Swedish poet Transtromer wins Nobel in literature

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The 2011 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded on Thursday to Tomas Transtromer of Sweden, whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him wide recognition as the most influential Scandinavian poet of recent decades.

Characterized by powerful imagery, Transtromer's poems are often built around his own experiences and infused with his love of music and nature. His later poems are darker, probing existential questions of life, death and disease.

In this undated photo provided by Bloodaxe Books on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer poses for a photograph at an unknown location. The 2011 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 to Tomas Transtromer, a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since World War II. (AP Photo/Paula Transtromer, Bloodaxe Books) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

"Waking up is a parachute jump from dreams. Free of the suffocating turbulence the traveler sinks toward the green zone of morning," the prelude reads. "Things flare up. From the viewpoint of the quivering lark he is aware of the huge root systems of the trees, their swaying underground lamps. But aboveground there's greenery — a tropical flood of it — with lifted arms, listening to the beat of an invisible pump."

A psychologist and avid amateur pianist, Transtromer (TRAWN-stroh-mur), 80, suffered a stroke in 1990 that left him half-paralyzed and unable to speak, but he continued to write and published a collection of poems — "The Great Enigma" — in 2004. He has since retired from writing.

Transtromer has been a perennial favorite for the Nobel and in recent years Swedish journalists have waited outside Transtromer's apartment in Stockholm on the day the 10 million kronor ($1.5 million) award is announced.

"He's writing about big questions. He's writing about death, he's writing about history and memory, and nature," said Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which awards the prize.

Transtromer is the first Swede to receive the literature prize since Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinson shared it in 1974. Englund has said that the academy is especially cautious about awarding Swedish writers out of fear of being seen as biased.

"I think we've been quite thoughtful and haven't been rash," Englund said after the award was announced.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said the award made him "happy and proud," and he hoped it would draw global attention to Swedish literature.

The Swedish Academy has also been criticized for being too Euro-centric, ignoring writers from other parts of the world. Seven of the last 10 winners have been Europeans.

Born in Stockholm in 1931, Transtromer was raised by his mother, a teacher, after she divorced his father — a journalist. He started writing poetry while studying at the Sodra Latin school in Stockholm.

His work was published in several journals before he published his first book of poetry, "17 poems," in 1954, winning much acclaim in Sweden.

He studied literature, history, poetics, the history of religion and psychology at Stockholm University, and later divided his time between poetry and his work as a psychologist. Between 1960 and 1966 he worked as psychologist at Roxtuna, an institution for juvenile offenders.

Transtromer's most famous works include the 1966 "Windows and Stones," in which he depicts themes from his many travels, and "Baltics" from 1974.

Since the 1950's, Transtromer has had a close friendship with American poet Robert Bly, who translated many of his works into English. In 2001, Transtromer's Swedish publishing house Bonniers published the correspondence between the two writers in the book "Air Mail."

Earlier this year, Bonniers released a collection of his works between 1954 and 2004 to celebrate the poet's 80th birthday.

"We have waited and waited, we had nearly stopped hoping (for a Nobel) but still not given up the last strand of hope," said Anna Tillgren, spokeswoman for the publisher. "We are overwhelmed. This is the happiest day ever for many of us working at the publishing house."

British bookmaker Ladbrokes said a surge of late bets on Thursday had made Transtromer the 4/6 favorite for the prize.

"He was second favorite to begin with and stayed quite prominent throughout," said spokesman Alex Donohue.

"This morning he became the favorite after a surge of late bets, several of which were from Sweden," he said, adding the betting pattern wasn't suspicious.

"The nearer you get to the event, there are always going to be people who have an idea of what is going on ... we're certainly not suggesting anything untoward was going on."

The Nobel Prize, considered one of the highest accolades in literature, is given only to living writers. The academy's choices sometimes spark heated debate among literature experts.

Some of its previous picks were obscure even to literature experts, while others were widely celebrated authors decorated with numerous other awards.

Acclaimed writers who never won the Nobel include Leo Tolstoy, Marcel Proust, James Joyce and Graham Greene.

Source: 
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Assange inks book deal to fund Sweden legal fees

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has announced that he was forced to sign book deals reportedly worth about £1.1 million (11.62 million kronor, $1.7 million) due to the ongoing financial hardships that he is currently facing, according to media reports.

Assange has announced that he would use the profits for legal costs, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

He is currently fighting an extradition request to Sweden after two women accused him of sexual misconduct, charges that he denies. An extradition hearing to Sweden is scheduled for February 6th to 7th, the report said.

He told the Sunday Times that he was forced to enter the deals for an autobiography due to the financial difficulties he and the site have encountered.

"I don't want to write this book, but I have to. I have already spent £200,000 for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat," he told the Sunday Times.

Assange has reportedly inked a $800,000 deal with American publisher Alfred A. Knopf, while a British deal with Canongate is reportedly worth £325,000.

According to Assange, legal costs for the whistleblowing website and his own defence have reached £500,000. In addition, the decisions to halt donations to WikiLeaks by Visa, MasterCard and PayPal have cost it £425,000, the same amount it costs the website to publish for six months.

At its peak, WikiLeaks was receiving £85,000 a day, according to Assange.

The Guardian added that Assange is more concerned about his potential prosecution in the US due to the leaked data on WikiLeaks than a potential extradition request to Sweden.

He believes President Barack Obama is "trying to strike a plea deal" with Bradley Manning, the alleged source of the diplomatic cables.

Previously, Assange had told the Guardian that WikiLeaks was struggling with funding to pay its legal bills despite the amount of time a number of lawyers had donated to the organisation.

Assange was released on bail two weeks ago and currently lives under virtual house arrest at a supporter's country mansion in eastern England.

        

        

        

    

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Julain Assange's team is planning to fly in Swedish lawyer

JULIAN Assange's legal team is considering flying his Swedish lawyer to London in an unusual bid to convince a British extradition hearing early tomorrow (AEDT) that the sex allegations against him in Sweden are flimsy. 

Julian Assange will face an extradition hearing tomorrow / AP

The Swedish lawyer, Bjorn Hurtig, says he has police documents from Stockholm that show there is little substance to the claims the internet activist has committed four sexual offences against two women in the country.
The tactic of flying in a foreign lawyer to discuss the Swedish case came amid complaints by Mr Assange's advisers that he had been treated unfairly because the judge who denied him bail last week granted bail the next day to a British man facing extradition on the much more serious charge of conspiracy to murder.
Evidence about foreign cases such as the Swedish sex allegations is not usually heard in extradition hearings based on European arrest warrants, such as the one that led to Mr Assange's arrest in London last week.

But Mr Hurtig claims that the two women's police interviews in Stockholm show they were motivated by jealousy and disappointment after they compared notes and discovered they had each had sex with the 39-year-old Australian more than once within the same four-day period.
Such evidence would be unlikely to stop Mr Assange being extradited from Britain to face trial in Sweden, but it could increase his chances of being released on bail while contesting the extradition, which could take more than a year if he pursues various avenues of appeal.
With Mr Assange's WikiLeaks website still busy publishing leaked US diplomatic cables, the website team is desperate to win his freedom so he can help to continue the publications and respond to criticism from the US government and many of its allies around the world, including Julia Gillard.
Lawyer Jennifer Robinson told The Australian yesterday the Assange legal team was weighing up whether it should produce Mr Hurtig and his evidence when a British judge holds an extradition hearing at 1am (AEDT) tomorrow.

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Sweden

Sweden Population: 9,045,389

Background

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.

Map data ©2009 Europa Technologies - Terms of Use

Geography
Strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas.
Location:	Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Geographic coordinates:	62 00 N, 15 00 E
Area:	total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq kmSize comparison: slightly larger than California
Land Boundaries:	total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline:	3,218 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:	temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain:	mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources:	iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
Land use:	arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:	1,150 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:	ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Current Environment Issues:	acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
International Environment Agreements:	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population:	9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 16% (male 745,110/female 703,857) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,008,148/female 2,928,930) 65 years and over: 18.3% (male 729,500/female 929,844) (2008 est.)
Median age:	total: 41.3 years male: 40.2 years female: 42.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:	0.157% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:	10.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:	10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:	1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 80.74 years male: 78.49 years female: 83.13 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:	1.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	3,600 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:	noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish
Ethnic groups:	indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Religions:	Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
Languages:	Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name:	conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige
Government type:	constitutional monarchy
Capital:	name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:	21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands
Independence:	6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)
National holiday:	Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916); National Day, 6 June (1983)
Constitution:	1 January 1975
Legal system:	civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:	chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: Center-right coalition of Moderate, Center, Liberal, and Christian Democrats parties win 175 out of 349 votes; Fredrik REINFELDT becomes prime minister
Legislative branch:	unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, Liberal People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, Liberal People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19
Judicial branch:	Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders:	Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Jan BJORKLUND]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Mona SAHLIN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:	Children's Rights in Society; Central Association of Salarited Emplyees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LO other: media
International organization participation:	ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Jonas HAFSTROM chancery: 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64
Economy
Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and 2% of employment. Until 2008, Sweden was in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Despite strong finances and underlying fundamentals, the Swedish economy slid into recession in the third quarter of 2008 as deteriorating global conditions reduced export demand and consumption.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$358.4 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	$512.9 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	0.9% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$39,600 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 1.5% industry: 28.9% services: 69.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:	4.9 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 2% industry: 22% services: 75.7% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:	6.2% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:	23 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	1.6% (November 2008 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):	19.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $270.5 billion expenditures: $258.6 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:	36.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Industries:	iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:	143.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:	133.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:	14.74 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:	16.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:	2,350 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:	353,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:	219,200 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:	581,000 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:	0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:	1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:	0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:	$35.22 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:	$185.1 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:	machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals
Exports - partners:	Germany 10.4%, Norway 9.4%, US 7.6%, Denmark 7.4%, UK 7.1%, Finland 6.4%, Netherlands 5.1%, France 5%, Belgium 4.6% (2007)
Imports:	$166.6 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:	machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners:	Germany 18.4%, Denmark 9.2%, Norway 8.3%, UK 6.8%, Finland 6.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, France 5%, China 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:	ODA, $3.955 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:	$31.04 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:	$598.2 billion (30 June 2006)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:	$225.9 billion (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:	$289.6 billion (2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:	$612.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Currency (code):	Swedish krona (SEK)
Exchange rates:	Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar - 6.4074 (2008 est.), 6.7629 (2007), 7.3731 (2006), 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004)
Fiscal year:	calendar year
Communications
Telephones in use:	5.506 million (2007)
Cellular Phones in use:	10.371 million (2007)
Telephone system:	general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line, mobile-cellular, Internet and broadband penetration domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway)
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:	169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:	.se
Internet hosts:	3.579 million (2008)
Internet users:	7 million (2007)
Transportation
Airports:	250 (2007)
Airports (paved runways):	total: 152 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 38 (2007)
Airports (unpaved runways):	total: 98 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 92 (2007)
Heliports:	2 (2007)
Pipelines:	gas 798 km (2007)
Railways:	total: 11,528 km standard gauge: 11,528 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:	total: 425,300 km paved: 139,300 km (includes 1,740 km of expressways) unpaved: 286,000 km (2008)
Waterways:	2,052 km (2007)
Merchant marine:	total: 195 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 23, carrier 1, chemical tanker 45, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 37, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 25 foreign-owned: 41 (Denmark 4, Estonia 2, Finland 12, Germany 5, Italy 9, Norway 7, UK 2) registered in other countries: 207 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 4, Barbados 7, Bermuda 20, Cook Islands 8, Cyprus 2, Denmark 6, Finland 2, France 9, Germany 1, Gibraltar 13, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Liberia 10, Malaysia 3, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 28, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 31, Norway 3, Panama 6, Portugal 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 20, UK 17, US 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:	Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Lulea, Malmo, Stenungsund, Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby
Military
Military branches:	Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:	19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47 (2006)
Manpower available for military service:	males age 16-49: 2,052,890 females age 16-49: 1,980,550 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:	males age 16-49: 1,699,115 females age 16-49: 1,637,868 (2008 est.)

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