Chapter 2
Electronic Version (part 2)
Labor force: 2.5-3.0 million; 80% agriculture (1988 est.)
Organized labor: Kampuchea Federation of Trade Unions (FSC); under government control
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: disputed between the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea
(CGDK) led by Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK and the People's Republic of Kampuchea
(PRK) led by HENG SAMRIN
Capital: Phnom Penh
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (khet, singular and plural) and
1 autonomous municipality* (rottatheanei, singular and plural);
Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe,
Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Kracheh,
Mondol Kiri, Phnum Penh*, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear,
Prey Veng, Rotanokiri, Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey,
Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev; note—there may be a new province of
Banteay Meanchey and Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey may have been
divided into two provinces named Siemreab and Otdar Meanchey
Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France)
Constitution: 27 June 1981
National holidays: CGDK—Independence Day, 17 April (1975);
PRK—Liberation Day, 7 January (1979)
Executive branch: CGDK—president, prime minister; PRK—chairman of the
Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers,
Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: CGDK—none; PRK—unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch: CGDK—none; PRK—Supreme People's Court
Leaders: Chief of State—CGDK—President Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK (since NA July 1982); PRK—Chairman of the Council of State HENG SAMRIN (since 27 June 1981);
Head of Government—CGDK—Prime Minister SON SANN (since NA July
1982);
PRK—Chairman of the Council of Ministers HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985)
Political parties and leaders: CGDK—three resistance groups including
Democratic Kampuchea (DK, also known as the Khmer Rouge) under Khieu Samphan,
Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) under Son Sann, and National
United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia
(FUNCINPEC) under Prince Norodom Sihanouk; PRK—Kampuchean People's
Revolutionary Party (KPRP) led by Heng Samrin
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
CGDK—none;
PRK—National Assembly—last held 1 May 1981; in February 1986 the Assembly voted to extend its term for five years (next to be held by March 1990); results—KPRP is the only party; seats—(123 total) KPRP 123
Member of: ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, Mekong Committee (inactive), NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO for CGDK; none for PRK
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: CGDK—red with the yellow silhouette of a stylized three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the center;
Non-Communists—three horizontal bands of blue, red (double width), and blue with a white stylized temple representing Angkor Wat centered on the red band;
PRK—red with the yellow silhouette of a stylized five-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the center
- Economy Overview: Cambodia is a desperately poor country whose economic development has been stymied by deadly political infighting. The economy is based on agriculture and related industries. Over the past decade Cambodia has been slowly recovering from its near destruction by war and political upheaval. It still remains, however, one of the world's poorest countries, with an estimated per capita GDP of about $130. The food situation is precarious; during the 1980s famine has been averted only through international relief. In 1986 the production level of rice, the staple food crop, was able to meet only 80% of domestic needs. The biggest success of the nation's recovery program has been in new rubber plantings and in fishing. Industry, other than rice processing, is almost nonexistent. Foreign trade is primarily with the USSR and Vietnam. Statistical data on the economy continues to be sparse and unreliable.
GDP: $890 million, per capita $130; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Exports: $32 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood; partners—Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India
Imports: $147 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—international food aid; fuels, consumer goods; partners—Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India
External debt: $600 million (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 126,000 kW capacity; 150 million kWh produced, 21 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining
Agriculture: mainly subsistence farming except for rubber plantations; main crops—rice, rubber, corn; food shortages—rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $719 million; Western (non-US) countries (1970-85), $270 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $950 million
Currency: riel (plural—riels); 1 riel (CR) = 100 sen
Exchange rates: riels (CR) per US$1—218 (November 1989) 100.00 (1987), 30.00 (1986), 7.00 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 612 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned
Highways: 13,351 km total; 2,622 km bituminous; 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth; 3,624 km unimproved earth; some roads in disrepair
Inland waterways: 3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 meters; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters
Ports: Kampong Saom, Phnom Penh
Airports: 22 total, 9 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public; international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries; stations—1 AM, no FM, 1 TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: PRK—People's Republic of Kampuchea Armed Forces;
Communist resistance forces—National Army of Democratic Kampuchea
(Khmer Rouge); non-Communist resistance forces—Sihanoukist National
Army (ANS) and Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,857,129; 1,025,456 fit for military service; 61,649 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: NA
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Country: Cameroon
- Geography
Total area: 475,440 km2; land area: 469,440 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: 4,591 km total; Central African Republic 797 km,
Chad 1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km,
Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 50 nm
Disputes: exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted; Nigerian proposals to reopen maritime boundary negotiations and redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon
Climate: varies with terrain from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain: diverse with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Natural resources: crude oil, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential
Land use: 13% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures; 54% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa
- People
Population: 11,092,470 (July 1990), growth rate 2.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 120 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cameroonian(s); adjective—Cameroonian
Ethnic divisions: over 200 tribes of widely differing background; 31%
Cameroon Highlanders, 19% Equatorial Bantu, 11% Kirdi, 10% Fulani, 8%
Northwestern Bantu, 7% Eastern Nigritic, 13% other African, less than 1%
non-African
Religion: 51% indigenous beliefs, 33% Christian, 16% Muslim
Language: English and French (official), 24 major African language groups
Literacy: 56.2%
Labor force: NA; 74.4% agriculture, 11.4% industry and transport, 14.2% other services (1983); 50% of population of working age (15-64 years) (1985)
Organized labor: under 45% of wage labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Cameroon
Type: unitary republic; one-party presidential regime
Capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est,
Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under
French administration; formerly French Cameroon)
Constitution: 20 May 1972
Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Cameroon People's
Democratic Movement (RDPC), Paul Biya, president
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: President—last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results—President Paul Biya reelected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results—RDPC is the only party; seats—(180 total) RDPC 180
Communists: no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: Cameroon People's Union (UPC), remains an illegal group with its factional leaders in exile
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, Lake Chad Basin Commission,
NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul PONDI; Chancery at 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-8790 through 8794; US—Ambassador Frances COOK; Embassy at Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde (mailing address is B. P. 817, Yaounde); telephone 234014; there is a US Consulate General in Douala
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy Overview: Over the past decade the economy has registered a remarkable performance because of the development of an offshore oil industry. Real GDP growth annually averaged 10% from 1978 to 1985. In 1986 Cameroon had one of the highest levels of income per capita in tropical Africa, with oil revenues picking up the slack as growth in other sectors softened. Because of the sharp drop in oil prices, however, the economy is now experiencing serious budgetary difficulties and balance-of-payments disequalibrium. Oil reserves currently being exploited will be depleted in the early 1990s, so ways must be found to boost agricultural and industrial exports in the medium term. The Sixth Cameroon Development Plan (1986-91) stresses balanced development and designates agriculture as the basis of the country's economic future.
GDP: $12.9 billion, per capita $955; real growth rate - 8.6% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (FY88)
Unemployment rate: 7% (1985)
Budget: revenues $2.17 billion; expenditures $2.17 billion, including capital expenditures of $833 million (FY88)
Exports: $2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—petroleum products 56%, coffee, cocoa, timber, manufactures; partners—EC (particularly the Netherlands) about 50%, US 3%
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—machines and electrical equipment, transport equipment, chemical products, consumer goods; partners—France 42%, Japan 7%, US 4%
External debt: $4.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 6.4% (FY87)
Electricity: 752,000 kW capacity; 2,940 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil products, small aluminum plant, food processing, light consumer goods industries, sawmills
Agriculture: the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of the population, contributing nearly 25% to GDP and providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods; commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $400 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $120 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 1,003 km total; 858 km 1.000-meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge
Highways: about 65,000 km total; includes 2,682 km bituminous, 30,000 km unimproved earth, 32,318 km gravel, earth, and improved earth
Inland waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance
Ports: Douala
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT
Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft
Airports: 61 total, 54 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good system of open wire, cable, troposcatter, and radio relay; 26,000 telephones; stations—10 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,553,867; 1,286,831 fit for military service; 121,773 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.7% of GDP, or $219 million (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Canada
- Geography
Total area: 9,976,140 km2; land area: 9,220,970 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries: 8,893 km with US (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary disputes with France (St. Pierre and Miquelon) and US
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, crude oil, natural gas
Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 57% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: 80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development
Note: second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic location between USSR and US via north polar route
- People
Population: 26,538,229 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Canadian(s); adjective—Canadian
Ethnic divisions: 40% British Isles origin, 27% French origin, 20% other
European, 1.5% indigenous Indian and Eskimo
Religion: 46% Roman Catholic, 16% United Church, 10% Anglican
Language: English and French (both official)
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)
Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural paid workers
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta,
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland,
Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to
Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Commons
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January 1990);
Head of Government—Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since 4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since NA June 1986)
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Conservative, Brian Mulroney;
Liberal, John Turner; New Democratic, Audrey McLaughlin
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: House of Commons—last held 21 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1993); results—Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%, New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%; seats—(295 total) Progressive Conservative 170, Liberal 82, New Democratic Party 43
Communists: 3,000
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, DAC, FAO, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC,
ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International Wheat
Council, NATO, OAS, OECD, PAHO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle; US—Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669); telephone (613) 238-5335; there are US Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s Canada registered one of the highest rates of growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 4%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects. In mid-1990, however, the long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.
GDP: $513.6 billion, per capita $19,600; real growth rate 2.9% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1989)
Budget: revenues $79.2 billion; expenditures $102.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (FY88 est.)
Exports: $127.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles; partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR
Imports: $116.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum, chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico
External debt: $247 billion (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (1989)
Electricity: 103,746,000 kW capacity; 472,580 million kWh produced, 17,960 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.2 billion
Currency: Canadian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Canadian dollar
(Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1—1.1714 (January 1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Railroads: 80,095 km total; 79,917 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (includes 129 km electrified); 178 km 0.915-meter narrow gauge (mostly unused); two major transcontinental freight railway systems—Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service—VIA (government operated)
Highways: 884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved), 171,336 km earth
Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including St. Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas, 74,980 km
Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick),
St. John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver
Merchant marine: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 555,749 GRT/774,914 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 12 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 29 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note—does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes ships
Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major carrier
Airports: 1,359 total, 1,117 usable; 442 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 322 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0 million telephones; stations—900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Mobile Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications
Command, Canadian Forces Europe, Training Commands
Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,174,119; 6,251,492 fit for military service; 187,894 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP, or $10 billion (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Cape Verde
- Geography
Total area: 4,030 km2; land area: 4,030 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 965 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic
Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish
Land use: 9% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures;
NEGL% forest and woodland; 85% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing
Note: strategic location 500 km from African coast near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site
- People
Population: 374,984 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 49 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 65 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 63 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cape Verdean(s); adjective—Cape Verdean
Ethnic divisions: about 71% Creole (mulatto), 28% African, 1% European
Religion: Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs
Language: Portuguese and Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words
Literacy: 48% (1986)
Labor force: 102,000 (1985 est.); 57% agriculture (mostly subsistence), 29% services, 14% industry (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: Trade Unions of Cape Verde Unity Center (UNTC-CS) closely associated with ruling party
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Cape Verde
Type: republic
Capital: Praia
Administrative divisions: 12 districts (concelhos, singular—concelho);
Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina,
Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal; there may be 2 new districts named
Porto Novo and Santa Cruz
Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution: 7 September 1980, amended 12 February 1981 and
December 1988
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly
(Assembleia Nacional Popular)
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de
Justia)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Aristides Maria PEREIRA (since 5 July 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES, (since 5 July 1975); Deputy Minister Aguinaldo Liboa RAMOS (since NA February 1990)
Political parties and leaders: only party—African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Aristides Maria Pereira, secretary general
Suffrage: universal at age 15
Elections: President—last held 13 January 1986 (next to be held January 1991); results—President Aristides Maria Pereira (PAICV) was reelected without opposition;
National People's Assembly—last held 7 December 1985 (next to be held December 1990); results—PAICV is the only party; seats—(83 total) PAICV 83
Communists: a few Communists and some sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jose Luis FERNANDES LOPES; Chancery at 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-6820; there is a Cape Verdean Consulate General in Boston; US—Ambassador Terry McNAMARA; Embassy at Rua Hojl Ya Yenna 81, Praia (mailing address is C. P. 201, Praia); telephone 614-363 or 253
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; in the upper portion of the red band is a black five-pointed star framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea-Bissau which is longer and has an unadorned black star centered in the red band
- Economy Overview: Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birth rate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for 60% of GDP during the period 1984-86. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 16%; the fishing and manufacturing sectors are 4% each. About 90% of food must be imported. The fishing potential of the islands is not fully exploited (the fish catch—mostly lobster and tuna—came to only 10,000 tons in 1985). Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by remittances from emigrants, cash grants, food aid, and foreign loans.
GDP: $158 million, per capita $494; real growth rate 6.1% (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)
Budget: revenues $80 million; expenditures $87 million, including capital expenditures of $45 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $8.9 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—fish, bananas, salt; partners—Portugal, Angola, Algeria, Belgium/Luxembourg, Italy
Imports: $124 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—petroleum, foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products; partners—Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, France, US, FRG
External debt: $140 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1986 est.)
Electricity: 14,000 kW capacity; 18 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1989)
Industry: fish processing, salt mining, clothing factories, ship repair
Agriculture: accounts for 16% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; bananas are the only export crop; other crops—corn, beans, sweet potatoes, coffee; growth potential of agricultural sector limited by poor soils and limited rainfall; annual food imports required; fish catch provides for both domestic consumption and small exports
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-88), $83 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $540 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $36 million
Currency: Cape Verdean escudo (plural—escudos); 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1—72.31 (February 1990), 74.86 (December 1989), 72.01 (1988), 72.5 (1987), 76.56 (1986), 85.38 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Ports: Mindelo and Praia
Merchant marine: 5 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,308
GRT/16,172 DWT
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: interisland radio relay system, high-frequency radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau; 1,740 telephones; stations—5 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP); Army, Navy, and Air
Force are separate components of FARP
Military manpower: males 15-49, 68,776; 40,731 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 11.8% of GDP (1981) —————————————————————————— Country: Cayman Islands (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 260 km2; land area: 260 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 160 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Terrain: low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Natural resources: fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures; 23% forest and woodland; 69% other
Environment: within the Caribbean hurricane belt
Note: important location between Cuba and Central America
- People
Population: 26,356 (July 1990), growth rate 4.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 33 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Caymanian(s); adjective—Caymanian
Ethnic divisions: 40% mixed, 20% white, 20% black, 20% expatriates of various ethnic groups
Religion: United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican,
Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant denominations
Language: English
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 8,061; 18.7% service workers, 18.6% clerical, 12.5% construction, 6.7% finance and investment, 5.9% directors and business managers (1979)
Organized labor: Global Seaman's Union; Cayman All Trade Union
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: George Town
Administrative divisions: 12 districts; Bodden Town, Creek, East End,
George Town, Jacksons, North Side, Prospect, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay,
West Bay, West End
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Legal system: British common law and local statutes
Constitution: 1959, revised 1972
National holiday: Constitution Day (first Monday in July), 3 July 1989
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Grand Court, Cayman Islands Court of Appeal
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Alan James SCOTT (since NA 1987);
Head of Government—Governor and President of the Executive Council
Alan James SCOTT (since NA 1987)
Political parties and leaders: no formal political parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Assembly—last held NA November 1988 (next to be held
November 1992); results—percent of vote NA;
seats—(15 total, 12 elected)
Communists: none
Member of: Commonwealth
Diplomatic representation: as a dependent territory of the UK,
Caymanian interests in the US are represented by the UK; US—none
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
- Economy Overview: The economy depends heavily on tourism (70% of GDP and 75% of export earnings) and offshore financial services, with the tourist industry aimed at the luxury market and catering mainly to visitors from North America. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods needs must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the region.
GDP: $238 million, per capita $10,000 (1989 est.); real growth rate 12% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1986)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $46.2 million; expenditures $47.0 million, including capital expenditures of $9.1 million (1986)
Exports: $2.2 million (f.o.b., 1986 est.); commodities—turtle products, manufactured consumer goods; partners—mostly US
Imports: $134 million (c.i.f., 1986 est.); commodities—foodstuffs, manufactured goods; partners—US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan
External debt: $15 million (1986)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 59,000 kW capacity; 213 million kWh produced, 8,960 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, banking, insurance and finance, real estate and construction
Agriculture: minor production of vegetables, fruit, livestock; turtle farming
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $26.7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $32.2 million
Currency: Caymanian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Caymanian dollar
(CI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Caymanian dollars (CI$) per US$1—0.835 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: 160 km of main roads
Ports: George Town, Cayman Brac
Merchant marine: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 355,055 GRT/576,622 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 8 cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas carrier, 8 bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry
Airports: 3 total; 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones; telephone system uses 1 submarine coaxial cable and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station to link islands and access international services; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
——————————————————————————
Country: Central African Republic
- Geography
Total area: 622,980 km2; land area: 622,980 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: 5,203 km total; Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km,
Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 64% forest and woodland; 28% other
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification
Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
- People
Population: 2,877,365 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 141 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 48 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Central African(s); adjective—Central African
Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; 34% Baya, 27% Banda, 10% Sara, 21% Mandjia, 4% Mboum, 4% M'Baka; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 3,600 are French
Religion: 24% indigenous beliefs, 25% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 15% Muslim, 11% other; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy: 40.2%
Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); 85% agriculture, 9% commerce and services, 3% industry, 3% government; about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 1% of labor force
- Government Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name); abbreviated CAR
Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986
Capital: Bangui
Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular—prefecture) and 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular—prefecture economique); Bamingui-Bangoran, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga; note—there may be a new autonomous commune of Bangui
Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France; formerly Central African
Empire)
Constitution: 21 November 1986
Legal system: based on French law
National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the republic), 1 December (1958)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Economic and Regional Council (Conseil Economique et Regional) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Andre-Dieudonne
KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Centrafrican Democrtic
Rally Party (RDC), Andre-Dieudonne Kolingba
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
President—last held 21 November 1986 (next to be held November
1993);
results—President Kolingba was reelected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held 31 July 1987 (next to be held July 1992); results—RDC is the only party; seats—(total) RDC 52
Communists: small number of Communist sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Conference of East and Central African
States, EAMA, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD,
ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UDEAC, UEAC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET;
Chancery at 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
483-7800 or 7801;
US—Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON; Embassy at Avenue du President
David Dacko, Bangui (mailing address is B. P. 924, Bangui);
telephone 61-02-00 or 61-25-78, 61-43-33
Flag: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band
- Economy Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a per capita income of roughly $450 in 1988. Subsistence agriculture, including forestry, is the backbone of the economy, with over 70% of the population living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural sector generated about 40% of GDP, mining and manufacturing 14%, utilities and construction 4%, and services 41%. Agricultural products accounted for about 60% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 30%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation infrastructure, and a weak human resource base. Multilateral and bilateral development assistance plays a major role in providing capital for new investment.
GDP: $1.27 billion, per capita $453; real growth rate 2.0% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 4.2% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% in Bangui (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $132 million; current expenditures $305 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1989 est.)
Exports: $138 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—diamonds, cotton, coffee, timber, tobacco; partners—France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US
Imports: $285 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products; partners—France, other EC, Japan, Algeria, Yugoslavia
External debt: $660 million (December 1989)
Industrial production: 1.9% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 84 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sawmills, breweries, diamond mining, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; self-sufficient in food production except for grain; commercial crops—cotton, coffee, tobacco, timber; food crops—manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $44 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $38 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved earth, 11,000 unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 66 total, 49 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; 6,000 telephones; stations—1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 642,207; 335,863 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.8% of GDP, or $23 million (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Chad
- Geography
Total area: 1,284,000 km2; land area: 1,259,200 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of California
Land boundaries: 5,968 km total; Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African
Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Disputes: Libya claims and occupies a small portion of the Aozou Strip in far north; exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined—since the boundary has not been demarcated, border incidents have resulted
Climate: tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
Natural resources: small quantities of crude oil (unexploited but exploration beginning), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 36% meadows and pastures; 11% forest and woodland; 51% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject to plagues of locusts
Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel
- People
Population: 5,017,431 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 22 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 38 years male, 40 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Chadian(s); adjective—Chadian
Ethnic divisions: some 200 distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are
Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, and
Maba) in the north and center and non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye,
Moudang, Moussei, Massa) in the south; some 150,000 nonindigenous, of whom
1,000 are French
Religion: 44% Muslim, 33% Christian, 23% indigenous beliefs, animism
Language: French and Arabic (official); Sara and Sango in south; more than 100 different languages and dialects are spoken
Literacy: 25.3%
Labor force: NA; 85% agriculture (engaged in unpaid subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
Organized labor: about 20% of wage labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Chad
Type: republic
Capital: N'Djamena
Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures,
singular—prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi,
Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi,
Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile
Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)
Constitution: 22 December 1989
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day (founding of the Third Republic), 7 June (1982)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Consultative Council
(Conseil National Consultatif)
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Hissein HABRE (since 19 June 1982)
Political parties and leaders: National Union for Independence and Revolution (UNIR) established June 1984 with Habre as President; numerous dissident groups (most significant opponents have returned to the government since mid-1986)
Suffrage: universal at age NA
Elections:
President—last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held December
1996);
results—President Habre was reelected without opposition
Communists: no front organizations or underground party; probably a few
Communists and some sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CEAO, Conference of East and Central African States,
EAMA, ECA, EC (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic
Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, Lake Chad Basin
Commission, NAM, OAU, OCAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mahamat Ali ADOUM; Chancery at 2002 R Steet NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-4009; US—Ambassador-designate Richard W. BOGOSIAN; Charge d'Affaires, Julius WALKER; Embassy at Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena (mailing address is B. P. 413, N'Djamena); telephone (51) 32-69 or 35-13, 28-62, 23-29, 32-29, 30-94, 28-47
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Andorra which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band; also similar to the flag of Romania which has a national coat of arms featuring a mountain landscape centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France
- Economy Overview: The climate, geographic location, and lack of infrastructure and natural resources potential make Chad one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Its economy is slowly recovering from the ravaging effects of prolonged civil war, conflict with Libya, drought, and food shortages. In 1986 real GDP returned to its 1977 level, with cotton, the major cash crop, accounting for 43% of exports. Over 80% of the work force is employed in subsistence farming and fishing. Industry is based almost entirely on the processing of agricultural products, including cotton, sugarcane, and cattle. Chad is still highly dependent on foreign aid, with its economy in trouble and many regions suffering from shortages.
GDP: $902 million, per capita $190; real growth rate 7.0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 3.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues $61 million; expenditures $85 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988 est.)
Exports: $432 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—cotton 43%, cattle 35%, textiles 5%, fish; partners—France, Nigeria, Cameroon
Imports: $214 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; partners—US, France
External debt: $360 million (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate - 7.0% (1986)
Electricity: 38,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: cotton textile mills, slaughterhouses, brewery, natron (sodium carbonate)
Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; cotton most important cash crop; food crops include sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc; livestock—cattle, sheep, goats, camels; self-sufficient in food in years of adequate rainfall
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $178 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $28 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $71 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 31,322 km total; 32 km bituminous; 7,300 km gravel and laterite; remainder unimproved
Inland waterways: 2,000 km navigable
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 71 total, 55 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 24 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of radiocommunication stations for intercity links; 5,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, 1 FM, limited TV service; many facilities are inoperative; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,163,312; 603,923 fit for military service; 50,255 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 3.5% of GDP (1987)
——————————————————————————
Country: Chile
- Geography
Total area: 756,950 km2; land area: 748,800 km2; includes Isla de
Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries: 6,171 km total; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km,
Peru 160 km
Coastline: 6,435 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 nm;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine claim
Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum
Land use: 7% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 16% meadows and pastures; 21% forest and woodland; 56% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami;
Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification
Note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
- People
Population: 13,082,842 (July 1990), growth rate 1.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Chilean(s); adjective—Chilean
Ethnic divisions: 95% European and European-Indian, 3% Indian, 2% other
Religion: 89% Roman Catholic, 11% Protestant, and small Jewish population
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 94%
Labor force: 3,840,000; 38.6% services (including 12% government), 31.3% industry and commerce; 15.9% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 8.7% mining; 4.4% construction (1985)
Organized labor: 10% of labor force (1989)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Chile
Type: republic
Capital: Santiago
Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular—region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania,
Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos,
Magallanes y Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca,
Valparaiso
Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989
Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Patricio
AYLWIN (since 11 March 1990)
Political parties and leaders: National Renovation (RN), Sergio
Jarpa, president; Radical Party (PR), Enrique Silva Cimma;
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Eugenio Velasco; Christian Democratic
Party (PDC), Andres Zaldivar; Party for Democracy, Ricardo Lagos;
Socialist Party, Clodomiro Almeyda; other parties are
Movement of United Popular Action (MAPU), Victor Barrueto;
Christian Left (IC), Luis Maira; Communist Party of Chile (PCCh),
Volodia Teitelboim; Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) is
splintered, no single leader; several leftist and far left parties
formed a new coalition in November 1988 with Luis Maira as president;
the 17-party Concertation of Parties for Democracy backed
Patricio Aylwin's presidential candidacy in December 1989
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections: President—last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); results—Patricio Aylwin 55.2%, Hernan Buchi 29.4%, other 15.4%;
Senate—last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); seats—(47 total, 38 elected) 17-party Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held
December 1993 or January 1994); seats—(120 total)
Concertation of Parties for Democracy 69
Communists: 120,000 when PCCh was legal in 1973; 50,000 (est.) active militants
Other political or pressure groups: revitalized university student federations at all major universities dominated by opposition political groups; labor—United Labor Central (CUT) includes trade unionists from the country's five-largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
Member of: CCC, CIPEC, ECOSOC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, LAIA, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Octavio ERRAZURIZ; Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Charles A. GILLESPIE, Jr.; Embassy at Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO Miami 34033); telephone (2) 710133 or 710190, 710326, 710375
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag
- Economy Overview: In 1989 the economy grew at the rate of 9.9%, reflecting substantial growth in industry, agriculture, and construction. Copper accounts for nearly 50% of export revenues; Chile's economic well-being thus remains highly dependent on international copper prices. Unemployment and inflation rates have declined from their peaks in 1982 to 5.3% and 21.4%, respectively, in 1989. The major long-term economic problem is how to sustain growth in the face of political uncertainties.
GDP: $25.3 billion, per capita $1,970; real growth rate 9.9% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 21.4% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 5.3% (1989)
Budget: revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.6 billion (1986)
Exports: $7.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—copper 48%, industrial products 33%, molybdenum, iron ore, wood pulp, fishmeal, fruits; partners—EC 34%, US 22%, Japan 10%, Brazil 7%
Imports: $4.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw materials; partners—EC 23%, US 20%, Japan 10%, Brazil 9%
External debt: $16.3 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 7.4% (1989)
Electricity: 4,044,000 kW capacity; 17,710 million kWh produced, 1,380 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products
Agriculture: accounts for about 8% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); major exporter of fruit, fish, and timber products; major crops—wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, deciduous fruit; livestock products—beef, poultry, wool; self-sufficient in most foods; 1986 fish catch of 5.6 million metric tons net agricultural importer
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $521 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $386 million
Currency: Chilean peso (plural—pesos); 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1—296.68 (January 1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987), 193.02 (1986), 161.08 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 8,613 km total; 4,257 km 1.676-meter gauge, 135 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 4,221 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification, 1,578 km 1.676-meter gauge, 76 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel, 35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
Inland waterways: 725 km
Pipelines: crude oil, 755 km; refined products, 785 km; natural gas, 320 km
Ports: Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Valparaiso,
San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica
Merchant marine: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 498,354 GRT/804,809 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 10 bulk; note—in addition, 1 naval tanker and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially
Civil air: 22 major transport aircraft
Airports: 392 total, 352 usable; 49 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 57 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: modern telephone system based on extensive radio relay facilities; 768,000 telephones; stations—159 AM, no FM, 131 TV, 11 shortwave; satellite stations—2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy, Air Force of the Nation,
Carabineros of Chile
Military manpower: males 15-49, 3,491,854; 2,610,048 fit for military service; 118,569 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 4.0% of GDP (1987) —————————————————————————— Country: China (also see separate Taiwan entry) - Geography Total area: 9,596,960 km2; land area: 9,326,410 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than the US
Land boundaries: 23,213.34 km total; Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km,
Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, North Korea 1,416 km,
Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,673 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km,
USSR 7,520 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Coastline: 14,500 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: boundary with India; bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve four disputed sections of the boundary with the USSR (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); a short section of the boundary with North Korea is indefinite; Hong Kong is scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region in 1997; Portuguese territory of Macau is scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region in 1999; sporadic border clashes with Vietnam; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam; maritime boundary dispute with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands)
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, world's largest hydropower potential
Land use: 10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 31% meadows and pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 45% other; includes 5% irrigated
Environment: frequent typhoons (about five times per year along southern and eastern coasts), damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; industrial pollution; water pollution; desertification
Note: world's third-largest country (after USSR and Canada)
- People
Population: 1,118,162,727 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 34 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Chinese (sing., pl.); adjective—Chinese
Ethnic divisions: 93.3% Han Chinese; 6.7% Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,
Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities
Religion: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic; most important elements of religion are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; about 2-3% Muslim, 1% Christian
Language: Standard Chinese (Putonghua) or Mandarin (based on the Beijing dialect); also Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, and minority languages (see ethnic divisions)
Literacy: over 75%
Labor force: 513,000,000; 61.1% agriculture and forestry, 25.2% industry and commerce, 4.6% construction and mining, 4.5% social services, 4.6% other (1986 est.)
Organized labor: All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) follows the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party; membership over 80 million or about 65% of the urban work force (1985)
- Government
Long-form name: People's Republic of China; abbreviated PRC
Type: Communist Party-led state
Capital: Beijing
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 3 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang*, Yunnan, Zhejiang; note—China considers Taiwan its 23rd province
Independence: unification under the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty 221 BC,
Qing (Ch'ing or Manchu) Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912,
People's Republic established 1 October 1949
Constitution: 4 December 1982
Legal system: a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law
National holiday: National Day, 1 October (1949)
Executive branch: president, vice president, premier, three vice premiers,
State Council, Central Military Commission (de facto)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Congress (Quanguo
Renmin Daibiao Dahui)
Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government (de facto)—DENG
Xiaoping (since mid-1977);
Chief of State—President YANG Shangkun (since 8 April 1988);
Vice President WANG Zhen (since 8 April 1988);
Head of Government—Premier LI Peng (Acting Premier since
24 November 1987, Premier since 9 April 1988);
Vice Premier YAO Yilin (since 2 July 1979);
Vice Premier TIAN Jiyun (since 20 June 1983);
Vice Premier WU Xueqian (since 12 April 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Chinese Communist Party
(CCP), Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the Central Committee
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 8 April 1988 (next to be held March 1993);
Yang Shangkun was elected by the Seventh National People's Congress;
National People's Congress—last held NA March 1988 (next to be held March 1993); results—CCP is the only party; seats—(2,970 total) CCP 2,970 (indirectly elected)
Communists: about 45,000,000 party members (1986)
Other political or pressure groups: such meaningful opposition as exists consists of loose coalitions, usually within the party and government organization, that vary by issue
Member of: ADB, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ZHU Qizhen; Chancery at 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-2500 through 2502; there are Chinese Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador James R. LILLEY; Embassy at Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, Beijing (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96655); telephone (1) 532-3831; there are US Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang
Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
- Economy Overview: Beginning in late 1978 the Chinese leadership has been trying to move the economy from the sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more productive and flexible economy with market elements—but still within the framework of monolithic Communist control. To this end the authorities have switched to a system of household responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in services and light manufacturing, and opened the foreign economic sector to increased trade and joint ventures. The most gratifying result has been a strong spurt in production, particularly in agriculture in the early 1980s. Otherwise, the leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy, lassitude, corruption) and of capitalism (windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals and thereby undermining the credibility of the reform process. Open inflation and excess demand continue to plague the economy, and political repression, following the crackdown at Tiananmen in mid-1989, has curtailed tourism, foreign aid, and new investment by foreign firms. Popular resistance and changes in central policy have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to the nation's long-term economic viability.
GNP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate 4% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 19.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 3.0% in urban areas (1989)
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Exports: $52.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—manufactured goods, agricultural products, oilseeds, grain (rice and corn), oil, minerals; partners—Hong Kong, US, Japan, USSR, Singapore, FRG (1989)
Imports: $59.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—grain (mostly wheat), chemical fertilizer, steel, industrial raw materials, machinery, equipment; partners—Hong Kong, Japan, US, FRG, USSR (1989)
External debt: $51 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 8.0% (1989)
Electricity: 110,000,000 kW capacity; 560,000 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: iron, steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GNP; among the world's largest producers of rice, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, and pork; commercial crops include cotton, other fibers, and oilseeds; produces variety of livestock products; basically self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 8 million metric tons in 1986
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $220.7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $11.1 billion
Currency: yuan (plural—yuan); 1 yuan (Y) = 10 jiao
Exchange rates: yuan (Y) per US$1—4.7221 (January 1990), 3.7651 (1989), 3.7221 (1988), 3.7221 (1987), 3.4528 (1986), 2.9367 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: total about 54,000 km common carrier lines; 53,400 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 600 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 11,200 km double track on standard-gauge lines; 6,500 km electrified; 10,000 km industrial lines (gauges range from 0.762 to 1.067 meters)
Highways: about 980,000 km all types roads; 162,000 km paved roads, 617,200 km gravel/improved earth roads, 200,800 km unimproved natural earth roads and tracks
Inland waterways: 138,600 km; about 109,800 km navigable
Pipelines: crude, 6,500 km; refined products, 1,100 km; natural gas, 6,200 km
Ports: Dalian, Guangzhou, Huangpu, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai,
Xingang, Zhanjiang, Ningbo
Merchant marine: 1,373 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,303,685 GRT/ 20,092,833 DWT; includes 25 passenger, 41 short-sea passenger, 17 passenger-cargo, 7 cargo/training, 766 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 65 container, 17 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 multifunction barge carriers, 173 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 chemical tanker, 237 bulk, 2 vehicle carrier, 1 liquefied gas; note—China beneficially owns an additional 175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling approximately 5,380,415 DWT that operate under the registry of Panama, UK, Hong Kong, Liberia, and Malta
Airports: 330 total, 330 usable; 260 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 10 with runways over 3,500 m; 90 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 200 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed internal system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and most townships; 11,000,000 telephones (December 1989); stations—274 AM, unknown FM, 202 (2,050 relays) TV; more than 215 million radio receivers; 75 million TVs; satellite earth stations—4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 55 domestic
- Defense Forces
Branches: Chinese People's Liberation Army (CPLA), CPLA Navy (including
Marines), CPLA Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 330,353,665; 184,515,412 fit for military service; 11,594,366 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $5.28 billion (1988) —————————————————————————— Country: Christmas Island (territory of Australia) - Geography Total area: 135 km2; land area: 135 km2
Comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 138.9 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Terrain: steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Natural resources: phosphate
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: almost completely surrounded by a reef
Note: located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
- People
Population: 2,278 (July 1990), growth rate 0.0% (1990)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Christmas Islander(s), adjective—Christmas Island
Ethnic divisions: 61% Chinese, 25% Malay, 11% European, 3% other; no indigenous population
Religion: NA
Language: English
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA; all workers are employees of the Phosphate Mining
Company of Christmas Island, Ltd.
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Territory of Christmas Island
Type: territory of Australia
Capital: The Settlement
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)
Independence: none (territory of Australia)
Constitution: Christmas Island Act of 1958
Legal system: under the authority of the governor general of Australia
National holiday: NA
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general of Australia, administrator, Advisory Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: none
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Head of Government—Administrator A. D. TAYLOR (since NA)
Communists: none
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)
Flag: the flag of Australia is used
- Economy Overview: Phosphate mining is the only significant economic activity, but in November 1987 the Australian Government announced that the mine would be closed because of labor unrest. Plans are under way to build a casino and hotel to develop tourism.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Exports: $NA; commodities—phosphate; partners—Australia, NZ
Imports: $NA; commodities—NA; partners—NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 11,000 kW capacity; 38 million kWh produced, 16,680 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Agriculture: NA
Aid: none
Currency: Australian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Australian dollar
($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.2784 (January 1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Ports: Flying Fish Cove
Airports: 1 usable with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 4,000 radios (1982)
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia
——————————————————————————
Country: Clipperton Island
(French possession)
- Geography
Total area: undetermined
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 11.1 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: coral atoll
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other (coral)
Environment: reef about 8 km in circumference
Note: located 1,120 km southwest of Mexico in the North Pacific Ocean
- People
Population: uninhabited
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: French possession administered by High Commissioner of the
Republic Jean MONTPEZAT, resident in French Polynesia
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
——————————————————————————
Country: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
(territory of Australia)
- Geography
Total area: 14 km2; land area: 14 km2; main islands are West Island and
Home Island
Comparative area: about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 42.6 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year; moderate rainfall
Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation
Note: located 1,070 km southwest of Sumatra (Indonesia) in the
Indian Ocean about halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka
- People
Population: 670 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cocos Islander(s); adjective—Cocos Islander(s)
Ethnic divisions: mostly Europeans on West Island and Cocos Malays on Home Island
Religion: NA
Language: English
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: none
- Government
Long-form name: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Type: territory of Australia
Capital: West Island
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)
Independence: none (territory of Australia)
Constitution: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955
Legal system: based upon the laws of Australia and local laws
National holiday: NA
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general of Australia, administrator, chairman of the Islands Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Islands Council
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Head of Government—Administrator D. LAWRIE (since NA 1989);
Chairman of the Islands Council Parson Bin YAPAT (since NA)
Suffrage: NA
Elections: NA
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)
Flag: the flag of Australia is used
- Economy Overview: Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export earners. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia.
GNP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment: NA
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Exports: $NA; commodities—copra; partners—Australia
Imports: $NA; commodities—foodstuffs; partners—Australia
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: NA kW capacity; NA million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita
Industries: copra products
Agriculture: gardens provide vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts
Aid: none
Currency: Australian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Australian dollar
($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.2784 (January 1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Ports: none; lagoon anchorage only
Airports: 1 airfield with permanent-surface runway, 2,440-3,659 m; airport on West Island is a link in service between Australia and South Africa
Telecommunications: 250 radios (1985); linked by telephone, telex, and facsimile communications via satellite with Australia; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia —————————————————————————— Country: Colombia - Geography Total area: 1,138,910 km2; land area: 1,038,700 km2; includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries: 7,408 km total; Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km,
Panama 225 km, Peru 2,900, Venezuela 2,050 km
Coastline: 3,208 km total (1,448 km North Pacific Ocean; 1,760 Caribbean Sea)
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specified;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; territorial dispute with Nicaragua over Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank
Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
Terrain: mixture of flat coastal lowlands, plains in east, central highlands, some high mountains
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds
Land use: 4% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 29% meadows and pastures; 49% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; deforestation; soil damage from overuse of pesticides; periodic droughts
Note: only South American country with coastlines on both
North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
- People
Population: 33,076,188 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 73 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Colombian(s); adjective—Colombian
Ethnic divisions: 58% mestizo, 20% white, 14% mulatto, 4% black, 3% mixed black-Indian, 1% Indian
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 88% (1987 est.), Indians about 40%
Labor force: 11,000,000 (1986); 53% services, 26% agriculture, 21% industry (1981)
Organized labor: 1,400,000 members (1987), about 12% of labor force; the Communist-backed Unitary Workers Central or CUT is the largest labor organization, with about 725,000 members (including all affiliate unions)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Colombia
Type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Capital: Bogota
Administrative divisions: 23 departments (departamentos, singular—departamento), 5 commissariats* (comisarias, singular—comisaria), and 4 intendancies** (intendencias, singular—intendencia); Amazonas*, Antioquia, Arauca**, Atlantico, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare**, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia*, Guaviare*, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo**, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia**, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes*, Vichada*; note—there may be a new special district (distrito especial) named Bogota
Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
Constitution: 4 August 1886, with amendments codified in 1946 and 1968
Legal system: based on Spanish law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810)
Executive branch: president, presidential designate, cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—Virgilio BARCO Vargas
(since 7 August 1986; term ends August 1990); Presidential Designate
Victor MOSQUERA Chaux (since 13 October 1986); President-elect Cesar
GAVIRIA Trujillo (since 27 May 1990, takes office 7 August 1990)
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party—Cesar Gaviria
Trujillo, Virgilio Barco Vargas, Alfonso Lopez Michelson, Julio Cesar
Turbay;
Conservative Party—Misael Pastrana Borrero, Alvaro Gomez Hurtado;
Patriotic Union (UP), is a legal political party formed by
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Colombian
Communist Party (PCC), Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa; 19th of April Movement
(M-19), Rodrigo Lloreda
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 27 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994);
results—Cesar Gaviria Trujillo (Liberal) 47%, Alvaro Gomez Hurtado
(Conservative) 24%, Antonio Novarro Wolff (Conservative) 13%, Rodrigo
Lloreda (M-19) 12%;
Senate—last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(114 total) Liberal 68, Conservative 45, UP 1;
House of Representatives last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(199 total) Liberal 107, Conservative 82, UP 10
Communists: 18,000 members (est.), including Communist Party Youth
Organization (JUCO)
Other political or pressure groups: Colombian Communist Party (PCC),
Gilberto Vieira White; Communist Party/Marxist-Leninist (PCC/ML), Chinese-line
Communist Party; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC);
National Liberation Army (ELN); People's Liberation Army (EPL)
Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD,
IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, LAIA,
NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Victor MOSQUERA; Chancery at
2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-8338; there are
Colombian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Atlanta, Boston,
Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tampa;
US—Ambassador Thomas E. McNAMARA; Embassy at Calle 38, No.8-61,
Bogota (mailing address is APO Miami 34038); telephone (1) 285-1300 or
1688; there is a US Consulate in Barranquilla
Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center
- Economy Overview: Economic activity has slowed gradually since 1986, but growth rates remain high by Latin American standards. Conservative economic policies have encouraged investment and kept inflation and unemployment under 30% and 10%, respectively. The rapid development of oil, coal, and other nontraditional industries over the past four years has helped to offset the decline in coffee prices—Colombia's major export. The collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in the summer of 1989, a troublesome rural insurgency, and drug-related violence dampen prospects for future growth.
GDP: $35.4 billion, per capita $1,110; real growth rate 3.7% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 27% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9.0% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $4.39 billion; current expenditures $3.93 billion, capital expenditures $l.03 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $5.76 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—coffee 30%, petroleum 24%, coal, bananas, fresh cut flowers; partners—US 36%, EC 21%, Japan 5%, Netherlands 4%, Sweden 3%
Imports: $5.02 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—industrial equipment, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, paper products; partners—US 34%, EC 16%, Brazil 4%, Venezuela 3%, Japan 3%
External debt: $17.5 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 9,250,000 kW capacity; 35,364 million kWh produced, 1,110 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, metal products, cement; mining—gold, coal, emeralds, iron, nickel, silver, salt
Agriculture: accounts for 22% of GDP; crops make up two-thirds and livestock one-third of agricultural output; climate and soils permit a wide variety of crops, such as coffee, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseeds, vegetables; forest products and shrimp farming are becoming more important
Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of cannabis and coca for the international drug trade; key supplier of marijuana and cocaine to the US and other international drug markets; drug production and trafficking accounts for an estimated 4% of GDP and 28% of foreign exchange earnings
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $399 million
Currency: Colombian peso (plural—pesos); 1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1—439.68 (January 1990), 382.57 (1989), 299.17 (1988), 242.61 (1987), 194.26 (1986), 142.31 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 3,563 km, all 0.914-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 75,450 km total; 9,350 km paved, 66,100 km earth and gravel surfaces
Inland waterways: 14,300 km, navigable by river boats
Pipelines: crude oil, 3,585 km; refined products, 1,350 km; natural gas, 830 km; natural gas liquids, 125 km
Ports: Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Covenas, San Andres,
Santa Marta, Tumaco
Merchant marine: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 334,854 GRT/487,438
DWT; includes 23 cargo, 1 chemical tanker, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 9 bulk
Civil air: 106 major transport aircraft
Airports: 673 total, 622 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 124 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: nationwide radio relay system; 1,890,000 telephones; stations—413 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 28 shortwave 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations with 2 antennas and 11 domestic satellite stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: armed forces include Police (Policia Nacional) and
military—Army (Ejercito Nacional), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia),
Navy (Armada Nacional)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 8,768,072; 5,953,729 fit for military service; 354,742 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.9% of GDP, or $700 million (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Comoros
- Geography
Total area: 2,170 km2; land area: 2,170 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 340 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims French-administered Mayotte
Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Terrain: volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 35% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 34% other
Environment: soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; cyclones possible during rainy season
Note: important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
- People
Population: 460,188 (July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 89 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 58 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Comoran(s); adjective—Comoran
Ethnic divisions: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Religion: 86% Sunni Muslim, 14% Roman Catholic
Language: Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French
Literacy: 15%
Labor force: 140,000 (1982); 80% agriculture, 3% government; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
Type: independent republic
Capital: Moroni
Administrative divisions: 3 islands; Anjouan, Grande Comore,
Moheli; note—there may also be 4 municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni,
Moroni, and Mutsamudu
Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)
Constitution: 1 October 1978, amended October 1982 and January 1985
Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal Assembly (Assemblee Federale)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Said
Mohamed DJOHAR (since 11 March 1990)
Political parties: Comoran Union for Progress (Udzima), Said
Mohamed Djohar, president; National Union for Democracy (UNDC),
Mohamed Taki
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996);
results—Said Mohamed Djohar (Udzima) 55%; Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim
(UNDC) 45%;
Federal Assembly—last held 22 March 1987 (next to be held March 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(42 total) Udzima 42
Member of: ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank,
IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Amini Ali MOUMIN; Chancery (temporary) at the Comoran Permanent Mission to the UN, 336 East 45th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 972-8010; US—Ambassador Howard K. WALKER, resides in Antananarivo (Madagascar); Embassy at address NA, Moroni (mailing address B. P. 1318, Moroni); telephone 73-12-03
Flag: green with a white crescent placed diagonally (closed side of the crescent points to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag); there are four white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent; the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago—Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (which is a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by the Comoros)
- Economy Overview: One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of several islands that have poor transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a low level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes about 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production, and rice, the main staple, accounts for 90% of imports. During the period 1982-86 the industrial sector grew at an annual average rate of 5.3%, but its contribution to GDP was less than 4% in 1986. Despite major investment in the tourist industry, which accounts for about 25% of GDP, growth has stagnated since 1983.
GDP: $207 million, per capita $475; real growth rate 0.1% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.3% (1986)
Unemployment rate: over 16% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $75.2 million; expenditures $77.9 million, including capital expenditures of $4.8 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $12 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—vanilla, cloves, perfume oil, copra; partners—US 53%, France 41%, Africa 4%, FRG 2%
Imports: $52 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—rice and other foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products, consumer goods; partners—Europe 62% (France 22%, other 40%), Africa 5%, Pakistan, China
External debt: $238 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.4% (1988 est.)
Electricity: 16,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 55 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: perfume distillation
Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; most of population works in subsistence agriculture and fishing; plantations produce cash crops for export—vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, and copra; principal food crops—coconuts, bananas, cassava; world's leading producer of essence of ylang-ylang (for perfumes) and second-largest producer of vanilla; large net food importer
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-88), $9 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $371 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $22 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $18 million
Currency: Comoran franc (plural—francs); 1 Comoran franc (CF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comoran francs (CF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985); note—linked to the French franc at 50 to 1 French franc
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 750 km total; about 210 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel
Ports: Mutsamudu, Moroni
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: sparse system of radio relay and high-frequency radio communication stations for interisland and external communications to Madagascar and Reunion; over 1,800 telephones; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Presidential Guard, Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 97,504; 58,274 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 3% of GDP (1981)
——————————————————————————
Country: Congo
- Geography
Total area: 342,000 km2; land area: 341,500 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: 5,504 km total; Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km,
Central African Republic 467 km, Gabon 1,903 km, Zaire 2,410 km
Coastline: 169 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: long section with Zaire along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 29% meadows and pastures; 62% forest and woodland; 7% other
Environment: deforestation; about 70% of the population lives in
Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, or along the railroad between them
- People
Population: 2,242,274 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 110 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 55 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Congolese (sing., pl.); adjective—Congolese or Congo
Ethnic divisions: about 15 ethnic groups divided into some 75 tribes, almost all Bantu; most important ethnic groups are Kongo (48%) in the south, Sangha (20%) and M'Bochi (12%) in the north, Teke (17%) in the center; about 8,500 Europeans, mostly French
Religion: 50% Christian, 48% animist, 2% Muslim
Language: French (official); many African languages with Lingala and
Kikongo most widely used
Literacy: 62.9%
Labor force: 79,100 wage earners; 75% agriculture, 25% commerce, industry, and government; 51% of population of working age; 40% of population economically active (1985)
Organized labor: 20% of labor force (1979 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: People's Republic of the Congo
Type: people's republic
Capital: Brazzaville
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular—region); Bouenza, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha; note—there may be a new capital district of Brazzaville
Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France; formerly Congo/Brazzaville)
Constitution: 8 July 1979
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
National holiday: National Day, 15 August (1960)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly
(Assemblee Nationale Populaire)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Denis
SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 8 February 1979);
Prime Minister Alphonse POATY-SOUCHLATY (since 6 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Congolese Labor Party
(PCT), President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, leader
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 26-31 July 1989 (next to be held July 1993);
results—President Sassou-Nguesso unanimously reelected leader of the
PCT by the Party Congress, which automatically makes him president;
People's National Assembly—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held 1993); results—PCT is the only party; seats—(153 total) single list of candidates nominated by the PCT
Communists: unknown number of Communists and sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: Union of Congolese Socialist Youth
(UJSC), Congolese Trade Union Congress (CSC), Revolutionary Union of Congolese
Women (URFC), General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students (UGEEC)
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Conference of East and Central African
States, EAMA, ECA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC,
UEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Benjamin BOUNKOULOU; Chancery at 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington DC 20011; telephone (202) 726-5500; US—Ambassador-designate James Daniel PHILLIPS; Embassy at Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville (mailing address is B. P. 1015, Brazzaville, or Box C, APO New York 09662-0006); telephone 83-20-70 or 83-26-24
Flag: red with the national emblem in the upper hoist-side corner; the emblem includes a yellow five-pointed star above a crossed hoe and hammer (like the hammer and sickle design) in yellow, flanked by two curved green palm branches; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy Overview: Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing about two-thirds of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s rapidly rising oil revenues enabled Congo to finance large-scale development projects with growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The world decline in oil prices, however, has forced the government to launch an austerity program to cope with declining receipts and mounting foreign debts.
GDP: $2.2 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 3% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $382 million; expenditures $575 million, including capital expenditures of $118 million (1988)
Exports: $912 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—crude petroleum 72%, lumber, plywood, coffee, cocoa, sugar, diamonds; partners—US, France, other EC
Imports: $494.4 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—foodstuffs, consumer goods, intermediate manufactures, capital equipment; partners—France, Italy, other EC, US, FRG, Spain, Japan, Brazil
External debt: $4.5 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate - 5.9% (1987)
Electricity: 133,000 kW capacity; 300 million kWh produced, 130 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil, cement, sawmills, brewery, sugar mill, palm oil, soap, cigarettes
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); cassava accounts for 90% of food output; other crops—rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables; cash crops include coffee and cocoa; forest products important export earner; imports over 90% of food needs
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $56 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $15 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $338 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 797 km, 1.067-meter gauge, single track (includes 285 km that are privately owned)
Highways: 12,000 km total; 560 km bituminous surface treated; 850 km gravel, laterite; 5,350 km improved earth; 5,240 km unimproved roads
Inland waterways: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) Rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; the rest are used for local traffic only
Pipelines: crude oil 25 km
Ports: Pointe-Noire (ocean port), Brazzaville (river port)
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 51 total, 46 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: services adequate for government use; primary network is composed of radio relay routes and coaxial cables; key centers are Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; 18,100 telephones; stations—3 AM, 1 FM, 4 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary National People's Militia
Military manpower: males 15-49, 492,419; 250,478 fit for military service; 23,622 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 4.6% of GDP (1987) —————————————————————————— Country: Cook Islands (free association with New Zealand) - Geography Total area: 240 km2; land area: 240 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 120 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or edge of continental margin;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 4% arable land; 22% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 74% other
Environment: subject to typhoons from November to March
Note: located 4,500 km south of Hawaii in the South Pacific Ocean
- People
Population: 18,187 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 24 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cook Islander(s); adjective—Cook Islander
Ethnic divisions: 81.3% Polynesian (full blood), 7.7% Polynesian and
European, 7.7% Polynesian and other, 2.4% European, 0.9% other
Religion: Christian, majority of populace members of Cook Islands
Christian Church
Language: English
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 5,810; agriculture 29%, government 27%, services 25%, industry 15%, and other 4% (1981)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs, in consultation with the Cook Islands
Capital: Avarua
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action
Constitution: 4 August 1965
National holiday: NA
Executive branch: British monarch, representative of the UK, representative of New Zealand, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament; note—the unicameral House of Arikis (chiefs) advises on traditional matters, but has no legislative powers
Judicial branch: High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Representative of the UK Sir Tangaroa TANGAROA (since NA);
Representative of New Zealand Adrian SINCOCK (since NA);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Geoffrey HENRY (since NA February 1989); Deputy Prime Minister Inatio AKARURU (since NA)
Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands Party, Geoffrey Henry;
Democratic Tumu Party, Vincent Ingram; Democratic Party, Dr. Vincent Pupuke
Robati; Cook Islands Labor Party, Rena Jonassen; Cook Islands People's Party,
Sadaraka Sadaraka
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections: Parliament—last held 19 January 1989 (next to be held by January 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(24 total) Cook Islands Party 12, Democratic Tumu Party 2, opposition coalition (including Democratic Party) 9, independent 1
Member of: ADB, ESCAP (associate member), IDA, IFC, IMF, SPEC,
SPF
Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag
- Economy Overview: Agriculture provides the economic base. The major export earners are fruit, copra, and clothing. Manufacturing activities are limited to a fruit-processing plant and several clothing factories. Economic development is hindered by the isolation of the islands from foreign markets and a lack of natural resources and good transportation links. A large trade deficit is annually made up for by remittances from emigrants and from foreign aid. Current economic development plans call for exploiting the tourism potential and expanding the fishing industry.
GDP: $40.0 million, per capita $2,200 (1988 est.); real growth rate 5.3% (1986-88 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $33.8 million; expenditures $34.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports: $4.0 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—copra, fresh and canned fruit, clothing; partners—NZ 80%, Japan
Imports: $38.7 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber; partners—NZ 49%, Japan, Australia, US
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 4,800 kW capacity; 15 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fruit processing, tourism
Agriculture: export crops—copra, citrus fruits, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas; subsistence crops—yams, taro
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $128 million
Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural—dollars); 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1—1.6581 (January 1990), 1.6708 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6886 (1987), 1.9088 (1986), 2.0064 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: 187 km total (1980); 35 km paved, 35 km gravel, 84 km improved earth, 33 km unimproved earth
Ports: Avatiu
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 7 total, 5 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—2 AM, no FM, no TV; 10,000 radio receivers; 2,052 telephones; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand —————————————————————————— Country: Coral Sea Islands (territory of Australia) - Geography Total area: undetermined; includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 1 million km2, with Willis Islets the most important
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 3,095 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other, mostly grass or scrub cover; Lihou Reef Reserve and Coringa-Herald Reserve were declared National Nature Reserves on 3 August 1982
Environment: subject to occasional tropical cyclones; no permanent fresh water; important nesting area for birds and turtles
Note: the islands are located just off the northeast coast of
Australia in the Coral Sea
- People
Population: 3 meteorologists
- Government
Long-form name: Coral Sea Islands Territory
Type: territory of Australia administered by the Minister for
Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories Graham
Richardson
Flag: the flag of Australia is used
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorages only
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by
the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors
——————————————————————————
Country: Costa Rica
- Geography
Total area: 51,100 km2; land area: 50,660 km2; includes Isla del
Coco
Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 639 km total; Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Coastline: 1,290 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to
November)
Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
Natural resources: hydropower potential
Land use: 6% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 45% meadows and pastures; 34% forest and woodland; 8% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes; deforestation; soil erosion
- People
Population: 3,032,795 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Costa Rican(s); adjective—Costa Rican
Ethnic divisions: 96% white (including mestizo), 2% black, 1% Indian, 1% Chinese
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon
Literacy: 93%
Labor force: 868,300; industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)
Organized labor: 15.1% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Costa Rica
Type: democratic republic
Capital: San Jose
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia);
Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution: 9 November 1949
Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Rafael Angel
CALDERON Fournier (since 8 May 1990); First Vice President German SERRANO
Pinto (since 8 May 1990); Second Vice President Arnoldo LOPEZ Echandi
(since 8 May 1990)
Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Party (PLN),
Carlos Manuel Castillo; Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), Rafael Angel
Calderon Fournier; Marxist Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Humberto Vargas
Carbonell; New Republic Movement (MNR), Sergio Erick Ardon;
Progressive Party (PP), Javier Solis; People's Party of Costa Rica
(PPC), Lenin Chacon Vargas; Radical Democratic Party (PRD), Juan Jose
Echeverria Brealey
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February
1994);
results—Rafael Calderon Fournier 51%, Carlos Manuel Castillo 47%;
Legislative Assembly—last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(57 total) PUSC 29, PLN 25, PVP/PPC 1, regional parties 2
Communists: 7,500 members and sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: Costa Rican Confederation of
Democratic Workers (CCTD; Liberation Party affiliate), Confederated Union of
Workers (CUT; Communist Party affiliate), Authentic Confederation of
Democratic Workers (CATD; Communist Party affiliate), Chamber of Coffee
Growers, National Association for Economic Development (ANFE), Free Costa Rica
Movement (MCRL; rightwing militants), National Association of Educators (ANDE)
Member of: CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council,
OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Danilo JIMENEZ; Chancery at Suite 211, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-2945 through 2947; there are Costa Rican Consulates General at Albuquerque, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa, and Consulates in Austin, Buffalo, Honolulu, and Raleigh; US—Ambassador (vacant); Embassy at Pavas Road, San Jose (mailing address is APO Miami 34020); telephone 33-11-55
Flag: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue with the coat of arms in a white disk on the hoist side of the red band
- Economy Overview: In 1988 the economy grew at a 3.8% rate, a drop from the 5.1% of the previous year. Gains in agricultural production (on the strength of good coffee and banana crops) and in construction, were partially offset by declines in the rates of growth for the industry and commerce sectors. In 1988 consumer prices rose by nearly 21% followed by a 10% rise in 1989. Unemployment is officially reported at about 6%, but much underemployment remains. External debt, on a per capita basis, is among the world's highest.
GDP: $4.7 billion, per capita $1,630; real growth rate 3.8% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (March 1989)
Budget: revenues $719 million; expenditures $808 million, including capital expenditures of $103 million (1988)
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar; partners—US 75%, FRG, Guatemala, Netherlands, UK, Japan
Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—petroleum, machinery, consumer durables, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs; partners—US 35%, Japan, Guatemala, FRG
External debt: $4.5 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1988)
Electricity: 909,000 kW capacity; 2,928 million kWh produced, 990 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for 20-25% of GDP and 70% of exports; cash commodities—coffee, beef, bananas, sugar; other food crops include corn, rice, beans, potatotes; normally self-sufficient in food except for grain; depletion of forest resources resulting in lower timber output
Illicit drugs: illicit production of cannabis on small scattered plots; transshipment country for cocaine from South America
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.3 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $706 million; Communist countries (1971-88), $27 million
Currency: Costa Rican colon (plural—colones); 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1—84.689 (January 1990), 81.504 (1989), 75.805 (1988), 62.776 (1987), 55.986 (1986), 50.453 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 950 km total, all 1.067-meter gauge; 260 km electrified
Highways: 15,400 km total; 7,030 km paved, 7,010 km gravel, 1,360 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: about 730 km, seasonally navigable
Pipelines: refined products, 176 km
Ports: Puerto Limon, Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puntarenas
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,279 GRT/6,602 DWT
Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft
Airports: 193 total, 177 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: very good domestic telephone service; 292,000 telephones; connection into Central American Microwave System; stations—71 AM, no FM, 18 TV, 13 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard; note—Constitution prohibits armed forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 785,429; 530,986 fit for military service; 31,899 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (1987)
——————————————————————————
Country: Cuba
- Geography
Total area: 110,860 km2; land area: 110,860 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundary: 29.1 km with US Naval Base at Guantanamo; note—Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba
Coastline: 3,735 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to
April); rainy season (May to October)
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica
Land use: 23% arable land; 6% permanent crops; 23% meadows and pastures; 17% forest and woodland; 31% other; includes 10% irrigated
Environment: averages one hurricane every other year
Note: largest country in Caribbean; 145 km south of Florida
- People
Population: 10,620,099 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 12 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 78 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cuban(s); adjective—Cuban
Ethnic divisions: 51% mulatto, 37% white, 11% black, 1% Chinese
Religion: at least 85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 98.5%
Labor force: 3,400,000 in state sector; 30% services and government, 22% industry, 20% agriculture, 11% commerce, 10% construction, 7% transportation and communications (1988); economically active population 4,500,000 (1987)
Organized labor: Workers Central Union of Cuba (CTC), only labor federation approved by government; 2,910,000 members; the CTC is an umbrella organization composed of 17 member unions
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Cuba
Type: Communist state
Capital: Havana
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia)
and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila,
Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin,
Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio,
Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara
Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
Constitution: 24 February 1976
Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of
Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 January (1959)
Executive branch: president of the Council of State, first vice
president of the Council of State, Council of State, president of the
Council of Ministers, first vice president of the Council of Ministers,
Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of the People's
Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular)
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (became Prime Minister in January 1959 and President since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Cuban Communist Party
(PCC), Fidel Castro Ruz, first secretary
Suffrage: universal at age 16
Elections: National Assembly of the People's Power—last held NA December 1986 (next to be held December 1991); results—PCC is the only party; seats—(510 total) PCC 510 (indirectly elected)
Communists: about 600,000 full and candidate members
Member of: CEMA, ECLA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB (nonparticipant), IAEA,
IBEC, ICAO, IFAD, ICO, IHO, ILO, IMO, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC—International
Wheat Council, NAM, OAS (nonparticipant), PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: none; protecting power in the US is
Czechoslovakia—Cuban Interests Section; Counselor Jose Antonio Arbesu
FRAGA; 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610; US—protecting power in Cuba is
Switzerland—US Interests Section; Principal Officer John J. TAYLOR;
Calzada entre L y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone 320551 or 320543
Flag: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white five-pointed star in the center
- Economy Overview: The Soviet-style economy, centrally planned and largely state owned, is highly dependent on the agricultural sector and foreign trade. Sugar provides about 75% of export revenues and is mostly exported to the USSR and other CEMA countries. The economy has stagnated since 1985 under a program that has deemphasized material incentives in the workplace, abolished farmers' informal produce markets, and raised prices of government-supplied goods and services. Castro has complained that the ongoing CEMA reform process has interfered with the regular flow of goods to Cuba. Recently the government has been trying to increase trade with Latin America and China. Cuba has had difficulty servicing its foreign debt since 1982. The government currently is encouraging foreign investment in tourist facilities. Other investment priorities include sugar, basic foods, and nickel. The annual $4 billion Soviet subsidy, a main prop to Cuba's threadbare economy, may be cut in view of the USSR's mounting economic problems.
GNP: $20.9 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate - 1% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment: 6% overall, 10% for women (1989)
Budget: revenues $11.7 billion; expenditures $13.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Exports: $5.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—sugar, nickel, shellfish, citrus, tobacco, coffee; partners—USSR 67%, GDR 6%, China 4% (1988)
Imports: $7.6 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—capital goods, industrial raw materials, food, petroleum; partners—USSR 71%, other Communist countries 15% (1988)
External debt: $6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
Industrial production: 3% (1988)
Electricity: 3,991,000 kW capacity; 14,972 million kWh produced, 1,425 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sugar milling, petroleum refining, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); key commercial crops—sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruits; other products—coffee, rice, potatoes, meat, beans; world's largest sugar exporter; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $657.5 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $13.5 billion
Currency: Cuban peso (plural—pesos); 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1—1.0000 (linked to the
US dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 14,925 km total; Cuban National Railways operates 5,295 km of 1.435-meter gauge track; 199 km electrified; 9,630 km of sugar plantation lines of 0.914-1.435-meter gauge
Highways: about 21,000 km total; 9,000 km paved, 12,000 km gravel and earth surfaced
Inland waterways: 240 km
Ports: Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7 secondary, 35 minor
Merchant marine: 91 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 701,418 GRT/1,014,014 DWT; includes 62 cargo, 7 refrigerated cargo, 3 cargo/training, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 6 bulk; note—Cuba beneficially owns an additional 34 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 475,864 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
Airports: 197 total, 168 usable; 72 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV; 1,530,000 TV sets; 2,140,000 radio receivers; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (Ground Forces, Revolutionary Navy,
Air and Air Defense Force), Ministry of Interior Special Troops, Border Guard
Troops, Territorial Militia Troops, Youth Labor Army
Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 6,027,131; of the 3,024,385 males 15-49, 1,897,175 are fit for military service; of the 3,002,746 females 15-49, 1,879,471 are fit for military service; 96,319 males and 92,765 females reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: about 6% of GNP, or $1.2-$1.4 billion
(1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Cyprus
- Geography
Total area: 9,250 km2; land area: 9,240 km2
Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 648 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: 1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas—a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (60% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (35% of the island) that are separated by a narrow UN buffer zone; in addition, there are two UK sovereign base areas (about 5% of the island's land area)
Climate: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters
Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south
Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
Land use: 40% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 10% meadows and pastures; 18% forest and woodland; 25% other; includes 10% irrigated (most irrigated lands are in the Turkish-Cypriot area of the island)
Environment: moderate earthquake activity; water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources concentrated in the Turkish-Cypriot area)
- People
Population: 707,776 (July 1990), growth rate 1.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 78 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cypriot(s); adjective—Cypriot
Ethnic divisions: 78% Greek; 18% Turkish; 4% other
Religion: 78% Greek Orthodox; 18% Muslim; 4% Maronite, Armenian,
Apostolic, and other
Language: Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy: 99% (est.)
Labor force: Greek area—251,406; 42% services, 33% industry, 22% agriculture; Turkish area—NA (1986)
Organized labor: 156,000 (1985 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Cyprus
Type: republic; a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified following the Turkish invasion of the island in July 1974, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktash declared independence and the formation of a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has been recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal differences and creation of a new federal system of government
Capital: Nicosia
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia,
Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos
Independence: 16 August 1960 (from UK)
Constitution: 16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own Constitution and governing bodies within the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, which was renamed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983; a new Constitution for the Turkish area passed by referendum in May 1985
Legal system: based on common law, with civil law modifications
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet); note—there is a president, prime minister, and Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the Turkish area
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (Vouli
Antiprosopon); note—there is a unicameral Assembly of the Republic
(Cumhuriyet Meclisi) in the Turkish area
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; note—there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish area
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President George VASSILIOU (since February 1988); note—Rauf R. DENKTAS was proclaimed President of the Turkish area on 13 February 1975
Political parties and leaders: Greek Cypriot—Progressive
Party of the Working People (AKEL; Communist Party), Dimitrios
Christotias, Democratic Rally (DESY), Glafkos Clerides; Democratic Party
(DEKO), Spyros Kyprianou; United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK),
Vassos Lyssarides;
Turkish area—National Unity Party (NUP), Dervis Eroglu;
Communal Liberation Party (CLP), Ismail Bozkurt; Republican Turkish
Party (RTP), Ozker Ozgur; New Birth Party (NBP), Aytac Besheshler;
New Cyprus savey (NCP), Alpay Durduran
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 14 February and 21 February 1988 (next to be held February 1993); results—George Vassiliou 52%, Glafkos Clerides 48%;
House of Representatives—last held 8 December 1985 (next to be held December 1990); results—Democratic Rally 33.56%, Democratic Party 27.65%, AKEL 27.43%, EDEK 11.07%; seats—(56 total) Democratic Rally 19, Democratic Party 16, AKEL (Communist) 15, EDEK 6;
Turkish Area: President—last held 9 June 1985 (next to be held June 1990); results—Rauf Denktash 70%;
Turkish Area: Legislative Assembly—last held 23 June 1985 (next to be held June 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(50 total) National Unity Party (conservative) 24, Republican Turkish Party (Communist) 12, Communal Liberation Party (center-right) 10, New Birth Party 4
Communists: about 12,000
Other political or pressure groups: United Democratic Youth Organization
(EDON; Communist controlled); Union of Cyprus Farmers (EKA; Communist
controlled); Cyprus Farmers Union (PEK; pro-West); Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation
(PEO; Communist controlled); Confederation of Cypriot Workers (SEK; pro-West);
Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions (Turk-Sen); Confederation of
Revolutionary Labor Unions (Dev-Is)
Member of: CCC, Commonwealth, Council of Europe, FAO, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; Turkish Federated State
of Cyprus—OIC (observer)
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael E. SHERIFIS; Chancery at 2211 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-5772; there is a Cypriot Consulate General in New York; US—(vacant); Embassy at the corner of Therissos Street and Dositheos Street, Nicosia (mailing address is FPO New York 09530); telephone (2) 465151
Flag: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities
- Economy Overview: These data are for the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus (information on the northern Turkish-Cypriot area is sparse). The economy is small, diversified, and prosperous. Industry contributes about 28% to GDP and employs 35% of the labor force, while the service sector contributes about 55% to GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Rapid growth in exports of agricultural and manufactured products and in tourism have played important roles in the average 6% rise in GDP in recent years. While this growth put considerable pressure on prices and the balance of payments, the inflation rate has remained low and the balance-of-payments deficit manageable.
GDP: $4.2 billion, per capita $6,100; real growth rate 6.9% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.8% (1988)
Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $178 million (1989 est.)
Exports: $767 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and shoes; partners—Middle East and North Africa 37%, UK 27%, other EC 11%, US 2%
Imports: $1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—consumer goods 23%, petroleum and lubricants 12%, food and feed grains, machinery; partners—EC 60%, Middle East and North Africa 7%, US 4%
External debt: $2.8 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.5% (1988)
Electricity: 620,000 kW capacity; 1,770 million kWh produced, 2,530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining (iron pyrites, gypsum, asbestos); manufactured products—beverages, footwear, clothing, and cement—are principally for local consumption
Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GDP and employs 22% of labor force; major crops—potatoes, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, and citrus fruits; vegetables and fruit provide 25% of export revenues
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $272 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $223 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $62 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $24 million
Currency: Cypriot pound (plural—pounds) and in Turkish area, Turkish lira (plural—liras); 1 Cypriot pound (LC) = 100 cents and 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus
Exchange rates: Cypriot pounds (LC) per US$1—0.4854 (January 1990), 0.4933 (1989), 0.4663 (1988), 0.4807 (1987), 0.5167 (1986), 0.6095 (1985); in Turkish area, Turkish liras (TL) per US$1—2,314.7 (November 1989), 1,422.3 (1988), 857.2 (1987), 674.5 (1986), 522.0 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 10,780 km total; 5,170 km bituminous surface treated; 5,610 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth
Ports: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos
Merchant marine: 1,100 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,093,340 GRT/32,148,550 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 12 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 434 cargo, 61 refrigerated cargo, 18 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 40 container, 94 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 specialized cargo, 3 liquefied gas, 13 chemical tanker, 29 combination ore/oil, 341 bulk, 3 vehicle carrier, 48 combination bulk carrier; note—a flag of convenience registry; Cuba owns at least 20 of these ships and Yugoslavia owns 1
Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
Airports: 13 total, 13 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent in the area controlled by the Cypriot Government (Greek area), moderately good in the Turkish-Cypriot administered area; 210,000 telephones; stations—13 AM, 7 (7 repeaters) FM, 2 (40 repeaters) TV; tropospheric scatter circuits to Greece and Turkey; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations—INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, and EUTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Cyprus National Guard; Turkish area—Turkish Cypriot Security
Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 180,946; 125,044 fit for military service; 5,083 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2% of GDP, or $84 million (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Czechoslovakia
- Geography
Total area: 127,870 km2; land area: 125,460 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than New York State
Land boundaries: 3,446 km total; Austria 548 km, GDR 459 km,
Hungary 676 km, Poland 1,309 km, USSR 98 km, FRG 356 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Disputes: Nagymaros Dam dispute with Hungary
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: mixture of hills and mountains separated by plains and basins
Natural resources: coal, timber, lignite, uranium, magnesite, iron ore, copper, zinc
Land use: 40% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 9% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: infrequent earthquakes; acid rain; water pollution; air pollution
Note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe
- People
Population: 15,683,234 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Czechoslovak(s); adjective—Czechoslovak
Ethnic divisions: 64.3% Czech, 30.5% Slovak, 3.8% Hungarian, 0.4% German, 0.4% Polish, 0.3% Ukrainian, 0.1% Russian, 0.2% other (Jewish, Gypsy)
Religion: 50% Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant, 2% Orthodox, 28% other
Language: Czech and Slovak (official), Hungarian
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 8,200,000 (1987); 36.9% industry, 12.3% agriculture, 50.8% construction, communications, and other (1982)
Organized labor: Revolutionary Trade Union Movement (ROH), formerly regime-controlled; other industry-specific strike committees; new independent trade unions forming
- Government
Long-form name: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic; abbreviated CSSR;
note—on 23 March 1990 the name was changed to Czechoslovak Federative
Republic; because of Slovak concerns about their status in the
Federation, the Federal Assembly approved the name Czech and Slovak
Federative Republic on 20 April 1990
Type: in transition from Communist state to republic
Capital: Prague
Administrative divisions: 2 socialist republics (socialisticke republiky, singular—socialisticka republika); Ceska Socialisticka Republika, Slovenska Socialisticka Republika
Independence: 18 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Constitution: 11 July 1960; amended in 1968 and 1970; new constitution under review (1 January 1990)
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Holiday of the Republic (Anniversary of the Liberation), 9 May (1945)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Federalni
Shromazdeni) consists of an upper house or House of Nations
(Snemovna Narodu) and a lower house or House of the People
(Snemovna Lidu)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Vaclav HAVEL (since 28 December 1989);
Head of Government—Premier Marian CALFA (since 10 December 1989); First Deputy Premier Valtr KOMAREK (since 7 December 1989); Jan CARNOGURSKY (since 7 December 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Civic Forum, since December 1989 leading political force, loose coalition of former oppositionists headed by President Vaclav Havel; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), Ladislav Adamec, chairman (since 20 December 1989); KSC toppled from power in November 1989 by massive antiregime demonstrations, minority role in coalition government since 10 December 1989
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 22 May 1985 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results—Gustav Husak was reelected without opposition;
Federal Assembly—last held 23 and 24 May 1986 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results—KSC was the only party; seats—(350 total) KSC 350
Communists: 1.71 million party members (April 1988) and falling
Other political groups: Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak
People's Party, Slovak Freedom Party, Slovak Revival Party, Christian
Democratic Party; more than 40 political groups are expected to field
candidates for the 8 June 1990 election
Member of: CCC, CEMA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICO, ILO, ILZSG,
IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Rita KLIMOVA;
Chancery at 3900 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
363-6315 or 6316;
US—Ambassador Shirley Temple BLACK; Embassy at Trziste 15-12548,
Prague (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone (2) 53 6641
through 6649
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
- Economy Overview: Czechoslovakia is highly industrialized and has a well-educated and skilled labor force. Its industry, transport, energy sources, banking, and most other means of production are state owned. The country is deficient, however, in energy and many raw materials. Moreover, its aging capital plant lags well behind West European standards. Industry contributes over 50% to GNP and construction 10%. About 95% of agricultural land is in collectives or state farms. The centrally planned economy has been tightly linked in trade (80%) to the USSR and Eastern Europe. Growth has been sluggish, averaging less than 2% in the period 1982-89. GNP per capita ranks next to the GDR as the highest in the Communist countries. As in the rest of Eastern Europe, the sweeping political changes of 1989 have been disrupting normal channels of supply and compounding the government's economic problems. Czechoslovakia is beginning the difficult transition from a command to a market economy.
GNP: $123.2 billion, per capita $7,878; real growth rate 1.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 0.9% (1987)
Budget: revenues $22.4 billion; expenditures $21.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.7 billion (1986 state budget)
Exports: $24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment 58.5%; industrial consumer goods 15.2%; fuels, minerals, and metals 10.6%; agricultural and forestry products 6.1%, other products 15.2%; partners—USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US
Imports: $23.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment 41.6%; fuels, minerals, and metals 32.2%; agricultural and forestry products 11.5%; industrial consumer goods 6.7%; other products 8.0%; partners—USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US
External debt: $7.4 billion, hard currency indebtedness (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1988)
Electricity: 22,955,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 5,410 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products, footwear
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (includes forestry); largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of forest products
Aid: donor—$4.2 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-88)
Currency: koruna (plural—koruny); 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru
Exchange rates: koruny (Kcs) per US$1—17.00 (March 1990), 10.00 (1989), 5.63 (1988), 5.43 (1987), 5.95 (1986), 6.79 (1985), 6.65 (1984)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 13,116 km total; 12,868 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750- and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,854 km double track; 3,530 km electrified; government owned (1986)
Highways: 73,805 km total; including 489 km superhighway (1986)
Inland waterways: 475 km (1986); the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,448 km; refined products, 1,500 km; natural gas, 8,000 km
Ports: maritime outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin),
Yugoslavia (Rijeka, Koper), FRG (Hamburg), GDR (Rostock); principal river ports
are Prague on the Vltava, Decin on the Elbe (Labe), Komarno on the
Danube, Bratislava on the Danube
Merchant marine: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 208,471 GRT/ 308,072 DWT; includes 15 cargo, 6 bulk
Civil air: 40 major transport aircraft
Airports: 158 total, 158 usable; 40 with permanent-surface runways; 19 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—58 AM, 16 FM, 45 TV; 14 Soviet TV relays; 4,360,000 TV sets; 4,208,538 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Czechoslovak People's Army, Frontier Guard, Air and Air Defense
Forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,019,311; 3,076,735 fit for military service; 137,733 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 28.4 billion koruny, 7% of total budget (1989); note—conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results —————————————————————————— Country: Denmark - Geography Total area: 43,070 km2; land area: 42,370 km2; includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Massachusetts
Land boundaries: 68 km with FRG
Coastline: 3,379 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 4 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Iceland, Ireland,
and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the
Rockall area); Denmark has challenged Norway's maritime claims between
Greenland and Jan Mayen
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone
Land use: 61% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 12% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 9% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
- People
Population: 5,131,217 (July 1990), growth rate NEGL% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Dane(s); adjective—Danish
Ethnic divisions: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Religion: 97% Evangelical Lutheran, 2% other Protestant and Roman
Catholic, 1% other
Language: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect); small
German-speaking minority
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 2,760,000; 51% services, 34% industry, 8% government, 7% agriculture, forestry, and fishing (1988)
Organized labor: 65% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Denmark
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Copenhagen
Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark—14 counties (amter, singular—amt) and 1 city* (stad); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Staden Kobenhavn*, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjaelland, Viborg; note—see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland which are part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative divisions
Independence: became a constitutional monarchy in 1849
Constitution: 5 June 1953
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Executive branch: monarch, heir apparent, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Folketing)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen MARGRETHE II (since January 1972);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26 May 1968);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Poul SCHLUTER (since 10 September 1982)
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic, Svend Auken;
Liberal, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen; Conservative, Poul Schluter; Radical Liberal,
Niels Helveg Petersen; Socialist People's, Gert Petersen; Communist, Ole
Sohn; Left Socialist, Elizabeth Brun Olesen; Center Democratic, Mimi
Stilling Jakobsen; Christian People's, Flemming Kofoed-Svendsen;
Justice, Poul Gerhard Kristiansen; Progress Party, Aage Brusgaard;
Socialist Workers Party, leader NA; Communist Workers' Party
(KAP); Common Course, Preben Moller Hansen; Green Party, Inger
Borlehmann
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
Parliament—last held 10 May 1988 (next to be held by May
1992);
results—Social Democrat 29.9%, Conservative 19.3%, Socialist
People's 13.0%, Liberal 11.8%, Radical Liberal 9.0%, Center
Democratic 5.6%, Christian People's 2.0%, Common Course 2.7%,
other 6.7%;
seats—(175 total; includes 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe
Islands) Social Democratic 55, Conservative 35,
Socialist People's 24, Liberal 22, Progress 16,
Radical Liberal 10, Center Democratic 9, Christian People's 4
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB, Inter-American Development Bank,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC,
ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NATO, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Peter Pedersen DYVIG; Chancery at 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-4300; there are Danish Consulates General at Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York; US—Ambassador Keith L. BROWN; Embassy at Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen O (mailing address is APO New York 09170); telephone (31) 42 31 44
Flag: red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
- Economy Overview: This modern economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, and high dependence on foreign trade. Growth in output, however, has been sluggish in 1987-89, and unemployment in early 1989 stood at 9.6% of the labor force. The government is trying to revitalize growth in preparation for the economic integration of Europe in 1992.
GDP: $73.7 billion, per capita $14,300; real growth rate 1.4% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.25% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9.6% (1989)
Budget: revenues $34 billion; expenditures $34 billion, including capital expenditures of $19 billion (1988)
Exports: $27.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—meat and meat products, dairy products, transport equipment, fish, chemicals, industrial machinery; partners—US 6.0%, FRG, Norway, Sweden, UK, other EC, Japan
Imports: $26.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, textiles, paper; partners—US 7.0%, FRG, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, other EC
External debt: $41.1 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.9% (1988)
Electricity: 11,215,000 kW capacity; 30,910 million kWh produced, 6,030 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other wood products
Agriculture: accounts for 7% of GNP and employs 1.8% of labor force (includes fishing); farm products account for nearly 16% of export revenues; principal products—meat, dairy, grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets, fish; self-sufficient in food production
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87) $4.8 billion
Currency: Danish krone (plural—kroner); 1 Danish krone
(DKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1—6.560 (January 1990), 7.310 (1989), 6.732 (1988), 6.840 (1987), 8.091 (1986), 10.596 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 2,675 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; Danish State Railways (DSB) operate 2,025 km (1,999 km rail line and 121 km rail ferry services); 188 km electrified, 730 km double tracked; 650 km of standard-gauge lines are privately owned and operated
Highways: 66,482 km total; 64,551 km concrete, bitumen, or stone block; 1,931 km gravel, crushed stone, improved earth
Inland waterways: 417 km
Pipelines: crude oil, 110 km; refined products, 578 km; natural gas, 700 km
Ports: Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia; numerous secondary and minor ports
Merchant marine: 252 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,498,611 GRT/6,711,011 DWT; includes 12 short-sea passenger, 82 cargo, 15 refrigerated cargo, 28 container, 36 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 37 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 13 chemical tanker, 12 liquefied gas, 4 livestock carrier, 12 bulk; note—Denmark has created a captive register called the Danish International Ship Register (DIS) as its own internal register; DIS ships do not have to meet Danish manning regulations, and they amount to a flag of convenience within the Danish register; by the end of 1990, most Danish flag ships will belong to the DIS
Civil air: 58 major transport aircraft
Airports: 130 total, 114 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 9 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent telephone, telegraph, and broadcast services; 4,237,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, 15 (39 repeaters) FM, 27 (25 repeaters) TV stations; 7 submarine coaxial cables; 1 satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT, 4 Atlantic Ocean, EUTELSAT, and domestic systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air
Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,368,013; 1,180,865 fit for military service; 37,228 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP, or $1.5 billion (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Djibouti
- Geography
Total area: 22,000 km2; land area: 21,980 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: 517 km total; Ethiopia 459 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline: 314 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Natural resources: geothermal areas
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures;
NEGL% forest and woodland; 91% other
Environment: vast wasteland
Note: strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia
- People
Population: 337,386 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 17 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 119 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 46 years male, 49 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Djiboutian(s); adjective—Djiboutian
Ethnic divisions: 60% Somali (Issa); 35% Afar, 5% French, Arab,
Ethiopian, and Italian
Religion: 94% Muslim, 6% Christian
Language: French (official); Arabic, Somali, and Afar widely used
Literacy: 20%
Labor force: NA, but a small number of semiskilled laborers at the port and 3,000 railway workers; 52% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: 3,000 railway workers
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Djibouti
Type: republic
Capital: Djibouti
Administrative divisions: 5 districts (cercles, singular—cercle);
Ali Sahih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France; formerly French Territory of the Afars and Issas)
Constitution: partial constitution ratified January 1981 by the
Chamber of Deputies
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Deputes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Hassan GOULED Aptidon (since 24 June 1977);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Barkat GOURAD Hamadou (since 30
September 1978)
Political parties and leaders: only party—People's Progress
Assembly (RPP), Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections: President—last held 24 April 1987 (next to be held April 1993); results—President Hassan Gouled Aptidon was reelected without opposition;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 24 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results—RPP is the only party; seats—(65 total) RPP 65
Communists: NA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU,
NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE; Chancery
(temporary) at the Djiboutian Permanent Mission to the UN; 866 United Nations
Plaza, Suite 4011, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 753-3163;
US—Ambassador Robert S. BARRETT IV; Embassy at Villa Plateau du
Serpent Boulevard, Marechal Joffre, Djibouti (mailing address is B. P. 185,
Djibouti); telephone 35-38-49 or 35-39-95, 35-29-16, 35-29-17
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center
- Economy Overview: The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. It has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of over 50% continues to be a major problem.
GNP: $333 million, $1,070 per capita; real growth rate - 0.7% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: over 50% (1987)
Budget: revenues $117 million; expenditures $163 billion, including capital expenditures of $52 million (1987 est.)
Exports: $128 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—hides and skins, coffee (in transit); partners—Middle East 50%, Africa 43%, Western Europe 7%
Imports: $198 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products; partners—EC 36%, Africa 21%, Bahrain 14%, Asia 12%, US 2%
External debt: $250 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.6% (1986)
Electricity: 110,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as dairy products and mineral-water bottling
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; scanty rainfall limits crop production to mostly fruit and vegetables; half of population pastoral nomads herding goats, sheep, and camels; imports bulk of food needs
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-88), $36 million; Western (non-US) countries, including ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $962 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $149 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $35 million
Currency: Djiboutian franc (plural—francs); 1 Djiboutian franc
(DF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs (DF) per US$1—177.721 (fixed rate since 1973)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: the Ethiopian-Djibouti railroad extends for 97 km through
Djibouti
Highways: 2,900 km total; 280 km bituminous surface, 2,620 km improved or unimproved earth (1982)
Ports: Djibouti
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 12 total, 9 usable; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of urban facilities in Djibouti and radio relay stations at outlying places; 7,300 telephones; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 ARABSAT; 1 submarine cable to Saudi Arabia
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary National Security Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 88,132; 51,260 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: $29.9 million, 23% of central government budget
(1986)
——————————————————————————
Country: Dominica
- Geography
Total area: 750 km2; land area: 750 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 148 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources: timber
Land use: 9% arable land; 13% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 34% other
Environment: flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
Note: located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
- People
Population: 84,854 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican
Ethnic divisions: mostly black; some Carib indians
Religion: 80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist
Language: English (official); French patois widely spoken
Literacy: 80% (est.)
Labor force: 25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28% services (1984)
Organized labor: 25% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Commonwealth of Dominica
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Roseau
Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David,
Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick,
Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)
Constitution: 3 November 1978
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (includes 9 appointed senators and 21 elected representatives)
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since 19 December 1983);
Head of Government—Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21
July 1980)
Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles; Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist-dominated coalition), Michael Douglas; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); the president is elected by the House of Assembly;
House of Assembly—last held 1 July 1985 (next to be held July 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(21 total) DFP 17, LPD 4
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: there is no Chancery in the US;
US—no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown
(Barbados), but travels frequently to Dominica
Flag: green with a centered cross of three equal bands—the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white—the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)
- Economy Overview: The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Principal products include bananas, coconuts, citrus, and root crops. In 1988 the economy achieved a 5.6% growth in real GDP on the strength of a boost in construction, higher agricultural production, and growth of the small manufacturing sector based on soap and garment industries. The tourist industry remains undeveloped because of a rugged coastline and the lack of an international-class airport.
GDP: $137 million, per capita $1,408; real growth rate 5.6% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $60 million; expenditures $52 million, including capital expenditures of $18 million (FY88)
Exports: $46 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets; partners—UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%
Imports: $66.0 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—food, oils and fats, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment; partners—US 23%, UK 18%, CARICOM 15%, OECS 15%, Japan 5%, Canada 3%, other 21%
External debt: $63.6 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.9% in manufacturing (1987)
Electricity: 7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other coconut-based products, cigars, pumice mining
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops—bananas, citrus fruit, coconuts, root crops; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $109 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Highways: 750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth
Ports: Roseau, Portsmouth
Civil air: NA
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and UHF link to St. Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; stations—3 AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Dominican Republic
- Geography
Total area: 48,730 km2; land area: 48,380 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundary 275 km with Haiti
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 6 nm
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: 23% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 14% other; includes 4% irrigated
Environment: subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October); deforestation
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (western one-third is
Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
- People
Population: 7,240,793 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican
Ethnic divisions: 73% mixed, 16% white, 11% black
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 74%
Labor force: 2,300,000-2,600,000; 49% agriculture, 33% services, 18% industry (1986)
Organized labor: 12% of labor force (1989 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Dominican Republic (no short-form name)
Type: republic
Capital: Santo Domingo
Administrative divisions: 29 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia)
and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon,
Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor,
Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez,
Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata,
Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan,
San Pedro De Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde
Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Constitution: 28 November 1966
Legal system: based on French civil codes
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Joaquin BALAGUER
Ricardo (since 16 August 1986); Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso
(since 16 August 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Major parties—Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC),
Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo; Dominican Revolutionary
Party (PRD), which fractured in May 1989 with the understanding that
leading rivals Jacobo Majluta and Jose Francisco
Pena Gomez would run separately for president at the head of the
Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Social Democratic
Institutional Bloc (BIS), respectively, and try to reconstitute the
PRD after the election; Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch
Gavino;
Minor parties—National Veterans and Civilian Party (PNVC),
Juan Rene Beauchanps Javier; The Structure (LE), Andres Van Der Horst;
Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias Wessin Chavez;
Constitutional Action Party (PAC), Luis Arzeno
Rodriguez; National Progressive Force (FNP), Marino Vinicio Castillo;
Popular Christian Party (PPC), Rogelio Delgado Bogaert; Dominican
Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic
Union (UPA), Ivan Rodriguez; in 1983 several leftist parties,
including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID);
however, they still retain individual party structures
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 or if married; members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
Elections:
President—last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990);
results—Joaquin Balaguer (PRSC) 41.8%, Jacobo Majluta (PRD) 39.7%,
Juan Bosch Gavino (PLD) 18.5%;
Senate—last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(30 total) PRSC 21, PRD 7, PLD 2;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990); results—PRSC 40.6%, PRD 33.5%, PLD 18.3%, LE 5.3%, other 2.3%; seats—(120 total) PRSC 56, PRD 48, PLD 16
Communists: an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and organizational inadequacies
Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (serves concurrently as Vice President); Chancery at 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6280; there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands), Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Paul D. TAYLOR; Embassy at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo (mailing address is APO Miami 34041-0008); telephone 541-2171
Flag: a centered white cross that extends to the edges, divides the flag into four rectangles—the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross
- Economy Overview: The economy is largely dependent on the agricultural sector, which employs 50% of the labor force and provides about half of export revenues. The principal commercial crop is sugarcane, followed by coffee, cocoa, and tobacco. Industry is based on the processing of agricultural products, durable consumer goods, minerals, and chemicals. Rapid growth of free trade zones has established a significant expansion of manufacturing for export, especially wearing apparel. Over the past decade tourism has also increased in importance and is a significant earner of foreign exchange and a source of new jobs. Unemployment is officially reported at about 25%, but underemployment may be much higher.
GDP: $5.1 billion, per capita $790; real growth rate 0.5% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 57.6% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)
Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $218 million (1988)
Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—sugar, coffee, cocoa, gold, ferronickel; partners—US, including Puerto Rico, 74%
Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals; partners—US, including Puerto Rico, 37% (1985)
External debt: $3.6 billion (1989) est.
Industrial production: growth rate 30% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 1,376,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 49% of labor force; sugarcane most important commercial crop, followed by coffee, cotton, and cocoa; food crops—rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal output—cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $529 million
Currency: Dominican peso (plural—pesos); 1 Dominican peso
(RD$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US$1—6.3400 (January 1990), 6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986), 3.1126 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges from 0.558 m to 1.435 m
Highways: 12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth, 600 km unimproved
Pipelines: crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km
Ports: Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata
Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,335
GRT/40,297 DWT
Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
Airports: 44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: relatively efficient domestic system based on
islandwide radio relay network; 190,000 telephones; stations—120 AM, no
FM, 18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,912,101; 1,210,172 fit for military service; 80,290 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.2% of GDP, or $61 million (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Ecuador
- Geography
Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes
Galapagos Islands
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute
Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber
Land use: 6% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures; 51% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts
Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
- People
Population: 10,506,668 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 61 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Ecuadorian(s); adjective—Ecuadorian
Ethnic divisions: 55% mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish), 25% Indian, 10%
Spanish, 10% black
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua
Literacy: 85% (1981)
Labor force: 2,800,000; 35% agriculture, 21% manufacturing, 16% commerce, 28% services and other activities (1982)
Organized labor: less than 15% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Ecuador
Type: republic
Capital: Quito
Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia);
Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas,
Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago,
Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha)
Constitution: 10 August 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence of Quito)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Representatives
(Camara de Representantes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde (since 10 August 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Right to center
parties—Social Christian Party (PSC), Camilio Ponce, president;
Conservative Party (PC), Jose Teran Varea, director;
Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Penaherrera, director;
Centrist parties—Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes
Bucaram Saxida, director; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia
Calderon de Castro, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles
Rigail Santistevan, director; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR),
Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy, leader;
Center-left parties—Democratic Left (ID), President Rodrigo Borja,
leader; Roldosist Party of Ecuador (PRE), Abdala Bucaram, director;
Popular Democracy (DP), Vladimiro Alvarez, leader;
Christian Democratic (CD), Julio Cesar Trujillo;
Democratic Party (PD), Francisco Huerta Montalvo, leader;
Far-left parties—Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene Mauge
Mosquera, director; Socialist Party (PSE), Victor Granda Aguilar,
secretary general; Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime Hurtado
Gonzalez, leader; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo Castillo;
Popular Revolutionary Action Party (APRE), Lt. Gen. Frank Vargas
Pazzos, leader
Suffrage: universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Elections: President—first round held 31 January 1988 and second round on 8 May 1988 (next first round to be held January 1992 and second round May 1992); results—Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (ID) 54%, Abdala Bucaram Ortiz (PRE) 46%;
Chamber of Representatives—last held 31 January 1988 (next to be held June 1990); results—ID 42%, PSC 11%, PRE 11%, DP 9%, others 27%; seats—(71 total) ID 30, PRE 8, PSC 8, DP 7, CFP 6, PSE 4, FADI 2, MPD 2, FRA 2, PCE 1, PLR 1; note—with the addition of the new province of Sucumbios there will be 72 seats in the August 1990 election
Communists: Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow), Rene
Mauge Mosquera, secretary general, 5,000 members; Communist Party of
Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), 3,000 members; Socialist
Party of Ecuador (PSE, pro-Cuba), 5,000 members (est.); National
Liberation Party (PLN, Communist), 5,000 members (est.)
Member of: Andean Pact, ECOSOC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO,
IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPEC, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO,
UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime MONCAYO; Chancery at 2535 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7200; there are Ecuadorian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in San Diego; US—Ambassador-designate Paul C. LAMBERT; Embassy at Avenida Patria 120, on the corner of Avenida 12 de Octubre, Quito (mailing address is P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO Miami 34039); telephone (2) 562-890; there is a US Consulate General in Guayaquil
Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
- Economy Overview: Ecuador continues to recover from a 1986 drop in international oil prices and a major earthquake in 1987 that interrupted oil exports for six months and forced Ecuador to suspend foreign debt payments. In 1988-89 oil exports recovered—accounting for nearly half of Ecuador's total export revenues—and Quito resumed full interest payments on its official debt, and partial payments on its commercial debt. The Borja administration has pursued austere economic policies that have helped reduce inflation and restore international reserves. Ecuador was granted an IMF standby agreement worth $135 million in 1989, and Quito will seek to reschedule its foreign commercial debt in 1990.
GDP: $9.8 billion, per capita $935; real growth rate 0.5% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 54% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 14.3% (1988)
Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $601 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products, shrimp, fish products; partners—US 58%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries
Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemical, petroleum; partners—US 28%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan
External debt: $10.9 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.7% (1988)
Electricity: 1,953,000 kW capacity; 5,725 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, textiles, chemicals, fishing, timber, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other exports—coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop production—rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock sector—cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrain, dairy products, and sugar
Illicit drugs: relatively small producer of coca following the successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country, however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $457 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $64 million
Currency: sucre (plural—sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: sucres (S/) per US$1—526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987), 122.78 (1986), 69.56 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track
Highways: 28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 1,500 km
Pipelines: crude oil, 800 km; refined products, 1,358 km
Ports: Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas
Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 340,446 GRT/492,670 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk
Civil air: 44 major transport aircraft
Airports: 179 total, 178 usable; 43 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000 telephones; stations—272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Ecuadorean Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Ecuadorean Air Force
(Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), Ecuadorean Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,635,543; 1,786,068 fit for military service; 114,976 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 1% of GDP, or $100 million (1988 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Egypt
- Geography
Total area: 1,001,450 km2; land area: 995,450 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries: 2,689 km total; Gaza Strip 11, Israel 255 km,
Libya 1,150 km, Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: undefined;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Administrative Boundary and international boundary with Sudan
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use: 3% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
NEGL% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes 5% irrigated
Environment: Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; water pollution; desertification
Note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean; size and juxtaposition to Israel establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics
- People
Population: 54,705,746 (July 1990), growth rate 2.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 90 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 61 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Egyptian(s); adjective—Egyptian
Ethnic divisions: 90% Eastern Hamitic stock; 10% Greek, Italian,
Syro-Lebanese
Religion: (official estimate) 94% Muslim (mostly Sunni), 6% Coptic
Christian and other
Language: Arabic (official); English and French widely understood by educated classes
Literacy: 45%
Labor force: 15,000,000 (1989 est.); 36% government, public sector enterprises, and armed forces; 34% agriculture; 20% privately owned service and manufacturing enterprises (1984); shortage of skilled labor; 2,500,000 Egyptians work abroad, mostly in Iraq and the Gulf Arab states (1988 est.)
Organized labor: 2,500,000 (est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Type: republic
Capital: Cairo
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat,
singular—muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar,
Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah,
Al Ismailiyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya,
Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah,
As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Said, Dumyat,
Janub Sina, Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina,
Shamal Sina, Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK); formerly United Arab Republic
Constitution: 11 September 1971
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Majlis al-Shaab); note—there is an Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura) that functions in a consultative role
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (was made acting
President on 6 October 1981 upon the assassination of President Sadat and
sworn in as President on 14 October 1981);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Atef Mohammed Najib SEDKY (since 12 November 1986)
Political parties and leaders: formation of political parties must be approved by government; National Democratic Party (NDP), President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, leader, is the dominant party; legal opposition parties are Socialist Liberal Party (SLP), Kamal Murad; Socialist Labor Party, Ibrahim Shukri; National Progressive Unionist Grouping, Khalid Muhyi-al-Din; Umma Party, Ahmad al-Sabahi; and New Wafd Party (NWP), Fuad Siraj al-Din
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections: President—last held 5 October 1987 (next to be held October 1993); results—President Hosni Mubarek was reelected;
People's Assembly—last held 6 April 1987 (next to be held
April 1992); results—NDP 69.3%, Socialist Labor Party Coalition 17%,
NWP 10.9%;
seats—(458 total, 448 elected)—NDP 346, Socialist Labor Party
Coalition 60,
Labor-Liberal-Muslim Brotherhood Alliance 60 (37 belong to the
Muslim Brotherhood), NWP 36, independents 7;
Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)—last held October 1986 (next to be held October 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(210 total, 140 elected)
Communists: about 500 party members
Other political or pressure groups: Islamic groups are illegal, but the largest one, the Muslim Brotherhood, is tolerated by the government and recently gained a sizable presence in the new People's Assembly; trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned
Member of: ACC, AfDB, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ITU,
IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WPC, WSG, WTO; Egypt was suspended from Arab League and
OAPEC in April 1979 and readmitted in May 1989
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador El Sayed Abdel Raouf EL REEDY; Chancery at 2310 Decatur Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-5400; there are Egyptian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Frank G. WISNER; Embassy at 5 Sharia Latin America, Garden City, Cairo (mailing address is FPO New York 09527); telephone 355-7371; there is a US Consulate General in Alexandria
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the flags of the YAR which has one star, Syria which has two stars, and Iraq which has three stars—all green and five-pointed in a horizontal line centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: Egypt has one of the largest public sectors of all the Third World economies, most industrial plants being owned by the government. Overregulation holds back technical modernization and foreign investment. Even so, the economy grew rapidly during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in 1986 the collapse of world oil prices and an increasingly heavy burden of debt servicing led Egypt to begin negotiations with the IMF for balance-of-payments support. As part of the 1987 agreement with the IMF, the government agreed to institute a reform program to reduce inflation, promote economic growth, and improve its external position. The reforms have been slow in coming, however, and the economy has been largely stagnant for the past three years. With 1 million people being added every eight months to Egypt's population, urban growth exerts enormous pressure on the 5% of the total land area available for agriculture.
GDP: $38.3 billion, per capita $700; real growth rate 1.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $7 billion; expenditures $11.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $4 billion (FY89 est.)
Exports: $2.55 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—raw cotton, crude and refined petroleum, cotton yarn, textiles; partners—US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe
Imports: $10.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—foods, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, wood products, durable consumer goods, capital goods; partners—US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe
External debt: $45 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2-4% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 11,273,000 kW capacity; 42,500 million kWh produced, 780 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement, metals
Agriculture: accounts for 20% of GNP and employs more than one-third of labor force; dependent on irrigation water from the Nile; world's fifth-largest cotton exporter; other crops produced include rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruit, vegetables; not self-sufficient in food; livestock—cattle, water buffalo, sheep, and goats; annual fish catch about 140,000 metric tons
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $14.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $7.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.4 billion
Currency: Egyptian pound (plural—pounds); 1 Egyptian pound
(LE) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds (LE) per US$1—2.5790 (January 1990), 2.5171 (1989), 2.2128 (1988), 1.5015 (1987), 1.3503 (1986), 1.3010 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 5,110 km total; 4,763 km 1,435-meter standard gauge, 347 km 0.750-meter gauge; 951 km double track; 25 km electrified
Highways: 51,925 km total; 17,900 km paved, 2,500 km gravel, 13,500 km improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser,
Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta);
Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by oceangoing
vessels drawing up to 16.1 meters of water
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,171 km; refined products, 596 km; natural gas, 460 km
Ports: Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Bur Safajah, Damietta
Merchant marine: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,141,799 GRT/1,754,181 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 88 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 15 bulk
Civil air: 43 major transport aircraft
Airports: 97 total, 87 usable; 67 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 46 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 21 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: system is large but still inadequate for needs; principal centers are Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, and Tanta; intercity connections by coaxial cable and microwave; extensive upgrading in progress; 600,000 telephones (est.); stations—25 AM, 5 FM, 47 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 INMARSAT; 4 submarine coaxial cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; radio relay to Libya (may not be operational); new radio relay to Jordan
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower: males 15-49, 13,271,942; 8,642,075 fit for military service; 547,084 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $2.8 billion (FY90 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: El Salvador
- Geography
Total area: 21,040 km2; land area: 20,720 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: 545 km total; Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)
Disputes: several sections of the boundary with Honduras are in dispute
Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to
April)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Natural resources: hydropower and geothermal power, crude oil
Land use: 27% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 29% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 30% other; includes 5% irrigated
Environment: The Land of Volcanoes; subject to frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
- People
Population: 5,309,865 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 49 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Salvadoran(s); adjective—Salvadoran
Ethnic divisions: 89% mestizo, 10% Indian, 1% white
Religion: about 97% Roman Catholic, with activity by Protestant groups throughout the country
Language: Spanish, Nahua (among some Indians)
Literacy: 65%
Labor force: 1,700,000 (1982 est.); 40% agriculture, 16% commerce, 15% manufacturing, 13% government, 9% financial services, 6% transportation; shortage of skilled labor and a large pool of unskilled labor, but manpower training programs improving situation (1984 est.)
Organized labor: 15% total labor force; 10% agricultural labor force; 7% urban labor force (1987 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of El Salvador
Type: republic
Capital: San Salvador
Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos,
singular—departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan,
La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana,
San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution: 20 December 1983
Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Alfredo CRISTIANI (since 1 June 1989); Vice President Jose Francisco MERINO (since 1 June 1989)
Political parties and leaders: National Republican Alliance
(ARENA), Armando Calderon Sol; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jose
Antonio Morales Erlich; National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro Cruz
Zepeda; Democratic Action (AD), Ricardo Gonzalez Camacho; Salvadoran
Authentic Institutional Party (PAISA), Roberto Escobar Garcia; Patria
Libre (PL), Hugo Barrera; Authentic Christian Movement (MAC), Julio
Rey Prendes; Salvadoran Popular Party (PPS), Francisco Quinonez;
Democratic Convergence (CD), a coalition composed of the Social
Democratic Party (PSD), Mario Rene Roldan; the National Revolutionary
Movement (MNR), Guillermo Ungo; and the Popular Social Christian Movement
(MPSC), Ruben Zamora
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994); results—Alfredo Cristiani (ARENA) 53.8%, Fidel Chavez Mena (PDC) 36.6%, other 9.6%;
Legislative Assembly—last held 20 March 1988 (next to be held March 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(60 total) ARENA 32, MAC 13, PDC 9, PCN 6
Other political or pressure groups:
Leftist revolutionary movement—Farabundo Marti National
Liberation Front (FMLN), leadership body of the insurgency;
Popular Liberation Forces (FPL), Armed Forces of National Resistance
(FARN), People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), Salvadoran Communist
Party/Armed Forces of Liberation (PCES/FAL),
and Central American Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRTC)/Popular
Liberation Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARLP);
Militant front organizations—Revolutionary Coordinator of Masses (CRM; alliance of front groups), Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR), Unified Popular Action Front (FAPU), Popular Leagues of 28 February (LP-28), National Democratic Union (UDN), and Popular Liberation Movement (MLP); Revolutionary Democratic Front (FDR), coalition of CRM and Democratic Front (FD); FD consists of moderate leftist groups—Independent Movement of Professionals and Technicians of El Salvador (MIPTES), National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), and Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC);
Extreme rightist vigilante organizations—Anti-Communist Army (ESA);
Maximiliano Hernandez
Brigade; Organization for Liberation From Communism (OLC);
Labor organizations—Federation of Construction and Transport Workers Unions (FESINCONSTRANS), independent; Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS), peasant association; Unitary Federation of Salvadoran Unions (FUSS), leftist; National Federation of Salvadoran Workers (FENASTRAS), leftist; Democratic Workers Central (CTD), moderate; General Confederation of Workers (CGT), moderate; Popular Democratic Unity (UPD), moderate labor coalition which includes FESINCONSTRANS, and other democratic labor organizations; National Unity of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist; National Union of Workers and Peasants (UNOC), moderate labor coalition of democratic labor organizations;
Business organizations—National Association of Private Enterprise
(ANEP), conservative; Productive Alliance (AP), conservative; National
Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative
Member of: CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Miguel Angel SALAVERRIA;
Chancery at 2308 California Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 265-3480 through 3482; there are Salvadoran Consulates General in
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco,
US—Ambassador William G. WALKER; Embassy at 25 Avenida Norte No. 1230,
San Salvador (mailing address is APO Miami 34023); telephone 26-7100
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band—it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: The economy experienced a modest recovery during the period 1983-86, after a sharp decline in the early 1980s. Real GDP grew by 1.5% a year on the strength of value added by the manufacturing and service sectors. In 1987 the economy expanded by 2.5% as agricultural output recovered from the 1986 drought. The agricultural sector accounts for 25% of GDP, employs about 40% of the labor force, and contributes about 66% to total exports. Coffee is the major commercial crop, contributing 60% to export earnings. The manufacturing sector, based largely on food and beverage processing, accounts for 17% of GDP and 16% of employment. Economic losses due to guerrilla sabotage total more than $2.0 billion since 1979. The costs of maintaining a large military seriously constrain the government's ability to provide essential social services.
GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $1,020 (1988); real growth rate 0.9% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.8% (September 1989)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1989)
Budget: revenues $688 million; expenditures $725 million, including capital expenditures of $112 million (1988)
Exports: $497 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—coffee 60%, sugar, cotton, shrimp; partners—US 49%, FRG 24%, Guatemala 7%, Costa Rica 4%, Japan 4%
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—petroleum products, consumer goods, foodstuffs, machinery, construction materials, fertilizer; partners—US 40%, Guatemala 12%, Venezuela 7%, Mexico 7%, FRG 5%, Japan 4%
External debt: $1.7 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.9% (1989)
Electricity: 669,000 kW capacity; 1,813 million kWh produced, 350 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, textiles, clothing, petroleum products, cement
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and 40% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); coffee most important commercial crop; other products—sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseeds, beef, dairy products, shrimp; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $2.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $353 million
Currency: Salvadoran colon (plural—colones); 1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1—5.0000 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 602 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 10,000 km total; 1,500 km paved, 4,100 km gravel, 4,400 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable
Ports: Acajutla, Cutuco
Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft
Airports: 125 total, 84 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: nationwide trunk radio relay system; connection into Central American Microwave System; 116,000 telephones; stations—77 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, National Police,
Treasury Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,180,751; 754,350 fit for military service; 68,805 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 4% of GDP, or $220 million (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Equatorial Guinea
- Geography
Total area: 28,050 km2; land area: 28,050 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 539 km total; Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Gabon
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Natural resources: timber, crude oil, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium
Land use: 8% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 51% forest and woodland; 33% other
Environment: subject to violent windstorms
Note: insular and continental regions rather widely separated
- People
Population: 368,935 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 118 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 52 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s); adjective—Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic divisions: indigenous population of Bioko, primarily Bubi, some
Fernandinos; Rio Muni, primarily Fang; less than 1,000 Europeans, mostly
Spanish
Religion: natives all nominally Christian and predominantly Roman
Catholic; some pagan practices retained
Language: Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Literacy: 40%
Labor force: 172,000 (1986 est.); 66% agriculture, 23% services, 11% industry (1980); labor shortages on plantations; 58% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: no formal trade unions
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Type: republic
Capital: Malabo
Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia);
Bioko, Rio Muni; note—there may now be 6 provinces named Bioko Norte,
Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele Nzas
Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain; formerly Spanish Guinea)
Constitution: 15 August 1982
Legal system: in transition; partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of People's Representatives
(Camara de Representantes del Pueblo)
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Brig. Gen. Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Cristino SERICHE Bioko Malabo (since 15 August 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Isidoro Eyi Monsuy Andeme (since 15 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea (PDEG), Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, party leader
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections: President—last held 25 June 1989 (next to be held 25 June 1996); results—President Brig. Gen. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was reelected without opposition;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 10 July 1988 (next to be held 10 July 1993); results—PDEG is the only party; seats—(41 total) PDEG 41
Communists: no significant number but some sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Conference of East and Central African
States, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Damaso OBIANG NDONG; Chancery at
801 Second Avenue, Suite 1403, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 599-1523;
US—Ambassador Chester E. NORRIS, Jr.; Embassy at Calle de Los Ministros,
Malabo (mailing address is P. O. Box 597, Malabo); telephone 2406 or 2507
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
- Economy Overview: The economy, destroyed during the regime of former President Macias Nguema, is now based on agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which account for about 60% of GNP and nearly all exports. Subsistence agriculture predominates, with cocoa, coffee, and wood products providing income, foreign exchange, and government revenues. There is little industry. Commerce accounts for about 10% of GNP, and the construction, public works, and service sectors for about 34%. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration is taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms.
GNP: $103 million, per capita $293; real growth rate NA% (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 6.0% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $23 million; expenditures $31 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)
Exports: $30 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—coffee, timber, cocoa beans; partners—Spain 44%, FRG 19%, Italy 12%, Netherlands 11% (1987)
Imports: $50 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery; partners—Spain 34%, Italy 16%, France 14%, Netherlands 8% (1987)
External debt: $191 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 60 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing, sawmilling
Agriculture: cash crops—timber and coffee from Rio Muni, cocoa from Bioko; food crops—rice, yams, cassava, bananas, oil palm nuts, manioc, livestock
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY81-88), $11 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $100 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $55 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: Rio Muni—1,024 km; Bioko—216 km
Ports: Malabo, Bata
Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,413
GRT/6,699 DWT; includes 1 cargo and 1 passenger-cargo
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
Airports: 4 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: poor system with adequate government services; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; 2,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, and possibly Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 77,363; 39,174 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 11% of GNP (FY81 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Ethiopia
- Geography
Total area: 1,221,900 km2; land area: 1,101,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 5,141 km total; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km,
Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km
Coastline: 1,094 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional
Administrative Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic
Somalis; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; separatist movement
in Eritrea; antigovernment insurgencies in Tigray and other areas
Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; prone to extended droughts
Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley
Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
Land use: 12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 41% meadows and pastures; 24% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine
Note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; major resettlement project ongoing in rural areas will significantly alter population distribution and settlement patterns over the next several decades
- People
Population: 51,666,622 (July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Ethiopian(s); adjective—Ethiopian
Ethnic divisions: 40% Oromo, 32% Amhara and Tigrean, 9% Sidamo, 6%
Shankella, 6% Somali, 4% Afar, 2% Gurage, 1% other
Religion: 40-45% Muslim, 35-40% Ethiopian Orthodox, 15-20% animist, 5% other
Language: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy: 55.2%
Labor force: 18,000,000; 80% agriculture and animal husbandry, 12% government and services, 8% industry and construction (1985)
Organized labor: All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in
January 1977 to represent 273,000 registered trade union members
- Government
Long-form name: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Type: Communist state
Capital: Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions: 14 administrative regions (plural—NA,
singular—kifle hager); Arsi, Bale, Eritrea, Gamo Gofa, Gojam,
Gonder, Harerge, Ilubabor, Kefa, Shewa, Sidamo, Tigray, Welega,
Welo; note—the administrative structure may be changing to 25
administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular—astedader
akababee) and 5 autonomous
regions* (rasgez akababiwach, singular—rasgez akababee); Addis Ababa,
Arsi, Aseb*, Asosa, Bale, Borena, Dire Dawa*, East Gojam,
East Harerge, Eritrea*, Gambela, Gamo Gofa, Ilubabor, Kefa, Metekel,
Nazaret, North Gonder, North Shewa, North Welo, Ogaden*, Omo, Sidamo,
South Gonder, South Shewa, South Welo, Tigray*, Welega, West Gojam,
West Harerge, West Shewa
Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world—at least 2,000 years
Constitution: 12 September 1987
Legal system: complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of State prime minister, five deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Shengo)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President MENGISTU Haile-Mariam (Chairman from
11 September 1977 until becoming President on 10 September 1987);
Vice President FISSEHA Desta (since 10 September 1987);
Head of Government—Prime Minister (Acting) and Deputy Prime
Minister HAILU Yimenu (since 7 November 1989);
Deputy Prime Minister WOLLE Chekol (since 21 November 1989);
Deputy Prime Minister ALEMU Abebe (since 10 September 1987);
Deputy Prime Minister TESFAYE Dinka (since 10 September 1987);
Deputy Prime Minister ASHAGRE Yigletu (since 21 November 1989)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Workers' Party of
Ethiopia (WPE), Mengistu Haile-Mariam, secretary general
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 10 September 1987 (next to be held September
1992);
results—National Assembly elected President Mengistu Haile-Mariam;
National Assembly—last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held June 1992); results—WPE is the only party; seats—(835 total) WPE 835
Other political or pressure groups: important dissident groups include
Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in Eritrea; Tigrean People's
Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement
in Tigray, Welo, and border regions; Oromo Liberation Front in Welega and
Harerge regions
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICO, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim GIRMA Amare; Chancery at 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282; US—Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone 254-233-4141
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
- Economy Overview: Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment; coffee generates over 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. The economy is centrally planned, and over 90% of large-scale industry is state run. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89.
GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate 4.5% (FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (FY89)
Unemployment rate: NA; shortage of skilled manpower
Budget: revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY87)
Exports: $418 million (f.o.b., FY88); commodities—coffee 60%, hides; partners—US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88), commodities—food, fuels, capital goods; partners—USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France
External debt: $2.6 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate - 0.2% (FY88 est.)
Electricity: 330,000 kW capacity; 700 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: cement, textiles, food processing, oil refinery
Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts, poor cultivation practices, and state economic policies keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock—cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, potatoes, sugarcane, vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $471 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.0 billion
Currency: birr (plural—birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1—2.0700 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July
- Communications Railroads: 988 km total; 681 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge (nonoperational)
Highways: 44,300 km total; 3,650 km bituminous, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth
Ports: Aseb, Mitsiwa
Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 71,837 GRT/92,067 DWT; includes 10 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Civil air: 21 major transport aircraft
Airports: 152 total, 111 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 51 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; stations—4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 45,000 TV sets; 3,300,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense
Military manpower: males 15-49, 11,438,616; 5,922,555 fit for military service; 589,231 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 8.5% of GDP (1988)
——————————————————————————
Country: Europa Island
(French possession)
- Geography
Total area: 28 km2; land area: 28 km2
Comparative area: about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 22.2 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claimed by Madagascar
Climate: tropical
Terrain: NA
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures;
NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; heavily wooded
Environment: wildlife sanctuary
Note: located in the Mozambique Channel 340 km west of Madagascar
- People
Population: uninhabited
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN, resident in Reunion
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Airports: 1 with runway 1,220 to 2,439 m
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
Telecommunications: 1 meteorological station
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of France —————————————————————————— Country: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 12,170 km2; land area: 12,170 km2; includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 100 meter depth;
Exclusive fishing zone: 150 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate: cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Terrain: rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Natural resources: fish and wildlife
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 99% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 1% other
Environment: poor soil fertility and a short growing season
Note: deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors
- People
Population: 1,958 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Falkland Islander(s); adjective—Falkland Island
Ethnic divisions: almost totally British
Religion: primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Free Church;
Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Language: English
Literacy: NA%, but compulsory education up to age 15
Labor force: 1,100 (est.); about 95% in agriculture, mostly sheepherding
Organized labor: Falkland Islands General Employees Union, 400 members
- Government
Long-form name: Colony of the Falkland Islands
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Stanley
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution: 3 October 1985
Legal system: English common law
National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, Executive Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Head of Government—Governor William Hugh FULLERTON (since NA 1988)
Political parties: NA
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Legislative Council—last held 3 October 1985 (next to be held October 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(10 total, 8 elected) number of seats by party NA
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms in a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising is the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
- Economy Overview: The economy is based on sheep farming, which directly or indirectly employs most of the work force. A few dairy herds are kept to meet domestic consumption of milk and milk products, and crops grown are primarily those for providing winter fodder. Major sources of income are from the export of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of stamps and coins. Rich stocks of fish in the surrounding waters are not presently exploited by the islanders, but development plans called for the islands to have six trawlers by 1989. In 1987 the government began to sell fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falklands exclusive fishing zone. These license fees amount to more than $25 million per year. To encourage tourism, the Falkland Islands Development Corporation has built three lodges for visitors who are attracted by the abundant wildlife and trout fishing.
GNP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues $11 million; expenditures $11.8 million, including capital expenditures of $1.2 million (FY87)
Exports: at least $14.7 million; commodities—wool, hides and skins, and other; partners—UK, Netherlands, Japan (1987 est.)
Imports: at least $13.9 million; commodities—food, clothing, fuels, and machinery; partners—UK, Netherlands Antilles (Curacao), Japan (1987 est.)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 9,200 kW capacity; 17 million kWh produced, 8,700 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: wool processing
Agriculture: predominantly sheep farming; small dairy herds and fodder crops
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $102 million
Currency: Falkland pound (plural—pounds); 1 Falkland pound
(LF) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Falkland pound (LF) per US$1—0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); note—the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: 510 km total; 30 km paved, 80 km gravel, and 400 km unimproved earth
Ports: Port Stanley
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m
Telecommunications: government-operated radiotelephone and private
VHF/CB radio networks provide effective service to almost all points on
both islands; 590 telephones; stations—2 AM, 3 FM, no TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station with links through London to other countries
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK —————————————————————————— Country: Faroe Islands (part of the Danish realm) - Geography Total area: 1,400 km2; land area: 1,400 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than eight times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 764 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 4 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain: rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 98% other
Environment: precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands; archipelago of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets
Note: strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic about midway between Iceland and Shetland Islands
- People
Population: 47,715 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Faroese (sing., pl.); adjective—Faroese
Ethnic divisions: homogeneous Scandinavian population
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran
Language: Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 17,585; largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and commerce
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark
Capital: Torshavn
Administrative divisions: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Independence: part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark
Constitution: Danish
Legal system: Danish
National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Executive branch: Danish monarch, high commissioner, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet (Landsstyri)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Logting)
Judicial branch: none
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972), represented by
High Commissioner Bent KLINTE (since NA);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Jogvan SUNDSTEIN (since 17 January 1989)
Political parties and leaders: four-party ruling coalition—People's Party, Jogvan Sundstein; Republican Party, Signer Hansen; Progressive and Fishing Industry Party combined with the Christian People's Party (CPP-PFIP); Home Rule Party, Hilmar Kass; opposition—Social Democratic Party, Atli P. Dam; Cooperation Coalition Party, Pauli Ellefsen; Progress Party
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections: Parliament—last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(32 total) three-party coalition 21 (People's Party 8, Cooperation Coalition Party 7, Republican Party 6); Social Democrat 7, CPP-PFIP 2, Home Rule 2
Communists: insignificant number
Member of: Nordic Council
Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Flag: white with a red cross outlined in blue that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
- Economy Overview: The Faroese enjoy the high standard of living characteristic of the Danish and other Scandinavian economies. Fishing is the dominant economic activity. It employs over 25% of the labor force, accounts for about 25% of GDP, and contributes over 80% to export revenues. A handicraft industry employs about 20% of the labor force. Because of cool summers agricultural activities are limited to raising sheep and to potato and vegetable cultivation. There is a labor shortage, and immigrant workers accounted for 5% of the work force in 1989. Denmark annually subsidizes the economy, perhaps on the order of 15% of GDP.
GDP: $662 million, per capita $14,000; real growth rate 3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.0% (1988)
Unemployment rate: labor shortage
Budget: revenues $176 million; expenditures $176 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
Exports: $267 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—fish and fish products 86%, animal feedstuffs, transport equipment; partners—Denmark 18%, US 14%, FRG, France, UK, Canada
Imports: $363 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities—machinery and transport equipment 38%, food and livestock 11%, fuels 10%, manufactures 10%, chemicals 5%; partners: Denmark 46%, FRG, Norway, Japan, UK
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 80,000 kW capacity; 280 million kWh produced, 5,910 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing, shipbuilding, handicrafts
Agriculture: accounts for 27% of GDP and employs 27% of labor force; principal crops—potatoes and vegetables; livestock—sheep; annual fish catch about 360,000 metric tons
Aid: none
Currency: Danish krone (plural—kroner); 1 Danish krone
(DKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1—6.560 (January 1990), 7.310 (1989), 6.732 (1988), 6.840 (1987), 8.091 (1986), 10.596 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: 200 km
Ports: Torshavn, Tvoroyri; 8 minor
Merchant marine: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,249 GRT/11,887 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 2 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo; note—a subset of the Danish register
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good international communications; fair domestic facilities; 27,900 telephones; stations—1 AM, 3 (10 repeaters) FM, 3 (29 repeaters) TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark
——————————————————————————
Country: Fiji
- Geography
Total area: 18,270 km2; land area: 18,270 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,129 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper; offshore oil potential
Land use: 8% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 65% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: subject to hurricanes from November to January; includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
Note: located 2,500 km north of New Zealand in the South Pacific
Ocean
- People
Population: 759,567 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 70 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Fijian(s); adjective—Fijian
Ethnic divisions: 49% Indian, 46% Fijian, 5% European, other Pacific
Islanders, overseas Chinese, and others
Religion: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu with a Muslim minority
Language: English (official); Fijian; Hindustani
Literacy: 80%
Labor force: 176,000; 60% subsistence agriculture, 40% wage earners (1979)
Organized labor: about 45,000 employees belong to some 46 trade unions, which are organized along lines of work and ethnic origin (1983)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Fiji
Type: military coup leader Major General Sitiveni Rabuka formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Capital: Suva
Administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern,
Northern, Rotuma*, Western
Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK)
Constitution: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); note—a new constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and awaits final approval
Legal system: based on British system
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 October (1970)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: the bicameral Parliament, consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives, was dissolved following the coup of 14 May 1987; the proposed constitution of NA September 1988 provides for a bicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu GANILAU (since 5 December 1987);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 5 December 1987); note—Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara served as prime minister from 10 October 1970 until the 5-11 April 1987 election; after a second coup led by Major General Sitiveni Rabuka on 25 September 1987, Ratu Mara was reappointed as prime minister
Political parties and leaders: Alliance, primarily Fijian,
Ratu Mara; National Federation, primarily Indian, Siddiq Koya;
Western United Front, Fijian, Ratu Osea Gavidi; Fiji Labor Party,
Adi Kuini Bavadra; coalition of the National Federation Party
and the Fiji Labor Party, Adi Kuini Vuikaba Bavadra
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Communists: some
Member of: ACP, ADB, Colombo Plan, EC (associate), ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Counselor (Commercial), Vice Consul, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Abdul H. YUSUF; Chancery at Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone (202) 337-8320; there is a Fijian Consulate in New York; US—Ambassador Leonard ROCHWARGER; Embassy at 31 Loftus Street, Suva (mailing address is P. O. Box 218, Suva); telephone 314-466 or 314-069
Flag: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of St. George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove
- Economy Overview: Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports are a major source of foreign exchange and sugar processing accounts for one-third of industrial output. Industry, including sugar milling, contributes 10% to GDP. Fiji traditionally earned considerable sums of hard currency from the 250,000 tourists who visited each year. In 1987, however, after two military coups, the economy went into decline. GDP dropped by 7.8% in 1987 and by another 2.5% in 1988; political uncertainly created a drop in tourism, and the worst drought of the century caused sugar production to fall sharply. In contrast, sugar and tourism turned in strong performances in 1989, and the economy rebounded vigorously.
GDP: $1.32 billion, per capita $1,750; real growth rate 12.5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.8% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 11% (1988)
Budget: revenues $260 million; expenditures $233 million, including capital expenditures of $47 million (1988)
Exports: $312 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—sugar 49%, copra, processed fish, lumber; partners—UK 45%, Australia 21%, US 4.7%
Imports: $454 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—food 15%, petroleum products, machinery, consumer goods; partners—US 4.8%, NZ, Australia, Japan
External debt: $398 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 15% (1988 est.)
Electricity: 215,000 kW capacity; 330 million kWh produced, 440 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sugar, copra, tourism, gold, silver, fishing, clothing, lumber, small cottage industries
Agriculture: principal cash crop is sugarcane; coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas; small livestock sector includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $677 million
Currency: Fijian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Fijian dollar
(F$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1—1.4950 (January 1990), 1.4833 (1989), 1.4303 (1988), 1.2439 (1987), 1.1329 (1986), 1.1536 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation
Highways: 3,300 km total (1984)—390 km paved; 1,200 km bituminous-surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
Ports: Lambasa, Lautoka, Savusavu, Suva
Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,872 GRT/49,795 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 container, 2 liquefied gas, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
Civil air: 1 DC-3 and 1 light aircraft
Airports: 26 total, 24 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between US-Canada and New Zealand-Australia; 53,228 telephones; stations—7 AM, 1 FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: integrated ground and naval forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 194,433; 107,317 fit for military service; 7,864 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (1988)
——————————————————————————
Country: Finland
- Geography
Total area: 337,030 km2; land area: 305,470 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: 2,578 km total; Norway 729 km, Sweden 536 km,
USSR 1,313 km
Coastline: 1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 6 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use: 8% arable land; 0% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 76% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Note: long boundary with USSR; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent
- People
Population: 4,977,325 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Finn(s); adjective—Finnish
Ethnic divisions: Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
Religion: 97% Evangelical Lutheran, 1.2% Eastern Orthodox, 1.8% other
Language: 93.5% Finnish, 6.3% Swedish (both official); small Lapp- and
Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy: almost 100%
Labor force: 2,556,000; 33.1% services, 22.9% mining and manufacturing, 13.8% commerce, 10.3% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 7.2% construction, 7.1% transportation and communications (1989 est.)
Organized labor: 80% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Finland
Type: republic
Capital: Helsinki
Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (laanit, singular—laani);
Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu,
Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Harri HOLKERI (since 30 April 1987);
Deputy Prime Minister Pertti PAASIO (since NA January 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party, Pertti Paasio;
Center Party, Paavo Vayrynen; People's Democratic League (majority Communist
front), Reijo Kakela; National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka Suominen;
Liberal People's Party, Kyosti Lallukka; Swedish People's Party, Christoffer
Taxell; Rural Party, leader NA
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 31 January-1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994); results—Mauno Koivisto 48%, Paavo Vayrynen 20%, Harri Holkeri 18%;
Parliament—last held 15-16 March 1987 (next to be held March 1991); results—Social Democratic 24.3%, National Coalition (Conservative) 23.9%, Center-Liberal People's 18.6%, People's Democratic League 9.4%, Rural 6.3%, Swedish People's 5.3%, Democratic Alternative 4.3%, Green League 4.0%, Finnish Christian League 2.6%, Finnish Pensioners 1.2%, Constitutional Rightist 0.1%; seats—(200 total) Social Democratic 56, National Coalition (Conservative) 53, Center-Liberal People's 40, People's Democratic League 16, Swedish People's 13, Rural 9, Finnish Christian League 5; Democratic Alternative 4, Green League 4
Communists: 28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League
Other political or pressure groups: Finnish Communist Party
(majority Communist faction), Jarmo Wahlstrom; Finnish Communist
Party-Unity (minority faction), Esko-Juhani Tennila; Democratic
Alternative (minority Communist front), Kristiina Halkola;
Finnish Christian League, Esko Almgren; Constitutional
Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Green League, Heidi Hautala;
Communist Workers Party, Timo Lahdenmaki
Member of: ADB, CCC, CEMA (special cooperation agreement), DAC, EC
(free trade agreement), EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD,
IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC—International
Wheat Council, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI; Chancery at 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016; telephone (202) 363-2430; there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York, and Consulates in Chicago and Houston; US—Ambassador John G. WEINMANN; Embassy at Itainen Puistotie 14ASF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO New York 09664); telephone (0) 171931
Flag: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
- Economy Overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector—principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 25% of GNP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic commodities. Economic prospects are generally bright, the main shadow being the increasing pressures on wages and prices.
GDP: $74.4 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 4.6% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 3.4% (1989)
Budget: revenues $28.3 billion; expenditures $28.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1988 est.)
Exports: $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear; partners—EC 44.2% (UK 13.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.9%, Sweden 14.1%, US 5.8%
Imports: $22.0 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains; partners—EC 43.5% (FRG 16.9%, UK 6.8%), Sweden 13.3%, USSR 12.1%, US 6.3%
External debt: $5.3 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.3% (1989)
Electricity: 13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced, 9,940 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing
Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GNP (including forestry); livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population; main crops—cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of food and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion
Currency: markka (plural—markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or
Finmark = 100 pennia
Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1—4.0022 (January 1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987), 5.0695 (1986), 6.1979 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,445 km are electrified
Highways: about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth); additional 30,000 km of private (state-subsidized) roads
Inland waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers
Pipelines: natural gas, 580 km
Ports: Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku; 6 secondary, numerous minor ports
Merchant marine: 82 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 737,811 GRT/764,695 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 11 short-sea passenger, 18 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 24 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 7 bulk, 1 combination bulk
Civil air: 39 major transport
Airports: 160 total, 157 usable; 56 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good service from cable and radio relay network; 3,140,000 telephones; stations—4 AM, 42 (101 relays) FM, 79 (195 relays) TV; 2 submarine cables; satellite service via Swedish earth stations; satellite earth stations—2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 EUTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,312,941; 1,091,416 fit for military service; 32,288 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.5% of GDP (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: France - Geography Total area: 547,030 km2; land area: 545,630 km2; includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado
Land boundaries: 2,892.4 km total; Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km,
FRG 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km,
Switzerland 573 km
Coastline: 3,427 km (includes Corsica, 644 km)
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12-24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Canada (St. Pierre and Miquelon); Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land)
Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean
Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Land use: 32% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 23% meadows and pastures; 27% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhone, Garonne, Seine, or Loire River basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral
Note: largest West European nation
- People
Population: 56,358,331 (July 1990), growth rate 0.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 82 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women); adjective—French
Ethnic divisions: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African,
Indochinese, and Basque minorities
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 1% Muslim (North
African workers), 6% unaffiliated
Language: French (100% of population); rapidly declining regional dialects (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 24,170,000; 61.5% services, 31.3% industry, 7.3% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 20% of labor force (est.)
- Government
Long-form name: French Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Paris
Administrative divisions: metropolitan France—22 regions (regions, singular—region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes; note—the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte, St. Pierre and Miquelon)
Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands,
Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
Independence: unified by Clovis in 486, First Republic proclaimed in 1792
Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Michel ROCARD (since 10 March 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR),
Jacques Chirac; Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and
RAD), Valery Giscard d'Estaing; Republicans (PR), Francois Leotard;
Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre Mehaignerie; Radical
(RAD), Yves Gallard; Socialist Party (PS), Pierre Mauroy; Left Radical
Movement (MRG), Yves Collin; Communist Party (PCF), Georges
Marchais; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995); results—Second Ballot Francois Mitterrand 54%, Jacques Chirac 46%;
Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 93, UDF 143 (PR 53, CDS 65, RAD 25), PS 64, PCF 16, independents 2, unknown 3;
National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—Second Ballot PS-MRG 48.7%, RPR 23.1%, UDF 21%, PCF 3.4%, other 3.8%; seats—(577 total) PS 275, RPR 132, UDF 90, UDC 40, PCF 25, independents 15
Communists: 700,000 claimed but probably closer to 150,000; Communist voters, 2.8 million in 1988 election
Other political or pressure groups: Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT) about 800,000 members est.; independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) about 1,000,000 members est.; independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais—CNPF or Patronat)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMS,
ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA,
IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Whaling
Commission, NATO (signatory), OAS (observer), OECD, SPC, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI; Chancery at
4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 944-6000; there are
French Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles,
New Orleans, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US—Ambassador Walter J. P. CURLEY; Embassy at 2 Avenue
Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 (mailing address is APO New York 09777); telephone
(1) 42-96-12-02 or 42-61-80-75; there are US Consulates General in
Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Ivory Coast, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas
- Economy Overview: One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a highly diversified modern industrial sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. France is largely self-sufficient in agricultural products and is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-third of GDP and employs about one-third of the work force. During the period 1982-86 economic growth was sluggish, averaging only 1.4% annually. This trend was reversed by late 1987, however, with a strong expansion of consumer demand, followed by a surge in investment. The economy has had difficulty generating enough jobs for new entrants into the labor force, resulting in a high unemployment rate, but the upward trend in growth recently pushed the jobless rate below 10%. The steadily advancing economic integration within the European Community is a major force affecting the fortunes of the various economic sectors.
GDP: $819.6 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 3.4% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9.7% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $197.0 billion; expenditures $213.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Exports: $183.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing; partners—FRG 15.8%, Italy 12.2%, UK 9.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.9%, Netherlands 8.7%, US 6.7%, Spain 5.6%, Japan 1.8%, USSR 1.3% (1989 est.)
Imports: $194.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products; partners—FRG 19.4%, Italy 11.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.2%, US 7.7%, UK 7.2%, Netherlands 5.2%, Spain 4.4%, Japan 4.1%, USSR 2.1% (1989 est.)
External debt: $59.3 billion (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.4% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 109,972,000 kW capacity; 403,570 million kWh produced, 7,210 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, and tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); one of the world's top five wheat producers; other principal products—beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $59.8 billion
Currency: French franc (plural—francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.7598 (January 1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,568 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 11,674 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 2,138 km of various gauges (1.000-meter to 1.440-meter), privately owned and operated
Highways: 1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved
Inland waterways: 14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled
Pipelines: crude oil, 3,059 km; refined products, 4,487 km; natural gas, 24,746 km
Ports: maritime—Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Fos-Sur-Mer, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, Sete, Toulon; inland—42
Merchant marine: 153 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,671,645 GRT/5,950,785 DWT; includes 10 short-sea passenger, 19 cargo, 19 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 30 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 37 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 4 specialized tanker, 17 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note—France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia
Civil air: 355 major transport aircraft (1982)
Airports: 470 total, 460 usable; 204 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 34 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 133 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: highly developed system provides satisfactory telephone, telegraph, radio and TV broadcast services; 39,110,000 telephones; stations—42 AM, 138 (777 relays) FM, 215 TV (8,900 relays); 25 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT, 3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, EUTELSAT, MARISAT, and domestic systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 14,285,904; 12,042,731 fit for military service; 409,544 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 3.8% of GDP, or $31.1 billion (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: French Guiana (overseas department of France) - Geography Total area: 91,000 km2; land area: 89,150 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: 1,183 km total; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline: 378 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and
Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 82% forest and woodland; 18% other
Environment: mostly an unsettled wilderness
- People
Population: 97,781 (July 1990), growth rate 3.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—French Guianese (sing., pl.); adjective—French Guiana
Ethnic divisions: 66% black or mulatto; 12% Caucasian; 12% East Indian,
Chinese, Amerindian; 10% other
Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
Language: French
Literacy: 73%
Labor force: 23,265; 60.6% services, government, and commerce, 21.2% industry, 18.2% agriculture (1980)
Organized labor: 7% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Department of Guiana
Type: overseas department of France
Capital: Cayenne
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the republic
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral
Regional Council
Judicial branch: highest local court is the Court of Appeals based in
Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Pierre LACROIX (since NA August 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Guianese Socialist Party (PSG),
Gerard Holder; Rally for the Republic (RPR), Paulin Brune;
Guyanese Democratic Action (ADG), Andre Lecante; Union for French
Democracy (UDF), Claude Ho A Chuck; National Front, Guy Malon;
Popular and National Party of Guiana (PNPG), Claude Robo;
National Anti-Colonist Guianese Party (PANGA), Michel Kapel
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Regional Council—last held 16 March 1986 (next to be held March 1991); results—PSG 43%, RPR 27.7%, ADG 12.2%, UDF 8.9%, FN 3.7%, PNPG 1.4%, others 3.1%; seats—(31 total) PSG 15, RPR 9, ADG 4, UDF 3;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) PSG 1;
French National Assembly—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(2 total) PSG 1, RPR 1
Communists: Communist party membership negligible
Member of: WFTU
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used