The given exponential model is:

$A = 72.9 \cdot e^{0.008t}$

where $A$ is the population in millions, and $t$ represents the number of years after 2003. You are tasked with determining the population in 2003, which corresponds to $t = 0$ (since it's the reference year).

Substitute $t = 0$ into the equation:

$A = 72.9 \cdot e^{0.008 \cdot 0}$

This simplifies to:

$A = 72.9 \cdot e^0 = 72.9 \cdot 1 = 72.9$

Thus, the population of the country in 2003 was 72.9 million.

Would you like further clarification on this? Here are some related questions:

1. How does changing the growth rate $0.008$ affect the population over time?
2. What would the population be in 2010, seven years after 2003?
3. How can you use logarithms to solve for $t$ when the population reaches a certain value?
4. How does the base $e$ function relate to real-world exponential growth models?
5. What assumptions are made when using an exponential growth model?

Tip: In exponential models, the rate of growth or decay is constant in relative terms (percentage-wise), not in absolute terms. This is why populations modeled by exponential equations grow faster over time.