Afghanistan
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 647,500 km2; land area: 647,500 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km,
\nPakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Disputes: Pashtun question with Pakistan; Baloch question with Iran
\nand Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights;
\ninsurgency with Iranian and Pakistani involvement; traditional tribal
\nrivalries<\/p>\n
Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest<\/p>\n
Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites,
\nsulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones<\/p>\n
Land use: 12% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 46% meadows and
\npastures; 3% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
\nsoil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 15,862,293 (July 1990), growth rate 7.7% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 44 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 18 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 51 migrants\/1,000 population (1990);
\nnote–there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are
\nfragmentary and unreliable<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 154 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 47 years male, 46 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Afghan(s); adjective–Afghan<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 50% Pashtun, 25% Tajik, 9% Uzbek, 12-15% Hazara; minor
\nethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others<\/p>\n
Religion: 74% Sunni Muslim, 15% Shia Muslim, 11% other<\/p>\n
Language: 50% Pashtu, 35% Afghan Persian (Dari), 11% Turkic languages
\n(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 4% thirty minor languages (primarily
\nBalochi and Pashai); much bilingualism<\/p>\n
Literacy: 12%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 4,980,000; 67.8% agriculture and animal husbandry,
\n10.2% industry, 6.3% construction, 5.0% commerce, 10.7% services and other
\n(1980 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: some small government-controlled unions<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Afghanistan<\/p>\n
Type: authoritarian<\/p>\n
Capital: Kabul<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (velayat, singular–velayat);
\nBadakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah,
\nFaryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol,
\nKandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar,
\nNangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika,
\nParvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol;
\nnote–there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)<\/p>\n
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987<\/p>\n
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April (1978)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, four vice presidents, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of
\nan upper house or Senate (Sena) and a lower house or House of Representatives
\n(Wolasi Jirgah)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President (Mohammad)
\nNAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987); Chairman of the Council
\nof Ministers Executive Committee Soltan Ali KESHTMAND (since 21
\nFebruary 1989); Prime Minister Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: only party–the People’s Democratic
\nParty of Afghanistan (PDPA) has two factions–the Parchami faction
\nhas been in power since December 1979 and members of the deposed Khalqi
\nfaction continue to hold some important posts mostly in the military and
\nMinistry of Interior; nonparty figures hold some posts<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal, male ages 15-50<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nSenate–last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991);
\nresults–PDPA is the only party;
\nseats–(192 total, 115 elected) PDPA 115;<\/p>\n
House of Representatives–last held NA April 1988 (next to be held
\nApril 1993);
\nresults–PDPA is the only party;
\nseats–(234 total) PDPA 184, 50 seats reserved for opposition<\/p>\n
Communists: the PDPA claims 200,000 members (1988)<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches of
\ninternal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues
\nthroughout the country; widespread anti-Soviet and antiregime sentiment
\nand opposition on religious and political grounds<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
\nIDA, IDB–Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, UN,
\nUNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG; suspended from OIC in January 1980<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d’Affaires MIAGOL;
\nChancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
\n(202) 234-3770 or 3771; US–Charge d’Affaires (vacant);
\nEmbassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through
\n62235 or 62436; note–US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with the
\nnational coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands;
\nsimilar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising, red
\nsun centered in the black band<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
\ncountry, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock
\nraising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however, have played
\nsecond fiddle to political and military upheavals, including the nine-year
\nSoviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the continuing
\nbloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the population has
\nfled the country, with Pakistan sheltering some 3 million refugees
\nand Iran perhaps 2 million. Another 1 million have probably
\nmoved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large numbers
\nof bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or
\ndamaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims
\nto the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is
\nlower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital
\nand the disruption of trade and transport. Official claims indicate
\nthat agriculture grew by 0.7% and industry by 3.5% in 1988.<\/p>\n
GDP: $3 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 50% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues NA; expenditures $646.7 million, including capital
\nexpenditures of $370.2 million (FY87 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $512 million (f.o.b., FY88);
\ncommodities–natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets,
\nwool, cotton, hides, and pelts;
\npartners–mostly USSR and Eastern Europe<\/p>\n
Imports: $996 million (c.i.f., FY88);
\ncommodities–food and petroleum products;
\npartners–mostly USSR and Eastern Europe<\/p>\n
External debt: $1.8 billion (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 6.2% (FY89 plan)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced,
\n100 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
\nfertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper<\/p>\n
Agriculture: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry;
\ncash products–wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton<\/p>\n
Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis
\nfor the international drug trade; world’s second largest opium producer
\n(after Burma) and a major source of hashish<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $265 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $419 million;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$4.1 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: afghani (plural–afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1–50.6 (fixed rate since
\n1982)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (USSR) to
\nTowraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (USSR) to Kheyrabad transshipment
\npoint on south bank of Amu Darya<\/p>\n
Highways: 21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km
\nbituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and
\ntracks<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which
\nhandles steamers up to about 500 metric tons<\/p>\n
Pipelines: petroleum, oil, and lubricants pipelines–USSR
\nto Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)<\/p>\n
Civil air: 2 TU-154, 2 Boeing 727, assorted smaller transports<\/p>\n
Airports: 38 total, 34 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
\n15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast
\nservices; television introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; stations–5 AM,
\nno FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Armed Forces (Army; Air and Air Defense Forces); Border
\nGuard Forces; National Police Force (Sarandoi); Ministry of
\nState Security (WAD); Tribal Militia<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 3,880,124; 2,080,725 fit for
\nmilitary service; 168,021 reach military age (22) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 9.1% of GDP (1984)
\n.pa
\nAlbania
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 28,750 km2; land area: 27,400 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 768 km total; Greece 282 km, Yugoslavia 486 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 362 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: not specified;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 15 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: Kosovo question with Yugoslavia; Northern Epirus question
\nwith Greece<\/p>\n
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry
\nsummers; interior is cooler and wetter<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast<\/p>\n
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium,
\ncopper, timber, nickel<\/p>\n
Land use: 21% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures;
\n38% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes 1% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along
\nsouthwestern coast; deforestation seems to be slowing<\/p>\n
Note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links
\nAdriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 3,273,131 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 25 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 5 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 52 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 3.0 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Albanian(s); adjective–Albanian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: Albanian 90%, Greeks 8%, other 2% (Vlachs,
\nGypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Religion: Albania claims to be the world’s first atheist state; all
\nchurches and mosques were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited;
\npre-1967 estimates of religious affiliation–70% Muslim, 20% Albanian Orthodox,
\n10% Roman Catholic<\/p>\n
Language: Albanian (Tosk is official dialect), Greek<\/p>\n
Literacy: 75%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 1,500,000 (1987); about 60% agriculture, 40% industry and
\ncommerce (1986)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: Central Council of Albanian Trade Unions, 610,000
\nmembers<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: People’s Socialist Republic of Albania<\/p>\n
Type: Communist state (Stalinist)<\/p>\n
Capital: Tirane<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 26 districts (rrethe, singular–rreth);
\nBerat, Dibre, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje,
\nKorce, Kruje, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite,
\nPermet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar, Tepelene, Tirane,
\nTropoje, Vlore<\/p>\n
Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Turkey); People’s Socialist
\nRepublic of Albania declared 11 January 1946<\/p>\n
Constitution: 27 December 1976<\/p>\n
Legal system: judicial review of legislative acts only in the Presidium
\nof the People’s Assembly, which is not a true court; has not accepted compulsory
\nICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Liberation Day, 29 November (1944)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly,
\nthree vice presidents, Presidium of the People’s Assembly; chairman of the
\nCouncil of Ministers, three deputy chairmen, Council of Ministers<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral People’s Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly Ramiz
\nALIA (since 22 November 1982);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adil CARCANI
\n(since 14 January 1982)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: only party–Albanian Workers Party,
\nRamiz Alia, first secretary<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 19 February 1987 (next to be held
\nFebruary 1991);
\nresults–President Ramiz Alia was reelected without opposition;<\/p>\n
People’s Assembly–last held 1 February 1987 (next to be held
\nFebruary 1991);
\nresults–Albanian Workers Party is the only party;
\nseats–(250 total) Albanian Workers Party 250<\/p>\n
Communists: 147,000 party members (November 1986)<\/p>\n
Member of: CCC, CEMA (has not participated since rift with USSR
\nin 1961), FAO, IAEA, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
\nWHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none–the US does not recognize the Albanian
\nGovernment and has no diplomatic or consular relations with Albania; there is
\nno third-power representation of Albanian interests in the US or of US
\ninterests in Albania<\/p>\n
Flag: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center below a red
\nfive-pointed star outlined in yellow<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: As the poorest country in Europe, Albania’s development
\nlags behind even the least favored areas of the Yugoslav economy.
\nThe Stalinist-type economy operates on the principles of central
\nplanning and state ownership of the means of production. In recent years
\nAlbania has implemented limited economic reforms to stimulate its lagging
\neconomy, although they do not go nearly so far as current reforms
\nin the USSR and Eastern Europe. Attempts at self-reliance and a
\npolicy of not borrowing from international
\nlenders–sometimes overlooked in recent years–have greatly hindered the
\ndevelopment of a broad economic infrastructure. Albania, however,
\npossesses considerable mineral resources and is largely self-sufficient
\nin food. Numerical estimates of Albanian economic activity are
\nsubject to an especially wide margin of error because the government
\nis isolated and closemouthed.<\/p>\n
GNP: $3.8 billion, per capita $1,200; real growth rate NA% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $2.3 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of NA (1989)<\/p>\n
Exports: $378 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities–asphalt,
\nbitumen, petroleum products, metals and metallic ores, electricity, oil,
\nvegetables, fruits, tobacco; partners–Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG,
\nGreece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary<\/p>\n
Imports: $255 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities–machinery,
\nmachine tools, iron and steel products, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
\npartners–Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG, Czechoslovakia, Romania,
\nPoland, Hungary, Bulgaria, GDR<\/p>\n
External debt: $NA<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA<\/p>\n
Electricity: 1,630,000 kW capacity; 4,725 million kWh produced,
\n1,440 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber,
\noil, cement, chemicals, basic metals, hydropower<\/p>\n
Agriculture: arable land per capita among lowest in Europe; one-half of
\nwork force engaged in farming; produces wide range of temperate-zone crops
\nand livestock; claims self-sufficiency in grain output<\/p>\n
Aid: none<\/p>\n
Currency: lek (plural–leke); 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: leke (L) per US$1–8.00 (noncommercial fixed rate
\nsince 1986), 4.14 (commercial fixed rate since 1987)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 543 km total; 509 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and
\n34 km narrow gauge, single track (1988); line connecting Titograd (Yugoslavia)
\nand Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986<\/p>\n
Highways: 16,700 km total; 6,700 km highway and roads, 10,000 km forest
\nand agricultural<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake
\nOhrid, and Lake Prespa<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 145 km; refined products, 55 km; natural gas, 64 km
\n(1988)<\/p>\n
Ports: Durres, Sarande, Vlore<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,886 GRT\/75,993
\nDWT; includes 11 cargo<\/p>\n
Airports: 12 total, 10 usable; more than 5 with permanent-surface
\nrunways; more than 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: stations–17 AM, 5 FM, 9 TV; 52,000 TV sets;
\n210,000 radios<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Albanian People’s Army, Frontier Troops, Interior Troops,
\nAlbanian Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 882,965; 729,635 fit for military
\nservice; 33,598 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.1 billion leks, 11.3% of total budget (FY88);
\nnote–conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official
\nadministratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results
\n.pa
\nAlgeria
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 2,381,740 km2; land area: 2,381,740 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 6,343 km total; Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km,
\nMauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km,
\nWestern Sahara 42 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 998 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria<\/p>\n
Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along
\ncoast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is
\na hot, dust\/sand-laden wind especially common in summer<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
\ndiscontinuous coastal plain<\/p>\n
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
\nuranium, lead, zinc<\/p>\n
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 13% meadows and
\npastures; 2% forest and woodland; 82% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;
\ndesertification<\/p>\n
Note: second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 25,566,507 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 37 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 9 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 64 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Algerian(s); adjective–Algerian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 99% Arab-Berber, less than 1% European<\/p>\n
Religion: 99% Sunni Muslim (state religion); 1% Christian and Jewish<\/p>\n
Language: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects<\/p>\n
Literacy: 52%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 3,700,000; 40% industry and commerce, 24% agriculture,
\n17% government, 10% services (1984)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 16-19% of labor force claimed; General Union of Algerian
\nWorkers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is subordinate to the
\nNational Liberation Front<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria<\/p>\n
Type: republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Algiers<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (wilayat, singular–wilaya); Adrar,
\nAlger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bouira, Constantine,
\nDjelfa, El Asnam, Guelma, Jijel, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mostaganem,
\nM’sila, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda,
\nTamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen; note–there may now be 48
\nprovinces with El Asnam abolished, and the addition of 18 new provinces named
\nAin Delfa, Ain Temouchent, Bordjbou, Boumerdes, Chlef, El Bayadh, El Oued,
\nEl Tarf, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Mila, Naama, Relizane, Souk Ahras, Tindouf,
\nTipaza, Tissemsilt<\/p>\n
Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976<\/p>\n
Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review
\nof legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public
\nofficials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory
\nICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
\n(cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National People’s Assembly (Assemblee
\nNationale Populaire)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Mouloud HAMROUCHE (since 9 September
\n1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Front (FLN),
\nCol. Chadli Bendjedid, chairman; Abdelhamid Mehri, secretary general;
\nthe government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and
\nas of 1 February 1990 19 legal parties existed<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held on 22 December 1988 (next to be held December
\n1993); results–President Bendjedid was reelected without opposition;<\/p>\n
People’s National Assembly–last held on 26 February 1987 (next
\nto be held by February 1992);
\nresults–FLN was the only party;
\nseats–(281 total) FLN 281; note–the government has promised
\nto hold multiparty elections (municipal and wilaya) in June
\n1990, the first in Algerian history<\/p>\n
Communists: 400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962<\/p>\n
Member of: AfDB, AIOEC, Arab League, ASSIMER, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT
\n(de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB–Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO,
\nIMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN,
\nUNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;
\nChancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
\n(202) 328-5300;
\nUS–Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir
\nBrahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers);
\ntelephone \u00d5213\u00e5 (2) 601-425 or 255, 186; there is a US Consulate in Oran<\/p>\n
Flag: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white
\nwith a red five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent,
\nstar, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state
\nreligion)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The exploitation of oil and natural gas products forms the
\nbackbone of the economy. Algeria depends on hydrocarbons for nearly all of its
\nexport receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and nearly 25%
\nof GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil prices led to a booming economy
\nthat helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization. Plunging oil
\nand gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria’s highly centralized
\neconomy, have brought the nation to its most serious social and economic crisis
\nsince independence. The government has promised far-reaching reforms, including
\ngiving public sector companies more autonomy, encouraging private-sector
\nactivity, boosting gas and nonhydrocarbon exports, and a major overhaul
\nof the banking and financial systems. In 1988 the government started to
\nimplement a new economic policy to dismantle large state farms into
\nprivately operated units.<\/p>\n
GDP: $54.1 billion, per capita $2,235; real growth rate – 1.8%
\n(1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.9% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 19% (1988)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $17.4 billion; expenditures $22.0 billion, including
\ncapital expenditures of $8.0 billion (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
\ncommodities–petroleum and natural gas 98%;
\npartners–Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US<\/p>\n
Imports: $7.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
\ncommodities–capital goods 35%, consumer goods 36%, food 20%;
\npartners–France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%<\/p>\n
External debt: $26.2 billion (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (1986)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 4,333,000 kW capacity; 14,370 million kWh produced,
\n580 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical,
\npetrochemical, food processing<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GDP and employs 24% of labor force;
\nnet importer of food–grain, vegetable oil, and sugar; farm production
\nincludes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, and cattle<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $8.2 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$2.7 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: Algerian dinar (plural–dinars); 1 Algerian dinar
\n(DA) = 100 centimes<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1–8.0086 (January
\n1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023 (1986), 5.0278 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 4,146 km total; 2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,258 km
\n1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215 km double
\ntrack<\/p>\n
Highways: 80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km
\ngravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 6,612 km; refined products, 298 km; natural gas,
\n2,948 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Jijel, Mers el Kebir, Mostaganem,
\nOran, Skikda<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,957
\nGRT\/1,063,994 DWT; includes 5 passenger, 27 cargo, 2 vehicle carrier,
\n10 roll-on\/roll-off cargo, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
\n9 liquefied gas, 7 chemical tanker, 9 bulk, 1 specialized liquid cargo<\/p>\n
Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 147 total, 136 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways;
\n2 with runways over 3,660 m; 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 68 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service in the
\nnorth, sparse in the south; 693,000 telephones; stations–26 AM, no FM, 113 TV;
\n1,550,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 receiver sets; 6 submarine cables; coaxial cable or
\nradio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; satellite earth
\nstations–1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik,
\n1 ARABSAT, and 15 domestic<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,886,334; 3,638,458 fit for military
\nservice; 293,476 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.8% of GDP, or $974 million (1989 est.)
\n.pa
\nAmerican Samoa
\n(territory of the US)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 199 km2; land area: 199 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 116 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 m;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds;
\nannual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April,
\ndry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation<\/p>\n
Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal
\nplains, two coral atolls<\/p>\n
Natural resources: pumice and pumicite<\/p>\n
Land use: 10% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n75% forest and woodland; 10% other<\/p>\n
Environment: typhoons common from December to March<\/p>\n
Note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in
\nthe South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by
\nperipheral mountains from high winds; strategic location about 3,700 km
\nsouth-southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between
\nHawaii and New Zealand<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 41,840 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 41 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 4 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 8 immigrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–American Samoan(s); adjective–American Samoan<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 90% Samoan (Polynesian), 2% Caucasian, 2% Tongan,
\n6% other<\/p>\n
Religion: about 50% Christian Congregationalist, 20% Roman Catholic,
\n30% mostly Protestant denominations and other<\/p>\n
Language: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian
\nlanguages) and English; most people are bilingual<\/p>\n
Literacy: 99%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 10,000; 48% government, 33% tuna canneries, 19% other
\n(1986 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: NA<\/p>\n
Note: about 65,000 American Samoans live in the States of
\nCalifornia and Washington and 20,000 in Hawaii<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Territory of American Samoa<\/p>\n
Type: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US<\/p>\n
Capital: Pago Pago<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)<\/p>\n
Independence: none (territory of the US)<\/p>\n
Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967<\/p>\n
National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: US president, governor, lieutenant governor<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislature (Fono) consists of an upper
\nhouse or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989);
\nVice President Dan QUAYLE (since 20 January 1989);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Governor Peter Tali COLEMAN (since 20
\nJanuary 1989);
\nLieutenant Governor Galea’i POUMELE (since NA 1989)<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US nationals,
\nnot US citizens<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nGovernor–last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November
\n1992); results–Peter T. Coleman was elected (percent of vote NA);<\/p>\n
Senate–last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November
\n1992);
\nresults–senators elected by county councils from 12 senate
\ndistricts;
\nseats–(18 total) number of seats by party NA;<\/p>\n
House of Representatives–last held 7 November 1988 (next to be
\nheld November 1990);
\nresults–representatives popularly elected from 17 house districts;
\nseats–(21 total, 20 elected and 1 nonvoting delegate from Swain’s
\nIsland);<\/p>\n
US House of Representatives–last held 19 November 1988 (next
\nto be held November 1990);
\nresults–Eni R. F. H. Faleomavaega elected as a nonvoting delegate<\/p>\n
Communists: none<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)<\/p>\n
Flag: blue with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the fly
\nside and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying
\ntoward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority,
\na staff and a war club<\/p>\n
Note: administered by the US Department of Interior, Office of
\nTerritorial and International Affairs; indigenous inhabitants are US
\nnationals, not citizens of the US<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Economic development is strongly linked to the US, with
\nwhich American Samoa does 90% of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna
\nprocessing plants are the backbone of the private sector economy, with canned
\ntuna the primary export. The tuna canneries are the second-largest
\nemployer, exceeded only by the government. Other economic activities include
\nmeat canning, handicrafts, dairy farming, and a slowly developing tourist
\nindustry. Tropical agricultural production provides little surplus for export.<\/p>\n
GNP: $190 million, per capita $5,210; real growth rate NA% (1985)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1986)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $90.3 million; expenditures $93.15 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $4.9 million (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $288 million (f.o.b., 1987);
\ncommodities–canned tuna 93%;
\npartners–US 99.6%<\/p>\n
Imports: $346 million (c.i.f., 1987);
\ncommodities–building materials 18%, food 17%, petroleum
\nproducts 14%;
\npartners–US 72%, Japan 7%, NZ 7%, Australia 5%, other 9%<\/p>\n
External debt: $NA<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced,
\n1,720 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign supplies
\nof raw tuna)<\/p>\n
Agriculture: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams,
\ncopra, pineapples, papayas<\/p>\n
Aid: $20.1 million in operational funds and $5.8 million in construction
\nfunds for capital improvement projects from the US Department of Interior (1989)<\/p>\n
Currency: US currency is used<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: US currency is used<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: small marine railroad in Pago Pago harbor<\/p>\n
Highways: 350 km total; 150 km paved, 200 km unpaved<\/p>\n
Ports: Pago Pago, Ta’u<\/p>\n
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m
\n(international airport at Tafuna, near Pago Pago); small airstrips on
\nTa’u and Ofu<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: 6,500 telephones; stations–1 AM, no FM, 1 TV; good
\ntelex, telegraph, and facsimile services; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth
\nstation<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the US
\n.pa
\nAndorra
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 450 km2; land area: 450 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 125 km total; France 60 km, Spain 65 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and cool, dry summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys<\/p>\n
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber,
\niron ore, lead<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 56% meadows and pastures;
\n22% forest and woodland; 20% other<\/p>\n
Environment: deforestation, overgrazing<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 51,895 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 12 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 4 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 18 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Andorran(s); adjective–Andorran<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: Catalan stock; 61% Spanish, 30% Andorran, 6% French, 3%
\nother<\/p>\n
Religion: virtually all Roman Catholic<\/p>\n
Language: Catalan (official); many also speak some French and Castilian<\/p>\n
Literacy: 100%<\/p>\n
Labor force: NA<\/p>\n
Organized labor: none<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Principality of Andorra<\/p>\n
Type: unique coprincipality under formal sovereignty of president of
\nFrance and Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by
\nofficials called verguers<\/p>\n
Capital: Andorra la Vella<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies,
\nsingular–parroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana,
\nLes Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria<\/p>\n
Independence: 1278<\/p>\n
Constitution: none; some pareatges and decrees, mostly custom and usage<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review
\nof legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September<\/p>\n
Executive branch: two co-princes (president of France, bishop of
\nSeo de Urgel in Spain), two designated representatives (French veguer,
\nEpiscopal veguer), two permanent delegates (French prefect for the department
\nof Pyrenees-Orientales, Spanish vicar general for the Seo de Urgel diocese),
\npresident of government, Executive Council<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell
\nGeneral de las Valls)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: civil cases–Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan
\n(France) or the Ecclesiastical Court of the bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain);
\ncriminal cases–Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChiefs of State–French Co-Prince Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May
\n1981), represented by Veguer de Franca Louis DEBLE; Spanish Episcopal
\nCo-Prince Mgr. Joan MARTI y Alanis (since 31 January 1971), represented
\nby Veguer Episcopal Francesc BADIA Batalla;<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Josep PINTAT Solans (since NA 1984)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: political parties not yet legally
\nrecognized; traditionally no political parties but partisans for
\nparticular independent candidates for the General Council on the basis of
\ncompetence, personality, and orientation toward Spain or France; various small
\npressure groups developed in 1972; first formal political party, Andorran
\nDemocratic Association, was formed in 1976 and reorganized in 1979 as
\nAndorran Democratic Party<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nGeneral Council of the Valleys–last held 11 December 1989
\n(next to be held December 1993);
\nresults–percent of vote NA;
\nseats–(28 total) number of seats by party NA<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Member of: CCC, UNESCO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Andorra has no mission in the US;
\nUS–includes Andorra within the Barcelona (Spain) Consular District and
\nthe US Consul General visits Andorra periodically; Consul General Ruth A. DAVIS;
\nConsulate General at Via Layetana 33, Barcelona 3, Spain (mailing
\naddress APO NY 09286); telephone \u00d534\u00e5 (3) 319-9550<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red
\nwith the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms
\nfeatures a quartered shield; similar to the flag of Chad which does not have a
\nnational coat of arms in the center; also similar to the flag of Romania which
\nhas a national coat of arms featuring a mountain landscape below a red
\nfive-pointed star and the words REPUBLICA SOCIALISTA ROMANIA at the bottom<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The mainstay of Andorra’s economy is tourism. An estimated
\n12 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra’s duty-free
\nstatus and by its summer and winter resorts. Agricultural production is limited
\nby a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The
\nprincipal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing consists mainly of
\ncigarettes, cigars, and furniture. The rapid pace of European economic
\nintegration is a potential threat to Andorra’s advantages from its
\nduty-free status.<\/p>\n
GNP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
\n$NA<\/p>\n
Exports: $0.017 million (f.o.b., 1986);
\ncommodities–electricity; partners–France, Spain<\/p>\n
Imports: $531 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities–NA;
\npartners–France, Spain<\/p>\n
External debt: $NA<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 140 million kWh produced,
\n2,800 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), sheep, timber, tobacco,
\nsmuggling, banking<\/p>\n
Agriculture: sheep raising; small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat,
\nbarley, oats, and some vegetables<\/p>\n
Aid: none<\/p>\n
Currency: French franc (plural–francs) and Spanish peseta
\n(plural–pesetas); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes and 1 Spanish peseta
\n(Pta) = 100 centimos<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1–5.7598 (January 1990),
\n6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985);
\nSpanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1–109.69 (January 1990), 118.38 (1989),
\n116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 96 km<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: international digital microwave network; international
\nlandline circuits to France and Spain; stations–1 AM, no FM, no TV; 17,700
\ntelephones<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
\n.pa
\nAngola
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 1,246,700 km2; land area: 1,246,700 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 5,198 km total; Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km,
\nZaire 2,511 km, Zambia 1,110 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 1,600 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 20 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: civil war since independence on 11 November 1975<\/p>\n
Climate: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool,
\ndry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)<\/p>\n
Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau<\/p>\n
Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper,
\nfeldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 23% meadows and
\npastures; 43% forest and woodland; 32% other<\/p>\n
Environment: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on plateau;
\ndesertification<\/p>\n
Note: Cabinda is separated from rest of country by Zaire<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 8,534,483 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 47 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 20 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 2 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 158 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 42 years male, 46 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Angolan(s); adjective–Angolan<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 37% Ovimbundu, 25% Kimbundu, 13% Bakongo, 2% Mestico,
\n1% European<\/p>\n
Religion: 47% indigenous beliefs, 38% Roman Catholic, 15% Protestant
\n(est.)<\/p>\n
Language: Portuguese (official); various Bantu dialects<\/p>\n
Literacy: 41%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 2,783,000 economically active; 85% agriculture, 15% industry
\n(1985 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: about 450,695 (1980)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: People’s Republic of Angola<\/p>\n
Type: Marxist people’s republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Luanda<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias,
\nsingular–provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango,
\nCuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte,
\nLunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire<\/p>\n
Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978 and 11 August 1980<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law, but
\nbeing modified along socialist lines<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 11 November (1975)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, chairman of the Council of Ministers,
\nCouncil of Ministers (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National People’s Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal da Relacao)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President Jose Eduardo dos
\nSANTOS (since 21 September 1979)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: only party–Popular Movement for the
\nLiberation of Angola-Labor Party (MPLA-Labor Party), Jose Eduardo
\ndos Santos; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA),
\nlost to the MPLA with Cuban military support in immediate postindependence
\nstruggle, now carrying out insurgency<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA<\/p>\n
Elections: none held to date<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), ICAO, IFAD, ILO,
\nIMO, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none<\/p>\n
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered
\nyellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed
\nby a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for
\n80-90% of the population, but accounts for only 10-20% of GDP. Oil production
\nis the most lucrative sector of the economy, contributing about 50% to
\nGDP. In recent years, however, the impact of fighting an internal war has
\nseverely affected the economy and food has to be imported.<\/p>\n
GDP: $5.0 billion, per capita $600; real growth rate 9.2% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues NA; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital
\nexpenditures of NA (1986 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities–oil, coffee,
\ndiamonds, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton; partners–US,
\nUSSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil<\/p>\n
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities–capital
\nequipment (machinery and electrical equipment), food, vehicles and spare parts,
\ntextiles and clothing, medicines; substantial military deliveries;
\npartners–US, USSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil<\/p>\n
External debt: $3.0 billion (1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 506,000 kW capacity; 770 million kWh produced,
\n90 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: petroleum, mining (phosphate rock, diamonds), fish processing,
\nbrewing, tobacco, sugar, textiles, cement, food processing, building
\nconstruction<\/p>\n
Agriculture: cash crops–coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, sugar, manioc,
\ntobacco; food crops–cassava, corn, vegetables, plantains, bananas, and
\nother local foodstuffs; disruptions caused by civil war and marketing
\ndeficiencies require food imports<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $263 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $903 million;
\nCommunist countries (1970-88), $1.3 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: kwanza (plural–kwanza); 1 kwanza (Kz) = 100 lwei<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: kwanza (Kz) per US$1–29.62 (fixed rate since 1976)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 3,189 km total; 2,879 km 1.067-meter gauge, 310 km 0.600-meter
\ngauge; limited trackage in use because of insurgent attacks; sections of the
\nBenguela Railroad closed because of insurgency<\/p>\n
Highways: 73,828 km total; 8,577 km bituminous-surface treatment, 29,350
\nkm crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth, remainder unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 1,295 km navigable<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 179 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, Cabinda<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
\n66,348 GRT\/102,825 DWT; includes 11 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
\n(POL) tanker<\/p>\n
Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 317 total, 184 usable; 28 with permanent-surface runways;
\n1 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 60 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: fair system of wire, radio relay, and troposcatter
\nroutes; high frequency used extensively for military\/Cuban links; 40,300
\ntelephones; stations–17 AM, 13 FM, 2 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
\nstations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force\/Air Defense; paramilitary
\nforces–People’s Defense Organization and Territorial Troops, Frontier Guard,
\nPopular Vigilance Brigades<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,049,295; 1,030,868 fit for military
\nservice; 90,877 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: NA
\n.pa
\nAnguilla
\n(dependent territory of the UK)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 91 km2; land area: 91 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about half the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 61 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone<\/p>\n
Natural resources: negligible; salt, fish, lobsters<\/p>\n
Land use: NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and
\npastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; mostly rock with sparse
\nscrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds<\/p>\n
Environment: frequent hurricanes, other tropical storms (July to October)<\/p>\n
Note: located 270 km east of Puerto Rico<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 6,883 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 24 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 9 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 10 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 76 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Anguillan(s); adjective–Anguillan<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent<\/p>\n
Religion: Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic<\/p>\n
Language: English (official)<\/p>\n
Literacy: 80%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 2,780 (1984)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: NA<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: dependent territory of the UK<\/p>\n
Capital: The Valley<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1 April 1982<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on English common law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief minister,
\nExecutive Council (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
\nGovernor Geoffrey O. WHITTAKER (since NA 1987);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Chief Minister Emile GUMBS (since NA March
\n1984, served previously from February 1977 to May 1980)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Anguilla National Alliance (ANA), Emile
\nGumbs; Anguilla United Party (AUP), Ronald Webster; Anguilla Democratic Party
\n(ADP), Victor Banks<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nHouse of Assembly–last held 27 February 1989 (next to
\nbe held February 1994);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(11 total, 7 elected) ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP 1, independent 1<\/p>\n
Communists: none<\/p>\n
Member of: Commonwealth<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Flag: two horizontal bands of white (top, almost triple width) and light
\nblue with three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design centered
\nin the white band<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy
\ndepends heavily on lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and
\nremittances from emigrants. In recent years the economy has benefited
\nfrom a boom in tourism. Development is planned to improve the
\ninfrastructure, particularly transport and tourist facilities, and
\nalso light industry. Improvement in the economy has reduced
\nunemployment from 40% in 1984 to about 5% in 1988.<\/p>\n
GDP: $23 million, per capita $3,350 (1988 est.); real growth rate
\n8.2% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $9.0 million; expenditures $8.8 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of NA (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $NA; commodities–lobsters and salt; partners–NA<\/p>\n
Imports: $NA; commodities–NA; partners –NA<\/p>\n
External debt: $NA<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 3,000 kW capacity; 9 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh per
\ncapita (1988)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, boat building, salt, fishing (including lobster)<\/p>\n
Agriculture: pigeon peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sheep, goats, pigs,
\ncattle, poultry<\/p>\n
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
\ncommitments (1970-87), $33 million<\/p>\n
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural–dollars); 1 EC dollar
\n(EC$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1–2.70 (fixed rate
\nsince 1976)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: NA<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 60 km surfaced<\/p>\n
Ports: Road Bay, Blowing Point<\/p>\n
Civil air: no major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways of 1,100 m
\n(Wallblake Airport)<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: modern internal telephone system; 890 telephones;
\nstations–3 AM, 1 FM, no TV; radio relay link to island of St. Martin<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the UK
\n.pa
\nAntarctica
\nGeography
\nTotal area: about 14,000,000 km2; land area: about 14,000,000 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US;
\nsecond-smallest continent (after Australia)<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: see entry on Disputes<\/p>\n
Coastline: 17,968 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: see entry on Disputes<\/p>\n
Disputes: Antarctic Treaty suspends all claims; sections (some
\noverlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France (Adelie Land),
\nNew Zealand (Ross Dependency), Norway (Queen Maud Land), and UK; Brazil claims
\na Zone of Interest; the US and USSR do not recognize the territorial claims of
\nother nations and have made no claims themselves (but reserve the right to do
\nso); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90o west and
\n150o west<\/p>\n
Climate: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and
\ndistance from the ocean; East Antarctica colder than Antarctic Peninsula in
\nthe west; warmest temperatures occur in January along the coast and average
\nslightly below freezing<\/p>\n
Terrain: about 98% thick continental ice sheet, with average elevations
\nbetween 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to 5,000 meters high;
\nice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land,
\nand the scientific research areas of Graham Land and Ross Island on McMurdo
\nSound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of coastline<\/p>\n
Natural resources: coal and iron ore; chromium, copper, gold, nickel,
\nplatinum, and hydrocarbons have been found in small quantities along the coast;
\noffshore deposits of oil and gas<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 100% other (98% ice, 2% barren rock)<\/p>\n
Environment: mostly uninhabitable; katabatic (gravity) winds blow
\ncoastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the
\nplateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise around the
\ncoast; during summer more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South
\nPole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; in October 1987
\nit was reported that the ozone shield, which protects the Earth’s surface
\nfrom harmful ultraviolet radiation, has dwindled to its lowest level
\never over Antarctica; subject to active volcanism (Deception Island)<\/p>\n
Note: the coldest continent<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: no indigenous inhabitants; staffing of research stations
\nvaries seasonally;<\/p>\n
Summer (January) population–3,330; Argentina 179, Australia 216,
\nBrazil 36, Chile 124, China 62, France 46, FRG 9, GDR 15, India 59,
\nItaly 121, Japan 52, NZ 251, Poland 19, South Africa 102, South
\nKorea 17, UK 72, Uruguay 47, US 1,250, USSR 653 (1986-87);<\/p>\n
Winter (July) population–1,148 total; Argentina 149, Australia
\n82, Brazil 11, Chile 59, China 16, France 32, FRG 9, GDR 9, India 17,
\nJapan 37, NZ 11, Poland 19, South Africa 15, UK 61, Uruguay 10, US 242,
\nUSSR 369 (1986-87);<\/p>\n
Year-round stations–43 total; Argentina 7, Australia 3, Brazil 1,
\nChile 3, China 1, France 1, FRG 1, GDR 1, India 1, Japan 2, NZ 1,
\nPoland 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 1, UK 6, Uruguay 1, US 3, USSR 8
\n(1986-87);<\/p>\n
Summer only stations–26 total; Argentina 3, Australia 3, Chile 4,
\nItaly 1, Japan 1, NZ 2, South Africa 2, US 4, USSR 6 (1986-87)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into
\nforce on 23 June 1961, established, for at least 30 years, a legal framework for
\npeaceful use, scientific research, and suspension of territorial claims.
\nAdministration is carried out through consultative member meetings–the 14th
\nand last meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in October 1987.<\/p>\n
Consultative (voting) members include claimant nations (they claim portions of
\nAntarctica as national territory and some claims overlap) and nonclaimant
\nnations (they have made no claims to Antarctic territory, although the US and
\nUSSR have reserved the right to do so and do not recognize the claims of
\nothers); the year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to
\nfull consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959
\ntreaty signatory. Claimant nations are–Argentina, Australia, Chile, France,
\nNew Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant nations are–Belgium,
\nBrazil (1983), China (1985), FRG (1981), GDR (1987), India (1983), Italy (1987),
\nJapan, Poland (1977), South Africa, Uruguay (1985), US, and the USSR.<\/p>\n
Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parenthesis,
\nare–Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962),
\nDenmark (1965), Finland (1984), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984),
\nNetherlands (1987), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Peru (1981),
\nRomania (1971), South Korea (1986), Spain (1982), and Sweden (1984).<\/p>\n
Antarctic Treaty Summary: Article 1–area to be used for peaceful purposes only
\nand military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military
\npersonnel and equipment may be used for scientific purposes; Article 2–freedom
\nof scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3–free
\nexchange of information and personnel; Article 4–does not recognize, dispute,
\nor establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the
\ntreaty is in force; Article 5–prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of
\nradioactive wastes; Article 6–includes under the treaty all land and ice
\nshelves south of 60o 00′ south, but that the water areas be covered by
\ninternational law; Article 7–treaty-state observers have free access, including
\naerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and
\nequipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of
\nmilitary personnel must be given; Article 8–allows for jurisdiction over
\nobservers and scientists by their own states; Article 9–frequent consultative
\nmeetings take place among member nations and acceding nations given consultative
\nstatus; Article 10–treaty states will discourage activities by any country in
\nAntarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11–disputes to be settled
\npeacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13,
\n14–deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved
\nnations.<\/p>\n
Other agreements: Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
\nResources; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals; a mineral
\nresources agreement is currently undergoing ratification by the Antarctic Treaty
\nconsultative parties<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: No economic activity at present except for fishing off
\nthe coast and small-scale tourism, both based abroad. Exploitation of
\nmineral resources will be held back by technical difficulties, high
\ncosts, and objections by environmentalists.<\/p>\n
Communications
\nAirports: 39 total; 25 usable; none with permanent surface runways;
\n3 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: none; Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty states that advance notice
\nof all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given
\n.pa
\nAntigua and Barbuda
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 440 km2; land area: 440 km2; includes Redonda<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 153 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher
\nvolcanic areas<\/p>\n
Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters
\ntourism<\/p>\n
Land use: 18% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and
\npastures; 16% forest and woodland; 59% other<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October);
\ninsufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many
\nnatural harbors<\/p>\n
Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 63,726 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 18 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 10 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 74 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Antiguan(s); adjective–Antiguan<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: almost entirely of black African origin; some of
\nBritish, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin<\/p>\n
Religion: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman
\nCatholic<\/p>\n
Language: English (official), local dialects<\/p>\n
Literacy: 90% (est.)<\/p>\n
Labor force: 30,000; 82% commerce and services, 11% agriculture,
\n7% industry (1983)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association
\n(ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members;
\nAntigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: parliamentary democracy<\/p>\n
Capital: Saint John’s<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,
\nRedonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter,
\nSaint Philip<\/p>\n
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1 November 1981<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on English common law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
\nSenate and a lower house or House of Representatives<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
\nrepresented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November
\n1981, previously Governor since 1976);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA
\n1976); Deputy Prime Minister Lester BIRD (since NA 1976)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. Bird,
\nSr., Lester Bird; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor Heath<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nHouse of Representatives–last held 9 March 1989 (next to be
\nheld 1994);
\nresults–percentage of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement
\n(ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) Hector;
\nAntigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel Thomas<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ILO, IMF,
\nISO, OAS, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE;
\nChancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008;
\ntelephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate
\nin Miami;
\nUS–the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda,
\nand in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d’Affaires
\nRoger R. GAMBLE; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John’s
\n(mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506<\/p>\n
Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the
\nflag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue,
\nand white with a yellow rising sun in the black band<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the
\nmost important determinant of economic performance. During the period
\n1983-87, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of 8%. Tourism’s
\ncontribution to GDP, as measured by value added in hotels and restaurants, rose
\nfrom about 14% in 1983 to 17% in 1987, and stimulated growth in other
\nsectors–particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities.
\nDuring the same period the combined share of agriculture and manufacturing
\ndeclined from 12% to less than 10%. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas
\nin the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n
GDP: $353.5 million, per capita $5,550; real growth rate 6.2% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.1% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $77 million; expenditures $81 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $13 million (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $30.4 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
\ncommodities–petroleum products 46%, manufactures 29%, food and live
\nanimals 14%, machinery and transport equipment 11%; partners–Trinidad
\nand Tobago 40%, Barbados 8%, US 0.3%<\/p>\n
Imports: $302.1 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities–food and
\nlive animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals,
\noil; partners–US 27%, UK 14%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 4%, other 48%<\/p>\n
External debt: $245.4 million (1987)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1987)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 49,000 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh
\nper capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
\nalcohol, household appliances)<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton,
\nfruits, vegetables, and livestock sector; other crops–bananas, coconuts,
\ncucumbers, mangoes; not self-sufficient in food<\/p>\n
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
\n(1970-87), $40 million<\/p>\n
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural–dollars); 1 EC dollar
\n(EC$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1–2.70 (fixed rate
\nsince 1976)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge
\nused almost exclusively for handling sugarcane<\/p>\n
Highways: 240 km<\/p>\n
Ports: St. John’s<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 307,315
\nGRT\/501,552 DWT; includes 50 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 8 container,
\n8 roll-on\/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
\n5 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 1 short-sea passenger; note–a flag of
\nconvenience registry<\/p>\n
Civil air: 10 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
\nrunways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 2,440 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones;
\ntropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; stations–4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV,
\n2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua
\nand Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)<\/p>\n
Military manpower: NA<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: NA
\n.pa
\nArctic Ocean
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 14,056,000 km2; includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea,
\nBeaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay,
\nHudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other tributary water bodies<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US;
\nsmallest of the world’s four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean,
\nand Indian Ocean)<\/p>\n
Coastline: 45,389 km<\/p>\n
Climate: persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges;
\nwinters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather
\nconditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight,
\ndamp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow<\/p>\n
Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack
\nwhich averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be
\nthree times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream,
\nbut nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to
\nDenmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by
\nopen seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter
\nand extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50%
\ncontinental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a
\ncentral basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen
\nCordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin<\/p>\n
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
\npolymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales)<\/p>\n
Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice
\nislands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved
\nfrom western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in
\nMarch or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about
\n10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June;
\nfragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage<\/p>\n
Note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern
\naccess to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to
\nsuperstructure icing from October to May; strategic location between North
\nAmerica and the USSR; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and
\nwestern USSR; floating research stations operated by the US and USSR<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural
\nresources, including crude oil, natural gas, fishing, and sealing.<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (USSR), Prudhoe Bay (US)<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: no submarine cables<\/p>\n
Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
\nPassage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Asia) are important waterways
\n.pa
\nArgentina
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 2,766,890 km2; land area: 2,736,690 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km,
\nChile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 4,989 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond
\n12 nm)<\/p>\n
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short
\nsection of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered
\nFalkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and
\nthe South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica<\/p>\n
Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest<\/p>\n
Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling
\nplateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border<\/p>\n
Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc,
\ntin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium<\/p>\n
Land use: 9% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 52% meadows and pastures;
\n22% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes 1% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes;
\npamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated
\nsoil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in
\nBuenos Aires<\/p>\n
Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil);
\nstrategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and
\nSouth Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 32,290,966 (July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 20 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 9 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 74 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Argentine(s); adjective–Argentine<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 85% white, 15% mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups<\/p>\n
Religion: 90% nominally Roman Catholic (less than 20% practicing), 2%
\nProtestant, 2% Jewish, 6% other<\/p>\n
Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French<\/p>\n
Literacy: 94%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 10,900,000; 12% agriculture, 31% industry, 57% services
\n(1985 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Argentine Republic<\/p>\n
Type: republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Buenos Aires (tentative plans to move to Viedma by
\n1990 indefinitely postponed)<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular–provincia),
\n1 national territory* (territorio nacional), and 1 district** (distrito);
\nBuenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes,
\nDistrito Federal**, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza,
\nMisiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz,
\nSanta Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego and Antartida e Islas del
\nAtlantico Sur*, Tucuman<\/p>\n
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1 May 1853<\/p>\n
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
\naccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 25 May (1810)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
\nconsists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or
\nChamber of Deputies (Camera de Diputados)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President Carlos Saul MENEM
\n(since 8 July 1989); Vice President Eduardo DUHALDE (since 8 July 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders:
\nJusticialist Party (JP), Antonio Cafiero, Peronist umbrella political
\norganization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Raul Alfonsin, moderately
\nleft of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCEDE), Alvaro
\nAlsogaray, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar
\nAlende, leftist party; several provincial parties<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held May 1995);
\nresults–Carlos Saul Menem was elected;<\/p>\n
Chamber of Deputies–last held 14 May 1989 (next to be
\nheld May 1991); results–JP 47%, UCR 30%, UDC 7%, other 16%;
\nseats–(254 total); JP 122, UCR 93, UDC 11, other 28<\/p>\n
Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including
\na small nucleus of activists<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement,
\nGeneral Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor
\norganization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers’ association),
\nArgentine Rural Society (large landowners’ association), business
\norganizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces<\/p>\n
Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
\nICAO, IDA, IDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
\nINTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ISO, ITU, IWC–International Whaling Commission,
\nIWC–International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
\nWFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Guido Jose Maria DI TELLA;
\nChancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone
\n202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in
\nHouston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto
\nRico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles;
\nUS–Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia,
\n1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034);
\ntelephone \u00d554\u00e5 (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light
\nblue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known
\nas the Sun of May<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Argentina is rich in natural resources, and has a highly
\nliterate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a
\ndiversified industrial base. Nevertheless, the economy has encountered
\nmajor problems in recent years, leading to a recession in 1988-89.
\nEconomic growth slowed to 2.0% in 1987 and to – 1.8% in 1988; a sharp
\ndecline of – 5.5% has been estimated for 1989. A widening public-sector
\ndeficit and a multidigit inflation rate has dominated the
\neconomy over the past three years, reaching about 5,000% in 1989.
\nSince 1978, Argentina’s external debt has nearly doubled to $60
\nbillion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting
\nthe country’s creditworthiness with international lenders.<\/p>\n
GNP: $72.0 billion, per capita $2,217; real growth rate – 5.5%
\n(1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4,925% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 8.5% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $11.5 billion; expenditures $13.0 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $0.93 billion (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $9.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
\ncommodities–meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool;
\npartners–US 14%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands<\/p>\n
Imports: $4.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
\ncommodities–machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and
\nlubricants, agricultural products;
\npartners–US 25%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands<\/p>\n
External debt: $60 billion (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 8% (1989)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 16,449,000 kW capacity; 46,590 million kWh produced,
\n1,460 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: food processing (especially meat packing), motor vehicles,
\nconsumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing,
\nmetallurgy, steel<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces
\nabundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world’s
\ntop five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops–wheat, corn, sorghum,
\nsoybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.0 billion; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.6 billion;
\nCommunist countries (1970-88), $718 million<\/p>\n
Currency: austral (plural–australes); 1 austral (A) = 100 centavos<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: australes (A) per US$1–1,930 (December
\n1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); includes a
\nmixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter
\ngauge, and 0.750-meter gauge<\/p>\n
Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel,
\n101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable<\/p>\n
Pipelines: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km
\nnatural gas<\/p>\n
Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario,
\nSanta Fe<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,693,540
\nGRT\/2,707,079 DWT; includes 45 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container,
\n1 roll-on\/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
\n(POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 18 bulk<\/p>\n
Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 1,799 total, 1,617 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways;
\n1 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 335 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones
\n(12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations–171 AM, no FM,
\n231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic
\nsatellite network has 40 stations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air
\nForce, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture, National Aeronautical
\nPolice Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,860,054; 6,372,189 fit for military
\nservice; 277,144 reach military age (20) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.4% of GNP (1987)
\n.pa
\nAruba
\n(part of the Dutch realm)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 68.5 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation<\/p>\n
Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 100% other<\/p>\n
Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt<\/p>\n
Note: 28 km north of Venezuela<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 62,656 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 16 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 8 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Aruban(s); adjective–Aruban<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 80% mixed European\/Caribbean Indian<\/p>\n
Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 8% Protestant; also small Hindu, Muslim,
\nConfucian, and Jewish minority<\/p>\n
Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,
\nEnglish dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish<\/p>\n
Literacy: 95%<\/p>\n
Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: Aruban Workers’ Federation (FTA)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: part of the Dutch realm–full autonomy in internal affairs obtained
\nin 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles<\/p>\n
Capital: Oranjestad<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)<\/p>\n
Independence: planned for 1996<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1 January 1986<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English
\ncommon law influence<\/p>\n
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March<\/p>\n
Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of
\nMinisters (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Staten)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980),
\nrepresented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party (MEP),
\nNelson Oduber; Aruban People’s Party (AVP), Henny Eman; National
\nDemocratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro Kelly; New Patriotic Party (PPN),
\nEddy Werlemen; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny Nisbet; Aruban Democratic
\nParty (PDA), Leo Berlinski; Democratic Action ’86 (AD’86), Arturo
\nOduber; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nParliament–last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by January
\n1993);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)<\/p>\n
Flag: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower
\nportion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side
\ncorner<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy. In 1985 the economy
\nsuffered a severe blow when Exxon closed its refinery, a major source of
\nemployment and foreign exchange earnings. Economic collapse was prevented
\nby soft loans from the Dutch Government and by a booming tourist industry.
\nHotel capacity expanded by 20% between 1985 and 1987 and is projected to more
\nthan double by 1990. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in
\n1986 to about 3% in 1988.<\/p>\n
GDP: $620 million, per capita $10,000; real growth rate 16.7%
\n(1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 3% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $42 million (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $47.5 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
\ncommodities–mostly petroleum products;
\npartners–US 64%, EC<\/p>\n
Imports: $296.0 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.);
\ncommodities–food, consumer goods, manufactures;
\npartners–US 8%, EC<\/p>\n
External debt: $81 million (1987)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 20% (1984)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,120
\nkWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities<\/p>\n
Agriculture: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural
\nactivity to the cultivation of aloes<\/p>\n
Aid: none<\/p>\n
Currency: Aruban florin (plural–florins);
\n1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1–1.7900 (fixed rate since
\n1986)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas<\/p>\n
Airfield: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay
\nlinks; 72,168 telephones; stations–4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to St. Maarten<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands until 1996
\n.pa
\nAshmore and Cartier Islands
\n(territory of Australia)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 5 km2; land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle,
\nand East Islets) and Cartier Island<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 74.1 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploration;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical<\/p>\n
Terrain: low with sand and coral<\/p>\n
Natural resources: fish<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
\npastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other–grass and sand<\/p>\n
Environment: surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National
\nNature Reserve established in August 1983<\/p>\n
Note: located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia
\nand Indonesia 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands<\/p>\n
Type: territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry
\nfor Territories and Local Government<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)<\/p>\n
Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia<\/p>\n
Note: administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the
\nEnvironment, Tourism, and Territories Graham Richardson<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: no economic activity<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: none; offshore anchorage only<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic
\nvisits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
\n.pa
\nAtlantic Ocean
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea,
\nDavis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea,
\nNorth Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than nine times the size of the US;
\nsecond-largest of the world’s four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger
\nthan Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)<\/p>\n
Coastline: 111,866 km<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa
\nnear Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur
\nfrom May to December, but are most frequent from August to November<\/p>\n
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
\nStrait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad,
\ncircular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water
\ngyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
\nRidge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin;
\nmaximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench<\/p>\n
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and
\nwhales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,
\nprecious stones<\/p>\n
Environment: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals,
\nsea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US,
\nsouthern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea,
\nGulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial
\nwaste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and
\nMediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the
\nnorthwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been spotted as far
\nsouth as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur
\nin the extreme southern Atlantic<\/p>\n
Note: ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic
\nfrom October to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent
\nfog can be a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points
\ninclude the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez
\nCanals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida,
\nMona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic
\nshipping lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator
\ndivides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic
\nOcean<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural
\nresources, especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and
\ncrude oil and natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium),
\nBarcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco),
\nColon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
\nHamburg (FRG), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain),
\nLe Havre (France), Leningrad (USSR), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK),
\nMarseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
\nNew Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
\nPiraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands),
\nStockholm (Sweden)<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: numerous submarine cables with most between
\ncontinental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the
\nMediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via INTELSAT
\nsatellite network<\/p>\n
Note: Kiel Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways
\n.pa
\nAustralia
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes
\nMacquarie Island<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 25,760 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)<\/p>\n
Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east;
\ntropical in north<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast<\/p>\n
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium,
\nnickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
\ncrude oil<\/p>\n
Land use: 6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 58% meadows and
\npastures; 14% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast;
\nlimited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical,
\ninvigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer;
\ndesertification<\/p>\n
Note: world’s smallest continent but sixth-largest country<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 16,923,478 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 15 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 8 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 6 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Australian(s); adjective–Australian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 95% Caucasian, 4% Asian, 1% Aboriginal and other<\/p>\n
Religion: 26.1% Anglican, 26.0% Roman Catholic, 24.3% other Christian<\/p>\n
Language: English, native languages<\/p>\n
Literacy: 98.5%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 7,700,000; 33.8% finance and services, 22.3% public and
\ncommunity services, 20.1% wholesale and retail trade, 16.2% manufacturing and
\nindustry, 6.1% agriculture (1987)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 42% of labor force (1988)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Commonwealth of Australia<\/p>\n
Type: federal parliamentary state<\/p>\n
Capital: Canberra<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
\nCapital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
\nSouth Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia<\/p>\n
Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
\nCocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
\nIslands, Norfolk Island<\/p>\n
Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
\njurisdiction, with reservations<\/p>\n
National holiday: Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29 January 1990<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper
\nhouse or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952),
\nrepresented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since
\n11 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: government–Australian Labor
\nParty, Robert Hawke; opposition–Liberal Party, Andrew Peacock;
\nNational Party, Charles Blunt; Australian Democratic Party, Janine Haines<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nSenate–last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by 12 May 1990);
\nresults–Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%,
\nindependents 2%;
\nseats–(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian
\nDemocrats 7, independents 3;<\/p>\n
House of Representatives–last held 24 March 1990 (next to be
\nheld by November 1993);
\nresults–Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats
\nand independents 11.1%;
\nseats–(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1<\/p>\n
Communists: 4,000 members (est.)<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Australian Democratic Labor Party
\n(anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
\nAction (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, AIOEC, ANZUS, CCC, CIPEC (associate), Colombo Plan,
\nCommonwealth, DAC, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO,
\nICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC,
\nIPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC–International Whaling Commission,
\nIWC–International Wheat Council, OECD, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
\nWSG<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at
\n1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000;
\nthere are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
\nLos Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco;
\nUS–Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla,
\nCanberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San
\nFrancisco 6404);
\ntelephone \u00d561\u00e5 (62) 705000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth,
\nand Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane<\/p>\n
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
\nlarge seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is
\na representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small
\nfive-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy,
\nwith a per capita GNP comparable to levels in
\nindustrialized West European countries. Rich in natural resources,
\nAustralia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and
\nfossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that,
\nas happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big
\nimpact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports
\nof manufactured goods but competition in international markets will be severe.<\/p>\n
GNP: $240.8 billion, per capita $14,300; real growth rate 4.1%
\n(1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 6.0% (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $76.3 billion; expenditures $69.1 billion, including
\ncapital expenditures of NA (FY90 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $43.2 billion (f.o.b., FY89);
\ncommodities–wheat, barley, beef, lamb, dairy products, wool, coal,
\niron ore;
\npartners–Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%,
\nUSSR 3%<\/p>\n
Imports: $48.6 billion (c.i.f., FY89);
\ncommodities–manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer
\ngoods;
\npartners–US 22%, Japan 22%, UK 7%, FRG 6%, NZ 4% (1984)<\/p>\n
External debt: $111.6 billion (September 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (FY88)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 38,000,000 kW capacity; 139,000 million kWh produced,
\n8,450 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food
\nprocessing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues;
\nworld’s largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton,
\nand among top wheat exporters; major crops–wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit;
\nlivestock–cattle, sheep, poultry<\/p>\n
Aid: donor–ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $8.8 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: Australian dollar (plural–dollars); 1 Australian dollar
\n($A) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1–1.2784 (January 1990),
\n1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km
\n1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge;
\n1,130 km electrified; government owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of
\nprivately owned track) (1985)<\/p>\n
Highways: 837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel,
\ncrushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 2,500 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas,
\n5,600 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong,
\nHobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,300,049
\nGRT\/3,493,802 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 7 cargo, 5 container,
\n10 roll-on\/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
\n2 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore\/oil, 1 livestock carrier,
\n29 bulk<\/p>\n
Civil air: around 150 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 564 total, 524 usable; 235 with permanent-surface runways,
\n2 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 311 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: good international and domestic service; 8.7
\nmillion telephones; stations–258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to
\nNew Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service;
\nsatellite stations–4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth
\nstations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air
\nForce<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,588,750; 4,009,127 fit for military
\nservice; 136,042 reach military age (17) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: NA
\n.pa
\nAustria
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 83,850 km2; land area: 82,730 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 2,640 km total; Czechoslovakia 548 km, Hungary 366 km,
\nItaly 430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Switzerland 164 km, FRG 784 km,
\nYugoslavia 311 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Disputes: South Tyrol question with Italy<\/p>\n
Climate: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain
\nin lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly mountains with Alps in west and south; mostly flat, with
\ngentle slopes along eastern and northern margins<\/p>\n
Natural resources: iron ore, crude oil, timber, magnesite, aluminum,
\nlead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower<\/p>\n
Land use: 17% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures;
\n39% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: because of steep slopes, poor soils, and cold temperatures,
\npopulation is concentrated on eastern lowlands<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of
\ncentral Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys;
\nmajor river is the Danube<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 7,644,275 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 12 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 11 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 2 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Austrian(s); adjective–Austrian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 99.4% German, 0.3% Croatian, 0.2% Slovene, 0.1% other<\/p>\n
Religion: 85% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 9% other<\/p>\n
Language: German<\/p>\n
Literacy: 98%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 3,037,000; 56.4% services, 35.4% industry and crafts,
\n8.1% agriculture and forestry; an estimated 200,000 Austrians are employed in
\nother European countries; foreign laborers in Austria number 177,840, about
\n6% of labor force (1988)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 1,672,820 members of Austrian Trade Union Federation
\n(1984)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Austria<\/p>\n
Type: federal republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Vienna<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 9 states (bundeslander, singular–bundesland);
\nBurgenland, Karnten, Niederosterreich, Oberosterreich, Salzburg,
\nSteiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien<\/p>\n
Independence: 12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1920, revised 1929 (reinstated 1945)<\/p>\n
Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
\nlegislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and
\ncivil\/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 26 October (1955)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, chancellor, vice chancellor, Council of
\nMinisters (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung)
\nconsists of an upper council or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower council
\nor National Council (Nationalrat)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for civil
\nand criminal cases, Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for
\nbureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) for
\nconstitutional cases<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President Kurt WALDHEIM (since 8 July 1986);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986);
\nVice Chancellor Josef RIEGLER (since 19 May 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party of Austria (SPO),
\nFranz Vranitzky, chairman; Austrian People’s Party (OVP), Josef
\nRiegler, chairman; Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Jorg Haider,
\nchairman; Communist Party (KPO), Franz Muhri, chairman; Green
\nAlternative List (GAL), Andreas Wabl, chairman<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 19; compulsory for presidential elections<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 8 June 1986 (next to be held May 1992);
\nresults of Second Ballot–Dr. Kurt Waldheim 53.89%, Dr. Kurt Steyrer
\n46.11%;<\/p>\n
Federal Council–last held 23 November 1986 (next to be
\nheld November 1990);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(63 total) OVP 32, SPO 30, FPO 1;<\/p>\n
National Council–last held 23 November 1986 (next to be
\nheld November 1990);
\nresults–SP0 43.1%, OVP 41.3%, FPO 9.7%, GAL 4.8%, KPO 0.7%,
\nother 0.32%;
\nseats–(183 total) SP0 80, OVP 77, FP0 18, GAL 8<\/p>\n
Communists: membership 15,000 est.; activists 7,000-8,000<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Federal Chamber of Commerce and
\nIndustry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist); three
\ncomposite leagues of the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) representing
\nbusiness, labor, and farmers; OVP-oriented League of Austrian
\nIndustrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization,
\nCatholic Action<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, Council of Europe, CCC, DAC, ECE, EFTA, ESA,
\nFAO, GATT, IAEA, IDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IBRD, ICAC,
\nICAO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU,
\nIWC–International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
\nWMO, WTO, WSG; Austria is neutral and is not a member of NATO or the EC<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Friedrich HOESS; Embassy at
\n2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4474;
\nthere are Austrian Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York;
\nUS–Ambassador Henry A. GRUNWALD; Embassy at Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091,
\nVienna (mailing address is APO New York 09108); telephone \u00d543\u00e5 (222) 31-55-11;
\nthere is a US Consulate General in Salzburg<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Austria boasts a prosperous and stable capitalist
\neconomy with a sizable proportion of nationalized industry and extensive
\nwelfare benefits. Thanks to an excellent raw material endowment, a
\ntechnically skilled labor force, and strong links with West German
\nindustrial firms, Austria has successfully occupied specialized niches
\nin European industry and services (tourism, banking) and produces almost
\nenough food to feed itself with only 8% of the labor force in
\nagriculture. Living standards are roughly comparable with the large
\nindustrial countries of Western Europe. Problems for the l990s include
\nan aging population and the struggle to keep welfare benefits within
\nbudget capabilities.<\/p>\n
GDP: $103.2 billion, per capita $13,600; real growth rate 4.2%
\n(1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 4.8% (1989)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $34.2 billion; expenditures $39.5 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of NA (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $31.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
\ncommodities–machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles,
\npaper products, chemicals;
\npartners–FRG 35%, Italy 10%, Eastern Europe 9%, Switzerland 7%, US 4%,
\nOPEC 3%<\/p>\n
Imports: $37.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
\ncommodities–petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, vehicles,
\nchemicals, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals;
\npartners–FRG 44%, Italy 9%, Eastern Europe 6%, Switzerland 5%, US 4%,
\nUSSR 2%<\/p>\n
External debt: $12.4 billion (December 1987)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 5.8% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 17,562,000 kW capacity; 49,290 million kWh produced,
\n6,500 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: foods, iron and steel, machines, textiles, chemicals,
\nelectrical, paper and pulp, tourism, mining<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP (including forestry);
\nprincipal crops and animals–grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets,
\nsawn wood, cattle, pigs poultry; 80-90% self-sufficient in food<\/p>\n
Aid: donor–ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: Austrian schilling (plural–schillings); 1 Austrian
\nschilling (S) = 100 groschen<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Austrian schillings (S) per US$1–11.907 (January 1990),
\n13.231 (1989), 12.348 (1988), 12.643 (1987), 15.267 (1986), 20.690 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 6,028 km total; 5,388 km government owned and 640 km privately
\nowned (1.435- and 1.000-meter gauge); 5,403 km 1.435-meter standard gauge of
\nwhich 3,051 km is electrified and 1,520 km is double tracked; 363 km 0.760-meter
\nnarrow gauge of which 91 km is electrified<\/p>\n
Highways: 95,412 km total; 34,612 are the primary network (including
\n1,012 km of autobahn, 10,400 km of federal, and 23,200 km of provincial roads);
\nof this number, 21,812 km are paved and 12,800 km are unpaved; in addition,
\nthere are 60,800 km of communal roads (mostly gravel, crushed stone, earth)<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 446 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Vienna, Linz (river ports)<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
\n209,311 GRT\/366,401 DWT; includes 23 cargo, 1 container, 5 bulk<\/p>\n
Pipelines: 554 km crude oil; 2,611 km natural gas; 171 km refined
\nproducts<\/p>\n
Civil air: 25 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 55 total, 54 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: highly developed and efficient; 4,014,000
\ntelephones; extensive TV and radiobroadcast systems; stations–6 AM, 21 (544
\nrepeaters) FM, 47 (867 repeaters) TV; satellite stations operating in INTELSAT
\n1 Atlantic Ocean earth station and 1 Indian Ocean earth station and EUTELSAT
\nsystems<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Flying Division<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,970,189; 1,656,228 fit for military
\nservice; 50,090 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.1% of GDP, or $1.1 billion (1989 est.)
\n.pa
\nThe Bahamas
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 13,940 km2; land area: 10,070 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 3,542 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream<\/p>\n
Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills<\/p>\n
Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows
\nand pastures; 32% forest and woodland; 67% other<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms
\nthat cause extensive flood damage<\/p>\n
Note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island
\nchain<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 246,491 (July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 17 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 75 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bahamian(s); adjective–Bahamian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 85% black, 15% white<\/p>\n
Religion: Baptist 29%, Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, smaller groups
\nof other Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and Jews<\/p>\n
Language: English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants<\/p>\n
Literacy: 95% (1986)<\/p>\n
Labor force: 132,600; 30% government, 25% hotels and restaurants,
\n10% business services, 5% agriculture (1986)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 25% of labor force<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas<\/p>\n
Type: commonwealth<\/p>\n
Capital: Nassau<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 21 districts; Abaco, Acklins Island,
\nAndros Island, Berry Islands, Biminis, Cat Island, Cay Lobos, Crooked Island,
\nEleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island, Inagua, Long Cay, Long Island,
\nMayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Spanish Wells<\/p>\n
Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 10 July 1973<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on English common law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 July (1973)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
\nSenate and a lower house or House of Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
\nrepresented by Acting Governor General Sir Henry TAYLOR (since 26 June 1988);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar PINDLING (since
\n16 January 1967)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP),
\nSir Lynden O. Pindling; Free National Movement (FNM), Cecil Wallace-Whitfield<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nHouse of Assembly–last held 19 June 1987 (next to be held
\nby June 1992);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(49 total) PLP 31, FNM 16, independents 2<\/p>\n
Communists: none known<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist
\nParty (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel Carey; Trade Union
\nCongress (TUC), headed by Arlington Miller<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77,
\nGATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDB–Inter-American Development Bank, ILO, IMF,
\nIMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
\nWTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret E. MCDONALD; Chancery at
\nSuite 865, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
\ntelephone (202) 944-3390; there are Bahamian Consulates General in Miami
\nand New York;
\nUS–Ambassador Chic HECHT; Embassy at Mosmar Building,
\nQueen Street, Nassau (mailing address is P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau);
\ntelephone (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and
\naquamarine with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income developing nation whose
\neconomy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone
\nprovides about 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000 people
\nor 40% of the local work force. The economy has boomed in recent years, aided by
\na steady annual increase in the number of tourists. The per capita GDP of over
\n$9,800 is one of the highest in the region.<\/p>\n
GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $9,875; real growth rate 2.0%
\n(1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 12% (1986)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $555 million; expenditures $702 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $138 million (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $733 million (f.o.b., 1987);
\ncommodities–pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish;
\npartners–US 90%, UK 10%<\/p>\n
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1987);
\ncommodities–foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels;
\npartners–Iran 30%, Nigeria 20%, US 10%, EC 10%, Gabon 10%<\/p>\n
External debt: $1.5 billion (September 1988)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced,
\n3,470 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: banking, tourism, cement, oil refining and
\ntransshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld,
\nsteel pipe<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for less than 5% of GDP; dominated by
\nsmall-scale producers; principal products–citrus fruit, vegetables,
\npoultry; large net importer of food<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $42 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $344 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Bahamian dollar (plural–dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar
\n(B$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1–1.00 (fixed rate)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel<\/p>\n
Ports: Freeport, Nassau<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 533 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,684,123
\nGRT\/19,574,532 DWT; includes 26 passenger, 15 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo,
\n40 roll-on\/roll-off cargo, 42 refrigerated cargo, 16 container, 6 car carrier,
\n123 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 19
\ncombination ore\/oil, 29 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 86 bulk,
\n3 combination bulk; note–a flag of convenience registry<\/p>\n
Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 59 total, 57 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: highly developed; 99,000 telephones in totally
\nautomatic system; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida;
\nstations–3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables;1 Atlantic Ocean
\nINTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only),
\nRoyal Bahamas Police Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: NA<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: NA
\n.pa
\nBahrain
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 161 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: not specific;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands<\/p>\n
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment<\/p>\n
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
\nfish<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 90% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted (requires
\ndevelopment of desalination facilities); dust storms; desertification<\/p>\n
Note: proximity to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources
\nand strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world’s
\ncrude oil must transit to reach open ocean<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 520,186 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 28 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 3 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 8 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 76 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bahraini(s); adjective–Bahraini<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 63% Bahraini, 13% Asian, 10% other Arab, 8% Iranian, 6%
\nother<\/p>\n
Religion: Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni)<\/p>\n
Language: Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu<\/p>\n
Literacy: 40%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; 85% industry and
\ncommerce, 5% agriculture, 5% services, 3% government (1982)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in only
\neight major designated companies<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: State of Bahrain<\/p>\n
Type: traditional monarchy<\/p>\n
Capital: Manama<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 11 municipalities (baladiyat,
\nsingular–baladiyah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah
\nal Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta,
\nAl Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq,
\nAr Rifa wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs,
\nMadinat Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah<\/p>\n
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 16 December<\/p>\n
Executive branch: amir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime minister,
\nCabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly was dissolved
\n26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Amir Isa bin Salman Al KHALIFA (since
\n2 November 1961); Heir Apparent Hamad bin Isa Al KHALIFA (son of Amir;
\nborn 28 January 1950);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al KHALIFA,
\n(since 19 January 1970)<\/p>\n
Political parties and pressure groups: political parties prohibited;
\nseveral small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active<\/p>\n
Suffrage: none<\/p>\n
Elections: none<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
\nIDB–Islamic Development Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,
\nUN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ghazi Muhammad AL-QUSAYBI;
\nChancery at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
\n(202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in
\nNew York; US–Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Shaikh
\nIsa Road, Manama (mailing address is P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York
\n09526); telephone \u00d5973\u00e5 714151 through 714153<\/p>\n
Flag: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
\nhoist side<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The oil price decline in recent years has had an adverse
\nimpact on the economy. Petroleum production and processing account for about
\n85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP. In 1986
\nsoft oil-market conditions led to a 5% drop in GDP, in sharp contrast
\nwit the 5% average annual growth rate during the early 1980s. The
\nslowdown in economic activity, however, has helped to check the
\ninflation of the 1970s. The government’s past economic diversification
\nefforts have moderated the severity of the downturn but failed to
\noffset oil and gas revenue losses.<\/p>\n
GDP: $3.5 billion, per capita $7,550 (1987); real growth rate 0% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $1,136 million; expenditures $1,210 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)<\/p>\n
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
\ncommodities–petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners–US,
\nUAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities–nonoil 59%,
\ncrude oil 41%; partners–UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan<\/p>\n
External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 3.1% (1987)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced,
\n12,800 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
\noffshore banking, ship repairing<\/p>\n
Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP;
\nnot self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces
\nfruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, and fish; fish catch 9,000
\nmetric tons in 1987<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million;
\nWestern (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87),
\n$28 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural–dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar
\n(BD) = 1,000 fils<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1–0.3760 (fixed rate)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km
\nbridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km
\nnatural surface tracks<\/p>\n
Ports: Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 1 cargo and 1 bulk (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,621
\nGRT\/44,137 DWT<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km<\/p>\n
Civil air: 24 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with
\nrunways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications; adequate
\ndomestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations–2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite
\nearth stations–1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT;
\ntropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia; submarine cable
\nto Qatar and UAE<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force, Police Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 183,580; 102,334 fit for military service<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $194 million (1990 est.)
\n.pa
\nBaker Island
\n(territory of the US)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 1.4 km2; land area: 1.4 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 4.8 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 m;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun<\/p>\n
Terrain: low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
\nfringing reef<\/p>\n
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until 1891)<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
\npastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other<\/p>\n
Environment: treeless, sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of
\ngrasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; lacks fresh water;
\nprimarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
\nshorebirds, and marine wildlife<\/p>\n
Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific
\nOcean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: uninhabited<\/p>\n
Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval
\nattacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but
\nabandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit only and
\ngenerally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and cemetery ruins
\nlocated near the middle of the west coast<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish
\nand Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
\nNational Wildlife Refuge system<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: no economic activity<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the
\nthe middle of the west coast<\/p>\n
Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m<\/p>\n
Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the
\nUS Coast Guard
\n.pa
\nBangladesh
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 144,000 km2; land area: 133,910 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Wisconsin<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 580 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute;
\nwater sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
\n(March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast<\/p>\n
Natural resources: natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 67% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures;
\n16% forest and woodland; 11% other; includes 14% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded
\nduring summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation<\/p>\n
Note: almost completely surrounded by India<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 118,433,062 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 42 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 14 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 53 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bangladeshi(s); adjective–Bangladesh<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 98% Bengali; 250,000 Biharis, and less than 1 million
\ntribals<\/p>\n
Religion: 83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian,
\nand other<\/p>\n
Language: Bangla (official), English widely used<\/p>\n
Literacy: 29% (39% men, 18% women)<\/p>\n
Labor force: 35,100,000; 74% agriculture, 15% services, 11% industry and
\ncommerce; extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Kuwait
\n(FY86)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 3% of labor force belongs to 2,614 registered unions
\n(1986 est.)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: People’s Republic of Bangladesh<\/p>\n
Type: republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Dhaka<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 64 districts (zillagulo,
\nsingular–zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra,
\nBorguna, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj,
\nChattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox’s Bazar, Dhaka,
\nDinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj,
\nHabiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah,
\nKhagrachari, Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur,
\nLalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur,
\nMoulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail,
\nNarayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona, Nilphamari,
\nNoakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram,
\nPatuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur,
\nSatkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet,
\nTangail, Thakurgaon<\/p>\n
Independence: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended
\nfollowing coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on English common law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister,
\nthree deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD
\n(since 11 December 1983, elected 15 October 1986); Vice President
\nMoudad AHMED (since 12 August 1989);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Qazi Zafar AHMED (since 12
\nAugust 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Jatiyo Party, Hussain Mohammad
\nErshad; Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Ziaur Rahman; Awami League, Sheikh
\nHasina Wazed; United People’s Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed; Democratic League,
\nKhondakar Mushtaque Ahmed; Muslim League, Khan A. Sabur; Jatiyo Samajtantrik
\nDal (National Socialist Party), M. A. Jalil; Bangladesh Communist Party
\n(pro-Soviet), Saifuddin Ahmed Manik; Jamaat-E-Islami, Ali Khan<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 15 October 1986 (next to be held October
\n1991);
\nresults–President Hussain Mohammad Ershad received 83.5% of vote;<\/p>\n
Parliament–last held 3 March 1988 (next to be held March
\n1993); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women)
\nJatiyo Party won 256 out of 300 seats<\/p>\n
Communists: 5,000 members (1987 est.)<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
\nGATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB–Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
\nILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN,
\nUNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador A. H. S. Ataul KARIM; Chancery
\nat 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-8372
\nthrough 8376; there is a Bangladesh Consulate General in New York;
\nUS–Ambassador-designate William B. MILAM; Embassy at Diplomatic
\nEnclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara Model Town, Dhaka (mailing address
\nis G. P. O. Box 323, Ramna, Dhaka); telephone \u00d588\u00e5 (2) 608170<\/p>\n
Flag: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center;
\ngreen is the traditional color of Islam<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of
\nagricultural products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major
\nsource of export earnings. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural
\nresources, a rapid population growth of 2.8% a year and a limited
\ninfrastructure, and it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters.
\nDespite these constraints, real GDP averaged about 3.8% annually
\nduring 1985-88. One of the poorest nations in the world, alleviation
\nof poverty remains the cornerstone of the government’s development
\nstrategy. The agricultural sector contributes over 50% to GDP and
\n75% to exports, and employs over 74% of the labor force. Industry
\naccounts for about 10% of GDP.<\/p>\n
GDP: $20.6 billion, per capita $180; real growth rate 2.1% (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8-10% (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 30% (FY88 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including
\ncapital expenditures of $1.7 billion (FY89)<\/p>\n
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., FY89 est.);
\ncommodities–jute, tea, leather, shrimp, manufacturing;
\npartners–US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%,
\nEastern Europe 7%<\/p>\n
Imports: $3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.);
\ncommodities–food, petroleum and other energy, nonfood consumer goods,
\nsemiprocessed goods, and capital equipment;
\npartners–Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%<\/p>\n
External debt: $10.4 billion (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 1,700,000 kW capacity; 4,900 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per
\ncapita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: jute manufacturing, food processing, cotton textiles,
\npetroleum, urea fertilizer<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP and 74% of both employment
\nand exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world’s largest
\nexporter of jute; commercial products–jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane,
\npotatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils
\nand cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $3.2 billion; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $9.5 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$1.5 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: taka (plural–taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1–32.270 (January 1990), 32.270 (1989),
\n31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km
\n1.676 meter broad gauge<\/p>\n
Highways: 7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes
\n2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)<\/p>\n
Ports: Chittagong, Chalna<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 331,568 GRT\/493,935
\nDWT; includes 38 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
\n3 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on\/roll-off, 3 bulk<\/p>\n
Pipelines: 650 km natural gas<\/p>\n
Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 16 total, 13 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: adequate international radio communications and
\nlandline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast
\nservice; 182,000 telephones; stations–9 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean
\nINTELSAT satellite earth stations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces–Bangladesh Rifles,
\nBangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 28,110,802; 16,686,644 fit for military
\nservice<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.5% of GDP, or $309 million (FY90 est.)
\n.pa
\nBarbados
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 97 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)<\/p>\n
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region<\/p>\n
Natural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas<\/p>\n
Land use: 77% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 14% other<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)<\/p>\n
Note: easternmost Caribbean island<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 262,688 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 18 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 8 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 5 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 16 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 77 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Barbadian(s); adjective–Barbadian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 80% African, 16% mixed, 4% European<\/p>\n
Religion: 70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other,
\nincluding Moravian<\/p>\n
Language: English<\/p>\n
Literacy: 99%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 112,300; 37% services and government; 22% commerce,
\n22% manufacturing and construction; 9% transportation, storage, communications,
\nand financial institutions; 8% agriculture; 2% utilities (1985 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 32% of labor force<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: parliamentary democracy<\/p>\n
Capital: Bridgetown<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
\nSaint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael,
\nSaint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note–there may a new city of
\nBridgetown<\/p>\n
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 30 November 1966<\/p>\n
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
\nSenate and a lower house or House of Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
\nrepresented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February
\n1984);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since
\n2 June 1987)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine
\nSandiford; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry Forde; National Democratic
\nParty (NDP), Richie Haynes<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nHouse of Assembly–last held 28 May 1986 (next to be held by May 1991);
\nresults–DLP 59.4%, BLP 40.6%; seats–(27 total) DLP 24, BLP 3; note–a
\nsplit in the DLP in February 1989 resulted in the formation of the NDP,
\nchanging the status of seats to DLP 20, NDP 4, BLP 3<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Industrial and General Workers Union,
\nBobby Clarke; People’s Progressive Movement, Eric Sealy; Workers’ Party of
\nBarbados, Dr. George Belle<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO,
\nIDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
\nINTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC–International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA,
\nUN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Sir William DOUGLAS; Chancery at
\n2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-9200 through
\n9202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a Consulate
\nin Los Angeles;
\nUS–Ambassador-nominee G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian
\nImperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing
\naddress is P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown or FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809)
\n436-4950 through 4957<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and blue
\nwith the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head
\nrepresents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms
\ncontained a complete trident)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: A per capita income of $5,250 gives Barbados
\nthe highest standard of living of all the small island states of the
\neastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation
\nof sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy
\nhas diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry
\nis now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of
\nforeign exchange. A high unemployment rate of about 19% in 1988 remains
\none of the most serious economic problems facing the country.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $5,250 (1988 est.); real growth rate
\n3.7% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 18.6% (1988)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $476 million; expenditures $543 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $94 million (FY86)<\/p>\n
Exports: $173 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–sugar and molasses, electrical components, clothing, rum,
\nmachinery and transport equipment;
\npartners: US 30%, CARICOM, UK, Puerto Rico, Canada<\/p>\n
Imports: $582 million (c.i.f., 1988);
\ncommodities–foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, crude oil;
\npartners–US 34%, CARICOM, Japan, UK, Canada<\/p>\n
External debt: $635 million (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 5.4% (1987 est.)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 132,000 kW capacity; 460 million kWh produced, 1,780
\nkWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
\nfor export<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane;
\nother crops–vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $14 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $144 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Barbadian dollars (plural–dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar
\n(Bds$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1–2.0113 (fixed rate)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth<\/p>\n
Ports: Bridgetown<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200
\nGRT\/7,338 DWT<\/p>\n
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: islandwide automatic telephone system with 89,000
\ntelephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; stations–3 AM,
\n2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force,
\nCoast Guard<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 67,677; 47,566 fit for military service,
\nno conscription<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (1986)
\n.pa
\nBassas da India
\n(French possession)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: undetermined<\/p>\n
Comparative area: undetermined<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 35.2 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: claimed by Madagascar<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical<\/p>\n
Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 m high<\/p>\n
Natural resources: none<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 100% other (rock)<\/p>\n
Environment: surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones<\/p>\n
Note: navigational hazard since it is usually under water during
\nhigh tide; located in southern Mozambique Channel about halfway between Africa
\nand Madagascar<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: uninhabited<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic
\nDaniel CONSTANTIN, resident in Reunion<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: no economic activity<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: none; offshore anchorage only<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of France
\n.pa
\nBelgium
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 30,510 km2; land area: 30,230 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 1,385 km total; France 620 km, Luxembourg
\n148 km, Netherlands 450 km, FRG 167 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 64 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: not specific;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: equidistant line with neighbors (extends
\nabout 68 km from coast);<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
\nmountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast<\/p>\n
Natural resources: coal, natural gas<\/p>\n
Land use: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures;
\n21% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: air and water pollution<\/p>\n
Note: majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels;
\ncrossroads of Western Europe; Brussels is the seat of the EC<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 9,909,285 (July 1990), growth rate 0.1% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 12 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 11 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Belgian(s); adjective–Belgian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 55% Fleming, 33% Walloon, 12% mixed or other<\/p>\n
Religion: 75% Roman Catholic; remainder Protestant or other<\/p>\n
Language: 56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally
\nbilingual; divided along ethnic lines<\/p>\n
Literacy: 98%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 4,000,000; 58% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture (1987)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 70% of labor force<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Kingdom of Belgium<\/p>\n
Type: constitutional monarchy<\/p>\n
Capital: Brussels<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French–provinces,
\nsingular–province; Flemish–provincien, singular–provincie); Antwerpen,
\nBrabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen,
\nWest-Vlaanderen<\/p>\n
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 8-9 August 1980; the
\ngovernment is in the process of revising the Constitution, with the aim of
\nfederalizing the Belgian state<\/p>\n
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
\ntheory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
\njurisdiction, with reservations<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold
\nto the throne in 1831)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, five deputy prime ministers,
\nCabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper chamber or
\nSenate (Flemish–Senaat, French–Senat) and a lower chamber or Chamber of
\nRepresentatives (Flemish–Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French–Chambre
\ndes Representants)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish–Hof van Cassatie,
\nFrench–Cour de Cassation)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–King BAUDOUIN I (since 17 July 1951);
\nHeir Apparent Prince ALBERT of Liege (brother of the King; born 6
\nJune 1934);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister Wilfried MARTENS,
\n(since April 1979, with a 10-month interruption in 1981)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Herman
\nvan Rompuy, president; Walloon Social Christian (PSC), Gerard Deprez,
\npresident; Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank Vandenbroucke, president; Walloon
\nSocialist (PS), Guy Spitaels, president; Flemish Liberal (PVV),
\nGuy Verhofstadt, president; Walloon Liberal (PRL), Antoine Duquesne,
\npresident; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges Clerfayt, president;
\nVolksunie (VU), Jaak Gabriels, president; Communist Party (PCB),
\nLouis van Geyt, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel Dillen;
\nother minor parties<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nSenate–last held 13 December 1987 (next to be held December
\n1991);
\nresults–CVP 19.2%, PS 15.7%, SP 14.7%, PVV 11.3%, PRL 9.3%,
\nVU 8.1%, PSC 7.8%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.7%, VB 2.0%, VDF 1.3%,
\nother 1.96%;
\nseats–(106 total) CVP 22, PS 20, SP 17, PRL 12, PVV 11, PSC 9, VU 8,
\nECOLO-AGALEV 5, VB 1, FDF 1;<\/p>\n
Chamber of Representatives–last held 13 December 1987
\n(next to be held December 1991);
\nresults–CVP 19.45%, PS 15.66%, SP 14.88%, PVV 11.55%, PRL 9.41%,
\nPSC 8.01%, VU 8.05%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.05%, VB 1.90%, FDF 1.16%, other
\n2.88%;
\nseats–(212 total) CVP 43, PS 40, SP 32, PVV 25, PRL 23,
\nPSC 19, VU 16, ECOLO-AGALEV 9, FDF 3, VB 2<\/p>\n
Communists: under 5,000 members (December 1985 est.)<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Christian and Socialist Trade Unions;
\nFederation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
\nbankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
\nprofessions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders
\nand Wallonia; various peace groups such as the Flemish Action Committee Against
\nNuclear Weapons and Pax Christi<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, Benelux, BLEU, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE,
\nECOSOC, EIB, EMS, ESA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA,
\nIDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
\nINTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO,
\nUPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Herman DEHENNIN; Chancery at
\n3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6900;
\nthere are Belgian Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
\nand New York;
\nUS–Ambassador Maynard W. GLITMAN; Embassy at 27 Boulevard du Regent,
\nB-1000 Brussels (mailing address is APO New York 09667);
\ntelephone \u00d532\u00e5 (2) 513-3830; there is a US Consulate General in Antwerp<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
\nthe design was based on the flag of France<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: This small private-enterprise economy has capitalized
\non its central geographic location, highly developed transport
\nnetwork, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is
\nconcentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although
\nthe government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region
\nof Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import essential raw
\nmaterials, making its economy closely dependent on the state of world
\nmarkets. In 1988 over 70% of trade was with other EC countries. During the
\nperiod 1986-88 the economy profited from falling oil prices and a lower
\ndollar, which helped to improve the terms of trade. Real GDP grew
\nby an average of 3.5% in 1986-89, up from 1.5% in 1985. However, a
\nlarge budget deficit and 10% unemployment cast a shadow on the
\neconomy.<\/p>\n
GDP: $136.0 billion, per capita $13,700; real growth rate 4.5%
\n(1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 9.7% est. (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $45.0 billion; expenditures $55.3 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of NA (1989)<\/p>\n
Exports: $100.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
\nUnion; commodities–iron and steel, transportation equipment,
\ntractors, diamonds, petroleum products;
\npartners–EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1988)<\/p>\n
Imports: $100.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
\nUnion; commodities–fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;
\npartners–EC 72%, US 5%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
\nCommunist countries 3% (1988)<\/p>\n
External debt: $27.5 billion (1988)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 6.4% (1988)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 17,325,000 kW capacity; 62,780 million kWh produced,
\n6,350 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: engineering and metal products, processed food and beverages,
\nchemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP; emphasis on livestock
\nproduction–beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh
\nvegetables, fruits, grain, and tobacco; net importer of farm products<\/p>\n
Aid: donor–ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $4.3 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: Belgian franc (plural–francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100
\ncentimes<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1–35.468 (January 1990),
\n39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672 (1986), 59.378 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,667 km
\n1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track; 1,978 km
\nelectrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and operated<\/p>\n
Highways: 103,396 km total; 1,317 km limited access, divided autoroute;
\n11,717 km national highway; 1,362 km provincial road; about 38,000 km
\npaved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)<\/p>\n
Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge, 1 secondary, and
\n1 minor maritime; 11 inland<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,854,898
\nGRT\/3,071,637 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 6
\nroll-on\/roll-off, 6 container, 7 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
\ntanker, 6 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore\/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 13
\nbulk, 6 combination bulk<\/p>\n
Pipelines: refined products 1,167 km; crude 161 km; natural gas 3,300 km<\/p>\n
Civil air: 47 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 42 total, 42 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international telephone and
\ntelegraph facilities; 4,560,000 telephones; stations–8 AM, 19 FM (41 relays),
\n25 TV (10 relays); 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations operating
\nin INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and EUTELSAT systems<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,512,681; 2,114,701 fit for military
\nservice; 66,758 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 2.7% of GDP, or $3.7 billion (1989 est.)
\n.pa
\nBelize
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 516 km total; Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 386 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: claimed by Guatemala, but boundary negotiations are
\nunder way<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south<\/p>\n
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures;
\n44% forest and woodland; 52% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December)
\nand coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation<\/p>\n
Note: national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to
\nBelmopan because of hurricanes; only country in Central America without a
\ncoastline on the North Pacific Ocean<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 219,737 (July 1990), growth rate 3.7% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 38 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 6 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 4 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 35 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Belizean(s); adjective–Belizean<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 39.7% Creole, 33.1% Mestizo, 9.5% Maya, 7.6%
\nGarifuna, 2.1% East Indian, 8.0% other<\/p>\n
Religion: 60% Roman Catholic; 40% Protestant (Anglican, Seventh-Day
\nAdventist, Methodist, Baptist, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonite)<\/p>\n
Language: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)<\/p>\n
Literacy: 93% (est.)<\/p>\n
Labor force: 51,500; 30.0% agriculture, 16.0% services, 15.4% government,
\n11.2% commerce, 10.3% manufacturing; shortage of skilled labor and all types of
\ntechnical personnel (1985)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 30% of labor force; 11 unions currently active<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: parliamentary<\/p>\n
Capital: Belmopan<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal,
\nOrange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo<\/p>\n
Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British Honduras)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 21 September 1981<\/p>\n
Legal system: English law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
\ndeputy prime minister, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house
\nor Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
\nGovernor General Dame Elmira Minita GORDON (since 21 September 1981);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Prime Minister George Cadle PRICE (since 4
\nSeptember 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: People’s United Party (PUP),
\nGeorge Price, Florencio Marin, Said Musa; United Democratic Party (UDP),
\nManuel Esquivel, Curl Thompson, Dean Barrow; Belize Popular Party
\n(BPP), Louis Sylvestre<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nNational Assembly–last held 4 September 1989 (next to be
\nheld September 1994);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA; seats–(28 total)
\nPUP 15 seats, UDP 13 seats; note–in January 1990 one
\nmember expelled from UDP joined PUP, making the seat count
\n16 PUP, UDP 12<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Society for the Promotion
\nof Education and Research (SPEAR) headed by former PUP minister;
\nUnited Workers Front<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT, IBRD, IDA, IFAD,
\nIFC, ILO, IMF, G-77, ISO, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edward A. LAING; Chancery at
\nSuite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
\n(202) 363-4505;
\nUS–Ambassador Robert G. RICH, Jr.; Embassy at Gabourel Lane and Hutson
\nStreet, Belize City (mailing address is P. O. Box 286, Belize City); telephone
\n\u00d5501\u00e5 77161 through 77163<\/p>\n
Flag: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges;
\ncentered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms
\nfeatures a shield flanked by two workers with a mahogany tree at the top and the
\nrelated motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at
\nthe bottom, all encircled by a green garland<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is based primarily on agriculture and
\nmerchandising. Agriculture accounts for more than 30% of GDP and provides 75%
\nof export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost 40% of
\nhard currency earnings. The US, Belize’s main trading partner, is assisting in
\nefforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an agricultural diversification
\nprogram. In 1987 the drop in income from sugar sales to the US because of quota
\nreductions was almost totally offset by higher world prices for sugar.<\/p>\n
GDP: $225.6 million, per capita $1,285; real growth rate 6% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 14% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $94.6 million; expenditures $74.3 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $33.9 million (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $120 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–sugar, clothing, seafood, molasses, citrus, wood and
\nwood products;
\npartners–US 47%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada (1987)<\/p>\n
Imports: $176 million (c.i.f., 1988);
\ncommodities–machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured
\ngoods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
\npartners–US 55%, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (1987)<\/p>\n
External debt: $140 million (December 1988)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1988)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 34,000 kW capacity; 88 million kWh produced,
\n500 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: sugar refining, clothing, timber and forest products,
\nfurniture, rum, soap, beverages, cigarettes, tourism<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP (including fish and forestry);
\ncommercial crops include sugarcane, bananas, coca, citrus fruits; expanding
\noutput of lumber and cultured shrimp; net importer of basic foods<\/p>\n
Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of cannabis for the
\ninternational drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana
\nproduction from 200 metric tons in 1987 to 66 metric tons in 1989;
\ntransshipment point for cocaine<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $94 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $194 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Belizean dollar (plural–dollars); 1 Belizean dollar
\n(Bz$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1–2.00 (fixed rate)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 2,575 km total; 340 km paved, 1,190 km gravel, 735 km improved
\nearth, and 310 km unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft;
\nseasonally navigable<\/p>\n
Ports: Belize City, Belize City Southwest<\/p>\n
Civil air: no major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 38 total, 30 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: 8,650 telephones; above-average system based on
\nradio relay; stations–6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean
\nINTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: British Forces Belize, Belize Defense Force, Coast
\nGuard, Police Department<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 50,988; 30,502 fit for military service;
\n2,500 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP, or $4.6 million (1989 est.)
\n.pa
\nBenin
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 112,620 km2; land area: 110,620 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 1,989 km total; Burkina 306 km, Niger 266 km,
\nNigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 121 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 200 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains<\/p>\n
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone,
\nmarble, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 12% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures;
\n35% forest and woodland; 45% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter;
\ndeforestation; desertification<\/p>\n
Note: recent droughts have severely affected marginal
\nagriculture in north; no natural harbors<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 4,673,964 (July 1990), growth rate 3.3% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 50 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 16 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 121 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 52 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Beninese (sing., pl.); adjective–Beninese<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 99% African (42 ethnic groups, most important being
\nFon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba); 5,500 Europeans<\/p>\n
Religion: 70% indigenous beliefs, 15% Muslim, 15% Christian<\/p>\n
Language: French (official); Fon and Yoruba most common vernaculars in
\nsouth; at least six major tribal languages in north<\/p>\n
Literacy: 25.9%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 1,900,000 (1987); 60% agriculture, 38% transport, commerce,
\nand public services, less than 2% industry; 49% of population of working age
\n(1985)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: about 75% of wage earners<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Benin<\/p>\n
Type: dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms
\nadopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system by 1991 planned<\/p>\n
Capital: Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto)<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono,
\nOueme, Zou<\/p>\n
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France; formerly Dahomey)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 23 May 1977 (nullified 1 March 1990); new
\nconstitution to be drafted by April 1990<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not
\naccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 30 November (1975)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, prime minister, cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Revolutionary Assembly
\n(Assemblee Nationale Revolutionnaire) dissolved 1 March 1990
\nand replaced by a 24-member interim High Council of the Republic
\nduring the transition period<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Central People’s Court (Cour Central Populaire)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President Mathieu KEREKOU
\n(since 27 October 1972)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: only party–People’s Revolutionary
\nParty of Benin (PRPB), President Mathieu Kerekou, chairman of the
\nCentral Committee<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held July 1989 (next to be held July 1994);
\nresults–President Mathieu Kerekou was reelected by the
\nNational Revolutionary Assembly;<\/p>\n
National Revolutionary Assembly–dissolved 1 March 1990 and
\nreplaced by a 24-member interim High Council of the Republic with
\nlegislative elections for new institutions planned for February 1991<\/p>\n
Communists: dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, G-77, GATT,
\nIBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, Niger
\nRiver Commission, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Theophile NATA; Chancery at
\n2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-6656;
\nUS–Ambassador Harriet ISOM; Embassy at Rue Caporal Anani Bernard,
\nCotonou (mailing address is B. P. 2012, Cotonou); telephone \u00d5229\u00e5 30-06-50<\/p>\n
Flag: green with a red five-pointed star in the upper hoist-side corner<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Benin is one of the least developed countries in the world
\nbecause of limited natural resources and a poorly developed infrastructure.
\nAgriculture accounts for almost 45% of GDP, employs about 60% of
\nthe labor force, and generates a major share of foreign exchange earnings.
\nThe industrial sector contributes only about 15% to GDP and employs
\n2% of the work force. Persistently low prices in recent years have
\nlimited hard currency earnings from Benin’s major exports of agricultural
\nproducts and crude oil.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $335; real growth rate 1.8% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: NA<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $168 million; expenditures $317 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $97 million (1989)<\/p>\n
Exports: $226 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–crude oil, cotton, palm products, cocoa;
\npartners–FRG 36%, France 16%, Spain 14%, Italy 8%, UK 7%<\/p>\n
Imports: $413 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum products,
\nintermediate goods, capital goods, light consumer goods;
\npartners–France 34%, Netherlands 10%, Japan 7%, Italy 6%, US 5%<\/p>\n
External debt: $1.0 billion (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 0.7% (1988)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 28,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced,
\n5 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: palm oil and palm kernel oil processing, textiles, beverages,
\npetroleum<\/p>\n
Agriculture: small farms produce 90% of agricultural output;
\nproduction is dominated by food crops–corn, sorghum, cassava, beans,
\nand rice; cash crops include cotton, palm oil, and peanuts; poultry
\nand livestock output has not kept up with consumption<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $41 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.0 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$101 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural–francs);
\n1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
\nUS$1–287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987),
\n346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 578 km, all 1.000-meter gauge, single track<\/p>\n
Highways: 5,050 km total; 920 km paved, 2,600 laterite, 1,530 km
\nimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: navigable along small sections, important
\nonly locally<\/p>\n
Ports: Cotonou<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) of 2,999 GRT\/4,407 DWT<\/p>\n
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 6 total, 5 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: fair system of open wire, submarine cable, and radio
\nrelay; 16,200 telephones; stations–2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
\nsatellite earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 2,015,206; of the 950,921 males 15-49,
\n486,620 are fit for military service; of the 1,064,285 females 15-49, 537,049
\nare fit for military service; about 55,550 males and 53,663 females reach
\nmilitary age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.7% of GDP, or $28.9 million (1988 est.)
\n.pa
\nBermuda
\n(dependent territory of the UK)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 50 km2; land area: 50 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 103 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter<\/p>\n
Terrain: low hills separated by fertile depressions<\/p>\n
Natural resources: limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n20% forest and woodland; 80% other<\/p>\n
Environment: ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes;
\nconsists of about 360 small coral islands<\/p>\n
Note: 1,050 km east of North Carolina; some reclaimed land
\nleased by US Government<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 58,337 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 15 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 7 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 6 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 12 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bermudian(s); adjective–Bermudian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 61% black, 39% white and other<\/p>\n
Religion: 37% Anglican, 14% Roman Catholic, 10% African Methodist
\nEpiscopal (Zion), 6% Methodist, 5% Seventh-Day Adventist, 28% other<\/p>\n
Language: English<\/p>\n
Literacy: 98%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 32,000; 25% clerical, 22% services, 21% laborers,
\n13% professional and technical, 10% administrative and managerial, 7% sales,
\n2% agriculture and fishing (1984)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 8,573 members (1985); largest union is Bermuda Industrial
\nUnion<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: dependent territory of the UK<\/p>\n
Capital: Hamilton<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire,
\nHamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George’s, Sandys,
\nSmiths, Southampton, Warwick<\/p>\n
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 8 June 1968<\/p>\n
Legal system: English law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Bermuda Day, 22 May<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, deputy governor, premier,
\ndeputy premier, Executive Council (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
\nSenate and a lower house or House of Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented
\nby Governor Sir Desmond LANGLEY (since NA October 1988);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Premier John William David SWAN (since NA January
\n1982)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: United Bermuda Party (UBP), John W. D.
\nSwan; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), Frederick Wade; National Liberal
\nParty (NLP), Gilbert Darrell<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 21<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nHouse of Assembly–last held 9 February 1989 (next to be
\nheld by February 1994); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(40 total) UBP 23, PLP 15, NLP 1, other 1<\/p>\n
Communists: negligible<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU),
\nheaded by Ottiwell Simmons<\/p>\n
Member of: INTERPOL, WHO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: as a dependent territory of the UK,
\nBermuda’s interests in the US are represented by the UK; US–Consul
\nGeneral James M. MEDAS; Consulate General at Vallis Building,
\nPar-la-Ville Road (off Front Street West), Hamilton (mailing address is
\nP. O. Box 325, Hamilton, or FPO New York 09560); telephone (809) 295-1342<\/p>\n
Flag: red with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
\nBermudian coat of arms (white and blue shield with a red lion holding a scrolled
\nshield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered
\non the outer half of the flag<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the
\nworld, having successfully exploited its location by providing luxury tourist
\nfacilities and financial services. The tourist industry attracts more than
\n90% of its business from North America. The industrial sector is
\nsmall, and agriculture is severely limited by a lack of suitable land. About
\n80% of food needs are imported.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $23,000; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 2.0% (1988)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $280 million; expenditures $279 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $34 million (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $23 million (f.o.b.,1985);
\ncommodities–semitropical produce, light manufactures;
\npartners–US 25%, Italy 25%, UK 14%, Canada 5%, other 31%<\/p>\n
Imports: $402 million (c.i.f., 1985);
\ncommodities–fuel, foodstuffs, machinery;
\npartners–US 58%, Netherlands Antilles 9%, UK 8%, Canada 6%, Japan
\n5%, other 14%<\/p>\n
External debt: NA<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 134,000 kW capacity; 446 million kWh produced,
\n7,680 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, finance, structural concrete products,
\npaints, pharmaceuticals, ship repairing<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for less than 1% of GDP; most basic foods must
\nbe imported; produces bananas, vegetables, citrus fruits, flowers, dairy
\nproducts<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $34 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $267 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Bermudian dollar (plural–dollars); 1 Bermudian dollar
\n(Bd$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Bermudian dollar (Bd$) per US$1–1.0000 (fixed rate)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 210 km public roads, all paved (about 400 km of private roads)<\/p>\n
Ports: Freeport, Hamilton, St. George<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,163,947
\nGRT\/7,744,319 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 4 refrigerated
\ncargo, 5 container, 10 roll-on\/roll-off, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
\n(POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 1 combination ore\/oil, 10 liquefied
\ngas, 20 bulk; note–a flag of convenience registry<\/p>\n
Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: modern with fully automatic telephone system; 46,290
\ntelephones; stations–5 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV; 3 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean
\nINTELSAT earth stations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the UK
\n.pa
\nBhutan
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 47,000 km2; land area: 47,000 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Indiana<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 1,075 km total; China 470 km, India 605 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot
\nsummers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna<\/p>\n
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures;
\n70% forest and woodland; 23% other<\/p>\n
Environment: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas were the source
\nof the country name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India;
\ncontrols several key Himalayan mountain passes<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 1,565,969 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 37 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 17 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 137 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 48 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bhutanese (sing., pl.); adjective–Bhutanese<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 60% Bhote, 25% ethnic Nepalese, 15% indigenous or
\nmigrant tribes<\/p>\n
Religion: 75% Lamaistic Buddhism, 25% Indian- and Nepalese-influenced
\nHinduism<\/p>\n
Language: Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects–most widely spoken
\ndialect is Dzongkha (official); Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects<\/p>\n
Literacy: 5%<\/p>\n
Labor force: NA; 95% agriculture, 1% industry and commerce; massive lack
\nof skilled labor (1983)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: not permitted<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Kingdom of Bhutan<\/p>\n
Type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India<\/p>\n
Capital: Thimphu<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 3 regions and 1 division*; Central Bhutan,
\nEastern Bhutan, Southern Bhutan*, Western Bhutan; note–there may now be 18
\ndistricts (dzong, singular and plural) named Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang,
\nDaga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi,
\nSamdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdiphodrang<\/p>\n
Independence: 8 August 1949 (from India)<\/p>\n
Constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; has not
\naccepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day (Ugyen Wangchuck became first hereditary
\nking), 17 December (1907)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Royal Advisory Council,
\nRoyal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), chairman of the Council of Ministers,
\nCouncil of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since
\n24 July 1972)<\/p>\n
Political parties: no legal parties<\/p>\n
Suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections<\/p>\n
Elections: no national elections<\/p>\n
Communists: no overt Communist presence<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Buddhist clergy, Indian merchant
\ncommunity, ethnic Nepalese organizations<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IMF, NAM,
\nSAARC, UNESCO, UPU, UN, WHO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: no formal diplomatic relations, although
\ninformal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassies in
\nNew Delhi (India); the Bhutanese mission to the UN in New York has consular
\njurisdiction in the US<\/p>\n
Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper
\ntriangle is orange and the lower triangle is red; centered along the dividing
\nline is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is based on agriculture and forestry, which
\nprovide the main livelihood for 90% of the population and account for about
\n50% of GDP. One of the world’s least developed countries, rugged mountains
\ndominate and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult
\nand expensive. Bhutan’s hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists
\nare its most important natural resources.<\/p>\n
GDP: $273 million, per capita $199; real growth rate 6.3% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: NA<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $99 million; expenditures $128 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $65 million (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $70.9 million (f.o.b., FY89);
\ncommodities–cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit;
\npartners–India 93%<\/p>\n
Imports: $138.3 million (c.i.f., FY89 est.);
\ncommodities–fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts,
\nvehicles, fabrics;
\npartners–India 67%<\/p>\n
External debt: $70.1 million (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 12.4% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 353,000 kW capacity; 2,000 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh
\nper capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: cement, chemical products, mining, distilling, food
\nprocessing, handicrafts<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; based on subsistence farming and
\nanimal husbandry; self-sufficient in food except for foodgrains; other
\nproduction–rice, corn, root crops, citrus fruit, dairy, and eggs<\/p>\n
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
\n(1970-87), $85.8 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $11 million<\/p>\n
Currency: ngultrum (plural–ngultrum); 1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100
\nchetrum; note–Indian currency is also legal tender<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: ngultrum (Nu) per US$1–16.965 (January 1990),
\n16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987), 12.611 (1986), 12.369 (1985);
\nnote–the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 1,304 km total; 418 km surfaced, 515 km improved, 371 km
\nunimproved earth<\/p>\n
Civil air: 1 jet, 2 prop<\/p>\n
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: inadequate; 1,890 telephones (1985); 15,000 radio
\nreceivers (1987 est.); 85 TV sets (1985); stations–20 AM, no FM, no TV<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Bhutan Army<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 389,142; 208,231 fit for military
\nservice; 17,203 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: NA
\n.pa
\nBolivia
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 1,098,580 km2; land area: 1,084,390 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Montana<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 6,743 km total; Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400
\nkm, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Disputes: has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since
\nthe Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Chile over Rio Lauca
\nwater rights<\/p>\n
Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid<\/p>\n
Terrain: high plateau, hills, lowland plains<\/p>\n
Natural resources: tin, natural gas, crude oil, zinc, tungsten,
\nantimony, silver, iron ore, lead, gold, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 25% meadows and
\npastures; 52% forest and woodland; 20% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to
\nefficient fuel combustion; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world’s
\nhighest navigable lake, with Peru<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 6,706,854 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 35 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 13 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 1 migrant\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 125 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 56 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bolivian(s); adjective Bolivian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 30% Quechua, 25% Aymara, 25-30% mixed, 5-15% European<\/p>\n
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic; active Protestant minority, especially
\nEvangelical Methodist<\/p>\n
Language: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara (all official)<\/p>\n
Literacy: 63%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 1,700,000; 50% agriculture, 26% services and utilities,
\n10% manufacturing, 4% mining, 10% other (1983)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 150,000-200,000, concentrated in mining, industry,
\nconstruction, and transportation; mostly organized under Bolivian Workers’
\nCentral (COB) labor federation<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Bolivia<\/p>\n
Type: republic<\/p>\n
Capital: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of
\njudiciary)<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departamentos,
\nsingular–departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, El Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando,
\nPotosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija<\/p>\n
Independence: 6 August 1825 (from Spain)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 2 February 1967<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; has not accepted
\ncompulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1825)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
\nconsists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or
\nChamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)<\/p>\n
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government–President Jaime
\nPAZ Zamora (since 6 August 1989); Vice President Luis OSSIO Sanjines
\n(since 6 August 1989)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Movement of the Revolutionary
\nLeft (MIR), Jaime Paz Zamora; Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN),
\nHugo Banzer Suarez; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo
\nSanchez de Lozada; United Left (IU), coalition of leftist parties which
\nincludes Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), led by Antonio Aranibar,
\nPatriotic National Convergency Axis (EJE-P) led by Walter Delgadillo,
\nand Bolivian Communist Party (PCB) led by Humberto Ramirez; Conscience of
\nthe Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos Palenque Aviles; Revolutionary
\nVanguard-9th of April (VR-9), Carlos Serrate Reich<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 (married) or 21 (single)<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993);
\nresults–Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (MNR) 23%, Hugo Banzer Suarez
\n(ADN) 22%, Jaime Paz Zamora (MIR) 19%; no candidate received a
\nmajority of the popular vote; Jaime Paz Zamora (MIR) formed a
\ncoalition with Hugo Banzer (ADN); with ADN support Paz Zamora
\nwon the congressional runoff election on 4 August and was inaugurated
\non 6 August;<\/p>\n
Senate–last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993);
\nresults–percent of vote NA;
\nseats (27 total) MNR 9, ADN 8, MIR 8, CONDEPA 2;<\/p>\n
Chamber of Deputies–last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May
\n1993); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats (130 total) MNR 40, ADN 38, MIR 30, IU 10, CONDEPA 9,
\nVR-9 3<\/p>\n
Member of: FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
\nIDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
\nISO, ITC, ITU, IWC–International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO,
\nSELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jorge CRESPO; Chancery at
\n3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4410
\nthrough 4412; there are Bolivian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles,
\nMiami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco;
\nUS–Ambassador Robert GELBARD; Embassy at Banco Popular del Peru Building,
\ncorner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz (mailing address is P. O. Box 425,
\nLa Paz, or APO Miami 34032); telephone \u00d5591\u00e5 (2) 350251 or 350120<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with
\nthe coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana,
\nwhich has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The Bolivian economy steadily deteriorated between
\n1980 and 1985 as La Paz financed growing budget deficits by expanding
\nthe money supply and inflation spiraled–peaking at 11,700%. An austere
\northodox economic program adopted by newly elected President Paz
\nEstenssoro in 1985, however, succeeded in reducing inflation to between
\n10% and 20% annually during 1987 and 1989, eventually restarting
\neconomic growth. President Paz Zamora has pledged to retain the economic
\npolicies of the previous government in order to keep inflation down
\nand continue the growth begun under his predecessor. Nevertheless,
\nBolivia continues to be one of the poorest countries in Latin
\nAmerica, and it remains vulnerable to price fluctuations for
\nits limited exports–mainly minerals and natural gas. Moreover,
\nfor many farmers, who constitute half of the country’s
\nwork force, the main cash crop is coca, which is sold for cocaine
\nprocessing.<\/p>\n
GNP: $4.6 billion, per capita $660; real growth rate 2.8% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.5% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 20.7% (1988)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $2,867 million; expenditures $2,867 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $663 million (1987)<\/p>\n
Exports: $634 million (f.o.b., 1989);
\ncommodities–metals 45%, natural gas 32%, coffee, soybeans,
\nsugar, cotton, timber, and illicit drugs;
\npartners–US 23%, Argentina<\/p>\n
Imports: $786 million (c.i.f., 1989);
\ncommodities–food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods;
\npartners–US 15%<\/p>\n
External debt: $5.7 billion (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 8.1% (1987)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 817,000 kW capacity; 1,728 million kWh produced, 260 kWh per
\ncapita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage, tobacco,
\nhandicrafts, clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces the largest
\nrevenues<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 20% of GDP (including forestry and
\nfisheries); principal commodities–coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice,
\npotatoes, timber; self-sufficient in food<\/p>\n
Illicit drugs: world’s second-largest producer of coca
\n(after Peru) with an estimated 54,000 hectares under cultivation;
\ngovernment considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit and subject to
\neradication; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or
\nthrough Colombia and Brazil to the US and other international drug
\nmarkets<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $909 million;
\nWestern (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87),
\n$1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $340 million<\/p>\n
Currency: boliviano (plural–bolivianos); 1 boliviano ($B) = 100
\ncentavos<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: bolivianos ($B) per US$1–2.6917 (1989), 2.3502
\n(1988), 2.0549 (1987), 1.9220 (1986), 0.4400 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 3,675 km total; 3,643 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km
\n0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track<\/p>\n
Highways: 38,836 km total; 1,300 km paved, 6,700 km gravel, 30,836 km
\nimproved and unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil 1,800 km; refined products 580 km; natural gas
\n1,495 km<\/p>\n
Ports: none; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile and
\nMatarani in Peru<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,051
\nGRT\/22,155 DWT; note–1 is owned by the Bolivian Navy<\/p>\n
Civil air: 56 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 636 total, 551 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
\n1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 110 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: radio relay system being expanded; improved
\ninternational services; 144,300 telephones; stations–129 AM, no FM, 43 TV,
\n68 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Bolivian Army, Bolivian Navy, Bolivian Air Force (literally,
\nthe Army of the Nation, the Navy of the Nation, the Air Force of the Nation)<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,629,154; 1,060,187 fit for military
\nservice; 70,528 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 3% of GNP (1987)
\n.pa
\nBotswana
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 600,370 km2; land area: 585,370 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 4,013 km total; Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km,
\nZimbabwe 813 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Namibia is indefinite;
\nquadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement<\/p>\n
Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert
\nin southwest<\/p>\n
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash,
\ncoal, iron ore, silver, natural gas<\/p>\n
Land use: 2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 75% meadows and pastures;
\n2% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: rains in early 1988 broke six years of drought that had
\nseverely affected the important cattle industry; overgrazing; desertification<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked; very long boundary with South Africa<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 1,224,527 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 37 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 9 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 43 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 58 years male, 64 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun and adjective–Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 95% Batswana; about 4% Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi;
\nabout 1% white<\/p>\n
Religion: 50% indigenous beliefs, 50% Christian<\/p>\n
Language: English (official), Setswana<\/p>\n
Literacy: 60%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 400,000; 163,000 formal sector employees, most others
\nare engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture (1988 est.);
\n19,000 are employed in various mines in South Africa (1988)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 19 trade unions<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Botswana<\/p>\n
Type: parliamentary republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Gaborone<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Central, Chobe, Ghanzi,
\nKgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Ngamiland, North-East, South-East, Southern;
\nnote–in addition, there may now be 4 town councils named Francistown,
\nGaborone, Lobaste, Selebi-Pikwe<\/p>\n
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK; formerly Bechuanaland)<\/p>\n
Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law;
\njudicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted
\ncompulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Botswana Day, 30 September (1966)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
\nHouse of Chiefs and a lower house or National Assembly<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President Quett K. J. MASIRE (since
\n13 July 1980); Vice President Peter S. MMUSI (since 3 January 1983)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Quett
\nMasire; Botswana National Front (BNF), Kenneth Koma; Botswana People’s Party
\n(BPP), Knight Maripe; Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai Mpho;
\nBotswana Progressive Union (BPU), Daniel Kwele<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 21<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 7 October 1989 (next to be held October
\n1994);
\nresults–President Quett K. J. Masire was reelected by the National
\nAssembly;<\/p>\n
National Assembly–last held 7 October 1989 (next to be
\nheld October 1994); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(34 total, 30 elected) BDP 31, BNF 3<\/p>\n
Communists: no known Communist organization; Koma of BNF has long history
\nof Communist contacts<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD,
\nICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, Southern African
\nCustoms Union, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Botsweletse Kingsley
\nSEBELE; Chancery at Suite 404, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington
\nDC 20008; telephone (202) 244-4990 or 4991;
\nUS–Ambassador-designate David PASSAGE; Deputy Chief of Mission
\nJohnnie CARSON; Embassy at Botswana Road, Gaborone
\n(mailing address is P. O. Box 90, Gaborone); telephone \u00d5267\u00e5 353982
\nthrough 353984<\/p>\n
Flag: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe
\nin the center<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy has historically been based on cattle raising and
\ncrops. Agriculture today provides a livelihood for over 80% of the
\npopulation, but produces only about 50% of food needs and contributes
\na small 5% to GDP. The driving force behind the rapid economic growth of
\nthe 1970s and 1980s has been the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the
\nstrength of diamonds, has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to over 50%
\nin 1988. No other sector has experienced such growth, especially not
\nthat of the agricultural sector, which is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor
\nsoils. The unemployment rate remains a problem at 25%. A scarce resource base
\nlimits diversification into labor-intensive industries.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.87 billion, per capita $1,600; real growth rate 8.4%
\n(FY88)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.45% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 25% (1987)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $1,235 million; expenditures $1,080 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of NA (FY90 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–diamonds 88%, copper and nickel 5%, meat 4%, cattle, animal
\nproducts;
\npartners–Switzerland, US, UK, other EC-associated members of
\nSouthern African Customs Union<\/p>\n
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
\ncommodities–foodstuffs, vehicles, textiles, petroleum products;
\npartners–Switzerland, US, UK, other EC-associated members of Southern
\nAfrican Customs Union<\/p>\n
External debt: $700 million (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 16.8% (FY86)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 217,000 kW capacity; 630 million kWh produced,
\n510 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: livestock processing; mining of diamonds, copper,
\nnickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash; tourism<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; subsistence
\nfarming predominates; cattle raising supports 50% of the population;
\nmust import large share of food needs<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $242 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.6 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $43 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$24 million<\/p>\n
Currency: pula (plural–pula); 1 pula (P) = 100 thebe<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: pula (P) per US$1–1.8734 (January 1990), 2.0125 (1989),
\n1.8159 (1988), 1.6779 (1987), 1.8678 (1986), 1.8882 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 712 km 1.0 67-meter gauge<\/p>\n
Highways: 11,514 km total; 1,600 km paved; 1,700 km crushed stone or
\ngravel, 5,177 km improved earth, 3,037 km unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 99 total, 87 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: the small system is a combination of open-wire lines,
\nradio relay links, and a few radiocommunication stations; 17,900 telephones;
\nstations–2 AM, 3 FM, no TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Air Wing, Botswana Police<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 249,480; 131,304 fit for military
\nservice; 14,363 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 2.2% of GNP (1987)
\n.pa
\nBouvet Island
\n(territory of Norway)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 58 km2; land area: 58 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 29.6 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 10 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 4 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: antarctic<\/p>\n
Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 meters;
\ncoast is mostly inacessible<\/p>\n
Natural resources: none<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 100% other<\/p>\n
Environment: covered by glacial ice<\/p>\n
Note: located in the South Atlantic Ocean 2,575 km
\nsouth-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: uninhabited<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: territory of Norway<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: no economic activity<\/p>\n
Communications
\nPorts: none; offshore anchorage only<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: automatic meteorological station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of Norway
\n.pa
\nBrazil
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 8,511,965 km2; land area: 8,456,510 km2; includes
\nArquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade,
\nIlhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 14,691 km total; Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km,
\nColombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km,
\nPeru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 7,491 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 200 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Paraguay (just west of
\nGuaira Falls on the Rio Parana) is in dispute; two short
\nsections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute (Arroyo de la
\nInvernada area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of
\nthe Rio Quarai and the Uruguay); claims a Zone of Interest in Antarctica<\/p>\n
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
\nmountains, and narrow coastal belt<\/p>\n
Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium,
\nphosphates, tin, hydropower, gold, platinum, crude oil, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 7% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures;
\n67% forest and woodland; 6% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: recurrent droughts in northeast; floods and frost in south;
\ndeforestation in Amazon basin; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro
\nand Sao Paulo<\/p>\n
Note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries
\nwith every South American country except Chile and Ecuador<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 152,505,077 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 26 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 7 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 68 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Brazilian(s); adjective–Brazilian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, black,
\nAmerindian; 55% white, 38% mixed, 6% black, 1% other<\/p>\n
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic (nominal)<\/p>\n
Language: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French<\/p>\n
Literacy: 76%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 57,000,000 (1989 est.); 42% services, 31% agriculture,
\n27% industry<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 13,000,000 dues paying members (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Federative Republic of Brazil<\/p>\n
Type: federal republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Brasilia<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 24 states (estados, singular–estado),
\n2 territories* (territorios, singular–territorio), and 1 federal district**
\n(distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa*, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara,
\nDistrito Federal**, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato
\nGrosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana,
\nPernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul,
\nRondonia, Roraima*, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins;
\nnote–the territories of Amapa and Roraima will become states
\non 15 March 1991<\/p>\n
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 5 October 1988<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Latin codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
\njurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)
\nconsists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or
\nChamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–President Fernando
\nAffonso COLLOR de Mello (since 15 March 1990); Vice President
\nItamar FRANCO (since 15 March 1990)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: National Reconstruction Party (PRN),
\nDaniel Tourinho, president; Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB),
\nUlysses Guimaraes, president; Liberal Front Party (PFL), Hugo
\nNapoleao, president; Workers’ Party (PT), Luis Ignacio (Lula) da
\nSilva, president; Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Luiz Gonzaga de Paiva
\nMuniz, president; Democratic Labor Party (PDT), Doutel de Andrade,
\npresident; Democratic Social Party (PDS), Jarbas Passarinho, president;
\nBrazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Mario Covas, president;
\nBrazilian Communist Party (PCB), Salomao Malina, secretary general;
\nCommunist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao Amazonas, president<\/p>\n
Suffrage: voluntary at age 16; compulsory between ages 18 and 70;
\nvoluntary at age 70<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPresident–last held 15 November 1989, with runoff on 17
\nDecember 1989 (next to be held November 1994);
\nresults–Fernando Collor de Mello 53%, Luis Inacio da Silva 47%;
\nfirst free, direct presidential election since 1960;<\/p>\n
Senate–last held 15 November 1986 (next to be held 3 October
\n1990); results–PMDB 60%, PFL 21%, PDS 8%, PDT 3%, others 8%;
\nseats–(66 total) PMDB 43, PFL 15, PDS 6, PDT 2, others 6; note–as of
\n1990 Senate has 75 seats;<\/p>\n
Chamber of Deputies–last held 15 November 1986 (next to
\nbe held 3 October 1990);
\nresults–PMDB 53%, PFL 23%, PDS 7%, PDT 5%, other 12%;
\nseats–(495 total) PMDB 258, PFL 114, PDS 33, PDT 24, others 58;
\nnote–as of 1990 Chamber of Deputies has 570 seats<\/p>\n
Communists: about 30,000<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: left wing of the Catholic Church
\nand labor unions allied to leftist Worker’s Party are critical of government’s
\nsocial and economic policies<\/p>\n
Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
\nICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB–Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF,
\nIMO, INTELSAT, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC–International Wheat Council, OAS, PAHO,
\nSELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Marcilio Marques MOREIRA; Chancery
\nat 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-2700;
\nthere are Brazilian Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami,
\nNew Orleans, and New York, and Consulates in Dallas, Houston, and San Francisco;
\nUS–Ambassador Richard MELTON; Embassy at Avenida das Nocoes,
\nLote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal (mailing address is APO Miami 34030);
\ntelephone \u00d555\u00e5 (6) 321-7272; there are US Consulates General in Rio de Janeiro
\nand Sao Paulo, and Consulates in Porto Alegre and Recife<\/p>\n
Flag: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue
\ncelestial globe with 23 white five-pointed stars (one for each state) arranged
\nin the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white
\nequatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy, a mixture of private enterprises of all
\nsizes and extensive government intervention, experienced enormous
\ndifficulties in the late 1980s, notably declining real growth, runaway
\ninflation, foreign debt obligations of more than $100 billion, and
\nuncertain economic policy. Government intervention includes trade and
\ninvestment restrictions, wage\/price controls, interest and exchange rate
\ncontrols, and extensive tariff barriers. Ownership of major industrial
\nfacilities is divided among private interests, the government, and
\nmultinational companies. Ownership in agriculture likewise is varied,
\nwith the government intervening in the politically sensitive
\nissues involving large landowners and the masses of poor peasants.
\nIn consultation with the IMF, the Brazilian Government has initiated
\nseveral programs over the last few years to ameliorate the stagnation
\nand foreign debt problems. None of these has given more than temporary
\nrelief. The strategy of the new Collor government is to increase
\nthe pace of privatization, encourage foreign trade and investment,
\nand establish a more realistic exchange rate. One long-run strength
\nis the existence of vast natural resources.<\/p>\n
GDP: $377 billion, per capita $2,500; real growth rate 3% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,765% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 2.5% (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $27.8 billion; expenditures $40.1 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $8.8 billion (1986)<\/p>\n
Exports: $34.2 billion (1989 est.);
\ncommodities–coffee, metallurgical products, chemical products,
\nfoodstuffs, iron ore, automobiles and parts;
\npartners–US 28%, EC 26%, Latin America 11%, Japan 6% (1987)<\/p>\n
Imports: $18.0 billion (1989 est.);
\ncommodities–crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs,
\ncoal;
\npartners–Middle East and Africa 24%, EC 22%, US 21%, Latin
\nAmerica 12%, Japan 6% (1987)<\/p>\n
External debt: $109 billion (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 3.2% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 52,865,000 kW capacity; 202,280 million kWh produced,
\n1,340 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: textiles and other consumer goods, shoes, chemicals, cement,
\nlumber, iron ore, steel, motor vehicles and auto parts, metalworking, capital
\ngoods, tin<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP; world’s largest producer and
\nexporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second-largest exporter of
\nsoybeans; other products–rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef; self-sufficient
\nin food, except for wheat<\/p>\n
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for
\ndomestic consumption; government has an active eradication program
\nto control cannabis and coca cultivation<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $2.5 billion; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $9.5 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $284 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$1.3 billion<\/p>\n
Currency: novo cruzado (plural–novos cruzados);
\n1 novo cruzado (NCr$) = 100 centavos<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: novos cruzados (NCr$) per US$1–2.83392 (1989),
\n0.26238 (1988), 0.03923 (1987), 0.01366 (1986), 0.00620 (1985); note–
\n25 tourist\/parallel rate (December 1989)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 29,694 km total; 25,268 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,339 km
\n1.600-meter gauge, 74 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge,
\n13 km 0.760-meter gauge; 2,308 km electrified<\/p>\n
Highways: 1,448,000 km total; 48,000 km paved, 1,400,000 km gravel or
\nearth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 50,000 km navigable<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 2,000 km; refined products, 3,804 km; natural gas,
\n1,095 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre,
\nRecife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 271 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,855,708
\nGRT\/9,909,097 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 68 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo,
\n12 container, 9 roll-on\/roll-off, 56 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
\n(POL) tanker, 15 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 14 combination ore\/oil,
\n82 bulk, 2 combination bulk<\/p>\n
Civil air: 176 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 3,774 total, 3,106 usable; 386 with permanent-surface runways;
\n2 with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,240-3,659 m; 503 with runways
\n1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: good system; extensive radio relay facilities;
\n9.86 million telephones; stations–1,223 AM, no FM, 112 TV, 151 shortwave;
\n3 coaxial submarine cables 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations with total
\nof 3 antennas; 64 domestic satellite stations<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil, Brazilian Air Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 39,620,936; 26,752,307 fit for military
\nservice; 1,617,378 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 0.6% of GDP, or $2.3 billion (1989 est.)
\n.pa
\nBritish Indian Ocean Territory
\n(dependent territory of the UK)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 60 km2; land area: 60 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: none<\/p>\n
Coastline: 698 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: Diego Garcia is claimed by Mauritius<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat and low (up to 4 meters in elevation)<\/p>\n
Natural resources: coconuts, fish<\/p>\n
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
\n0% forest and woodland; 100% other<\/p>\n
Environment: archipelago of 2,300 islands<\/p>\n
Note: Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies
\nstrategic location in central Indian Ocean<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: no permanent civilian population; formerly about 3,000
\nislanders<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: civilian inhabitants, known as the Ilois, evacuated to
\nMauritius before construction of UK and US defense facilities<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: British Indian Ocean Territory (no short-form
\nname); abbreviated BIOT<\/p>\n
Type: dependent territory of the UK<\/p>\n
Capital: none<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Commissioner R. EDIS (since NA 1988),
\nAdministrator Robin CROMPTON (since NA 1988);
\nnote–both officials reside in the UK<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory
\nof the UK)<\/p>\n
Flag: the flag of the UK is used<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: All economic activity is concentrated on the largest
\nisland of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located.
\nConstruction projects and various services needed to support the military
\ninstallations are done by military and contract employees from the UK and US.
\nThere are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands.<\/p>\n
Electricity: provided by the US military<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: short stretch of paved road between port and airfield on
\nDiego Garcia<\/p>\n
Ports: Diego Garcia<\/p>\n
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways over 3,659 m on Diego Garcia<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: minimal facilities; stations (operated by the
\nUS Navy)–1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the UK
\n.pa
\nBritish Virgin Islands
\n(dependent territory of the UK)
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 150 km2; land area: 150 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Coastline: 80 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 3 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds<\/p>\n
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly<\/p>\n
Natural resources: negligible<\/p>\n
Land use: 20% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 33% meadows and pastures;
\n7% forest and woodland; 33% other<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms from July
\nto October<\/p>\n
Note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 12,258 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 20 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 5 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 3 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 14 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 77 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–British Virgin Islander(s); adjective–British
\nVirgin Islander<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: over 90% black, remainder of white and Asian origin<\/p>\n
Religion: majority Methodist; others include Anglican, Church of God,
\nSeventh-Day Adventist, Baptist, and Roman Catholic<\/p>\n
Language: English (official)<\/p>\n
Literacy: 98%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 4,911 (1980)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: NA<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: dependent territory of the UK<\/p>\n
Capital: Road Town<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 1 June 1977<\/p>\n
Legal system: English law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July<\/p>\n
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief minister,
\nExecutive Council (cabinet)<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
\nGovernor John Mark Ambrose HERDMAN (since NA 1986);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Chief Minister H. Lavity STOUTT (since NA 1986)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: United Party (UP), Conrad Maduro;
\nVirgin Islands Party (VIP), H. Lavity Stoutt; Independent
\nPeople’s Movement (IPM), Cyril B. Romney<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nLegislative Council–last held 30 September 1986 (next to be
\nheld by September 1991); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(9 total) UP 2, VIP 5, IPM 2<\/p>\n
Communists: probably none<\/p>\n
Member of: Commonwealth<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)<\/p>\n
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
\nthe Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the
\ncoat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical
\ncolumn of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word
\nVIGILATE (Be Watchful)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is highly dependent on the tourist industry,
\nwhich generates about 21% of the national income. In 1985 the government
\noffered offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in
\nthe islands, and, in consequence, incorporation fees generated about $2 million
\nin 1987. Livestock raising is the most significant agricultural activity. The
\nislands’ crops, limited by poor soils, are unable to meet food requirements.<\/p>\n
GDP: $106.7 million, per capita $8,900; real growth rate 2.5% (1987)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (January 1987)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $26.2 million; expenditures $25.4 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $2.3 million (f.o.b., 1985); commodities–rum, fresh fish,
\ngravel, sand, fruits, animals; partners–Virgin Islands (US),
\nPuerto Rico, US<\/p>\n
Imports: $72.0 million (c.i.f., 1985); commodities–building
\nmaterials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery; partners–Virgin Islands
\n(US), Puerto Rico, US<\/p>\n
External debt: $4.5 million (1985)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 4.0% (1985)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 13,500 kW capacity; 59 million kWh produced,
\n4,870 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block,
\noffshore financial center<\/p>\n
Agriculture: livestock (including poultry), fish, fruit, vegetables<\/p>\n
Aid: NA<\/p>\n
Currency: US currency is used<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: US currency is used<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 106 km motorable roads (1983)<\/p>\n
Ports: Road Town<\/p>\n
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways
\nless than 1,220 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: 3,000 telephones; worldwide external telephone
\nservice; submarine cable communication links to Bermuda; stations–1 AM,
\nno FM, 1 TV<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nNote: defense is the responsibility of the UK
\n.pa
\nBrunei
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 5,770 km2; land area: 5,270 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware<\/p>\n
Land boundary: 381 km with Malaysia<\/p>\n
Coastline: 161 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides
\nthe country<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy<\/p>\n
Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland
\nin west<\/p>\n
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, timber<\/p>\n
Land use: 1% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures;
\n79% forest and woodland; 18% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare<\/p>\n
Note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking
\nIndian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost
\nan enclave of Malaysia<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 372,108 (July 1990), growth rate 7.1% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 23 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 4 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 52 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 77 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bruneian(s); adjective–Bruneian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 64% Malay, 20% Chinese, 16% other<\/p>\n
Religion: 60% Muslim (official); 8% Christian; 32% Buddhist and
\nindigenous beliefs<\/p>\n
Language: Malay (official), English, and Chinese<\/p>\n
Literacy: 45%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 89,000 (includes members of the Army); 33% of labor
\nforce is foreign (1988); 50.4% production of oil, natural gas, and
\nconstruction; 47.6% trade, services, and other; 2.0% agriculture,
\nforestry, and fishing (1984)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: 2% of labor force<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Negara Brunei Darussalam<\/p>\n
Type: constitutional sultanate<\/p>\n
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular–daerah);
\nBelait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong<\/p>\n
Independence: 1 January 1984 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended
\nunder a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since
\nindependence on 1 January 1984)<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on Islamic law<\/p>\n
National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: sultan, prime minister, Council of Cabinet Ministers<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council
\n(Majlis Masyuarat Megeri)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–Sultan and Prime Minister Sir Muda
\nHASSANAL BOLKIAH Muizzaddin Waddaulah (since 5 October 1967)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Brunei National United Party
\n(inactive), Anak Hasanuddin, chairman; Brunei National Democratic Party
\n(the first legal political party and now banned) Abdul Latif
\nbin Abdul Hamid, chairman<\/p>\n
Suffrage: none<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nLegislative Council–last held in March 1962; in 1970
\nthe Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the sultan
\nand no elections are planned<\/p>\n
Communists: probably none<\/p>\n
Member of: ASEAN, ESCAP (associate member), IMO, INTERPOL, OIC, UN<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dato Paduka Haji MOHAMED SUNI
\nbin Haji Idris; Chancery at 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
\ntelephone (202) 342-0159; US–Ambassador Christopher H. PHILLIPS;
\nEmbassy at Teck Guan Plaza (corner of Jalan McArthur), Bandar Seri
\nBegawan (mailing address is P. O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan);
\ntelephone \u00d5673\u00e5 (2) 29670<\/p>\n
Flag: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width)
\nand black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is
\nsuperimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of
\na winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two
\nupraised hands<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: The economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic
\nentrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare measures, and
\nvillage tradition. It is almost totally supported by exports of
\ncrude oil and natural gas, with revenues from the petroleum sector
\naccounting for more than 70% of GDP. Per capita GDP of $9,600
\nis among the highest in the Third World, and substantial income from
\noverseas investment supplements domestic production. The government
\nprovides for all medical services and subsidizes food and housing.<\/p>\n
GDP: $3.3 billion, per capita $9,600; real growth rate
\n2.5% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment: 2.5%, shortage of skilled labor (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $1.2 billion (1987); expenditures $1.6 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of NA (1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $2.07 billion (f.o.b., 1987);
\ncommodities–crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products;
\npartners–Japan 55% (1986)<\/p>\n
Imports: $800 million (c.i.f., 1987);
\ncommodities–machinery and transport equipment, manufactured
\ngoods; food, beverages, tobacco; consumer goods;
\npartners–Singapore 31%, US 20%, Japan 6% (1986)<\/p>\n
External debt: none<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate NA%<\/p>\n
Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 890 million kWh produced,
\n2,580 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: petroleum, liquefied natural gas, construction<\/p>\n
Agriculture: imports about 80% of its food needs; principal crops
\nand livestock include rice, cassava, bananas, buffaloes, and pigs<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $20.6 million;
\nWestern (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
\n(1970-87), $143.7 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Bruneian dollar (plural–dollars); 1 Bruneian dollar
\n(B$) = 100 cents<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1–1.8895 (January 1990),
\n1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774 (1986), 2.2002 (1985);
\nnote–the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore dollar<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 13 km 0.610-meter narrow-gauge private line<\/p>\n
Highways: 1,090 km total; 370 km paved (bituminous treated) and another
\n52 km under construction, 720 km gravel or unimproved<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 meters<\/p>\n
Ports: Kuala Belait, Muara<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 7 liquefied gas carriers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
\n348,476 GRT\/340,635 DWT<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude oil, 135 km; refined products, 418 km;
\nnatural gas, 920 km<\/p>\n
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft (3 Boeing 757-200,
\n1 Boeing 737-200)<\/p>\n
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
\nrunway over 3,659 m; 1 with runway 1,406 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: service throughout country is adequate for present
\nneeds; international service good to adjacent Malaysia; radiobroadcast coverage
\ngood; 33,000 telephones (1987); stations–4 AM\/FM, 1 TV; 74,000 radio receivers
\n(1987); satellite earth stations–1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific
\nOcean INTELSAT<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Royal Brunei Armed Forces, including air wing, navy, and ground
\nforces; British Gurkha Battalion; Royal Brunei Police; Gurkha Reserve Unit<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 104,398; 60,242 fit for military service;
\n3,106 reach military age (18) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: $197.6 million, 17% of central government budget
\n(FY86)
\n.pa
\nBulgaria
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 110,910 km2; land area: 110,550 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 1,881 km total; Greece 494 km, Romania 608 km,
\nTurkey 240 km, Yugoslavia 539 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 354 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: Macedonia question with Greece and Yugoslavia<\/p>\n
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and south<\/p>\n
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber,
\narable land<\/p>\n
Land use: 34% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures;
\n35% forest and woodland; 10% other; includes 11% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to earthquakes, landslides; deforestation;
\nair pollution<\/p>\n
Note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key
\nland routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 8,933,544 (July 1990), growth rate – 0.3% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 13 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 12 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 4 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Bulgarian(s); adjective–Bulgarian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 85.3% Bulgarian, 8.5% Turk, 2.6% Gypsy, 2.5%
\nMacedonian, 0.3% Armenian, 0.2% Russian, 0.6% other<\/p>\n
Religion: religious background of population is 85% Bulgarian
\nOrthodox, 13% Muslim, 0.8% Jewish, 0.7% Roman Catholic, 0.5%
\nProtestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other<\/p>\n
Language: Bulgarian; secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic
\nbreakdown<\/p>\n
Literacy: 95% (est.)<\/p>\n
Labor force: 4,300,000; 33% industry, 20% agriculture, 47% other (1987)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: all workers are members of the Central Council of
\nTrade Unions (CCTU); Pod Krepa (Support), an independent trade union,
\nlegally registered in January 1990<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: People’s Republic of Bulgaria<\/p>\n
Type: Communist state, but democratic elections planned for 1990<\/p>\n
Capital: Sofia<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces (oblasti, singular–oblast)
\nand 1 city* (grad); Burgas, Grad Sofiya*, Khaskovo, Lovech, Mikhaylovgrad,
\nPlovdiv, Razgrad, Sofiya, Varna<\/p>\n
Independence: 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 16 May 1971, effective 18 May 1971<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on civil law system, with Soviet law influence;
\njudicial review of legislative acts in the State Council; has accepted
\ncompulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Anniversary of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria,
\n9 September (1944)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, chairman of the Council of Ministers,
\nfour deputy chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Narodno Sobranyie)<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President Petur Toshev MLADENOV (chairman of
\nthe State Council since 11 November 1989; became president
\non 3 April 1990 when the State Council was abolished);<\/p>\n
Head of Government–Chairman of the Council of Ministers
\nAndrey LUKANOV (since 3 February 1990); Deputy Chairman of the
\nCouncil of Ministers Chudomir Asenov ALEKSANDROV (since 8 February
\n1990); Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Belcho Antonov BELCHEV
\n(since 8 February 1990); Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
\nKonstantin Dimitrov KOSEV (since 8 February 1990); Deputy Chairman of
\nthe Council of Ministers Nora Krachunova ANANIEVA (since 8 February 1990)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP),
\nAleksandur Lilov, chairman; Bulgarian National Agrarian
\nUnion (BZNS), Angel Angelov Dimitrov, secretary of Permanent Board;
\nBulgarian Social Democratic Party, Petur Dentlieu; Green Party;
\nChristian Democrats; Radical Democratic Party; others forming<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nChairman of the State Council–last held 17 June 1986
\n(next to be held 10 and 17 June 1990);
\nresults–Todor Zhivkov reelected but was replaced by
\nPetur Toshev Mladenov on 11 November 1989;<\/p>\n
National Assembly–last held 8 June 1986 (next to be held
\n10 and 17 June 1990); results–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(400 total) BKP 276, BZNS 99, others 25<\/p>\n
Communists: 932,055 party members (April 1986)<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Union of Democratic Forces
\n(umbrella organization for opposition groups); Ecoglenost, Podkrepa
\nIndependent Trade Union, Fatherland Front, Communist Youth Union, Central
\nCouncil of Trade Unions, National Committee for Defense of
\nPeace, Union of Fighters Against Fascism and Capitalism, Committee
\nof Bulgarian Women, All-National Committee for Bulgarian-Soviet
\nFriendship; Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of about a
\ndozen dissident groups; numerous regional and national interest
\ngroups with various agendas<\/p>\n
Member of: CCC, CEMA, FAO, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO,
\nIPU, ITC, ITU, IWC–International Wheat Council, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
\nWarsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Velichko Filipov VELICHKOV;
\nChancery at 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-7969;
\nUS–Ambassador Sol POLANSKY; Embassy at 1 Alexander Stamboliski Boulevard,
\nSofia (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone \u00d5359\u00e5 (2) 88-48-01
\nthrough 05<\/p>\n
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red with the
\nnational emblem on the hoist side of the white stripe; the emblem contains a
\nrampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and
\nabove a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and
\n1944 (liberation from Nazi control)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Growth in the sluggish Bulgarian economy fell to the
\n2% annual level in the 1980s, and by 1989 Sofia’s foreign debt had
\nskyrocketed to $10 billion–giving a debt service ratio of more
\nthan 40% of hard currency earnings. The post-Zhivkov regime
\nfaces major problems of renovating an aging industrial plant,
\nkeeping abreast of rapidly unfolding technological developments,
\ninvesting in additional energy capacity (the portion of electric
\npower from nuclear energy reached 37% in 1988), and motivating workers,
\nin part by giving them a share in the earnings of their enterprises.
\nA major decree of January 1989 summarized and extended
\nthe government’s economic restructuring efforts, which include a partial
\ndecentralization of controls over production decisions and foreign trade.
\nThe new regime promises more extensive reforms and eventually a market
\neconomy. But the ruling group cannot (so far) bring itself to give
\nup ultimate control over economic affairs exercised through the vertical
\nParty\/ministerial command structure. Reforms have not
\nled to improved economic performance, in particular the provision of more
\nand better consumer goods. A further blow to the economy was the exodus
\nof 310,000 ethnic Turks in mid-1989, which caused temporary shortages
\nof skilled labor in glassware, aluminum, and other industrial plants
\nand in tobacco fields.<\/p>\n
GNP: $51.2 billion, per capita $5,710; real growth rate – 0.1%
\n(1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (1989)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $26 billion; expenditures $28 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $NA billion (1988)<\/p>\n
Exports: $20.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–machinery and equipment 60.5%; agricultural products 14.7%;
\nmanufactured consumer goods 10.6%; fuels, minerals, raw materials, and metals
\n8.5%; other 5.7%;
\npartners–Socialist countries 82.5% (USSR 61%, GDR 5.5%, Czechoslovakia
\n4.9%); developed countries 6.8% (FRG 1.2%, Greece 1.0%); less developed
\ncountries 10.7% (Libya 3.5%, Iraq 2.9%)<\/p>\n
Imports: $21.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–fuels, minerals, and raw materials 45.2%; machinery and
\nequipment 39.8%; manufactured consumer goods 4.6%; agricultural products 3.8%;
\nother 6.6%;
\npartners–Socialist countries 80.5% (USSR 57.5%, GDR 5.7%), developed
\ncountries 15.1% (FRG 4.8%, Austria 1.6%); less developed countries 4.4%
\n(Libya 1.0%, Brazil 0.9%)<\/p>\n
External debt: $10 billion (1989)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 0.9% (1988)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 11,500,000 kW capacity; 45,000 million kWh produced,
\n5,000 kWh per capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: food processing, machine and metal building,
\nelectronics, chemicals<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP; climate and soil conditions support
\nlivestock raising and the growing of various grain crops, oilseeds, vegetables,
\nfruits and tobacco; more than one-third of the arable land devoted to grain;
\nworld’s fourth-largest tobacco exporter; surplus food producer<\/p>\n
Aid: donor–$1.6 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed
\ncountries (1956-88)<\/p>\n
Currency: lev (plural–leva); 1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1–0.84 (1989), 0.82 (1988),
\n0.90 (1987), 0.95 (1986), 1.03 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 4,294 km total, all government owned (1986); 4,049 km
\n1.435-meter standard gauge, 245 km narrow gauge; 908 km double track; 2,342 km
\nelectrified<\/p>\n
Highways: 37,397 km total; 33,352 km hard surface (including 228 km
\nsuperhighways); 4,045 km earth roads (1986)<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 470 km (1986)<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude, 193 km; refined product, 418 km; natural gas, 1,400 km
\n(1986)<\/p>\n
Ports: Burgas, Varna, Varna West; river ports are Ruse, Vidin, and Lom
\non the Danube<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 108 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 1,240,204
\nGRT\/1,872,723 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 32 cargo, 2 container,
\n1 passenger-cargo training, 5 roll-on\/roll-off, 16 petroleum, oils, and
\nlubricants (POL) tanker, 2 railcar carriers, 48 bulk<\/p>\n
Civil air: 65 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 380 total, 380 usable; about 120 with permanent-surface
\nrunways; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: stations–15 AM, 16 FM, 13 TV; 1 Soviet TV relay;
\n2,100,000 TV sets; 2,100,000 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth
\nstation<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Bulgarian People’s Army, Bulgarian Navy, Air and Air
\nDefense Forces, Frontier Troops<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,177,404; 1,823,111 fit for military
\nservice; 66,744 reach military age (19) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 1.6051 billion leva (1989);
\nnote–conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official
\nadministratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results
\n.pa
\nBurkina
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 274,200 km2; land area: 273,800 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 3,192 km total; Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km,
\nIvory Coast 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was
\nsubmitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the
\nICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept;
\nBurkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the
\ntripoint with Niger<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and
\nsoutheast<\/p>\n
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits
\nof gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc,
\nsilver<\/p>\n
Land use: 10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 37% meadows and
\npastures; 26% forest and woodland; 27% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting
\nmarginal agricultural activities, population distribution, economy;
\novergrazing; deforestation<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 9,077,828 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 50 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 17 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: – 3 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 121 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 52 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Burkinabe; adjective–Burkinabe<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi (about
\n2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande,
\nand Fulani<\/p>\n
Religion: 65% indigenous beliefs, about 25% Muslim, 10% Christian (mainly
\nRoman Catholic)<\/p>\n
Language: French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic family,
\nspoken by 90% of the population<\/p>\n
Literacy: 13.2%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 3,300,000 residents; 30,000 are wage earners;
\n82% agriculture, 13% industry, 5% commerce, services, and government; 20% of
\nmale labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal
\nemployment (1984); 44% of population of working age (1985)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: four principal trade union groups represent less than 1%
\nof population<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Burkina Faso<\/p>\n
Type: military; established by coup on 4 August 1983<\/p>\n
Capital: Ouagadougou<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba,
\nBoulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo,
\nKenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri,
\nOubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili,
\nSoum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo<\/p>\n
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France; formerly Upper Volta)<\/p>\n
Constitution: none; constitution of 27 November 1977 was abolished
\nfollowing coup of 25 November 1980<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law<\/p>\n
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: chairman of the Popular Front, Council of Ministers<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
\nwas dissolved on 25 November 1980<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Appeals Court<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–Chairman of the
\nPopular Front Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned following
\nNovember 1980 coup<\/p>\n
Suffrage: none<\/p>\n
Elections: the National Assembly was dissolved 25 November 1980 and
\nno elections are scheduled<\/p>\n
Communists: small Communist party front group; some sympathizers<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: committees for the defense of the
\nrevolution, watchdog\/political action groups throughout the country in both
\norganizations and communities<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), Entente, FAO,
\nGATT, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB–Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
\nINTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OCAM, OIC,
\nUN, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul Desire KABORE;
\nChancery at 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
\ntelephone (202) 332-5577 or 6895;
\nUS–Ambassador David H. SHINN; Embassy at Avenue Raoul Follerau,
\nOuagadougou (mailing address is B. P. 35, Ouagadougou);
\ntelephone \u00d5226\u00e5 30-67-23 through 25<\/p>\n
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow
\nfive-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina
\nhas a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively infertile
\nsoil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within
\na landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of GDP and is
\nentirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by unprofitable
\ngovernment-controlled corporations, accounted for 13% of GDP in 1985.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.43 billion, per capita $170; real growth rate 7.7% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1988)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $422 million; expenditures $516 million, including
\ncapital expenditures of $25 million (1987)<\/p>\n
Exports: $249 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–oilseeds, cotton, live animals, gold;
\npartners–EC 42% (France 30%, other 12%), Taiwan 17%,
\nIvory Coast 15% (1985)<\/p>\n
Imports: $591 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–grain, dairy products, petroleum, machinery;
\npartners–EC 37% (France 23%, other 14%), Africa 31%, US 15%
\n(1985)<\/p>\n
External debt: $969 million (December 1988)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate 7.1% (1985)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 121,000 kW capacity; 320 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per
\ncapita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: agricultural processing plants; brewery, cement, and brick
\nplants; a few other small consumer goods enterprises<\/p>\n
Agriculture: cash crops–peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food
\ncrops–sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; not self-sufficient in food
\ngrains<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $271 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.5 billion;
\nCommunist countries (1970-88), $94 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural–francs);
\n1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1–284.55 (January 1990),
\n319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 620 km total; 520 km Ouagadougou to Ivory Coast border and
\n100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; all 1.00-meter gauge and single track<\/p>\n
Highways: 16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved, 7,800 km
\nunimproved (1985)<\/p>\n
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 50 total, 43 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with
\nrunways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: all services only fair; radio relay, wire, and radio
\ncommunication stations in use; 13,900 telephones; stations–2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV;
\n1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Air Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,775,143; 904,552 fit for military
\nservice; no conscription<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (1987)
\n.pa
\nBurma
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 678,500 km2; land area: 657,740 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 5,876 km total; Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km,
\nIndia 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 1,930 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest
\nmonsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures,
\nlower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)<\/p>\n
Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands<\/p>\n
Natural resources: crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper,
\ntungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas<\/p>\n
Land use: 15% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures;
\n49% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 2% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding
\nand landslides common during rainy season (June to September); deforestation<\/p>\n
Note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 41,277,389 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 33 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 13 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 97 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 56 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Burmese; adjective–Burmese<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 68% Burman, 9% Shan, 7% Karen, 4% Rakhine, 3% Chinese,
\n2% Mon, 2% Indian, 5% other<\/p>\n
Religion: 85% Buddhist, 15% animist beliefs, Muslim, Christian, or
\nother<\/p>\n
Language: Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages<\/p>\n
Literacy: 78%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 16,036,000; 65.2% agriculture, 14.3% industry, 10.1% trade,
\n6.3% government, 4.1% other (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: Workers’ Asiayone (association), 1,800,000 members, and
\nPeasants’ Asiayone, 7,600,000 members<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Union of Burma; note–the local official name is
\nPyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw which has been translated as Union of Myanma
\nor Union of Myanmar<\/p>\n
Type: military government<\/p>\n
Capital: Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular–yin) and
\n7 states (pyine-mya, singular–pyine); Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State,
\nKaran State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State,
\nRangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*<\/p>\n
Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)<\/p>\n
Legal system: martial law in effect throughout most of the
\ncountry; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council,
\nState Law and Order Restoration Council<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral People’s Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw)
\nwas dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Council of People’s Justices was abolished after the
\ncoup of 18 September 1988<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State and Head of Government–Chairman of the State Law and Order
\nRestoration Council and Prime Minister Gen. SAW MAUNG (since 18
\nSeptember 1988)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: National League for Democracy,
\nU Tin Oo and Aung San Suu Kyi; League for Democracy and Peace, U Nu;
\nNational Unity Party (promilitary); over 100 other parties<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal at age 18<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nPeople’s Assembly–last held 6-20 October 1985, but dissolved after
\nthe coup of 18 September 1988; next scheduled 27 May 1990);
\nresults–percent of vote by party NA;
\nseats–(NA total) number of seats by party NA<\/p>\n
Communists: several hundred, est., primarily as an insurgent group
\non the northeast frontier<\/p>\n
Other political or pressure groups: Kachin Independence Army; Karen
\nNational Union, several Shan factions (all insurgent groups); Burmese
\nCommunist Party (BCP)<\/p>\n
Member of: ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
\nIDA, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador U MYO AUNG; Chancery at
\n2300 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-9044 through 9046;
\nthere is a Burmese Consulate General in New York;
\nUS–Ambassador Burton LEVIN; Embassy at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon
\n(mailing address is G. P. O. Box 521, Rangoon or
\nBox B, APO San Francisco 96346); telephone 82055 or 82181<\/p>\n
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing,
\nall in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of
\nrice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia, with a per
\ncapita GDP of about $280. The government reports negligible growth
\nfor FY88. The nation has been unable to achieve any significant
\nimprovement in export earnings because of falling prices for many
\nof its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important
\nexport, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets
\nand a smaller volume of sales. In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export
\nand continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the
\nagricultural sector, which generates about 40% of GDP and provides employment
\nfor more than 65% of the work force.<\/p>\n
GDP: $11.0 billion, per capita $280; real growth rate 0.2%
\n(FY88 est.)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.6% (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: 10.4% in urban areas (FY87)<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $5.0 billion,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY89 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $311 million (f.o.b., FY88 est.)
\ncommodities–teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems;
\npartners–Southeast Asia, India, China, EC, Africa<\/p>\n
Imports: $536 million (c.i.f., FY88 est.)
\ncommodities–machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products;
\npartners–Japan, EC, CEMA, China, Southeast Asia<\/p>\n
External debt: $5.6 billion (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: growth rate – 1.5% (FY88)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh
\nper capita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and
\nwood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron;
\nconstruction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fish and
\nforestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops–paddy rice, corn,
\noilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world’s largest stand of hardwood trees;
\nrice and teak account for 55% of export revenues; 1985 fish catch of
\n644 million metric tons<\/p>\n
Illicit drugs: world’s largest illicit producer of opium poppy
\nand minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium
\nproduction is on the increase as growers respond to the collapse
\nof Rangoon’s antinarcotic programs<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $158 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.8 billion;
\nCommunist countries (1970-88), $424 million<\/p>\n
Currency: kyat (plural–kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1–6.5188 (January 1990), 6.7049 (1989),
\n6.3945 (1988), 6.6535 (1987), 7.3304 (1986), 8.4749 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March<\/p>\n
Communications
\nRailroads: 3,991 km total, all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter
\ngauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track<\/p>\n
Highways: 27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth
\nor gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial
\nvessels<\/p>\n
Pipelines: crude, 1,343 km; natural gas, 330 km<\/p>\n
Ports: Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein<\/p>\n
Merchant marine: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 595,814
\nGRT\/955,924 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 2 roll-on\/roll-off,
\n1 vehicle carrier, 1 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
\ntanker, 5 chemical, 16 bulk<\/p>\n
Civil air: 17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)<\/p>\n
Airports: 88 total, 81 usable; 29 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37
\nwith runways 1,220-2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity
\nservice; international service is good; radiobroadcast coverage is limited to
\nthe most populous areas; 53,000 telephones (1986); stations–2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV
\n(1985); 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force<\/p>\n
Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 20,294,848; of the 10,135,886 males
\n15-49, 5,438,196 are fit for military service; of the 10,158,962 females 15-49,
\n5,437,518 are fit for military service; 434,200 males and 423,435 females
\nreach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: $315.0 million, 21.0% of central government budget
\n(FY88)
\n.pa
\nBurundi
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 27,830 km2; land area: 25,650 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km,
\nZaire 233 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Maritime claims: none–landlocked<\/p>\n
Climate: temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains<\/p>\n
Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt,
\ncopper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium<\/p>\n
Land use: 43% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 35% meadows and pastures;
\n2% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes NEGL% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation<\/p>\n
Note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 5,645,997 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 47 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 15 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 111 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Burundian(s); adjective–Burundi<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: Africans–85% Hutu (Bantu), 14% Tutsi (Hamitic), 1%
\nTwa (Pygmy); other Africans include about 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and
\nZairians; non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians<\/p>\n
Religion: about 67% Christian (62% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant), 32%
\nindigenous beliefs, 1% Muslim<\/p>\n
Language: Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika
\nand in the Bujumbura area)<\/p>\n
Literacy: 33.8%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 1,900,000 (1983 est.); 93.0% agriculture, 4.0% government,
\n1.5% industry and commerce, 1.5% services; 52% of population of working age
\n(1985)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB); by
\ncharter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally); figures
\ndenoting active membership unobtainable<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: Republic of Burundi<\/p>\n
Type: republic<\/p>\n
Capital: Bujumbura<\/p>\n
Administrative divisions: 15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi,
\nCankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya,
\nMuyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi<\/p>\n
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian
\nadministration)<\/p>\n
Constitution: 20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of
\n3 September 1987<\/p>\n
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and
\ncustomary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction<\/p>\n
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)<\/p>\n
Executive branch: president, Military Committee for National Salvation,
\nprime minister, Council of Ministers<\/p>\n
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
\nwas dissolved following the coup of 3 September 1987<\/p>\n
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)<\/p>\n
Leaders:
\nChief of State–President Pierre BUYOYA (since 9 September 1987);<\/p>\n
Head of Government Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26
\nOctober 1988)<\/p>\n
Political parties and leaders: only party–National Party of
\nUnity and Progress (UPRONA), a Tutsi-led party, Libere Bararunyeretse,
\ncoordinator of the National Permanent Secretariat<\/p>\n
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA<\/p>\n
Elections:
\nNational Assembly–dissolved after the coup of 3 September
\n1987; no elections are planned<\/p>\n
Communists: no Communist party<\/p>\n
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, EAMA, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO,
\nIDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
\nWMO, WTO<\/p>\n
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE; Chancery at
\nSuite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007;
\ntelephone (202) 342-2574;
\nUS–Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY; Embassy at Avenue du Zaire,
\nBujumbura (mailing address is B. P. 1720, Bujumbura);
\ntelephone 234-54 through 56<\/p>\n
Flag: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom)
\nand green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a white disk superimposed at
\nthe center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a
\ntriangular design (one star above, two stars below)<\/p>\n
Economy
\nOverview: A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage
\nof economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only
\na few basic industries. Its economic health is dependent on the coffee crop,
\nwhich accounts for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year.
\nThe ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the
\nvagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.<\/p>\n
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $255; real growth rate 2.8% (1988)<\/p>\n
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Unemployment rate: NA%<\/p>\n
Budget: revenues $213 million; expenditures $292 million,
\nincluding capital expenditures of $131 million (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Exports: $128 million (f.o.b., 1988);
\ncommodities–coffee 88%, tea, hides and skins;
\npartners–EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%<\/p>\n
Imports: $204 million (c.i.f., 1988);
\ncommodities–capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs,
\nconsumer goods;
\npartners–EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%<\/p>\n
External debt: $795 million (December 1989 est.)<\/p>\n
Industrial production: real growth rate 5.1% (1986)<\/p>\n
Electricity: 51,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 19 kWh per
\ncapita (1989)<\/p>\n
Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly
\nof imports; public works construction; food processing<\/p>\n
Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP; 90% of population dependent on
\nsubsistence farming; marginally self-sufficient in food production;
\ncash crops–coffee, cotton, tea; food crops–corn, sorghum, sweet
\npotatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock–meat, milk, hides, and skins<\/p>\n
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $68 million; Western
\n(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $10 billion;
\nOPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
\n$175 million<\/p>\n
Currency: Burundi franc (plural–francs); 1 Burundi franc
\n(FBu) = 100 centimes<\/p>\n
Exchange rates: Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1–176.20 (January 1990),
\n158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123.56 (1987), 114.17 (1986), 120.69 (1985)<\/p>\n
Fiscal year: calendar year<\/p>\n
Communications
\nHighways: 5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite,
\n3,000 km improved or unimproved earth<\/p>\n
Inland waterways: Lake Tanganyika<\/p>\n
Ports: Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of
\nTanzania and Zaire<\/p>\n
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft<\/p>\n
Airports: 8 total, 7 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
\nnone with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none
\nwith runways 1,220 to 2,439 m<\/p>\n
Telecommunications: sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and
\nlow-capacity radio relay links; 8,000 telephones; stations–2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV;
\n1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station<\/p>\n
Defense Forces
\nBranches: Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie<\/p>\n
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,230,559; 642,927 fit for military
\nservice; 61,418 reach military age (16) annually<\/p>\n
Defense expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (1987)
\n.pa
\nCambodia
\nGeography
\nTotal area: 181,040 km2; land area: 176,520 km2<\/p>\n
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oklahoma<\/p>\n
Land boundaries: 2,572 km total; Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km,
\nVietnam 1,228 km<\/p>\n
Coastline: 443 km<\/p>\n
Maritime claims:<\/p>\n
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;<\/p>\n
Continental shelf: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;<\/p>\n
Territorial sea: 12 nm<\/p>\n
Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the
\nboundary with Vietnam are in dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam
\nnot defined; occupied by Vietnam on 25 December 1978<\/p>\n
Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to October); dry season
\n(December to March); little seasonal temperature variation<\/p>\n
Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north<\/p>\n
Natural resources: timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese,
\nphosphates, hydropower potential<\/p>\n
Land use: 16% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures;
\n76% forest and woodland; 4% other; includes 1% irrigated<\/p>\n
Environment: a land of paddies and forests dominated by Mekong River
\nand Tonle Sap<\/p>\n
Note: buffer between Thailand and Vietnam<\/p>\n
People
\nPopulation: 6,991,107 (July 1990), growth rate 2.2% (1990)<\/p>\n
Birth rate: 39 births\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Death rate: 16 deaths\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Net migration rate: 0 migrants\/1,000 population (1990)<\/p>\n
Infant mortality rate: 128 deaths\/1,000 live births (1990)<\/p>\n
Life expectancy at birth: 47 years male, 50 years female (1990)<\/p>\n
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born\/woman (1990)<\/p>\n
Nationality: noun–Cambodian(s); adjective–Cambodian<\/p>\n
Ethnic divisions: 90% Khmer (Cambodian), 5% Chinese, 5% other minorities<\/p>\n
Religion: 95% Theravada Buddhism, 5% other<\/p>\n
Language: Khmer (official), French<\/p>\n
Literacy: 48%<\/p>\n
Labor force: 2.5-3.0 million; 80% agriculture (1988 est.)<\/p>\n
Organized labor: Kampuchea Federation of Trade Unions (FSC); under
\ngovernment control<\/p>\n
Government
\nLong-form name: none<\/p>\n
Type: disputed between the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea
\n(CGDK) led by Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK and the <\/p>\n
