o water and mineral (especially
petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable land; nonetheless, most
nations cooperate to clarify their international boundaries and to
resolve territorial and resource disputes peacefully; regional
discord directly affects the sustenance and welfare of local
populations, often leaving the world community to cope with
resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, deforestation,
and desertification
Yemen
Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands
awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; despite resistance from nomadic
groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary
established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; Yemen
protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security
barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections
of the boundary
Zambia
in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections and joined Namibia in
supporting plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over
the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not
clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; 90,000
Angolan refugees were repatriated from Zambia by 2004, the remaining
160,000 are expected to return in 2005
Zimbabwe
Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has
placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of
Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution;
Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to
plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi
River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly
delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2075 Ethnic groups (%)
Afghanistan
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%,
Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
Albania
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,
Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Algeria
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the
minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the
mountainous region of Kabylie east of Al
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