Military branches:
Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), includes ground forces,
naval division
Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 235,546 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 129,432 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 9,359 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$39.21 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.2% (FY02)
Transnational Issues Fiji
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
======================================================================
@Finland
Introduction Finland
Background:
Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the
12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia
after 1809. It finally won its complete independence in 1917. During
World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and
resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of
territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a
remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a
diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on
par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland
was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation
in January 1999.
Geography Finland
Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and
Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
64 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 337,030 sq km
water: 31,560 sq km
land: 305,470 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 2,628 km border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline:
1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM; extends to continental shelf boundary
with Sweden
territorial sea: 12 NM (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 NM)
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild
because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current,
Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low
hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Halti 1,328 m
Natural resources:
timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use: arable land: 6.98% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 93.01% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
640 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues: air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national
capital on European continent; population concentrated on small
southwestern coastal plain
People Finland
Population:
5,190,785 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 17.7% (male 468,077; female 450,785)
15–64 years: 66.9% (male 1,753,760; female 1,719,253)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 312,883; female 486,027) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.3 years
male: 38.8 years
female: 41.8 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
0.14% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
10.54 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
9.82 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.92 years
male: 74.28