctica 14,200,000 sq km; Europe 9,948,000 sq km; Australia 7,741,220 sq km; Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea 785,753 sq km; Borneo 751,929 sq km

top ten largest islands: Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea) 785,753 sq km; Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia) 751,929 sq km; Madagascar 587,713 sq km; Baffin Island (Canada) 507,451 sq km; Sumatra (Indonesia) 472,784 sq km; Honshu (Japan) 227,963 sq km; Victoria Island (Canada) 217,291 sq km; Great Britain (United Kingdom) 209,331 sq km; Ellesmere Island (Canada) 196,236 sq km

top ten longest mountain ranges (land-based): Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) 7,000 km; Rocky Mountains (Canada, US) 4,830 km; Great Dividing Range (Australia) 3,700 km; Transantarctic Mountains (Antarctica) 3,500 km; Kunlun Mountains (China) 3,000 km; Ural Mountains (Russia, Kazakhstan) 2,640 km; Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) 2,500 km; Appalachian Mountains (Canada, US) 2,400 km; Himalayas (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan) 2,300 km; Altai Mountains (Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia) 2,000 km; note - lengths are approximate; if oceans are included, the Mid-Ocean Ridge is by far the longest mountain range at 40,389 km

top ten largest forested countries (sq km and percent of land): Russia 8,149,310 (49.8%); Brazil 4,935,380 (58.9%); Canada 3,470,690 (38.2%); United States 3,103,700 (33.9%); China 2,098,640 (22.3%); Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,522,670 (67.2%); Australia 1,250,590 (16.3%); Indonesia 903,250 (49.9%); Peru 738,054 (57.7%); India 708,600 (23.8%) (2016 est.)

top ten most densely forested countries (percent of land): Suriname (98.3%), Federated States of Micronesia (91.9%), Gabon (90%), Seychelles (88.4%), Palau (87.6%), Guyana (83.9%), Laos (82.1%), Solomon Islands (77.9%), Papua New Guinea (74.1%), Finland (73.1%) (2016 est.)

top ten largest (non-polar) deserts: Sahara (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Tunisia) 9,200,000 sq km; Arabian (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) 2,330,000 sq km; Gobi (China, Mongolia) 1,295,000 sq km; Kalahari (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) 900,000 sq km; Patagonian (Argentina) 673,000 sq km; Syrian (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) 500,000 sq km; Chihuahuan (Mexico) 362,000 sq km; Kara-Kum (Turkmenistan) 350,000 sq km; Great Victoria (Australia) 348,750 sq km; Great Basin (United States) 343,169 sq km; note - if the two polar deserts are included, they would rank first and second: Antarctic Desert 14,200,000 sq km and Arctic Desert 13,900,000 sq km

ten smallest independent countries: Holy See (Vatican City) 0.44 sq km; Monaco 2 sq km; Nauru 21 sq km; Tuvalu 26 sq km; San Marino 61 sq km; Liechtenstein 160 sq km; Marshall Islands 181 sq km; Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 sq km; Maldives 298 sq km; Malta 316 sq km

" + "text": "

top fifteen World Factbook entities ranked by size: Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 sq km; Indian Ocean 68,556,000 sq km; Southern Ocean 20,327,000 sq km; Russia 17,098,242 sq km; Antarctica 14,200,000 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 sq km; Canada 9,984,670 sq km; United States 9,826,675 sq km; China 9,596,960 sq km; Brazil 8,515,770 sq km; Australia 7,741,220 sq km; European Union 4,324,782 sq km; India 3,287,263 sq km; Argentina 2,780,400 sq km

top ten largest water bodies: Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 sq km; Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 sq km; Indian Ocean 68,556,000 sq km; Southern Ocean 20,327,000 sq km; Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 sq km; Coral Sea 4,184,100 sq km; South China Sea 3,595,900 sq km; Caribbean Sea 2,834,000 sq km; Bering Sea 2,520,000 sq km; Mediterranean Sea 2,469,000 sq km

top ten largest landmasses: Asia 44,568,500 sq km; Africa 30,065,000 sq km; North America 24,473,000 sq km; South America 17,819,000 sq km; Antarctica 14,200,000 sq km; Europe 9,948,000 sq km; Australia 7,741,220 sq km; Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea 785,753 sq km; Borneo 751,929 sq km

top ten largest islands: Greenland 2,166,086 sq km; New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea) 785,753 sq km; Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia) 751,929 sq km; Madagascar 587,713 sq km; Baffin Island (Canada) 507,451 sq km; Sumatra (Indonesia) 472,784 sq km; Honshu (Japan) 227,963 sq km; Victoria Island (Canada) 217,291 sq km; Great Britain (United Kingdom) 209,331 sq km; Ellesmere Island (Canada) 196,236 sq km

top ten longest mountain ranges (land-based): Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) 7,000 km; Rocky Mountains (Canada, US) 4,830 km; Great Dividing Range (Australia) 3,700 km; Transantarctic Mountains (Antarctica) 3,500 km; Kunlun Mountains (China) 3,000 km; Ural Mountains (Russia, Kazakhstan) 2,640 km; Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) 2,500 km; Appalachian Mountains (Canada, US) 2,400 km; Himalayas (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan) 2,300 km; Altai Mountains (Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia) 2,000 km; note - lengths are approximate; if oceans are included, the Mid-Ocean Ridge is by far the longest mountain range at 40,389 km

top ten largest forested countries (sq km and percent of land): Russia 8,149,310 (49.8%); Brazil 4,935,380 (58.9%); Canada 3,470,690 (38.2%); United States 3,103,700 (33.9%); China 2,098,640 (22.3%); Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,522,670 (67.2%); Australia 1,250,590 (16.3%); Indonesia 903,250 (49.9%); Peru 738,054 (57.7%); India 708,600 (23.8%) (2016 est.)

top ten most densely forested countries (percent of land): Suriname (98.3%), Federated States of Micronesia (91.9%), Gabon (90%), Seychelles (88.4%), Palau (87.6%), Guyana (83.9%), Laos (82.1%), Solomon Islands (77.9%), Papua New Guinea (74.1%), Finland (73.1%) (2016 est.)

top ten largest (non-polar) deserts: Sahara (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Tunisia) 9,200,000 sq km; Arabian (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) 2,330,000 sq km; Gobi (China, Mongolia) 1,295,000 sq km; Kalahari (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) 900,000 sq km; Patagonian (Argentina) 673,000 sq km; Syrian (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) 500,000 sq km; Chihuahuan (Mexico) 362,000 sq km; Kara-Kum (Turkmenistan) 350,000 sq km; Great Victoria (Australia) 348,750 sq km; Great Basin (United States) 343,169 sq km; note - if the two polar deserts are included, they would rank first and second: Antarctic Desert 14,200,000 sq km and Arctic Desert 13,900,000 sq km

ten smallest independent countries: Holy See (Vatican City) 0.44 sq km; Monaco 2 sq km; Nauru 21 sq km; Tuvalu 26 sq km; San Marino 61 sq km; Liechtenstein 160 sq km; Marshall Islands 181 sq km; Cook Islands 236 sq km; Niue 260 sq km; Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 sq km

" }, "Land boundaries": { "text": "

the land boundaries in The World Factbook total 279,035.5 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries

note 1: the total is actually misleading in terms of accuracy, since one cannot accurately measure every river meander along a boundary; a number rounded slightly higher - to 280,000 km - makes more sense and has been coordinated with and approved by the US State Department

note 2: 46 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czechia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, South Sudan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked

note 3: worldwide, some one-quarter of interior (non-coastal) borders are rivers; South America with 43% leads the continents, followed by North America with 32%, Africa with 30%, Europe with 23%, and Asia with 18%; Australia has no interior national river borders

" @@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ "text": "top ten largest natural lakes: Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan) 374,000 sq km; Lake Superior (Canada, United States) 82,100 sq km; Lake Victoria (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) 62,940 sq km; Lake Huron (Canada, United States) 59,600 sq km; Lake Michigan (United States) 57,750 sq km; Lake Tanganyika (Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia) 32,000 sq km; Great Bear Lake (Canada) 31,328 sq km; Lake Baikal (Russia) 31,500 sq km; Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania) 22,490 sq km; Great Slave Lake (Canada) 28,568 sq km

note 1: the areas of the lakes are subject to seasonal variation; only the Caspian Sea is saline, the rest are fresh water

note 2: Lakes Huron and Michigan are technically a single lake because the flow of water between the Straits of Mackinac that connects the two lakes keeps their water levels at near-equilibrium; combined, Lake Huron-Michigan is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the World

note 3: if ranked by water volume, the Caspian Sea would still be first, but it would be followed Lakes Baikal, Tanganyika, Superior, and Malawi; Lake Superior contains more water than the other four North American Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario) combined" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,650 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Yangtze (Asia) 6,300 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,275 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,539 km; Huang He/Yellow (Asia) 5,464 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,410 km; Congo (Africa) 4,700 km; Amur (Asia) 4,444 km; Lena (Asia) 4,400 km

note: there are 20 countries without rivers: 3 in Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Libya), 1 in the Americas (Bahamas), 8 in Asia (Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen), 3 in Europe (Malta, Monaco, Holy See), 5 in Oceania (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu); these countries also do not have natural lakes" + "text": "top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,650 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Yangtze (Asia) 6,300 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,275 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,539 km; Huang He/Yellow (Asia) 5,464 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,410 km; Congo (Africa) 4,700 km; Amur (Asia) 4,444 km; Lena (Asia) 4,400 km

note: there are 21 countries without rivers: 3 in Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Libya), 1 in the Americas (Bahamas), 8 in Asia (Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen), 3 in Europe (Malta, Monaco, Holy See), 6 in Oceania (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu); these countries also do not have natural lakes" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "summary statement: a watershed is a drainage basin on an area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet, such as into a river, bay, or other body of water; oceans ultimately take in the drainage from 83% of all land area; the remaining 17% of the land drains into internal (endorheic) basins, e.g., the Caspian Sea; The World Factbook lists 51 different watersheds across 102 countries; of these, 18 are in Asia, 9 in Europe, 9 in Africa, 8 in North and Central America, 5 in South America, and 2 in Australia; all watersheds with an area of at least 500,000 sq km have been included along with a number of smaller, regionally significant watersheds; together, these watersheds represent the surface hydrology water flows that are the World's primary sources of fresh water for individual consumption, industry, and agriculture" @@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "7,979,261,010 (2023 est.)", - "note": "ten most populous countries (in millions): China 1413.14; India 1339.92; United States 339.67; Indonesia 279.48; Pakistan 247.65; Nigeria 230.84; Brazil 218.69; Bangladesh 167.18; Russia 141.7; Mexico 129.88

ten least populous countries: Holy See (Vatican City) 1,000; Saint Pierre and Miquelon 5,195; Montserrat 5,440; Saint Barthelemy 7,093; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan de Cunha 7,935; Cook Islands 7,939; Nauru 9,852; Tuvalu 11,639; Wallis and Futuna 15,929; Anguilla 19,079

ten most densely populated countries (population per sq km): Macau 22,856.1; Monaco 15,798.5; Singapore 8,427.9; Hong Kong 6,792.3; Gaza Strip 5,660.4; Gibraltar 4,232.7; Bahrain 2,044.6; Malta 1,478.3; Bermuda 1,344; Maldives 1,343.4

ten least densely populated countries (population per sq km): Greenland 0.03; Falkland Islands 0.26; Mongolia 2.1; Namibia 3.37; Australia 3.4; Iceland 3.6; Guyana 4; Suriname 4.1; Mauritania 4.1; Libya 4.1" + "note": "ten most populous countries (in millions): China 1413.14; India 1339.92; United States 339.67; Indonesia 279.48; Pakistan 247.65; Nigeria 230.84; Brazil 218.69; Bangladesh 167.18; Russia 141.7; Mexico 129.88

ten least populous countries: Holy See (Vatican City) 1,000; Niue 2,000; Saint Pierre and Miquelon 5,195; Montserrat 5,440; Saint Barthelemy 7,093; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan de Cunha 7,935; Cook Islands 7,939; Nauru 9,852; Tuvalu 11,639; Wallis and Futuna 15,929

ten most densely populated countries (population per sq km): Macau 22,856.1; Monaco 15,798.5; Singapore 8,427.9; Hong Kong 6,792.3; Gaza Strip 5,660.4; Gibraltar 4,232.7; Bahrain 2,044.6; Malta 1,478.3; Bermuda 1,344; Maldives 1,343.4

ten least densely populated countries (population per sq km): Greenland 0.03; Falkland Islands 0.26; Mongolia 2.1; Namibia 3.37; Australia 3.4; Iceland 3.6; Guyana 4; Suriname 4.1; Mauritania 4.1; Libya 4.1" }, "Languages": { "text": "

most-spoken language: English 18.8%, Mandarin Chinese 13.8%, Hindi 7.5%, Spanish 6.9%, French 3.4%, Arabic 3.4%, Bengali 3.4%, Russian 3.2%, Portuguese 3.2%, Urdu 2.9% (2022 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 49.6% of the world's population (2022), 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 7,151 languages spoken in the world (2022); 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)

" @@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ "text": "top ten largest natural lakes: Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan) 374,000 sq km; Lake Superior (Canada, United States) 82,100 sq km; Lake Victoria (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) 62,940 sq km; Lake Huron (Canada, United States) 59,600 sq km; Lake Michigan (United States) 57,750 sq km; Lake Tanganyika (Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia) 32,000 sq km; Great Bear Lake (Canada) 31,328 sq km; Lake Baikal (Russia) 31,500 sq km; Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania) 22,490 sq km; Great Slave Lake (Canada) 28,568 sq km

note 1: the areas of the lakes are subject to seasonal variation; only the Caspian Sea is saline, the rest are fresh water

note 2: Lakes Huron and Michigan are technically a single lake because the flow of water between the Straits of Mackinac that connects the two lakes keeps their water levels at near-equilibrium; combined, Lake Huron-Michigan is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the World

note 3: if ranked by water volume, the Caspian Sea would still be first, but it would be followed Lakes Baikal, Tanganyika, Superior, and Malawi; Lake Superior contains more water than the other four North American Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario) combined" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,650 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Yangtze (Asia) 6,300 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,275 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,539 km; Huang He/Yellow (Asia) 5,464 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,410 km; Congo (Africa) 4,700 km; Amur (Asia) 4,444 km; Lena (Asia) 4,400 km

note: there are 20 countries without rivers: 3 in Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Libya), 1 in the Americas (Bahamas), 8 in Asia (Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen), 3 in Europe (Malta, Monaco, Holy See), 5 in Oceania (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu); these countries also do not have natural lakes" + "text": "top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,650 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Yangtze (Asia) 6,300 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,275 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,539 km; Huang He/Yellow (Asia) 5,464 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,410 km; Congo (Africa) 4,700 km; Amur (Asia) 4,444 km; Lena (Asia) 4,400 km

note: there are 21 countries without rivers: 3 in Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Libya), 1 in the Americas (Bahamas), 8 in Asia (Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen), 3 in Europe (Malta, Monaco, Holy See), 6 in Oceania (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu); these countries also do not have natural lakes" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "summary statement: a watershed is a drainage basin on an area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet, such as into a river, bay, or other body of water; oceans ultimately take in the drainage from 83% of all land area; the remaining 17% of the land drains into internal (endorheic) basins, e.g., the Caspian Sea; The World Factbook lists 51 different watersheds across 102 countries; of these, 18 are in Asia, 9 in Europe, 9 in Africa, 8 in North and Central America, 5 in South America, and 2 in Australia; all watersheds with an area of at least 500,000 sq km have been included along with a number of smaller, regionally significant watersheds; together, these watersheds represent the surface hydrology water flows that are the World's primary sources of fresh water for individual consumption, industry, and agriculture" @@ -415,10 +415,10 @@ } }, "Administrative divisions": { - "text": "195 countries, 71 dependent areas and other entities" + "text": "197 countries, 69 dependent areas and other entities" }, "Dependent areas": { - "text": "Australia dependencies: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

France dependencies: Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna

New Zealand dependencies: Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Norway dependencies: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

United Kingdom dependencies: Anguilla; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands

United States dependencies: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island" + "text": "Australia dependencies: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island (6)

France dependencies: Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna (8)

New Zealand dependency: Tokelau (1)

Norway dependencies: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard (3)

United Kingdom dependencies: Anguilla; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands (12)

United States dependencies: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island (14)" }, "Legal system": { "text": "the legal systems of nearly all countries are generally modeled upon elements of five main types: civil law (including French law, the Napoleonic Code, Roman law, Roman-Dutch law, and Spanish law); common law (including English and US law); customary law; mixed or pluralistic law; and religious law (including Islamic sharia law); an additional type of legal system - international law - governs the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with one another" @@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ "note": "note 1: Andorra and the Holy See (Vatican) are also monarchies of a sort, but they are not ruled by royal houses; Andorra has two co-princes (the president of France and the bishop of Urgell) and the Holy See is ruled by an elected pope

note 2: the sovereign of Great Britain is also the monarch for 14 of the countries (including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand) that make up the Commonwealth; that brings to 43 the total number of countries with some type of monarchies" }, "Legislative branch": { - "text": "

there are 230 political entities with legislative bodies; of these 144 are unicameral (a single “house”) and 86 are bicameral (both upper and lower houses); note - while there are 195 countries in the World, 35 territories, possessions, or other special administrative units also have their own governing bodies

" + "text": "

there are 230 political entities with legislative bodies; of these 144 are unicameral (a single “house”) and 86 are bicameral (both upper and lower houses); note - while there are 197 countries in the World, 33 territories, possessions, or other special administrative units also have their own governing bodies

" }, "Flag description": { "text": "while a \"World\" flag does not exist, the flag of the United Nations (UN) - adopted on 7 December 1946 - has been used on occasion to represent the entire planet; technically, however, it only represents the international organization itself; the flag displays the official emblem of the UN in white on a blue background; the emblem design shows a map of the World in an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole, the image is flanked by two olive branches crossed below; blue was selected as the color to represent peace, in contrast to red usually associated with war; the map projection chosen includes all of the continents except Antarctica",