TUNISIA - Profile

Home of the ancient city of Carthage, Tunisia was once an important player in the Mediterranean, placed as it is in the centre of North Africa, close to vital shipping routes.

In their time, the Romans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and French realised its strategic significance, making it a hub for control over the region.

French colonial rule ended in 1956, and Tunisia was led for three decades by Habib Bourguiba, who advanced secular ideas. These included emancipation for women - women's rights in Tunisia are among the most advanced in the Arab world - the abolition of polygamy and compulsory free education.

Mr Bourguiba insisted on an anti-Islamic fundamentalist line, while increasing his own powers to become a virtual dictator.

In 1987 he was dismissed on grounds of senility and Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali became president. He continued with a hard line against Islamic extremists, but inherited an economically-stable country.

Although Tunisia under Mr Ben Ali introduced some press freedoms and freed a number of political prisoners, the authorities tolerated no dissent.

Mr Ben Ali faced reproach at home and abroad for his party's three "99.9%" election wins. The opposition condemned changes to the constitution which allowed him to run for re-election in 2004, and in 2009.

Discontent with his autocratic rule erupted in into mass street demonstrations which prompted Mr Ben Ali to step aside in 2011. This inspired uprisings across the region that became known as the Arab Spring.

Tunisia is more prosperous than its neighbours and has strong trade links with Europe. Agriculture employs a large part of the workforce, and dates and olives are cultivated in the drier areas. But unemployment is chronic in some regions.

Tourism is a key sector of the economy. Visitor numbers dropped following the 2011 uprising, but Tunisia hopes to win back many of the Europeans who flocked to its resorts every year.

Secular Tunisians, especially women, are worried about the growing influence of ultra-conservative Islamists since the uprising that toppled Mr Ben Ali. The moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which took over the reins of power in October 2011, pledged tolerance but put pressure on the state-run media and proposed a constitution that would curtail women's rights.

The killings of two opposition politicians in 2013 led to a stand-off between Ennahda and its secular rivals, with opposition supporters taking to the streets to demand fresh elections. In October 2013, Ennahda agreed to step aside in favour of a non-partisan caretaker government that would pave the way for fresh elections in 2014.

Militant Islamists have long been an issue of concern for the authorities. A suicide bomb attack on an historic synagogue in the resort of Djerba in 2002 killed 21 people. Suspected Islamists were killed in shoot-outs with security forces in 2006-7, and pro-al-Qaeda groups have been active on the Algerian border since 2012.

Carthage has numerous historical sights, including the 19th Century Saint Louis Cathedral, pictured, and the ruins of the ancient Phoenician city-state

At a glance

• Politics: Tunisia has been in transition since President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011. The Islamist Ennahda party had to hand over power to an interim government ahead of elections in October 2014, at which secular parties triumphed.
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• Economy: The diverse economy has grown steadily and the slum population has halved, but the world recession has pushed unemployment up in recent years.
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• International: Tunisians are estimated to make up the biggest number of foreign fighters in Syria. Tunisia has strong ties with the European Union; its peacekeepers have served in several conflict areas

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107241

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ST KITTS & NEVIS - Profile

The former British colony of St Kitts and Nevis is inhabited mostly by the descendants of West African slaves.

Its beaches, scenery and a warm, sunny climate give it great tourist potential. It is also vulnerable to hurricanes.

The islands of St Kitts - also known as St Christopher - and Nevis have been in an uneasy federation since independence from Britain in 1983, with some politicians in Nevis saying the federal government in St Kitts - home to a majority of the population - had ignored the needs of Nevisians.

But a referendum on secession held in Nevis in 1998 failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to break away.

Tourism, offshore finance and service industries are important sources of income - more so since a centuries-old but loss-making sugar industry was wound down in 2005 with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

By 2003, Nevis was home to around 17,000 offshore businesses operating under strict secrecy laws, making the islands a target for drugs traffickers and money launderers. Laws have been introduced to crack down on the problem.

Warner Park ground in the capital Basseterre is an important international cricket venue

At a glance

• Politics: Prime Minister Denzil Douglas won a fourth straight term in 2010
• Economy: Tourism is a key foreign exchange earner and has helped compensate for the loss of the sugar industry

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20032548

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SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - Profile

Sao Tome and Principe, once a leading cocoa producer, is poised to profit from the commercial exploitation of large offshore reserves of oil.

But arguments have arisen over how to spend the expected windfall, leading to political tension.

One of Africa's smallest countries, Sao Tome and Principe consists of two islands of volcanic origin and a number of smaller islets.

From the late 1400s Portugal began settling convicts on Sao Tome and establishing sugar plantations with the help of slaves from the mainland. The island was also important in the transshipment of slaves.

The colony's aspirations for independence were recognised after the 1974 coup in Portugal and at first the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe was the country's sole political party. However, the 1990 constitution created a multi-party democracy. The island of Principe assumed autonomy in 1995.

Sao Tome and Principe is trying to shake off its dependence on the cocoa crop. Falls in production and prices left the island state heavily reliant on foreign aid. The government has been encouraging economic diversification and is set to exploit the billions of barrels of oil which are thought to lie off the country's coast.

Commercial oil production is expected to begin within a few years.

Promoters of tourism say the islands have plenty for visitors to see. But hurdles include ignorance about the country, the difficulties of getting there, and what some say is an exaggerated fear of malaria.

Sao Tome's quest for independence was realised after the 1974 coup in Portugal

At a glance

• Politics: Power is constitutionally split between president and prime minister, which has led to several cohabitation governments
• Economy: Sao Tome hopes to reduce dependence on donors and cocoa exports by exploiting offshore oil. The award of exploration contracts has been controversial
• International: Sao Tome and Nigeria share offshore oil fields which have yet to be exploited. Nigeria intervened to prevent a coup in 2003

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14093493

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LIECHTENSTEIN - Country Profile

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a tiny, doubly-landlocked country tucked away between Switzerland and Austria and with mountain slopes rising above the Rhine valley.

It owes much of its wealth to its traditional status as a tax haven, though the country has in recent years taken steps to shake off its image as a tax haven and to reposition itself as a legitimate financial centre.

This status came under the spotlight in 2000 when two international reports criticised Liechtenstein for lax financial controls. The reports said that the Liechtenstein banking system enabled gangs from Russia, Italy and Colombia to launder money from their criminal activities.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) began to take a close interest in Liechtenstein's financial regulations - a process that received a further impetus when the international recession took hold in 2008.

Governments affected by plummeting tax incomes became determined to flush out assets hidden in tax havens, and Liechtenstein came under considerable pressure to apply greater banking transparency.

Stung by the criticism, Liechtenstein gradually reformed some of its laws. It reached tax agreements with several countries - including Germany, the UK and the US - aimed at encouraging citizens of those countries to come clean about any assets they might have in Liechtenstein's banks.

Liechtenstein owes much of its wealth to its status as a tax haven

Liechtenstein remained neutral in World War II. A report commissioned by the government in 2001 after allegations that the country's banks had had dealings with the Nazis found that the banks' actions had been above board. It also found that slave labour from Nazi concentration camps had been used on Crown estates in Austria, but described the principality as a bystander rather than a perpetrator.

The country has come through a lengthy political wrangle over the role and power of the hereditary monarchy.

After an often bitter campaign, the people voted in March 2003 in a constitutional referendum to give Prince Hans-Adam sweeping new political powers. The outcome was decisive with just over 64% in favour of the changes.

In effect, the referendum made Liechtenstein Europe's only absolute monarchy. It gave Prince Hans-Adam the power to hire and fire the government, despite publicly-expressed fears that the development could usher in dictatorship.

The following year he handed over practical power to his son, Crown Prince Alois.

The Roman Catholic church has traditionally had a strong role in Liechtenstein. Women faced a year in jail for having abortions until new legislation legalised it in late 2005. A bid by pro-life activists to stop the legislation from being passed failed when voters strongly rejected their proposals in a referendum.

The castle of Vaduz, home of the Liechtenstein princely family

At a glance

• Politics: Prince Hans-Adam is head of state, but his son Crown Prince Alois oversees day-to-day affairs
• Economy: Liechtenstein has tried to shake off its image as a tax haven and to reposition itself as a legitimate financial centre
• International: Leichtenstein is in a customs union with Switzerland and is a member of the four-nation European Free Trade Association

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17535108

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SAN MARINO - Profile

Landlocked San Marino is one of the world's smallest countries. Surrounded by Italy, it is an echo from an era when city-states proliferated across Europe.

Mount Titano, part of the Appennine range, dominates San Marino's landscape. Three defensive fortresses perch on Titano's slopes, looking out to the Adriatic coast.

San Marino is said to be the world's oldest surviving republic.

Tradition has it that the country was founded in the fourth century AD by a devout Christian stonemason called Marinus, who took refuge there and set up a small community. Its rugged isolation helped the enclave to develop and keep its independence.

An 1862 friendship and cooperation treaty with Italy, which has since been revised and expanded, reinforced San Marino's independence.

San Marino has one of the world's smallest militaries

Tourism dominates the economy of the 61 square kilometre (23.6 square miles) republic, which plays host to more than three million visitors every year.

Postage stamps and coins - keenly sought by collectors - are important sources of revenue.

As one of Europe's tax havens, San Marino has traditionally attracted a large inflow of cash from non-residents, but in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008-9 this status has come increasingly under threat, and the republic has pledged to make its banking system more transparent.

Unlike Italy, San Marino is not part of the EU, but it maintains an open-border policy with the bloc, is in a customs union with the EU and uses the euro.

San Marino's political parties are split on the issue of full EU membership. A referendum motion on joining the bloc narrowly failed to pass in 2013.

Mount Titano dominates San Marino's landscape
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17842338

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ST LUCIA - Profile

Tourism is the main source of income for St Lucia and the industry is its biggest employer.

The tropical eastern Caribbean island boasts beaches, mountains, exotic plants and the Qualibou volcano with its boiling sulphur springs.

Before the visitor influx, banana exports sustained St Lucia, especially after 1964 when it stopped producing sugar cane.

Along with other Caribbean producers it benefited from preferred access to European markets, at the expense of Latin American growers.

The World Trade Organisation has ruled that the practice should be phased out.

Crops such as mangoes and avocados are also grown, but bananas are the biggest source of foreign exchange after tourism.

Most St Lucians are the descendants of African slaves, brought in by the British in the 19th century to work on sugar plantations.

Although St Lucia is a former British colony, the French settled in the 17th century. Their influence lives on in the patois spoken in the country.

Some of St Lucia's colonial architecture can still be seen

At a glance

• Politics: Prime Minister Kenny Anthony from the St Lucia Labour Party won elections in late 2011
• Economy: Tourism is the largest economic sector. There is an offshore banking industry
• International: St Lucia has flip-flopped between diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan. Since 2006 it has maintained ties with Taiwan

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19833213