Chapter 8
Gnp: Na (part 1)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $430,440; expenditures $429,983, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY87 est.)
Exports: $NA; commodities—fruits, vegetables, curios; partners—NA
Imports: $NA; commodities—fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs; partners—NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 110 kW capacity; 0.30 million kWh produced, 4,410 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: postage stamp sales, handicrafts
Agriculture: based on subsistence fishing and farming; wide variety of fruits and vegetables grown; must import grain products
Aid: none
Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural—dollars); 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1—1.6581 (January 1990), 1.6708 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6866 (1987), 1.9088 (1986), 2.0064 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Railroads: none
Highways: 6.4 km dirt roads
Ports: Bounty Bay
Airports: none
Telecommunications: 24 telephones; party line telephone service on the island; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; diesel generator provides electricity
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
——————————————————————————
Country: Poland
- Geography
Total area: 312,680 km2; land area: 304,510 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Mexico
Land boundaries: 2,980 km total; Czechoslovakia 1,309 km, GDR 456 km,
USSR 1,215 km
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Terrain: mostly flat plain, mountains along southern border
Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt
Land use: 46% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: plain crossed by a few north-flowing, meandering streams; severe air and water pollution in south
Note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain
- People
Population: 37,776,725 (July 1990), growth rate NEGL (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Pole(s); adjective—Polish
Ethnic divisions: 98.7% Polish, 0.6% Ukrainian, 0.5% Byelorussian, less than 0.05% Jewish
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic (about 75% practicing), 5% Russian Orthodox, Protestant, and other
Language: Polish
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 17,128,000 (1988); 36.5% industry and construction; 28.5% agriculture; 14.7% trade, transport, and communications; 20.3% government and other
Organized labor: trade union pluralism
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Poland
Type: democratic state
Capital: Warsaw
Administrative divisions: 49 provinces (wojewodztwa,
singular—wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska, Bialystok, Bielsko-Biala,
Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa, Elblag, Gdansk,
Gorzow Wielkopolski, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin,
Koszalin, Krakow, Krosno, Legnica, Leszno, Lodz, Lomza,
Lublin, Nowy Sacz, Olsztyn, Opole, Ostroleka, Pila, Piotrkow,
Plock, Poznan, Przemysl, Radom, Rzeszow, Siedlce, Sieradz,
Skierniewice, Slupsk, Suwalki, Szczecin, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow,
Torun, Walbrzych, Warszawa, Wloclawek, Wroclaw, Zamosc,
Zielona Gora
Independence: 11 November 1918, independent republic proclaimed
Constitution: the Communist-imposed Constitution of 22 July 1952 will be replaced by a democratic Constitution before May 1991
Legal system: mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Liberation Day, 22 July (1952) will probably be replaced by Constitution Day, 3 May (1794)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Sejm)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Gen. Wojciech JARUZELSKI (since 19 July 1989, Chairman of Council of State since 6 November 1985);
Head of Government—Premier Tadeusz MAZOWIECKI (since 24 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Center-right agrarian parties—Polish Peasant Party (PSL, known
unofficially as PSL-Wilanowska), Gen. Franciszek Kaminski, chairman;
Polish Peasant Party-Solidarity, Josef Slisz, chairman;
Polish Peasant Party-Rebirth (formerly the United Peasant Party),
Kazimirrz Olrsiak, chairman;
Other center-right parties—National Party, Bronislaw Ekert,
chairman;
Christian National Union, Urrslaw Chnzanowski, chairman;
Christian Democratic Labor Party, Wladyslaw Sila Nowicki, chairman;
Democratic Party, Jerzy Jozwiak, chairman;
Center-left parties—Polish Socialist Party, Jan Jozef Lipski, chairman;
Left-wing parties—Polish Socialist Party-Democratic Revolution;
Other—Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (formerly the
Communist Party or Polish United Workers' Party/PZPR), Aleksander
Kwasnuewski, chairman;
Union of the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (breakaway
faction of the PZPR), Tadrusz Fiszbach, chairman
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Senate—last held 4 and 18 June 1989 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(100 total) Solidarity 99, independent 1;
National Assembly—last held 4 and 18 June 1989 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(460 total) Communists 173, Solidarity 161, Polish Peasant Party 76, Democratic Party 27, Christian National Union 23; note—rules governing the election limited Solidarity's share of the vote to 35% of the seats; future elections are to be freely contested
Communists: 70,000 members in the Communist successor party (1990)
Other political or pressure groups: powerful Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation for an Independent Poland (KPN), a nationalist group;
Solidarity (trade union); All Poland Trade Union Alliance (OPZZ),
populist program; Clubs of Catholic Intellectuals (KIKs); Freedom and
Peace (WiP), a pacifist group; Independent Student Union (NZS)
Member of: CCC, CEMA, Council of Europe, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC,
ICAO, ICES, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, Warsaw Pact, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jan KINAST; Chancery at 2640 16th
Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-3800 through 3802; there are
Polish Consulates General in Chicago and New York;
US—Ambassador-designate Thomas SIMONS, Jr.; Embassy at Aleje
Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw (mailing address is
APO New York 09213); telephone 283041 through 283049; there is a US
Consulate General in Krakow and a Consulate in Poznan
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red—a crowned eagle is to be added; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white
- Economy Overview: The economy, except for the agricultural sector, had followed the Soviet model of state ownership and control of the country's productive assets. About 75% of agricultural production had come from the private sector and the rest from state farms. The economy has presented a picture of moderate but slowing growth against a background of underlying weaknesses in technology and worker motivation. GNP increased between 3% and 6% annually during the period 1983-1986, but grew only 2.5% and 2.1% in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Output dropped by 1.5% in 1989. The inflation rate, after falling sharply from the 1982 peak of 100% to 22% in 1986, rose to a galloping rate of 640% in 1989. Shortages of consumer goods and some food items worsened in 1988-89. Agricultural products and coal have remained the biggest hard currency earners, but manufactures are increasing in importance. Poland, with its hard currency debt of approximately $40 billion, is severely limited in its ability to import much-needed hard currency goods. The sweeping political changes of 1989 disrupted normal economic channels and exacerbated shortages. In January 1990, the new Solidarity-led government adopted a cold turkey program for transforming Poland to a market economy. The government moved to eliminate subsidies, end artificially low prices, make the zloty convertible, and, in general, halt the hyperinflation. These financial measures are accompanied by plans to privatize the economy in stages. Substantial outside aid will be needed if Poland is to make a successful transition in the 1990s.
GNP: $172.4 billion, per capita $4,565; real growth rate - 1.6% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 640% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%; 215,000 (official number, mid-March 1990)
Budget: revenues $23 billion; expenditures $24 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion (1988)
Exports: $24.7 billion (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities—machinery and equipment 63%; fuels, minerals, and metals 14%; manufactured consumer goods 14%; agricultural and forestry products 5% (1987 est.); partners—USSR 25%, FRG 12%, Czechoslovakia 6% (1988)
Imports: $22.8 billion (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities—machinery and equipment 36%; fuels, minerals, and metals 35%; manufactured consumer goods 9%; agricultural and forestry products 12%; partners—USSR 23%, FRG 13%, Czechoslovakia 6% (1988)
External debt: $40 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 2.0% (1988)
Electricity: 31,390,000 kW capacity; 125,000 million kWh produced, 3,260 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: machine building, iron and steel, extractive industries, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP and 28% of labor force; 75% of output from private farms, 25% from state farms; productivity remains low by European standards; leading European producer of rye, rapeseed, and potatoes; wide variety of other crops and livestock; major exporter of pork products; normally self-sufficient in food
Aid: donor—bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries, $2.1 billion (1954-88)
Currency: zloty (plural—zlotych); 1 zloty (Zl) = 100 groszy
Exchange rates: zlotych (Zl) per US$1—9,500.00 (January 1990), 1,439.18 (1989), 430.55 (1988), 265.08 (1987), 175.29 (1986), 147.14 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 27,245 km total; 24,333 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 397 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 2,515 km narrow gauge; 8,986 km double track; 10,000 km electrified; government owned (1986)
Highways: 299,887 km total; 130,000 km improved hard surface (concrete, asphalt, stone block); 24,000 km unimproved hard surface (crushed stone, gravel); 100,000 km earth; 45,887 km other urban roads (1985)
Inland waterways: 3,997 km navigable rivers and canals (1988)
Pipelines: 4,500 km for natural gas; 1,986 km for crude oil; 360 km for refined products (1987)
Ports: Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Swinoujscie; principal inland ports are Gliwice on Kanal Gliwice, Wroclaw on the Oder, and Warsaw on the Vistula
Merchant marine: 234 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,957,534
GRT/4,164,665 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 93 cargo, 3 refrigerated
cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 9 container, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 105 bulk
Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft
Airports: 160 total, 160 usable; 85 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway over 3,659 m; 35 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 65 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—30 AM, 28 FM, 41 TV; 4 Soviet TV relays; 9,691,075 TV sets; 9,290,000 radio receivers; at least 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Ground Forces, National Air Defense Forces, Air Force Command,
Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 9,501,088; 7,503,477 fit for military service; 292,769 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 954 billion zlotych, NA% 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: Portugal - Geography Total area: 92,080 km2; land area: 91,640 km2; includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundary: 1,214 km with Spain
Coastline: 1,793 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Macau is scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999; East Timor question with Indonesia
Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south
Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble
Land use: 32% arable land; 6% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes 7% irrigated
Environment: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
- People
Population: 10,354,497 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 14 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Portuguese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Portuguese
Ethnic divisions: homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000
Religion: 97% Roman Catholic, 1% Protestant denominations, 2% other
Language: Portuguese
Literacy: 83%
Labor force: 4,605,700; 45% services, 35% industry, 20% agriculture (1988)
Organized labor: about 55% of the labor force; the Communist-dominated General Confederation of Portuguese Workers—Intersindical (CGTP-IN) represents more than half of the unionized labor force; its main competition, the General Workers Union (UGT), is organized by the Socialists and Social Democrats and represents less than half of unionized labor
- Government
Long-form name: Portuguese Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Lisbon
Administrative divisions: 18 districts (distritos, singular—distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular—regiao autonoma); Acores*, Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Dependent area: Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative
Region of China in 1999)
Independence: 1140; independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910
Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982; new discussions on constitutional revision began October 1987
Legal system: civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June
Executive branch: president, Council of State, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de
Justica)
Leaders: Chief of State—President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6
November 1985); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal
Cavaco Silva; Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Jorge Sampaio; Party of
Democratic Renewal (PRD), Herminio Martinho; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP),
Alvaro Cunhal; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 16 February 1986 (next to be held January 1991); results—Dr. Mario Lopes Soares 51.3%, Prof. Diogo Freitas do Amal 48.7%;
Assembly of the Republic—last held 19 July 1987 (next to be held July 1991); results—Social Democrats 59.2%, Socialists 24.0%, Communists (in a front coalition) 12.4%, Democratic Renewal 2.8%, Center Democrats 1.6%; seats—(250 total) Social Democrats 148, Socialists 60, Communists (in a front coalition) 31 seats, Democratic Renewal 7, Center Democrats 4
Communists: Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753
(December 1983)
Member of: CCC, Council of Europe, EC, EFTA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD,
ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC—International
Wheat Council, NATO, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Joao Eduardo M. PEREIRA BASTOS; Chancery at 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-8610; there are Portuguese Consulates General in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Los Angeles, Newark (New Jersey), New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island); US—Ambassador Edward M. ROWELL; Embassy at Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon (mailing address is APO New York 09678-0002); telephone (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880; there are US Consulates in Oporto and Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag: two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line
- Economy Overview: During the past four years, the economy has made a sustained recovery from the severe recession of 1983-85. The economy grew by 4.7% in 1987, 4.1% in 1988, and 3.5% in 1989, largely because of strong domestic consumption and investment spending. Unemployment has declined for the third consecutive year, but inflation continues to be about three times the European Community average. The government is pushing economic restructuring and privatization measures in anticipation of the 1992 European Community timetable to form a single large market in Europe.
GDP: $72.1 billion, per capita $6,900; real growth rate 3.5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.8% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.9% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $19.0 billion; expenditures $22.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $11.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—cotton textiles, cork and cork products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances; partners—EC 72%, other developed countries 13%, US 6%
Imports: $17.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—petroleum, cotton, foodgrains, industrial machinery, iron and steel, chemicals; partners—EC 67%, other developed countries 13%, less developed countries 15%, US 4%
External debt: $17.2 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.5% (1988)
Electricity: 6,729,000 kW capacity; 16,000 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 9% of GDP and 20% of labor force; small inefficient farms; imports more than half of food needs; major crops—grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; livestock sector—sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, meat, dairy products
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $998 million
Currency: Portuguese escudo (plural—escudos); 1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1—149.15 (January 1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988), 140.88 (1987), 149.59 (1986), 170.39 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 3,613 km total; state-owned Portuguese Railroad Co. (CP) operates 2,858 km 1.665-meter gauge (434 km electrified and 426 km double track), 755 km 1.000-meter gauge; 12 km (1.435-meter gauge) electrified, double track, privately owned
Highways: 73,661 km total; 61,599 km paved (bituminous, gravel, and crushed stone), including 140 km of limited-access divided highway; 7,962 km improved earth; 4,100 km unimproved earth (motorable tracks)
Inland waterways: 820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300-metric-ton cargo capacity
Pipelines: crude oil, 11 km; refined products, 58 km
Ports: Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Velas
(Azores), Setubal, Sines
Merchant marine: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 576,654 GRT/1,005,740 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 21 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 10 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note—Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira (MAR) for Portuguese-owned ships that will have the taxation and crewing benefits of a flag of convenience; although only one ship is currently known to fly the Portuguese flag on the MAR register, it is likely that a majority of Portuguese flag ships will transfer to this subregister in a few years
Airports: 69 total, 64 usable; 37 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: facilities are generally adequate; 2,250,000 telephones; stations—44 AM, 66 (22 relays) FM, 25 (23 relays) TV; 7 submarine cables; communication satellite ground stations operating in the INTELSAT (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and domestic systems (mainland and Azores)
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,583,782; 2,102,835 fit for military service; 88,384 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: $1.3 billion (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: Puerto Rico (commonwealth associated with the US) - Geography Total area: 9,104 km2; land area: 8,959 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 501 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine, mild, little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast
Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore crude oil
Land use: 8% arable land; 9% permanent crops; 51% meadows and pastures; 25% forest and woodland; 7% other
Environment: many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
Note: important location between the Dominican Republic and the Virgin
Islands group along the Mona Passage—a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal;
San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean
- People
Population: 3,291,207 (July 1990), growth rate 0.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 11 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Puerto Rican(s); adjective—Puerto Rican
Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Hispanic
Religion: mostly Christian, 85% Roman Catholic, 15% Protestant denominations and other
Language: Spanish (official); English is widely understood
Literacy: 89%
Labor force: 1,062,000; 23% government, 20% trade, 18% manufacturing, 4% agriculture, 35% other (1988)
Organized labor: 115,000 members in 4 unions; the largest is the
General Confederation of Puerto Rican Workers with 35,000 members (1983)
- Government
Long-form name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Type: commonwealth associated with the US
Capital: San Juan
Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Independence: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
National holiday: Constitution Day, 25 July (1952)
Legal system: based on English common law
Executive branch: US president, US vice president, governor
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989); Vice President Dan QUAYLE (since 20 January 1989);
Head of Government Governor Rafael HERNANDEZ Colon (since 2 January 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Rafael
Hernandez Colon; New Progressive Party (PNP), Baltasar Corrado del Rio;
Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP), Juan Mari Bras and Carlos Gallisa;
Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), Ruben Berrios Martinez; Puerto
Rican Communist Party (PCP), leader(s) unknown
Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
Elections:
Governor—last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held November
1992);
results—Rafael Hernandez Colon (PPD) 48.7%, Baltasar Corrada Del Rio
(PNP) 45.8%, Ruben Barrios Martinez (PIP) 5.5%;
Senate—last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(27 total) PPD 18, PNP 8, PIP 1;
House of Representatives—last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(53 total) PPD 36, PNP 15, PIP 2
Other political or pressure groups: all have engaged in terrorist
activities—Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN), Volunteers of the
Puerto Rican Revolution, Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros),
Armed Forces of Popular Resistance
Diplomatic representation: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Flag: five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag
- Economy Overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. Industry has surpassed agriculture as the primary sector of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1970s. Important new industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, and processed foods. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income for the island.
GNP: $18.4 billion, per capita $5,574; real growth rate 4.9% (FY88)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 33% (December 1987-88)
Unemployment rate: 12.8% (December 1988)
Budget: revenues $4.9 million; expenditures $4.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports: $13.2 billion (f.o.b., FY88); commodities—sugar, coffee, petroleum products, chemical, metal products, textiles, electronic equipment; partners—US 87%
Imports: $11.8 billion (c.i.f., FY88); commodities—chemicals, clothing, food, fish products, crude oil; partners—US 60%
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 5.8% (FY87)
Electricity: 4,149,000 kW capacity; 14,050 million kWh produced, 4,260 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of labor force; crops—sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, tobacco, bananas; livestock—cattle, chickens; imports a large share of food needs
Aid: none
Currency: US currency is used
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 100 km rural narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger railroads
Highways: 13,762 km paved
Ports: San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, Arecibo
Airports: 33 total; 23 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 2,000,000 radio receivers; 810,000 TV receivers; 769,140 telephones; stations—69 AM, 42 FM, 24 TV (1984)
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; paramilitary National
Guard; police force of 10,050 men and women (1984)
——————————————————————————
Country: Qatar
- Geography
Total area: 11,000 km2; land area: 11,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 60 km total; Saudi Arabia 40 km, UAE 20 km
Coastline: 563 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: as delimited with neighboring states, or to limit of shelf, or to median line;
Extended economic zone: to median line;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: boundary with UAE is in dispute; territorial dispute with
Bahrain over the Hawar Islands
Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, fish
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 95% other
Environment: haze, duststorms, sandstorms common; limited freshwater resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major crude oil sources
- People
Population: 490,897 (July 1990), growth rate 5.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 38 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 25 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 73 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Qatari(s); adjective—Qatari
Ethnic divisions: 40% Arab, 18% Pakistani, 18% Indian, 10% Iranian, 14% other
Religion: 95% Muslim
Language: Arabic (official); English is commonly used as second language
Literacy: 40%
Labor force: 104,000; 85% non-Qatari in private sector (1983)
Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
- Government
Long-form name: State of Qatar
Type: traditional monarchy
Capital: Doha
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK)
Constitution: provisional constitution enacted 2 April 1970
Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 September (1971)
Executive branch: amir, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—Amir and Prime Minister
Khalifa bin Hamad Al THANI (since 22 February 1972); Heir Apparent Hamad
bin Khalifa AL THANI (appointed 31 May 1977; son of Amir)
Political parties and leaders: none
Suffrage: none
Elections: Advisory Council—constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held; seats—(30 total)
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU,
NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hamad Abd al-Aziz
AL-KAWARI, Chancery at Suite 1180, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington
DC 20037; telephone (202) 338-0111;
US—Ambassador Mark G. HAMBLEY; Embassy at Fariq Bin Omran
(opposite the television station), Doha (mailing address is P. O. Box 2399,
Doha); telephone 864701 through 864703
Flag: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side
- Economy Overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for 90% of export earnings and more than 80% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for about 25 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP of about $17,000, among the highest in the world.
GDP: $5.4 billion, per capita $17,070; real growth rate 9.0% (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum products 90%, steel, fertilizers; partners—France, FRG, Italy, Japan, Spain
Imports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.), excluding military equipment; commodities—foodstuffs, beverages, animal and vegetable oils, chemicals, machinery and equipment; partners—EC, Japan, Arab countries, US, Australia
External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.6% (1987)
Electricity: 1,514,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced, 8,540 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel, cement
Agriculture: farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of GDP; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported
Aid: donor—pledged $2.7 billion in ODA to less developed countries (1979- 88)
Currency: Qatari riyal (plural—riyals); 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams
Exchange rates: Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1—3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: 1,500 km total; 1,000 km bituminous, 500 km gravel or natural surface (est.)
Pipelines: crude oil, 235 km; natural gas, 400 km
Ports: Doha, Musayid, Halul Island
Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 273,318 GRT/420,227 DWT; includes 7 cargo, 3 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: modern system centered in Doha; 110,000 telephones;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to
Bahrain and UAE; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations—1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Department
Military manpower: males 15-49, 255,474; 120,614 fit for military service; 3,982 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: NA —————————————————————————— Country: Reunion (overseas department of France) - Geography Total area: 2,510 km2; land area: 2,500 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 201 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but moderates with elevation; cool and dry from
May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Natural resources: fish, arable land
Land use: 20% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: periodic devastating cyclones
Note: located 750 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
- People
Population: 595,583 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 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: 70 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Reunionese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Reunionese
Ethnic divisions: most of the population is of intermixed French, African,
Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian ancestry
Religion: 94% Roman Catholic
Language: French (official); Creole widely used
Literacy: NA%, but over 80% among younger generation
Labor force: NA; 30% agriculture, 21% industry, 49% services (1981); 63% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: General Confederation of Workers of Reunion (CGTR)
- Government
Long-form name: Department of Reunion
Type: overseas department of France
Capital: Saint-Denis
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch: French president, Commissioner of the Republic
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council, unicameral Regional
Council
Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (Cour d'appel)
Leaders: Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN (since September 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR),
Francois Mas; Union for French Democracy (UDF), Gilbert Gerard; Communist
Party of Reunion (PCR); France-Reunion Future (FRA), Andre Thien Ah Koon;
Socialist Party (PS), Jean-Claude Fruteau; Social Democrats (CDS), other
small parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Regional Council—last held 16 March 1986 (next to be held March 1991); results—RPR/UDF 36.8%, PCR 28.2%, FRA and other right wing 17.3%, PS 14.1%, other 3.6%; seats—(45 total) RPR/UDF 18, PCR 13, FRA and other right wing 8, PS 6;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(3 total) RPR-UDF 1, PS 1, independent 1;
French National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(5 total) PCR 2, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1, FRA 1
Communists: Communist party small but has support among sugarcane cutters, the minuscule Popular Movement for the Liberation of Reunion (MPLR), and in the district of Le Port
Member of: WFTU
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France, Reunionese interests are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used
- Economy Overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government is pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve a high unemployment rate that was over 30% in 1986. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $4,290 (1985); real growth rate 9% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 32.0%; high seasonal unemployment (1986)
Budget: revenues $358 million; expenditures $914 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986)
Exports: $136 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%, vanilla and tea 1%; partners—France, Mauritius, Bahrain, S. Africa, Italy
Imports: $1.1 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities—manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products; partners—France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
External debt: NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 245,000 kW capacity; 546 million kWh produced, 965 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, several small shops producing handicraft items
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of labor force; dominant sector of economy; cash crops—sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco; food crops—tropical fruits, vegetables, corn; imports large share of food needs
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $13.5 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 Highways: 2,800 km total; 2,200 km paved, 600 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized earth
Ports: Pointe des Galets
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 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: adequate system for needs; modern open-wire line and radio relay network; principal center Saint-Denis; radiocommunication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new radio relay route to Mauritius; 85,900 telephones; stations—3 AM, 13 FM, 1 (18 relays) TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Military manpower: males 15-49, 158,812; 82,400 fit for military service; 6,075 reach military age (18) annually
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
——————————————————————————
Country: Romania
- Geography
Total area: 237,500 km2; land area: 230,340 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 2,904 km total; Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km,
USSR 1,307 km, Yugoslavia 546 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Transylvania question with Hungary; Bessarabia question with USSR
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain: central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the plain of
Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the
Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Natural resources: crude oil (reserves being exhausted), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land use: 43% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 28% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 11% irrigated
Environment: frequent earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides, air pollution in south
Note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans and western USSR
- People
Population: 23,273,285 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 75 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Romanian(s); adjective—Romanian
Ethnic divisions: 89.1% Romanian; 7.8% Hungarian; 1.5% German; 1.6%
Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy
Religion: 80% Romanian Orthodox; 6% Roman Catholic; 4% Calvinist,
Lutheran, Jewish, Baptist
Language: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 10,690,000; 34% industry, 28% agriculture, 38% other (1987)
Organized labor: until December 1989, a single trade union system organized by the General Confederation of Romanian Trade Unions (UGSR) under control of the Communist Party; since Ceausescu's overthrow, newly-created trade and professional trade unions are joining two rival umbrella organizations—Organization of Free Trade Unions and Fratia (Brotherhood)
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: former Communist state; current multiparty provisional government has scheduled a general democratic election for 20 May 1990
Capital: Bucharest
Administrative divisions: 40 counties (judete, singular—judet) and
1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor,
Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*,
Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna,
Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita,
Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj,
Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence: 1881 (from Turkey); republic proclaimed 30 December 1947
Constitution: 21 August 1965; new constitution being drafted
Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory that increasingly reflected Romanian traditions is being revised; Communist regime had not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Provisional Council of National Unity will probably accept ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Liberation Day, 23 August (1944); new national day to commemorate popular anti-Ceausescu uprising under discussion
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister, and
Council of Ministers (cabinet) appointed by provisional government
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State—President of Provisional Council of National Unity
Ion ILIESCU (since 23 December 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister of Council of Ministers
Petre ROMAN (since 23 December 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party,
Sergiu Cunescu; National Liberal Party, Radu Cimpeanu; National Christian
Peasants Party, Corneliu Coposu; Free Democratic Social Justice Party,
Gheorghe Susana; several others being formed; Communist Party has ceased
to exist; formation of left-wing parties is uncertain
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Senate—elections for the new upper house to be held 20 May 1990;
House of Deputies—elections for the new lower house to be held 20 May 1990
Communists: 3,400,000 (November 1984); Communist Party has ceased to exist
Member of: CCC, CEMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO,
IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw
Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Virgil CONSTANTINESCU; Chancery at 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4747; US—Ambassador Alan GREEN, Jr., recalled to Washington May 1990; Embassy at Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone (0) 10-40-40
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band, has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad
- Economy Overview: Industry, which accounts for one-third of the labor force and generates over half the GNP, suffers from an aging capital plant and persistent shortages of energy. In recent years the agricultural sector has had to contend with drought, mismanagement, and shortages of inputs. Favorable weather in 1989 helped produce a good harvest, although far below government claims. The new government is slowly loosening the tight central controls of Ceausescu's command economy. It has instituted moderate land reforms, with close to one-third of cropland now in private hands, and it has allowed changes in prices for private agricultural output. Also, the new regime is permitting the establishment of private enterprises of 20 or fewer employees in services, handicrafts, and small-scale industry. Furthermore, the government has halted the old policy of diverting food from domestic consumption to hard currency export markets. So far, the government does not seem willing to adopt a thorough-going market system.
GNP: $79.8 billion, per capita $3,445; real growth rate - 1.5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $26 billion; expenditures $21.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $13.6 billion (1987)
Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment 34.7%, fuels, minerals and metals 24.7%, manufactured consumer goods 16.9%, agricultural materials and forestry products 11.9%, other 11.6% (1986); partners—USSR 27%, Eastern Europe 23%, EC 15%, US 5%, China 4% (1987)
Imports: $8.75 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—fuels, minerals, and metals 51.0%, machinery and equipment 26.7%, agricultural and forestry products 11.0%, manufactured consumer goods 4.2% (1986); partners—Communist countries 60%, non-Communist countries 40% (1987)
External debt: none (mid-1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.6% (1988)
Electricity: 22,640,000 kW capacity; 80,000 million kWh produced, 3,440 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP and 28% of labor force; major wheat and corn producer; other products—sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, milk, eggs, meat, grapes
Aid: donor—$4.3 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-88)
Currency: leu (plural—lei); 1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1—20.96 (February 1990), 14.922 (1989), 14.277 (1988), 14.557 (1987), 16.153 (1986), 17.141 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 11,221 km total; 10,755 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 421 km narrow gauge, 45 km broad gauge; 3,328 km electrified, 3,060 km double track; government owned (1986)
Highways: 72,799 km total; 15,762 km concrete, asphalt, stone block; 20,208 km asphalt treated; 27,729 km gravel, crushed stone, and other paved surfaces; 9,100 km unpaved roads (1985)
Inland waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: 2,800 km crude oil; 1,429 km refined products; 6,400 km natural gas
Ports: Constanta, Galati, Braila, Mangalia; inland ports are Giurgiu,
Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Orsova
Merchant marine: 282 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,313,320 GRT/5,134,335 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 184 cargo, 1 container, 1 rail-car carrier, 14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 livestock carrier, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 69 bulk
Civil air: 70 major transport aircraft
Airports: 165 total, 165 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways; 15 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—39 AM, 30 FM, 38 TV; 3,910,000 TV sets; 3,225,000 radio receivers; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Romanian Army, Security Troops, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Romanian Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,736,783; 4,860,427 fit for military service; 193,537 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 11.8 billion lei, 2.8% 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: Rwanda - Geography Total area: 26,340 km2; land area: 24,950 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: 893 km total; Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km,
Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; mountains in west
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower
Land use: 29% arable land; 11% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures; 10% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; periodic droughts
Note: landlocked
- People
Population: 7,609,119 (July 1990), growth rate 3.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 53 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: 113 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 8.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun and adjective—Rwandan(s)
Ethnic divisions: Hutu 90%, Tutsi 9%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25%
Language: Kinyarwanda, French (official); Kiswahili used in commercial centers
Literacy: 46.6%
Labor force: 3,600,000; 93% agriculture, 5% government and services, 2% industry and commerce; 49% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Rwanda
Type: republic; presidential system in which military leaders hold key offices
Capital: Kigali
Administrative divisions: 10 prefectures (prefectures,
singular—prefecture in French; plural—NA, singular—prefegitura in
Kinyarwanda); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo,
Kibuye, Rigali, Ruhengeri
Constitution: 17 December 1978
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Development Council (Conseil pour le Developpement National)
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Maj. Gen.
Juvenal HABYARIMANA (since 5 July 1973)
Political parties and leaders: only party—National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND), Maj. Gen. Juvenal Habyarimana (officially a development movement, not a party)
Suffrage: universal adult, exact age NA
Elections: President—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—President Maj. Gen. Juvenal Habyarimana reelected;
National Development Council—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—MRND is the only party; seats—(70 total); MRND 70
Communists: no Communist party
Member of: ACP, AfDB, EAMA, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Aloys UWIMANA; Chancery at 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 232-2882; US—Ambassador Leonard H. O. SPEARMAN, Sr.; Embassy at Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali (mailing address is B. P. 28, Kigali); telephone 75601 through 75603 or 72126 through 72128
Flag: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band
- Economy Overview: About 40% of GDP comes from the agricultural sector; coffee and tea make up 80-90% of total exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion have created problems. The industrial sector in Rwanda is small, contributing less than 20% to GDP. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products. The Rwandan economy remains dependent on coffee exports and foreign aid, with no relief in sight. Weak international prices since 1986 have caused the economy to contract and per capita GDP to decline.
GDP: $2.3 billion, per capita $325; real growth rate - 2.5% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $230 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $118 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coffee 85%, tea, tin, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum; partners—FRG, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US
Imports: $278 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material; partners—US, Belgium, FRG, Kenya, Japan
External debt: $645 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.2% (1988)
Electricity: 26,000 kW capacity; 112 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining of cassiterite (tin ore) and wolframite (tungsten ore), tin, cement, agricultural processing, small-scale beverage production, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Agriculture: cash crops—coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums); main food crops—bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; stock raising; self-sufficiency declining; country imports foodstuffs as farm production fails to keep up with a 3.8% annual growth in population
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $118 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $45 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $58 million
Currency: Rwandan franc (plural—francs); 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1—78.99 (December 1989), 79.98 (1989), 76.45 (1988), 79.67 (1987), 87.64 (1986), 101.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 4,885 km total; 460 km paved, 1,725 km gravel and/or improved earth, 2,700 km unimproved
Inland waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
Airports: 8 total, 8 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: fair system with low-capacity radio relay system centered on Kigali; 6,600 telephones; stations—2 AM, 5 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, paramilitary, Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,586,989; 810,560 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (1987) —————————————————————————— Country: St. Helena (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 410 km2; land area: 410 km2; includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 60 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds
Terrain: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Natural resources: fish; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; no minerals
Land use: 7% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 83% other
Environment: very few perennial streams
Note: Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial; the remains were taken to Paris in 1840
- People
Population: 6,657 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGl migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 46 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 75 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—St. Helenian(s); adjective—St. Helenian
Ethnic divisions: NA
Religion: Anglican majority; also Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Roman Catholic
Language: English
Literacy: NA%, but probably high
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: St. Helena General Workers' Union, 472 members; 17% crafts, 10% professional and technical, 10% service, 9% management and clerical, 9% farming and fishing, 6% transport, 5% sales, 1% security, and 33% other
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Jamestown
Administrative divisions: 2 dependencies and 1 administrative area*;
Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution: 1 January 1967
Legal system: NA
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second
Saturday in June), 10 June 1989
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Head of Government—Governor and Commander in Chief Robert
F. STIMSON (since 1987)
Political parties and leaders: St. Helena Labor Party, G. A. O. Thornton; St. Helena Progressive Party, leader unknown; note—both political parties inactive since 1976
Suffrage: NA
Elections: Legislative Council—last held October 1984 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(15 total, 12 elected) number of seats by party NA
Communists: probably none
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the St. Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
- Economy Overview: The economy depends primarily on financial assistance from the UK. The local population earns some income from fishing, the rearing of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, a large proportion of the work force have left to seek employment overseas.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 1.1% (1986)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $3.2 million; expenditures $2.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1984)
Exports: $23.9 thousand (f.o.b., 1984); commodities—fish (frozen skipjack, tuna, salt-dried skipjack), handicrafts; partners—South Africa, UK
Imports: $2.4 million (c.i.f., 1984); commodities—food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts; partners—UK, South Africa
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 9,800 kW capacity; 10 million kWh produced, 1,390 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fish
Agriculture: maize, potatoes, vegetables; timber production being developed; crawfishing on Tristan da Cunha
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $168 million
Currency: St. Helenian pound (plural—pounds); 1 St. Helenian pound (LS) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: St. Helenian pounds (LS) per US$1—0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); note—the St. Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: 87 km bitumen-sealed roads, 20 km earth roads on St. Helena; 80 km bitumen-sealed on Ascension; 2.7 km bitumen-sealed on Tristan da Cunha
Ports: Jamestown (St. Helena), Georgetown (Ascension)
Merchant marine: 1 passenger-cargo ship totaling 3,150 GRT/2,264 DWT
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 2,440-3,659 m on Ascension
Telecommunications: 1,500 radio receivers; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 550 telephones in automatic network; HF radio links to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks; major coaxial cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK at Ascension; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
——————————————————————————
Country: St. Kitts and Nevis
- Geography
Total area: 360 km2; land area: 360 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 135 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: subtropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
Terrain: volcanic with mountainous interiors
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 22% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 17% forest and woodland; 41% other
Environment: subject to hurricanes (July to October)
Note: located 320 km southeast of Puerto Rico
- People
Population: 40,157 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 11 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 71 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1990)
Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent
Nationality: noun—Kittsian(s), Nevisian(s); adjective—Kittsian, Nevisian
Religion: Anglican, other Protestant sects, Roman Catholic
Language: English
Literacy: 80%
Labor force: 20,000 (1981)
Organized labor: 6,700
- Government
Long-form name: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Basseterre
Administrative divisions: 14 parishs; Christ Church Nichola Town,
Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland,
Saint James Windward, Saint John Capisterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary
Cayon, Saint Paul Capisterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter Basseterre,
Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island, Trinity Palmetto Point
Independence: 19 September 1983 (from UK)
Constitution: 19 September 1983
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 19 September (1983)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (sometimes referred to as the National Assembly)
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clement Athelston ARRINDELL (since 19 September 1983, previously Governor General of the Associated State since November 1981);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Dr. Kennedy Alphonse SIMMONDS (since 19 September 1983, previously Premier of the Associated State since February 1980); Deputy Prime Minister Michael Oliver POWELL (since NA)
Political parties and leaders: People's Action Movement (PAM), Kennedy
Simmonds; St. Kitts and Nevis Labor Party (SKNLP), Lee Moore; Nevis
Reformation Party (NRP), Simeon Daniel; Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM),
Vance Amory
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections: House of Assembly—last held 21 March 1989 (next to be held by 21 March 1994); seats—(14 total, 11 elected) PAM 6, SKNLP 2, NRP 2, CCM 1
Communists: none known
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, IBRD, IMF, ISO, OAS, OECS, UN
Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor (Deputy Chief of Mission),
Charge d'Affaires ad interim Erstein M. EDWARDS; Chancery at Suite 540,
2501 M Street NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 833-3550;
US—none
Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red
- Economy Overview: The economy has historically depended on the growing and processing of sugarcane and on remittances from overseas workers. In recent years, tourism and export-oriented manufacturing have assumed larger roles.
GDP: $119 million, per capita $3,240; real growth rate 6% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 20-25% (1987)
Budget: revenues $38.5 million; expenditures $45.0 million, including capital expenditures of $15.8 million (1988)
Exports: $30.3 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—sugar, manufactures, postage stamps; partners—US 44%, UK 30%, Trinidad and Tobago 12% (1987)
Imports: $94.7 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—foodstuffs, intermediate manufactures, machinery, fuels; partners—US 35%, UK 18%, Trinidad and Tobago 10%, Canada 6%, Japan 4% (1987)
External debt: $27.6 million (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.8% (1986)
Electricity: 15,800 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 1,120 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; cash crop—sugarcane; subsistence crops—rice, yams, bananas; fishing potential not fully exploited; most food imported
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $13.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $46 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 58 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge on St. Kitts for sugarcane
Highways: 300 km total; 125 km paved, 125 km otherwise improved, 50 km unimproved earth
Ports: Basseterre (St. Kitts), Charlestown (Nevis)
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good interisland VHF/UHF/SHF radio connections and international link via Antigua and Barbuda and St. Martin; 2,400 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 4 TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal St. Kitts and Nevis Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: St. Lucia
- Geography
Total area: 620 km2; land area: 610 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 158 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
Land use: 8% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity; deforestation; soil erosion
Note: located 700 km southeast of Puerto Rico
- People
Population: 153,196 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 33 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—St. Lucian(s); adjective—St. Lucian
Ethnic divisions: 90.3% African descent, 5.5% mixed, 3.2% East Indian, 0.8% Caucasian
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 7% Protestant, 3% Anglican
Language: English (official), French patois
Literacy: 78%
Labor force: 43,800; 43.4% agriculture, 38.9% services, 17.7% industry and commerce (1983 est.)
Organized labor: 20% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Castries
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul,
Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK)
Constitution: 22 February 1979
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988);
Head of Government—Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982)
Political parties and leaders: United Workers' Party (UWP), John Compton;
St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian Hunte; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George
Odlum
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: House of Assembly—last held 6 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(17 total) UWP 10, SLP 7
Communists: negligible
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, NAM, OAS, OECS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS;
Chancery at Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC 30037;
telephone (202) 463-7378 or 7379; there is a St. Lucian Consulate General
in New York;
US—none
Flag: blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
- Economy Overview: Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist industry sectors. There is also an expanding industrial base supported by foreign investment in manufacturing and other activities, such as in data processing. The economy, however, remains vulnerable because the important agricultural sector is dominated by banana production. St. Lucia is subject to periodic droughts and/or tropical storms, and its protected market agreement with the UK for bananas may end in 1992.
GDP: $172 million, per capita $1,258; real growth rate 6.8% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 18.6% (1986)
Budget: revenues $71.7 million; expenditures $79.3 million, including capital expenditures of $19.6 million (1987)
Exports: $76.8 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—bananas 67%, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil, clothing; partners—UK 55%, CARICOM 21%, US 18%, other 6%
Imports: $178.1 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—manufactured goods 22%, machinery and transportation equipment 21%, food and live animals 20%, mineral fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, petroleum products; partners—US 33%, UK 16%, CARICOM 14.8%, Japan 6.5%, other 29.7%
External debt: $39.5 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.4% (1987)
Electricity: 20,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GDP and 43% of labor force; crops—bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa; imports food for the tourist industry
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $4 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $93 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal Year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: 760 km total; 500 km paved; 260 km otherwise improved
Ports: Castries
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 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
Telecommunications: fully automatic telephone system; 9,500 telephones; direct radio relay link with Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines; interisland troposcatter link to Barbados; stations—4 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (cable)
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal St. Lucia Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA —————————————————————————— Country: St. Pierre and Miquelon (territorial collectivity of France) - Geography Total area: 242 km2; land area: 242 km2; includes eight small islands in the St. Pierre and the Miquelon groups
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 120 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: focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and
France
Climate: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy
Terrain: mostly barren rock
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use: 13% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 83% other
Environment: vegetation scanty
Note: located 25 km south of Newfoundland, Canada, in the
North Atlantic Ocean
- People
Population: 6,330 (July 1990), growth rate 0.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women); adjective—French
Ethnic divisions: originally Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
Religion: 98% Roman Catholic
Language: French
Literacy: NA%, but compulsory education between 6 and 16 years of age
Labor force: 2,510 (1982)
Organized labor: Workers' Force trade union
- Government
Long-form name: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Type: territorial collectivity of France
Capital: St. Pierre
Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
National holiday: National Day, 14 July
Executive branch: commissioner of the Republic
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council
Judicial branch: Superior Tribunal of Appeals (Tribunal Superieur d'Appel)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Pierre MARQUIE (since February 1989); President of the General Council Marc PLANTEGENEST (since NA)
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS);
Union for French Democracy (UDF/CDS), Gerard Grignon
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: General Council—last held September-October 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(19 total) Socialist and other left-wing parties 13, UDF and right-wing parties 6;
French President—last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995); results—(second ballot) Jacques Chirac 56%, Francois Mitterrand 44%;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) PS 1;
French National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) UDF/CDS 1
Diplomatic representation: as a territorial collectivity of France, local interests are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used
- Economy Overview: The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because the number of ships stopping at St. Pierre has steadily dropped over the years. In March 1989, an agreement between France and Canada set fish quotas for St. Pierre's trawlers fishing in Canadian and Canadian-claimed waters for three years. The agreement settles a longstanding dispute that had virtually brought fish exports to a halt. The islands are heavily subsidized by France. Imports come primarily from Canada.
GDP: $NA, per capita $2,495 (1984); real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 13.3% (1987)
Budget: revenues $NA million; expenditures $13.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
Exports: $23.3 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—fish and fish products, fox and mink pelts; partners—US 58%, France 17%, UK 11%, Canada, Portugal
Imports: $50.3 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities—meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials; partners—Canada, France, US, Netherlands, UK
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 10,000 kW capacity; 25 million kWh produced, 3,970 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
Agriculture: vegetables, cattle, sheep and pigs for local consumption; fish catch, 14,750 metric tons (1986)
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $477 million
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
Highways: 120 km total; 60 kM paved (1985)
Ports: St. Pierre
Civil air: Air Saint-Pierre
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways, none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 3,601 telephones; stations—1 AM, 3 FM, no TV; radiotelecommunication with most countries in the world; 1 satellite earth station in French domestic system
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
——————————————————————————
Country: St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Geography
Total area: 340 km2; land area: 340 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 84 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous; Soufriere volcano on the island of
St. Vincent
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 38% arable land; 12% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes 3% irrigated
Environment: subject to hurricanes; Soufriere volcano is a constant threat
Note: some islands of the Grenadines group are administered by Grenada
- People
Population: 112,646 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—St. Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s); adjectives—St.
Vincentian or Vincentian
Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent; remainder mixed, with some white, East Indian, Carib Indian
Religion: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist
Language: English, some French patois
Literacy: 82%
Labor force: 67,000 (1984 est.)
Organized labor: 10% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kingstown
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines,
Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick
Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)
Constitution: 27 October 1979
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1979)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (includes 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators)
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 Septermber 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister James F. MITCHELL (since 30 July 1984)
Political parties and leaders: New Democratic Party (NDP), James (Son)
Mitchell; St. Vincent Labor Party (SVLP), Vincent Beach; United People's
Movement (UPM), Adrian Saunders; Movement for National Unity (MNU),
Ralph Gonsalves; National Reform Party (NRP), Joel Miguel
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: House of Assembly—last held 16 May 1989 (next to be held July 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(15 total) NDP 15
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IFAD, IMF, IMO, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern
- Economy Overview: Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of the economy, providing employment for over 60% of the labor force and contributing about 20% to GDP. The services sector is next in importance, based mostly on a growing tourist industry. The economy continues to have a high unemployment rate of 30% because of an overdependence on the weather-plagued banana crop as a major export earner. Government progress toward diversifying into new industries has been relatively unsuccessful.
GDP: $136 million, per capita $1,305; real growth rate 8.4% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.0% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 30% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $42.7 million; expenditures $67.5 million, including capital expenditures of $25.8 (FY88)
Exports: $63.8 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, copra; partners—CARICOM 60%, UK 27%, US 10%
Imports: $87.3 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities—foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels; partners—US 37%, CARICOM 18%, UK 13%
External debt: $35 million (July 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.2% (1986)
Electricity: 16,600 kW capacity; 64 million kWh produced, 610 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing (sugar, flour), cement, furniture, rum, starch, sheet metal, beverage
Agriculture: accounts for 20% of GDP and 60% of labor force; provides bulk of exports; products—bananas, arrowroot (world's largest producer), coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, hogs, goats; small fish catch used locally
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $11 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $71 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 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: about 1,000 km total; 300 km paved; 400 km improved; 300 km unimproved
Ports: Kingstown
Merchant marine: 175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,305,945 GRT/2,029,935 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 103 cargo, 10 container, 8 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 9 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 28 bulk, 4 combination bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: islandwide fully automatic telephone system; 6,500 telephones; VHF/UHF interisland links to Barbados and the Grenadines; new SHF links to Grenada and St. Lucia; stations—2 AM, no FM, 1 TV (cable)
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: San Marino
- Geography
Total area: 60 km2; land area: 60 km2
Comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundary: 39 km with Italy
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers
Terrain: rugged mountains
Natural resources: building stones
Land use: 17% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 83% other
Environment: dominated by the Appenines
Note: landlocked; world's smallest republic; enclave of Italy
- People
Population: 23,123 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 8 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: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Sanmarinese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Sanmarinese
Ethnic divisions: Sanmarinese, Italian
Religion: Roman Catholic
Language: Italian
Literacy: 97%
Labor force: about 4,300
Organized labor: Democratic Federation of Sanmarinese Workers (affiliated with ICFTU) has about 1,800 members; Communist-dominated General Federation of Labor, 1,400 members
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of San Marino
Type: republic
Capital: San Marino
Administrative divisions: 9 municipalities (castelli, singular—castello);
Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino,
Monte Giardino, San Marino, Serravalle
Independence: 301 (by tradition)
Constitution: 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution
Legal system: based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Anniversary of the Foundation of the Republic, 3 September
Executive branch: two captains regent, Congress of State (cabinet); real executive power is wielded by the secretary of state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for internal affairs
Legislative branch: unicameral Grand and General Council (Consiglio
Grande e Generale)
Judicial branch: Council of Twelve (Consiglio dei XII)
Leaders:
Co-Chiefs of State and Co-Heads of Government—Captain Regent Salvatori
REVES (since April 1989) and Captain Regent Luciano CARDELLI (since April 1989);
Captains Regent are elected for six-month terms
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party (DCS),
Gabriele Gatti; Communist Party (PCS), Gilberto Ghiotti; Socialist Unity Party
(PSU), Emilio Della Balda and Patrizia Busignani; San Marino Socialist Party
(PSS), Antonio Volpinari; San Marino Social Democratic Party (PSDS),
Augusto Casali; San Marino Republican Party (PRS), Cristoforo Buscarini
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Grand and General Council—last held 29 May 1988 (next to be held by May 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(60 total) DCS 27, PCS 18, PSU 8, PSS 7
Communists: about 300 members; the PCS, in conjunction with the PSS, PSU, and PSDS, has led the government since 1978
Other political parties or pressure groups: political parties influenced by policies of their counterparts in Italy
Member of: ICJ, ITU, IRC, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WTO; observer status in NAM
Diplomatic representation: San Marino maintains honorary
Consulates General in Washington and New York, and an honorary Consulate
in Detroit;
US—no mission in San Marino, but the Consul General in Florence
(Italy) is accredited to San Marino; Consulate General at
38 Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci, Florence, Italy (mailing address is APO
NY 09019); telephone (55) 298-276
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty)
- Economy Overview: The economy relies heavily on the tourist industry as a source of revenue. More than 2 million tourists visit each year, contributing about 60% to GDP. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is another important income producer. The manufacturing sector employs nearly 40% of the labor force and agriculture less than 4%. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to northern Italy.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.4% (1986)
Unemployment rate: 6.5% (1985)
Budget: revenues $99.2 million; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1983)
Exports: trade data are included with the statistics for Italy; commodity trade consists primarily of exchanging building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, and ceramics for a wide variety of consumer manufactures
Imports: see Exports
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: supplied by Italy
Industries: wine, olive oil, cement, leather, textile, tourist
Agriculture: employs less than 4% of labor force; products—wheat, grapes, corn, olives, meat, cheese, hides; small numbers of cattle, pigs, horses; depends on Italy for food imports
Aid: NA
Currency: Italian lira (plural—lire); 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi; also mints its own coins
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1—1,262.5 (January 1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987), 1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 104 km
Telecommunications: automatic telephone system; 11,700 telephones; stations—no AM, 20 FM, no TV; radio relay and cable links into Italian networks; no communication satellite facilities
- Defense Forces
Branches: public security or police force of less than 50 people
Military manpower: all fit men ages 16-60 constitute a militia that can serve as an army
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Sao Tome and Principe
- Geography
Total area: 960 km2; land area: 960 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 209 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 1% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 75% forest and woodland; 3% other
Environment: deforestation; soil erosion
Note: located south of Nigeria and west of Gabon near the Equator in the North Atlantic Ocean
- People
Population: 124,765 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 38 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: 61 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 67 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Sao Tomean(s); adjective—Sao Tomean
Ethnic divisions: mestico, angolares (descendents of Angolan slaves), forros (descendents of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), and Europeans (primarily Portuguese)
Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist
Language: Portuguese (official)
Literacy: 50% (est.)
Labor force: 21,096 (1981); most of population engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; labor shortages on plantations and of skilled workers; 56% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Type: republic
Capital: Sao Tome
Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular—concelho);
Principe, Sao Tome
Independence: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution: 5 November 1975, approved 15 December 1982
Legal system: based on Portuguese law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly, sometimes referred to as the National Popular Assembly (Assembleia Popular Nacional)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Dr. Manuel Pinto da COSTA (since 12 July 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Celestino Rocha da COSTA (since 8 January 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Movement for the
Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP), Dr. Manuel Pinto da Costa
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 30 September 1985 (next to be held September 1990); results—President Dr. Manuel Pinto da Costa was reelected without opposition by the National People's Assembly;
National People's Assembly—last held 30 September 1985 (next to be held September 1990); results—MLSTP is the only party; seats—(40 total) MLSTP 40 (indirectly elected)
Member of: ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Joaquim Rafael BRANCO; Chancery (temporary) at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1504, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 697-4211; US—the US Ambassador in Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
Flag: three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy Overview: The economy has remained dependent on cocoa since the gained independence nearly 15 years ago. Since then, however, cocoa production has gradually deteriorated because of drought and mismanagement, so that by 1987 output had fallen to less than 50% of its former levels. As a result, a shortage of cocoa for export has created a serious balance-of-payments problem. Production of less important crops, such as coffee, copra, and palm kernels, has also declined. The value of imports generally exceeds that of exports by a ratio of 4 to 1. The emphasis on cocoa production at the expense of other food crops has meant that Sao Tome has to import 90% of food needs. It also has to import all fuels and most manufactured goods. Over the years, Sao Tome has been unable to service its external debt, which amounts to roughly 80% of export earnings. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also implemented a Five-Year Plan covering 1986-90 to restructure the economy and reschedule external debt service payments in cooperation with the International Development Association and Western lenders.
GDP: $37.9 million, per capita $340; real growth rate 1.8% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (1986)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $19.2 million; expenditures $25.1 million, including capital expenditures of $19.9 million (1987)
Exports: $9.1 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—cocoa 90%, copra, coffee, palm oil; partners—FRG, GDR, Netherlands, China
Imports: $17.3 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—machinery and electrical equipment 59%, food products 32%, fuels 9%; partners—Portugal, GDR, Angola, China
External debt: $95 million (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 7.1% (1986)
Electricity: 6,000 kW capacity; 12 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: light construction, shirts, soap, beer, fisheries, shrimp processing
Agriculture: dominant sector of economy, primary source of exports; cash crops—cocoa (90%), coconuts, palm kernels, coffee; food products—bananas, papaya, beans, poultry, fish; not self-sufficient in food grain and meat
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), 41.9 million
Currency: dobra (plural—dobras); 1 dobra (Db) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: dobras (Db) per US$1—122.48 (December 1988), 72.827 (1987), 36.993 (1986), 41.195 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 300 km (two-thirds are paved); roads on Principe are mostly unpaved and in need of repair
Ports: Sao Tome, Santo Antonio
Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: minimal system; 2,200 telephones; stations—1 AM, 2 FM, no TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 27,805; 14,662 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (1980)
——————————————————————————
Country: Saudi Arabia
- Geography
Total area: 2,149,690 km2; land area: 2,149,690 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of US
Land boundaries: 4,410 km total; Iraq 488 km, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral
Zone 198 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km,
PDRY 830 km, YAR 628 km
Coastline: 2,510 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: no defined boundaries with PDRY, UAE, and YAR; shares Neutral Zone with Iraq—in July 1975, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to divide the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified, however, before it becomes effective; Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use: 1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 39% meadows and pastures; 1% forest and woodland; 59% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification
Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
- People Population: 17,115,728 (July 1990), growth rate 4.4% (1990); note—the population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of 1974 reported a total of 7 million persons and includes foreign workers, while estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 13 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 71 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 67 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Saudi(s); adjective—Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions: 90% Arab, 10% Afro-Asian
Religion: 100% Muslim
Language: Arabic
Literacy: 52%
Labor force: 4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; 34% government, 28% industry and oil, 22% services, and 16% agriculture
Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Type: monarchy
Capital: Riyadh
Administrative divisions: 14 emirates (imarat, singular—imarah);
Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah,
Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, Asir,
Hail, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)
Constitution: none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law)
Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Executive branch: monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—King and Prime Minister
FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982);
Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Communists: negligible
Member of: Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan; Chancery at 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-3800; there are Saudi Arabian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York; US—Ambassador Charles W. FREEMAN; Embassy at Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is P. O. Box 9041, Riyadh 11143, or APO New York 09038); telephone (1) 488-3800; there are US Consulates General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag: green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated as There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is the traditional color of Islam
- Economy Overview: By far the most important economic activity is the production of petroleum and petroleum products. The petroleum sector accounts for about 85% of budget revenues, 80% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world, is the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. Oil wealth has provided a per capita GDP that is comparable to most industrialized countries. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where consumer prices have been dropping or showing little change in recent years.
GDP: $73 billion, per capita $4,720; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 0% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $31.5 billion; expenditures $38.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
Exports: $24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—petroleum and petroleum products 89%; partners—Japan 26%, US 26%, France 6%, Bahrain 6%
Imports: $21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction materials, processed food products; partners—US 20%, Japan 18%, UK 16%, Italy 11%
External debt: $18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.1% (1980-86)
Electricity: 25,066,000 kW capacity; 50,000 million kWh produced, 3,100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer, plastic
Agriculture: accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; fastest growing economic sector; subsidized by government; products—wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching self-sufficiency in food
Aid: donor—pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)
Currency: Saudi riyal (plural—riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1—3.7450 (fixed rate since late 1986), 3.7033 (1986), 3.6221 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways: 74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and improved earth
Pipelines: 6,400 km crude oil; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids
Ports: Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al
Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine: 94 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,988,322 GRT/3,474,788 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk
Civil air: 182 major transport aircraft available
Airports: 204 total, 179 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 98 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good system with extensive microwave and coaxial cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; stations—21 AM, 16 FM, 97 TV; radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, YAR, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt; satellite earth stations—3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Saudi Arabian Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Royal Saudi
Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Force, Saudi Arabian National Guard,
Coast Guard and Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force,
Special Emergency Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 6,437,039; 3,606,344 fit for military service; 159,186 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 16.9% of GDP, or $12.3 billion (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Senegal
- Geography
Total area: 196,190 km2; land area: 192,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: 2,640 km total; The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km,
Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline: 531 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: short section of the boundary with The Gambia is indefinite; the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered its decision on the Guinea-Bissau/Senegal maritime boundary in favor of Senegal—that decision has been rejected by Guinea-Bissau; boundary with Mauritania
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has strong southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry harmattan wind
Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use: 27% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 30% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: lowlands seasonally flooded; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: The Gambia is almost an enclave
- People
Population: 7,713,851 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 44 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: 87 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Senegalese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Senegalese
Ethnic divisions: 36% Wolof, 17% Fulani, 17% Serer, 9% Toucouleur, 9%
Diola, 9% Mandingo, 1% European and Lebanese, 2% other
Religion: 92% Muslim, 6% indigenous beliefs, 2% Christian (mostly Roman
Catholic)
Language: French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo
Literacy: 28.1%
Labor force: 2,509,000; 77% subsistence agricultural workers; 175,000 wage earners—40% private sector, 60% government and parapublic; 52% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: majority of wage-labor force represented by unions; however, dues-paying membership very limited; major confederation is National Confederation of Senegalese Labor (CNTS), an affiliate of governing party
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Senegal
Type: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Dakar
Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular—region);
Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda,
Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France); The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 (effective 1 February 1982) that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989
Constitution: 3 March 1963, last revised in 1984
Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Abdou
DIOUF (since 1 January 1981)
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS), Abdou Diouf; Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye Wade; 13 other small uninfluential parties
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
President—last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held February
1993);
results—Abdou Diouf (PS) 73%, Abdoulaye Wade (PDS) 26%, others 1%;
National Assembly—last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held February 1993); results—PS 71%, PDS 25%, others 4%; seats—(120 total) PS 103, PDS 17
Communists: small number of Communists and sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: students, teachers, labor, Muslim
Brotherhoods
Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, EIB (associate),
FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, OIC, OMVS
(Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ibra Deguene KA; Chancery at 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-0540 or 0541; US—Ambassador George E. MOOSE; Embassy on Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar (mailing address is B. P. 49, Dakar); telephone 21-42-96
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy Overview: The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides employment for about 75% of the labor force. About 40% of the total cultivated land is used to grow peanuts, an important export crop. The principal economic resource is fishing, which brought in about $200 million or about 25% of total foreign exchange earnings in 1987. Mining is dominated by the extraction of phosphate, but production has faltered because of reduced worldwide demand for fertilizers in recent years. Over the past 10 years tourism has become increasingly more important to the economy.
GDP: $5.0 billion, per capita $680; real growth rate 5.1% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 1.8% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.5% (1987)
Budget: revenues $921 million; expenditures $1,024 million; including capital expenditures of $14 million (FY89 est.)
Exports: $761 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—manufactures 30%, fish products 27%, peanuts 11%, petroleum products 11%, phosphates 10%; partners—US, France, other EC, Ivory Coast, India
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—semimanufactures 30%, food 27%, durable consumer goods 17%, petroleum 12%, capital goods 14%; partners—US, France, other EC, Nigeria, Algeria, China, Japan
External debt: $3.8 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (1986)
Electricity: 210,000 kW capacity; 760 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing, agricultural processing, phosphate mining, petroleum refining, building materials
Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for 20% of GDP and 75% of labor force; major products—peanuts (cash crop), millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; estimated two-thirds self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 299,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $492 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $589 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $295 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: 1,034 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 70 km double track Dakar to Thies
Highways: 14,000 km total; 3,770 km paved, 10,230 km laterite or improved earth
Inland waterways: 900 km total; 785 km on the Senegal, 115 km on the Saloum
Ports: Dakar, Kaolack
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 9,263 GRT/15,167
DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 bulk
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 25 total, 20 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: above-average urban system, using radio relay and cable; 40,200 telephones; stations—8 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,682,786; 878,812 fit for military service; 88,940 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2% of GDP, or $100 million (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Seychelles
- Geography
Total area: 455 km2; land area: 455 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims Tromelin Island
Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use: 4% arable land; 18% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 18% forest and woodland; 60% other
Environment: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible; no fresh water, catchements collect rain; 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
Note: located north-northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
- People
Population: 68,336 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 75 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Seychellois (sing. and pl.); adjective—Seychelles
Ethnic divisions: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 8% Anglican, 2% other
Language: English and French (official); Creole
Literacy: 60%
Labor force: 27,700; 31% industry and commerce, 21% services, 20% government, 12% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 16% other (1985); 57% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: three major trade unions
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Seychelles
Type: republic; member of the Commonwealth
Capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: none; note—there may be 21
administrative districts named Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse
Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie St. Anne, Beau Vallon,
Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand Anse (on Mahe Island),
Grand Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance,
Pointe Larue, Port-Glaud, Riviere Anglaise, St. Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
Constitution: 5 June 1979
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
National holiday: Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 5 June (1977)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President France Albert
RENE (since 5 June 1977)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Seychelles People's
Progressive Front (SPPF), France Albert Rene
Suffrage: universal at age 17
Elections: President—last held 9-11 June 1989 (next to be held June 1994); results—President France Albert Rene reelected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held 5 December 1987 (next to be held December 1992); results—SPPF is the only party; seats—(25 total, 23 elected) SPPF 23
Communists: negligible, although some Cabinet ministers espouse pro-Soviet line
Other political or pressure groups: trade unions, Roman Catholic Church
Member of: ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Second Secretary, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Marc R. MARENGO; Chancery (temporary) at 820 Second Avenue, Suite 201, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 687-9766; US—Ambassador James MORAN; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, or APO New York 09030); telephone 23921 or 23922
Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (wavy), and green; the white band is the thinnest, the red band is the thickest
- Economy Overview: In this small, open tropical island economy, the tourist industry employs about 30% of the labor force and provides the main source of hard currency earnings. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the high dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing.
GDP: $255 million, per capita $3,720; real growth rate 6.2%; (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1986)
Budget: revenues $106 million; expenditures $130 million, including capital expenditures of $21 million (1987)
Exports: $17 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—fish, copra, cinnamon bark, petroleum products (reexports); partners—France 63%, Pakistan 12%, Reunion 10%, UK 7% (1987)
Imports: $116 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—manufactured goods, food, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products; partners—UK 20%, France 14%, South Africa 13%, PDRY 13%, Singapore 8%, Japan 6% (1987)
External debt: $178 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 7% (1987)
Electricity: 25,000 kW capacity; 67 million kWh produced, 960 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing, coir rope factory, boat building, printing, furniture, beverage
Agriculture: accounts for 7% of GDP, mostly subsistence farming; cash crops—coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla; other products—sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas; broiler chickens; large share of food needs imported; expansion of tuna fishing under way
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-88), $23 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1978-87), $297 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $5 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $56 million
Currency: Seychelles rupee (plural—rupees); 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SR) per US$1—5.4884 (January 1990), 5.6457 (1989), 5.3836 (1988), 5.6000 (1987), 6.1768 (1986), 7.1343 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 260 km total; 160 km bituminous, 100 km crushed stone or earth
Ports: Victoria
Merchant marine: 1 refrigerated cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,827 GRT/2,170 DWT
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 14 total, 14 usable; 8 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: direct radio communications with adjacent islands and African coastal countries; 13,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; USAF tracking station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Militia
Military manpower: males 15-49, 17,073; 8,776 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 6% of GDP, or $12 million (1990 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Sierra Leone
- Geography
Total area: 71,740 km2; land area: 71,620 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: 958 km total; Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use: 25% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 31% meadows and pastures; 29% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation
- People
Population: 4,165,953 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 21 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 154 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 42 years male, 47 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Sierra Leonean(s); adjective—Sierra Leonean
Ethnic divisions: 99% native African (30% Temne, 30% Mende); 1% Creole,
European, Lebanese, and Asian; 13 tribes
Religion: 30% Muslim, 30% indigenous beliefs, 10% Christian, 30% other or none
Language: English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
Literacy: 31% (1986)
Labor force: 1,369,000 (est.); 65% agriculture, 19% industry, 16% services (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age
Organized labor: 35% of wage earners
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Sierra Leone
Type: republic under presidential regime
Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern,
Western
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Constitution: 14 June 1978
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987)
Political parties and leaders: only party—All People's Congress
(APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: President—last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992); results—Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected without opposition;
House of Representatives—last held 30 May 1986 (next to be held May 1991); results—APC is the only party; seats—(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105
Communists: no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, Mano River Union, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at
1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261;
US—Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and
Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone 26481
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
- Economy Overview: The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.
GDP: $965 million, per capita $250; real growth rate 1.8% (FY87)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 42% (September 1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $86 million; expenditures $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)
Exports: $106 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%; partners—US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe
Imports: $167 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods; partners—US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria
External debt: $805 million (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 19% (FY88 est.)
Electricity: 83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
Agriculture: accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops—coffee, cocoa, palm kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs; annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $149 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $698 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $101 million
Currency: leone (plural—leones); 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: leones per US$1—87.7193 (January 1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987), 8.3963 (1986), 4.7304 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 84 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
Highways: 7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports: Freetown, Pepel
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 12 total, 8 usable; 5 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: marginal telephone and telegraph service; national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; stations—1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 918,078; 433,350 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: 1% of GDP (1986)
——————————————————————————
Country: Singapore
- Geography
Total area: 632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use: 4% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 5% forest and woodland; 84% other
Environment: mostly urban and industrialized
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
- People
Population: 2,720,915 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Singaporean(s), adjective—Singapore
Ethnic divisions: 76.4% Chinese, 14.9% Malay, 6.4% Indian, 2.3% other
Religion: majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays nearly all
Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists,
Confucianists)
Language: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (official); Malay (national)
Literacy: 86.8% (1987)
Labor force: 1,280,000; 34.4% industry, 1.2% agriculture, 61.7% services (1988)
Organized labor: 211,200; 16.5% of labor force (1988)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Singapore
Type: republic within Commonwealth
Capital: Singapore
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965; based on preindependence
State of Singapore Constitution
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985);
Head of Government—Prime Minister LEE Kuan Yew (since 5 June 1959);
First Deputy Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 2 January 1985); Second Deputy
Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985)
Political parties and leaders: government—People's Action Party (PAP),
Lee Kuan Yew; opposition—Workers' Party (WP), J. B. Jeyaretnam;
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Chiam See Tong;
National Solidarity Party (NSP), Soon Kia Seng;
United People's Front (UPF), Harbans Singh; Barisan Sosialis (BS);
Communist party illegal
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
Elections: President—last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held NA August 1993); results—President Wee Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without opposition;
Parliament—last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held NA September 1993); results—PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, others 3.3%; seats—(81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note—BS has 1 nonvoting seat
Communists: 200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists
Member of: ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU,
ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tommy KOH Tong Bee; Chancery at 1824 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 667-7555; US—Ambassador Robert D. ORR; Embassy at 30 Hill Street, Singapore 0617 (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96699); telephone 338-0251
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
- Economy Overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading links derived from its entrepot history. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the economy expanded rapidly, achieving an average annual growth rate of 9%. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia. In 1985 the economy registered its first drop in 20 years and achieved less than a 2% increase in 1986. Recovery was strong. Estimates for 1989 suggest a 9.2% growth rate based on rising demand for Singapore's products in OECD countries, a strong Japanese yen, and improved competitiveness of domestic manufactures.
GDP: $27.5 billion, per capita $10,300; real growth rate 9.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (FY88)
Exports: $46 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—includes transshipments to Malaysia—petroleum products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods; partners—US 24%, Malaysia 14%, Japan 9%, Thailand 6%, Hong Kong 5%, Australia 3%, FRG 3%
Imports: $53 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—includes transshipments from Malaysia—capital equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs; partners—Japan 22%, US 16%, Malaysia 15%, EC 12%, Kuwait 1%
External debt: $5.2 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 9% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 4,000,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 4,490 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services, biotechnology
Agriculture: occupies a position of minor importance in the economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other food; major crops—rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $882 million
Currency: Singapore dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US$1—1.8895 (January 1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774 (1986), 2.2002 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Railroads: 38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 2,597 km total (1984)
Ports: Singapore
Merchant marine: 407 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,286,824 GRT/11,921,610 DWT; includes 126 cargo, 52 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 13 vehicle carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 103 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 4 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 15 liquefied gas, 68 bulk, 3 combination bulk; note—many Singapore flag ships are foreign owned
Civil air: 38 major transport aircraft (est.)
Airports: 6 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good domestic facilities; good international service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,110,000 telephones; stations—13 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; submarine cables extend to Malaysia (Sabah and peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Reserve
Military manpower: males 15-49, 834,720; 621,497 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $1.4 billion (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Solomon Islands
- Geography
Total area: 28,450 km2; land area: 27,540 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 5,313 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates
Land use: 1% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 93% forest and woodland; 4% other
Environment: subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors
Note: located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
- People
Population: 335,082 (July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Solomon Islander(s); adjective—Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions: 93.0% Melanesian, 4.0% Polynesian, 1.5% Micronesian, 0.8% European, 0.3% Chinese, 0.4% other
Religion: almost all at least nominally Christian; Anglican, Seventh-Day
Adventist, and Roman Catholic Churches dominant
Language: 120 indigenous languages; Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English spoken by 1-2% of population
Literacy: 60%
Labor force: 23,448 economically active; 32.4% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 25% services, 7.0% construction, manufacturing, and mining; 4.7% commerce, transport, and finance (1984)
Organized labor: NA, but most of the cash-economy workers have trade union representation
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth
Capital: Honiara
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal,
Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western
Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK; formerly British Solomon Islands)
Constitution: 7 July 1978
Legal system: common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament
Judicial branch: High Court
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously acted as governor general since 7 July 1988);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 28 March 1989);
Deputy Prime Minister Danny PHILIP (since 31 March 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
People's Alliance Party (PAP), Solomon Mamaloni;
United Party (UP), Sir Peter Kenilorea;
Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew Ulufa'alu;
Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew Nori;
Labor Party (LP), Joses Tuhanuku
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: National Parliament—last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held February 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4, LP 2, independents 9
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, SPF, UN, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant) resides in Honiara
(Solomon Islands);
US—the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to the
Solomon Islands; Embassy at Mud Alley, Honiara (mailing address is
American Embassy, P. O. Box 561, Honiara); telephone (677) 23488
Flag: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green
- Economy Overview: About 90% of the population depend on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry contribute about 75% to GDP, with the fishing and forestry sectors being important export earners. The service sector contributes about 25% to GDP. Manufacturing activity is negligible. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. The economy suffered from a severe cyclone in mid-1986 which caused widespread damage to the infrastructure.
GDP: $156 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 4.3% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.2% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $139.0 million; expenditures $154.4 million, including capital expenditures of $113.4 million (1987)
Exports: $80.1 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%; partners—Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
Imports: $101.7 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—plant and machinery 30%, fuel 19%, food 16%; partners—Japan 36%, US 23%, Singapore 9%, UK 9%, NZ 9%, Australia 4%, Hong Kong 4%, China 3% (1985)
External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1987)
Electricity: 15,000 kW capacity; 30 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 75% of GDP; mostly subsistence farming; cash crops—cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, timber; other products—rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient in food grains; 90% of the total fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported (1988)
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1985), $16.1 million
Currency: Solomon Islands dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1—2.4067 (January 1990), 2.3090 (1989), 2.0825 (1988), 2.0033 (1987), 1.7415 (1986), 1.4808 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: about 2,100 km total (1982); 30 km sealed, 290 km gravel, 980 km earth, 800 private logging and plantation roads of varied construction
Ports: Honiara, Ringi Cove
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 29 total, 27 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 3,000 telephones; stations—4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Somalia
- Geography
Total area: 637,660 km2; land area: 627,340 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: 2,340 km total; Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km,
Kenya 682 km
Coastline: 3,025 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden; possible claims to Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya based on unification of ethnic Somalis
Climate: desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), cooler southwest monsoon (May to October); irregular rainfall; hot, humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Natural resources: uranium, and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 46% meadows and pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 38% other; includes 3% irrigated
Environment: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
- People
Population: 8,424,269 (July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 24 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 125 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Somali(s); adjective—Somali
Ethnic divisions: 85% Somali, rest mainly Bantu; 30,000 Arabs, 3,000
Europeans, 800 Asians
Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim
Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy: 11.6% (government est.)
Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; 70% pastoral nomad, 30% agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and other; 53% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions is controlled by the government
- Government
Long-form name: Somali Democratic Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Mogadishu
Administrative divisions: 16 regions (plural—NA, singular—gobolka);
Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,
Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose,
Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 21 October (1969)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President and Commander in Chief of the Army
Maj. Gen. Mohamed SIAD Barre (since 21 October 1969);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali SAMANTAR (since 1 February 1987)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Somali Revolutionary
Socialist Party (SRSP), Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre, general secretary
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held
December 1993);
results—President Siad was reelected without opposition;
People's Assembly—last held 31 December 1984 (next scheduled for December 1989 was postponed); results—SRSP is the only party; seats—(177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171
Communists: probably some Communist sympathizers in the government hierarchy
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, EAMA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ABDIKARIM Ali Omar; Chancery at Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in New York; US—Ambassador T. Frank CRIGLER; Embassy at Corso Primo Luglio, Mogadishu (mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone (01) 20811
Flag: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN trust territory)
- Economy Overview: One of the world's least developed countries, Somalia has few resources. In 1988 per capita GDP was $210. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, with the livestock sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihoods make up about 50% of the population. Crop production generates only 10% of GDP and employs about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The small industrial sector is based on the processing of agricultural products and accounts for less than 10% of GDP. At the end of 1988 serious economic problems facing the nation were the external debt of $2.8 billion and double-digit inflation.
GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate - 1.4% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 81.7% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $273 million; expenditures $405 million, including capital expenditures of $219 million (1987)
Exports: $58.0 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—livestock, hides, skins, bananas, fish; partners—US 0.5%, Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986)
Imports: $354.0 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—textiles, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials; partners—US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
External debt: $2.8 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 71,000 kW capacity; 65 million kWh produced, 8 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining
Agriculture: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep, goats); crops—bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food; fishing potential largely unexploited
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $618 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $336 million
Currency: Somali shilling (plural—shillings); 1 Somali shilling (So.Sh.) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1—643.92
(December 1989), 170.45 (1988), 105.18 (1987), 72.00 (1986), 39.49 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface, 2,880 km gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983)
Pipelines: 15 km crude oil
Ports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu
Merchant marine: 3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,563
GRT/9,512 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 60 total, 45 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: minimal telephone and telegraph service; radio relay and troposcatter system centered on Mogadishu connects a few towns; 6,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; scheduled to receive an ARABSAT station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Somali National Army (including Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense
Force), National Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,878,939; 1,052,644 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: South Africa
- Geography
Total area: 1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes
Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km,
Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline: 2,881 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: South Africa administered Namibia until independence was achieved on 21 March 1990; possible future claim to Walvis Bay by Namibia
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures
Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland
- People Population: 39,549,941 (July 1990), growth rate 2.67%; includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US
four independent homelands—Bophuthatswana 2,352,296, growth rate 2.80%; Ciskei 1,025,873, growth rate 2.93%; Transkei 4,367,648, growth rate 4.19%; Venda 665,197, growth rate 3.86%
six other homelands—Gazankulu 742,361, growth rate 3.99%; Kangwane 556,009, growth rate 3.64%; KwaNdebele 348,655, growth rate 3.35%; KwaZulu 5,349,247, growth rate 3.62%; Lebowa 2,704,641, growth rate 3.92%; Qwagwa 268,138, growth rate 3.59%
Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 52 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 67 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—South African(s); adjective—South African
Ethnic divisions: 73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian
Religion: most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are
Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim
Language: Afrikaans, English (official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana
Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50% of blacks literate
Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active; 34% services, 30% agriculture, 29% industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985)
Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized;
African unions represent 15% of black labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA
Type: republic
Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial,
Bloemfontein
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State,
Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US—4 independent
(Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane,
KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa)
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
Constitution: 3 September 1984
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
Executive branch: state president, cabinet, Executive Council (cabinet)
Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)
Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament consists of the House of
Assembly (whites), House of Representatives (Coloreds), and House of Delegates
(Indians)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—State President
Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
white political parties and leaders—National Party (NP),
Frederik W. de Klerk (majority party); Conservative Party (CP),
Dr. Andries P. Treurnicht (official opposition party);
Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap Marais;
Democratic Party (DP), Zach De Beer, Wynand Malan, and Denis Worrall;
Colored political parties and leaders—Labor Party (LP), Allan
Hendrickse (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter
Ebrahim; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac Rabie; Freedom Party;
Indian political parties and leaders—Solidarity, J. N. Reddy (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand Rajbansi; Merit People's Party
Suffrage: universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based
Elections: House of Assembly (whites)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results—NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats—(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34;
House of Representatives (Coloreds)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2;
House of Delegates (Indians)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1, National Federal Party 1, independents 6
Communists: small Communist party illegal since 1950; party in exile maintains headquarters in London, Daniel Tloome (Chairman) and Joe Slovo (General Secretary)
Other political groups: insurgent groups in exile—African National Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Zephania Mothopeng;
internal antiapartheid groups—Pan-Africanist Movement (PAM), Clarence Makwetu; United Democratic Front (UDF), Albertina Sisulu and Archibald Gumede
Member of: CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILZSG, IMF,
INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International
Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO, WIPO, and WMO suspended or
restricted)
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York; US—Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone (12) 28-4266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg
Flag: actually four flags in one—three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
- Economy Overview: Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the level needed to cut into the high unemployment level.
GDP: $83.5 billion, per capita $2,380; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.67% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 22% (1988); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in homelands (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $24.3 billion; expenditures $27.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY91)
Exports: $21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—gold 40%, minerals and metals 23%, food 6%, chemicals 3%; partners—FRG, Japan, UK, US, other EC, Hong Kong
Imports: $18.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—machinery 27%, chemicals 11%, vehicles and aircraft 11%, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals; partners—US, FRG, Japan, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland
External debt: $21.2 billion (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (1988)
Electricity: 34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of diamonds, gold, chrome), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products—cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat; sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food
Aid: NA
Currency: rand (plural—rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1—2.5555 (January 1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Railroads: 20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge
Highways: 188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth
Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas
Ports: Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha,
Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay
Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 275,684 GRT/273,973
DWT; includes 7 container, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker
Civil air: 81 major transport aircraft
Airports: 931 total, 793 usable; 124 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 213 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 4,500,000 telephones; stations—14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services
Military manpower: males 15-49, 9,544,357; 5,828,167 fit for military service; 419,815 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is two years; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $4 billion (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 4,066 km2; land area: 4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks
Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: undetermined
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen
Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South
Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South
Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage
- People
Population: no permanent population; there is a small military garrison on
South Georgia and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird
Island; the South Sandwich islands are uninhabited
- Government Long-form name: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia is the chief town
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, commissioner
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: none
Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented
by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley,
Falkland Islands)
- Economy Overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
Budget: revenues $291,777; expenditures $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)
Electricity: 900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1989)
- Communications
Highways: NA
Ports: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia
Airports: none
Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
——————————————————————————
Country: Soviet Union
- Geography
Total area: 22,402,200 km2; land area: 22,272,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of US
Land boundaries: 19,933 km total; Afghanistan 2,384 km, Czechoslovakia 98 km, China 7,520 km, Finland 1,313 km, Hungary 135 km, Iran 1,690 km, North Korea 17 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland 1,215 km, Romania 1,307 km, Turkey 617 km
Coastline: 42,777 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve four disputed sections of the boundary with China (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); US Government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union; Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islands occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands administered by Soviet Union; maritime dispute with Norway over portion of Barents Sea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Bessarabia question with Romania; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR
Climate: mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south
Natural resources: self-sufficient in oil, natural gas, coal, and strategic minerals (except bauxite, alumina, tantalum, tin, tungsten, fluorspar, and molybdenum), timber, gold, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, potash, phosphates
Land use: 10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: despite size and diversity, small percentage of land is arable and much is too far north; some of most fertile land is water deficient or has insufficient growing season; many better climates have poor soils; hot, dry, desiccating sukhovey wind affects south; desertification; continuous permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development
Note: largest country in world, but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of world
- People
Population: 290,938,469 (July 1990), growth rate 0.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 24 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Soviet(s); adjective—Soviet
Ethnic divisions: Russian 50.78%, Ukrainian 15.45%, Uzbek 5.84%,
Byelorussian 3.51%, Kazakh 2.85%, Azerbaijan 2.38%, Armenian 1.62%,
Tajik 1.48%, Georgian 1.39%, Moldavian 1.17%, Lithuanian 1.07%,
Turkmen 0.95%, Kirghiz 0.89%, Latvian 0.51%, Estonian 0.36%, others 9.75%
Religion: 20% Russian Orthodox; 10% Muslim; 7% Protestant, Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic; less than 1% Jewish; 60% atheist (est.)
Language: Russian (official); more than 200 languages and dialects (at least 18 with more than 1 million speakers); 75% Slavic group, 8% other Indo-European, 12% Altaic, 3% Uralian, 2% Caucasian
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 152,300,000 civilians; 80% industry and other nonagricultural fields, 20% agriculture; shortage of skilled labor (1989)
Organized labor: 98% of workers are union members; all trade unions are organized within the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (AUCCTU) and conduct their work under guidance of the Communist party
- Government
Long-form name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; abbreviated USSR
Type: Communist state
Capital: Moscow
Administrative divisions: 1 soviet federative socialist republic*
(sovetskaya federativnaya sotsialistcheskaya respublika) and 14 soviet socialist
republics (sovetskiye sotsialisticheskiye respubliki, singular—sovetskaya
sotsialisticheskaya respublika); Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic,
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist
Republic*, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic,
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; note—the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is often abbreviated RSFSR and
Soviet Socialist Republic is often abbreviated SSR
Independence: 1721 (Russian Empire proclaimed)
Constitution: 7 October 1977
Legal system: civil law system as modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Great October Socialist Revolution, 7-8 November (1917)
Executive branch: president
Legislative branch: the Congress of People's Deputies is the supreme organ of USSR state power and selects the bicameral USSR Supreme Soviet (Verkhovnyy Sovyet) which consists of two coequal houses—Council of the Union (Sovet Soyuza) and Council of Nationalities (Sovet Natsionalnostey)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of the USSR
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV
(since 14 March 1990; General Secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party since 11 March 1985);
Head of Government—Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers
Nikolay Ivanovich RYZHKOV (since 28 September 1985)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, general secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU; note—the CPSU is the only party, but others are forming
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 14 March 1990 (next to be held NA 1995);
results—Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was elected by the Congress of
People's Deputies;
Congress of People's Deputies—last held 12 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results—CPSU is the only party; seats—(2,250 total) CPSU 1,931, non-CPSU 319;
USSR Supreme Soviet—last held NA June 1989 (next to be held NA); results—CPSU is the only party; seats—(542 total) CPSU 475, non-CPSU 67;
Council of the Union—last held Spring 1989 (next to be held NA); results—CPSU is the only party; seats—(271 total) CPSU 239, non-CPSU 32;
Council of Nationalities—last held Spring 1989 (next to be held NA); results—CPSU is the only party; seats—(271 total) CPSU 236, non-CPSU 35
Communists: about 19 million party members
Other political or pressure groups: Komsomol, trade unions, and other organizations that facilitate Communist control; regional popular fronts, informal organizations, and nascent parties with varying attitudes toward the Communist Party establishment
Member of: CEMA, ESCAP, IAEA, IBEC, ICAC, ICAO, ICCO, ICES, ILO,
ILZSG, IMO, INRO, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, International Whaling
Commission, IWC—International Wheat Council, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador-designate Aleksandr BESSMERTNYKH; Chancery at 1125 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 628-7551 or 8548; there is a Soviet Consulate General in San Francisco; US—Ambassador Jack F. MATLOCK, Jr.; Embassy at Ulitsa Chaykovskogo 19/21/23, Moscow (mailing address is APO New York 09862); telephone (096) 252-24-51 through 59; there is a US Consulate General in Leningrad
Flag: red with the yellow silhouette of a crossed hammer and sickle below a yellow-edged five-pointed red star in the upper hoist-side corner
- Economy Overview: The first five years of perestroyka (economic restructuring) have undermined the institutions and processes of the Soviet command economy without replacing them with efficiently functioning markets. The initial reforms featured greater authority for enterprise managers over prices, wages, product mix, investment, sources of supply, and customers. But in the absence of effective market discipline, the result was the disappearance of low-price goods, excessive wage increases, an even larger volume of unfinished construction projects, and, in general, continued economic stagnation. The Gorbachev regime has made at least four serious errors in economic policy in these five years: the unpopular and short-lived anti-alcohol campaign; the initial cutback in imports of consumer goods; the failure to act decisively for the privatization of agriculture; and the buildup of a massive overhang of unspent rubles in the hands of households and enterprises. In October 1989, a top economic adviser, Leonid Abalkin presented an ambitious but reasonable timetable for the conversion to a partially privatized market system in the 1990s. In December 1989, however, Premier Ryzhkov's conservative approach prevailed, namely, the contention that a period of retrenchment was necessary to provide a stable financial and legislative base for launching further reforms. Accordingly, the new strategy was to put the reform process on hold in 1990-92 by recentralizing economic authority and to placate the rank-and-file through sharp increases in consumer goods output. In still another policy twist, the leadership in early 1990 was considering a marked speedup in the marketization process. Because the economy is caught in between two systems, there was in 1989 an even greater mismatch between what was produced and what would serve the best interests of enterprises and households. Meanwhile, the seething nationality problems have been dislocating regional patterns of economic specialization and pose a further major threat to growth prospects over the next few years.
GNP: $2,659.5 billion, per capita $9,211; real growth rate 1.4% (1989 est. based on Soviet statistics; cutbacks in Soviet reporting on products included in sample make the estimate subject to greater uncertainty than in earlier years)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: officially, no unemployment
Budget: revenues $622 billion; expenditures $781 billion, including capital expenditures of $119 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $110.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood, agricultural products, and a wide variety of manufactured goods (primarily capital goods and arms); partners—Eastern Europe 49%, EC 14%, Cuba 5%, US, Afghanistan (1988)
Imports: $107.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—grain and other agricultural products, machinery and equipment, steel products (including large-diameter pipe), consumer manufactures; partners—Eastern Europe 54%, EC 11%, Cuba, China, US (1988)
External debt: $27.3 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.2% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 355,000,000 kW capacity; 1,790,000 million kWh produced, 6,150 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: diversified, highly developed capital goods and defense industries; consumer goods industries comparatively less developed
Agriculture: accounts for roughly 20% of GNP and labor force; production based on large collective and state farms; inefficiently managed; wide range of temperate crops and livestock produced; world's second-largest grain producer after the US; shortages of grain, oilseeds, and meat; world's leading producer of sawnwood and roundwood; annual fish catch among the world's largest—11.2 million metric tons (1987)
Illicit drugs: illegal producer of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has begun eradication program to control cultivation; used as a transshipment country
Aid: donor—extended to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-88), $47.4 billion; extended to other Communist countries (1954-88), $147.6 billion
Currency: ruble (plural—rubles); 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
Exchange rates: rubles (R) per US$1—0.600 (February 1990), 0.629 (1989), 0.629 (1988), 0.633 (1987), 0.704 (1986), 0.838 (1985); note—the exchange rate is administratively set and should not be used indiscriminately to convert domestic rubles to dollars; on 1 November 1989 the USSR began using a rate of 6.26 rubles to the dollar for Western tourists buying rubles and for Soviets traveling abroad, but retained the official exchange rate for most trade transactions
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 146,100 km total; 51,700 km electrified; does not include industrial lines (1987)
Highways: 1,609,900 km total; 1,196,000 km hard-surfaced (asphalt, concrete, stone block, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone); 413,900 km earth (1987)
Inland waterways: 122,500 km navigable, exclusive of Caspian Sea (1987)
Pipelines: 81,500 km crude oil and refined products; 195,000 km natural gas (1987)
Ports: Leningrad, Riga, Tallinn, Kaliningrad, Liepaja, Ventspils,
Murmansk, Arkhangel'sk, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Il'ichevsk, Nikolayev,
Sevastopol', Vladivostok, Nakhodka; inland ports are Astrakhan', Baku, Gor'kiy,
Kazan', Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kuybyshev, Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd, Kiev
Merchant marine: 1,646 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,436,063 GRT/22,732,215 DWT; includes 53 passenger, 937 cargo, 52 container, 11 barge carrier, 5 roll-on/float off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 108 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 251 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 liquefied gas, 21 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized liquid carrier, 17 chemical tanker, 171 bulk; note—639 merchant ships are based in Black Sea, 383 in Baltic Sea, 408 in Soviet Far East, and 216 in Barents Sea and White Sea; the Soviet Ministry of Merchant Marine is beginning to use foreign registries for its merchant ships to increase the economic competitiveness of the fleet in the international market—the first reregistered ships have gone to the Cypriot flag
Civil air: 4,500 major transport aircraft
Airports: 6,950 total, 4,530 usable; 1,050 with permanent-surface runways; 30 with runways over 3,659 m; 490 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 660 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: extensive network of AM-FM stations broadcasting both Moscow and regional programs; main TV centers in Moscow and Leningrad plus 11 more in the Soviet republics; hundreds of TV stations; 85,000,000 TV sets; 162,000,000 radio receivers; many satellite earth stations and extensive satellite networks (including 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations)
- Defense Forces
Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Defense Forces, Air Forces, Strategic
Rocket Forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 69,634,893; 55,588,743 fit for military service; 2,300,127 million reach military age (18) annually (down somewhat from 2,500,000 a decade ago)
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Spain
- Geography
Total area: 504,750 km2; land area: 499,400 km2; includes Balaeric
Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de
Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Land boundaries: 1,903.2 km total; Andorra 65 km, France 623 km,
Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; controls two presidios or places of sovereignty (Ceuta and Melilla) on the north coast of Morocco
Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
Land use: 31% arable land; 10% permanent crops; 21% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 6% irrigated
Environment: deforestation; air pollution
Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
- People
Population: 39,268,715 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 11 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: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Spaniard(s); adjective—Spanish
Ethnic divisions: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religion: 99% Roman Catholic, 1% other sects
Language: Castilian Spanish; second languages include 17% Catalan, 7%
Galician, and 2% Basque
Literacy: 97%
Labor force: 14,621,000; 53% services, 24% industry, 14% agriculture, 9% construction (1988)
Organized labor: less 10% of labor force (1988)
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Spain
Type: parliamentary monarchy
Capital: Madrid
Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades
autonomas, singular—comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon,
Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon,
Cataluna, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid,
Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco, Valenciana
Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 12 October
Executive branch: monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State
Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
Leaders:
Chief of State—King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Alfonso GUERRA Gonzalez (since 2 December 1982)
Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from
right to left—Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria Aznar; Popular Democratic
Party (PDP), Luis de Grandes; Social Democratic Center (CDS),
Adolfo Suarez Gonzalez; Spanish Socialist Workers Party
(PSOE), Felipe Gonzalez Marquez; Spanish Communist Party (PCE),
Julio Anguita; chief regional parties—Convergence and Unity (CiU),
Jordi Pujol Saley, in Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV),
Xabier Arzallus; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos Garaicoetxea Urizza;
Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon Idigoras; Basque Left (EE),
Juan Maria Bandries Molet; Andalusian Party (PA); Independent Canary
Group (AIC); Aragon Regional Party (PAR); Valencian Union (UV)
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: The Courts General—last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results—PSOE 39.6%, PP 25.8%, CDS 9%, Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%, CiU 5%, Basque Nationalist Party 1.2%, HB 1%, Andalusian Party 1%, others 8.4%; seats—(350 total, 18 vacant pending new elections caused by voting irregularities) PSOE 176, PP 106, CiU 18, IU 17, CDS 14, PNV 5, HB 4, others 10
Communists: PCE membership declined from a possible high of 160,000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 in 1987; the party gained almost 1 million voters and 10 deputies in the 1989 election; voters came mostly from the disgruntled socialist left; remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country's two major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about 1 million; experienced a modest recovery in 1986 national election, nearly doubling the share of the vote it received in 1982
Other political or pressure groups: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); the Catholic Church; business and landowning interests; Opus Dei; university students
Member of: Andean Pact (observer), ASSIMER, CCC, Council of Europe, EC,
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, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, IWC—International
Wheat Council, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Julian SANTAMARIA; Chancery at 2700 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191; there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US—Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA; Embassy at Serrano 75, Madrid 6 (mailing address is APO New York 09285); telephone (1) 276-3400 or 3600; there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in Bilbao
Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
- Economy Overview: This Western capitalistic economy has done well since Spain joined the European Economic Community in 1986. With increases in real GNP of 5.5% in 1987 and about 5% in 1988 and 1989, Spain has been the fastest growing member of the EC. Increased investment—both domestic and foreign—has been the most important factor pushing the economic expansion. Inflation moderated to 4.8% in 1988, but an overheated economy caused inflation to reach an estimated 7% in 1989. Another economic problem facing Spain is an unemployment rate of 16.5%, the highest in Europe.
GNP: $398.7 billion, per capita $10,100; real growth rate 4.8% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.0% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $57.8 billion; expenditures $66.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $10.4 billion (1987)
Exports: $40.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—foodstuffs, live animals, wood, footwear, machinery, chemicals; partners—EC 66%, US 8%, other developed countries 9%
Imports: $60.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—petroleum, footwear, machinery, chemicals, grain, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, iron and steel, timber, cotton, transport equipment; partners—EC 57%, US 9%, other developed countries 13%, Middle East 3%
External debt: $32.7 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1988)
Electricity: 46,589,000 kW capacity; 157,040 million kWh produced, 3,980 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools
Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 14% of labor force; major products—grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruit, beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million
Currency: peseta (plural—pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1—109.69 (January 1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track; FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified; privately owned railways operate 918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double track
Highways: 150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)
Inland waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
Pipelines: 265 km crude oil; 1,794 km refined products; 1,666 km natural gas
Ports: Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz,
Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo,
Puerto de Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands),
Mahon, Malaga, Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto,
Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and 175 minor ports
Merchant marine: 324 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,492,563 GRT/6,128,190 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo, 19 refrigerated cargo, 17 container, 23 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 51 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 16 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 combination ore/oil, 49 bulk, 5 vehicle carrier
Civil air: 142 major transport aircraft
Airports: 110 total, 103 usable; 62 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 29 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,310,000 telephones; stations—196 AM, 404 (134 relays) FM, 143 (1,297 relays) TV; 17 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (5 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and ENTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 10,032,649; 8,141,384 fit for military service; 338,582 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP, or $8.4 billion (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: Spratly Islands - Geography Total area: less than 5 km2; land area: less than 5 km2; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 926 km
Maritime claims: undetermined
Disputes: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all or part of the Spratly Islands
Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Natural resources: fish, guano; oil and natural gas potential
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
Note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
- People
Population: no permanent inhabitants; garrisons
- Government
Long-form name: none
- Economy Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing and phosphate mining. Geological surveys carried out several years ago suggest that substantial reserves of oil and natural gas may lie beneath the islands; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Industries: some guano mining
- Communications Airports: 3 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces Note: approximately 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam —————————————————————————— Country: Sri Lanka - Geography Total area: 65,610 km2; land area: 64,740 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use: 16% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 8% irrigated
Environment: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
Note: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian
Ocean sea lanes
- People
Population: 17,196,436 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Sri Lankan(s); adjective—Sri Lankan
Ethnic divisions: 74% Sinhalese; 18% Tamil; 7% Moor; 1% Burgher, Malay, and Veddha
Religion: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Christian, 8% Muslim
Language: Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
Literacy: 87%
Labor force: 6,600,000; 45.9% agriculture, 13.3% mining and manufacturing, 12.4% trade and transport, 28.4% services and other (1985 est.)
Organized labor: about 33% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and coconut estates
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura,
Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna,
Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala,
Mullativu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee,
Vavuniya; note—the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces
(Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa,
Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to
the existing districts)
Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon)
Constitution: 31 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch,
Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
United National Party (UNP), Ranasinghe Premadasa;
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo Bandaranaike;
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mhm. Ashraff;
All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar Ponnambalam;
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP, or People's United Front),
Dinesh Gundawardene;
Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka People's Party),
Chandrika Baudaranaike Kumaranatunga;
Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP, Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite),
Colin R. de Silva;
Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP, or New Socialist Party),
Vasudeva Nanayakkara;
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), leader NA;
Communist Party/Moscow (CP/M), K. P. Silva;
Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. Shanmugathasan
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held
December 1994);
results—Ranasinghe Premadasa (UNP) 50%,
Sirimavo Bandaranaike (SLFP) 45%, others 5%;
Parliament—last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by February 1995); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, others 33
Other political or pressure groups: Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna (JVP or People's Liberation Front); Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese
Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
Member of: ADB, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025 through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York; US—Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE; Embassy at 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone (1) 548007
Flag: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
- Economy Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about half of the labor force and accounting for about 25% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 50% of export earnings and almost 20% of budgetary revenues. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s.
GDP: $6.1 billion, per capita $370; real growth rate 2.7% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (1989)
Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products; partners—US 26%, Egypt, Iraq, UK, FRG, Singapore, Japan
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—petroleum, machinery and equipment, textiles and textile materials, wheat, transportation equipment, electrical machinery, sugar, rice; partners—Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran
External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1988)
Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 250 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops—sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops—tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products—milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $932 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $4.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $369 million
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural—rupees); 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1—40.000 (January 1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 1,868 km total (1985); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km double track; no electrification; government owned
Highways: 66,176 km total (1985); 24,300 km paved (mostly bituminous treated), 28,916 km crushed stone or gravel, 12,960 km improved earth or unimproved earth; several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks
Inland waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
Pipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987)
Ports: Colombo, Trincomalee
Merchant marine: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,923 GRT/334,702 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk
Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased)
Airports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good international service; 109,900 telephones (1982); stations—12 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV; submarine cables extend to Indonesia, Djibouti, India; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Police Force, Special Police Task
Force, National Auxiliary Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,568,648; 3,574,637 fit for military service; 177,610 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $300 million (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Sudan
- Geography
Total area: 2,505,810 km2; land area: 2,376,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US
Land boundaries: 7,697 km total; Central African Republic 1,165 km,
Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km,
Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km
Coastline: 853 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Kenya; international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Egypt
Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season
(April to October)
Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
Natural resources: modest reserves of crude oil, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, crude oil
Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures; 20% forest and woodland; 51% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: dominated by the Nile and its tributaries; dust storms; desertification
Note: largest country in Africa
- People
Population: 24,971,806 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 55 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Sudanese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Sudanese
Ethnic divisions: 52% black, 39% Arab, 6% Beja, 2% foreigners, 1% other
Religion: 70% Sunni Muslim (in north), 20% indigenous beliefs, 5% Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Language: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Sudanic languages, English; program of Arabization in process
Literacy: 31% (1986)
Labor force: 6,500,000; 80% agriculture, 10% industry and commerce, 6% government; labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.); 52% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: trade unions suspended following 30 June 1989 coup; now in process of being legalized anew
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of the Sudan
Type: military; civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 June 1989 coup
Capital: Khartoum
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (aqalim, singular—iqlim);
Aali an Nil, Al Awsat, Al Istiwai, Al Khartum,
Ash Shamali, Ash Sharqi, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan
Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK; formerly Anglo-Egyptian
Sudan)
Constitution: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; in September 1983 then President Nimeiri declared the penal code would conform to Islamic law; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Executive branch: executive and legislative authority vested in a 15-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC); chairman of the RCC acts as prime minister; in July 1989 RCC appointed a predominately civilian 22-member cabinet to function as advisers
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—Revolutionary Command
Council Chairman and Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989);
Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister
Brig. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 9 July 1989)
Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH; Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 338-8565 through 8570; there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York; US—Ambassador James CHEEK; Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668); telephone 74700 or 75680, 74611
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
- Economy Overview: Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. A high foreign debt and arrearages of about $13 billion continue to cause difficulties. Since 1979 the International Monetary Fund has provided assistance and has forced Sudan to make economic reforms aimed at improving the performance of the economy.
GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $340 (FY87); real growth rate 7.0%
(FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 70% (FY89)
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.)
Exports: $550 million (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities—cotton 43%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts; partners—Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities—petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals; partners—Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)
External debt: $11.6 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.7% (FY89 est.)
Electricity: 606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining
Agriculture: accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force; untapped potential for higher farm production; two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and livestock; major products—cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sheep; marginally self-sufficient in most foods
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $588 million
Currency: Sudanese pound (plural—pounds); 1 Sudanese pound (LSd) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: official rate—Sudanese pounds (LSd) per US$1—4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987), 2.5000 (1986), 2.2883 (1985); note—commercial exchange rate is set daily, 12.2 (March 1990)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 5,500 km total; 4,784 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line
Highways: 20,000 km total; 1,600 km bituminous treated, 3,700 km gravel, 2,301 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track
Inland waterways: 5,310 km navigable
Pipelines: refined products, 815 km
Ports: Port Sudan, Suakin
Merchant marine: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 91,107
GRT/122,222 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo
Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
Airports: 78 total, 68 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 31 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained; consists of radio relay, cables, radio communications, and troposcatter; domestic satellite system with 14 stations; 73,400 telephones; stations—4 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,621,469; 3,437,004 fit for military service; 273,011 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $610 million (1989 est)
——————————————————————————
Country: Suriname
- Geography
Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km,
Guyana 600 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and
Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana between
New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the
Courantyne)
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and modest amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 97% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: mostly tropical rain forest
- People
Population: 396,813 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 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: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Surinamer(s); adjective—Surinamese
Ethnic divisions: 37.0% Hindustani (East Indian), 31.0% Creole (black and mixed), 15.3% Javanese, 10.3% Bush black, 2.6% Amerindian, 1.7% Chinese, 1.0% Europeans, 1.1% other
Religion: 27.4% Hindu, 19.6% Muslim, 22.8% Roman Catholic, 25.2% Protestant (predominantly Moravian), about 5% indigenous beliefs
Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much
of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also Hindi
Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), and Javanese
Literacy: 65%
Labor force: 104,000 (1984)
Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Suriname
Type: republic
Capital: Paramaribo
Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten, singular—distrikt);
Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo,
Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands
Guiana or Dutch Guiana)
Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987
Legal system: NA
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister,
Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note—commander in chief of the
National Army maintains significant power
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Ramsewak SHANKAR
(since 25 January 1988); Vice President and Prime Minister Henck Alfonsus Eugene
ARRON (since 25 January 1988)
Political parties and leaders: 25 February Movement established by Lt. Col. Desire Bouterse in November 1983, but much of its activity taken over by New Democratic Party (NDP) in May 1987; leftists (all small groups)—Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael Naarendorp; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan Krolis; traditional parties—Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath Lachmon; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck Arron; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy Soemita; the VHP, NPS, and KTPI formed a coalition known as The Front in July 1987 that overwhelmingly defeated the NDP in the November 1987 elections
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: National Assembly—last held 25 November 1987 (next to be held November 1992); results—The Front 80%, others 20%; seats—(51 total) The Front 40, NDP 3, PALU 4, Pendawa Llwa 4
Member of: ACP, ECLA, FAO, GATT, G-77, IBA, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM,
OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT; Chancery at Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-7488 or 7490 through 7492; there is a Surinamese Consulate General in Miami; US—Ambassador Richard HOWLAND; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone 72900 or 76459
Flag: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band
- Economy Overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 80% of export earnings and 40% of tax revenues. The economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world bauxite prices that started in the late 1970s and continued until late 1986, was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla insurgency in the interior. The guerrillas targeted the economic infrastructure, crippling the important bauxite sector and shutting down other export industries. These problems have created both high inflation and high unemployment. A small gain in economic growth of 3.6% was registered in 1988 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite.
GDP: $1.27 billion, per capita $3,215; real growth rate 3.6% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 27% (1988)
Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)
Exports: $425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas; partners—Netherlands 28%, US 22%, Norway 18%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10%, UK 4%
Imports: $365 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods; partners—US 34%, Netherlands 20%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%
External debt: $65 million (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1986)
Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,030 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of both GDP and labor force; paddy rice planted on 85% of arable land and represents 60% of total farm output; other products—bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts, beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing importance; self-sufficient in most foods
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion
Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural—guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1—1.7850 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
Highways: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay
Inland waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging from 4.2 m to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways
Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 47 total, 43 usable; 6 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: international facilities good; domestic radio relay system; 27,500 telephones; stations—5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: National Army (including Support Battalion, Infantry Battalion,
Mechanized Cavalry Unit, Military Police Brigade, Navy which is company-size,
small Air Force element)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 105,328; 62,896 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $91 million (1990 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: Svalbard (territory of Norway) - Geography Total area: 62,049 km2; land area: 62,049 km2; includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 3,587 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 10 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway, not recognized by USSR;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
Disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute between Norway and USSR
Climate: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year
Terrain: wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts
Natural resources: coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other; there are no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry
Environment: great calving glaciers descend to the sea
Note: located 445 km north of Norway where the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea,
Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea meet
- People Population: 3,942 (July 1990), growth rate NA% (1990); about one-third of the population resides in the Norwegian areas (Longyearbyen and Svea on Vestspitsbergen) and two-thirds in the Soviet areas (Barentsburg and Pyramiden on Vestspitsbergen); about 9 persons live at the Polish research station
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)
Ethnic divisions: 64% Russian, 35% Norwegian, 1% other (1981)
Language: Russian, Norwegian
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: none
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: territory of Norway administered by the Ministry of Industry, Oslo, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was given to Norway
Capital: Longyearbyen
Leaders:
Chief of State—King OLAV V (since 21 September 1957);
Head of Government Governor Leif ELDRING (since NA)
Flag: the flag of Norway is used
- Economy Overview: Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. By treaty (9 February 1920), the nationals of the treaty powers have equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Soviet. Each company mines about half a million tons of coal annually. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some trapping of seal, polar bear, fox, and walrus.
Electricity: 21,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 11,420 kWh per capita (1989)
Currency: Norwegian krone (plural—kroner); 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1—6.5405 (January 1990), 6.9045 (1989), 6.5170 (1988), 6.7375 (1987), 7.3947 (1986), 8.5972 (1985)
- Communications
Ports: limited facilities—Ny-Alesund, Advent Bay
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 5 meteorological/radio stations; stations—1 AM, 1 (2 relays) FM, 1 TV
- Defense Forces
Note: demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)
——————————————————————————
Country: Swaziland
- Geography
Total area: 17,360 km2; land area: 17,200 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 535 km total; Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: varies from tropical to near temperate
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, tin, hydroelelectric power, forests, and small gold and diamond deposits
Land use: 8% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 67% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
Note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
- People
Population: 778,525 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 46 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: 126 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 55 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Swazi(s); adjective—Swazi
Ethnic divisions: 97% African, 3% European
Religion: 60% Christian, 40% indigenous beliefs
Language: English and siSwati (official); government business conducted in
English
Literacy: 67.9%
Labor force: 195,000; over 60,000 engaged in subsistence agriculture; about 92,000 wage earners (many only intermittently), with 36% agriculture and forestry, 20% community and social services, 14% manufacturing, 9% construction, 21% other; 24,000-29,000 employed in South Africa (1987)
Organized labor: about 10% of wage earners
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Swaziland
Type: monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
Capital: Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (legislative)
Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini,
Shiselweni
Independence: 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Constitution: none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended on 12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but has not been formally presented to the people
Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts, Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September (1968)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Libandla) is advisory and consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State—King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Obed MFANYANA (since 12 July 1989)
Political parties: none; banned by the Constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978
Suffrage: none
Elections: no direct elections
Communists: no Communist party
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, Southern African Customs
Union, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Absalom Vusani MAMBA;
Chancery at 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 362-6683;
US—Ambassador (vacant), Deputy Chief of Mission Armajane KARAER;
Embassy at Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane (mailing address
is P. O. Box 199, Mbabane); telephone 22281 through 22285
Flag: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
- Economy Overview: The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which occupies much of the labor force and contributes about 25% to GDP. Manufacturing, which includes a number of agroprocessing factories, accounts for another 25% of GDP. Mining has declined in importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted in 1978, and health concerns cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of sugar and forestry products are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa, from which it receives 90% of its imports and to which it sends about one-third of its exports.
GNP: $539 million, per capita $750; real growth rate 5.7% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $255 million; expenditures $253 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (FY91 est.)
Exports: $394 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—sugar, asbestos, wood pulp, citrus, canned fruit, soft drink concentrates; partners—South Africa, UK, US
Imports: $386 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, foodstuffs; partners—South Africa, US, UK
External debt: $275 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 24% (1986)
Electricity: 50,000 kW capacity; 130 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and over 60% of labor force; mostly subsistence agriculture; cash crops—sugarcane, citrus fruit, cotton, pineapples; other crops and livestock—corn, sorghum, peanuts, cattle, goats, sheep; not self-sufficient in grain
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $132 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $468 million
Currency: lilangeni (plural—emalangeni); 1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: emalangeni (E) per US$1—2.5555 (January 1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985); note—the Swazi emalangeni is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Railroads: 297 km plus 71 km disused, 1.067-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 2,853 km total; 510 km paved, 1,230 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, and 1,113 km improved earth
Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
Airports: 23 total, 22 usable; 1 with permanent-surfaced runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: system consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines and low-capacity radio relay links; 15,400 telephones; stations—6 AM, 6 FM, 10 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force, Royal Swaziland Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 166,537; 96,239 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Sweden
- Geography
Total area: 449,960 km2; land area: 411,620 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: 2,193 km total; Finland 536 km, Norway 1,657 km
Coastline: 3,218 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential
Land use: 7% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 64% forest and woodland; 27% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: water pollution; acid rain
Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking
Baltic and North Seas
- People
Population: 8,526,452 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Swede(s); adjective—Swedish
Ethnic divisions: homogeneous white population; small Lappish minority; about 12% foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)
Religion: 93.5% Evangelical Lutheran, 1.0% Roman Catholic, 5.5% other
Language: Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native languages
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 4,531,000 (1988); 32.8% private services, 30.0% government services, 22.0% mining and manufacturing, 5.9% construction, 5.0% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 0.9% electricity, gas, and waterworks (1986)
Organized labor: 90% of labor force (1985 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Sweden
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Stockholm
Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (lan, singular and plural);
Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan, Gavleborgs Lan,
Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan, Jamtlands Lan,
Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan, Kristianstads Lan,
Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens Lan, Orebro Lan,
Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan, Sodermanlands Lan,
Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands Lan, Vasterbottens Lan,
Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands Lan
Independence: 6 June 1809, constitutional monarchy established
Constitution: 1 January 1975
Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Riksdag)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)
Leaders:
Chief of State—King CARL XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973);
Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the
King (born 14 July 1977);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Ingvar CARLSSON (since 12 March 1986);
Deputy Prime Minister Kjell-Olof FELDT (since NA March 1986)
Political parties and leaders: Moderate (conservative), Carl
Bildt; Center, Olof Johansson; Liberal People's Party, Bengt Westerberg; Social
Democratic, Ingvar Carlsson; Left Party-Communist (VPK), Lars Werner; Swedish
Communist Party (SKP), Rune Pettersson; Communist Workers' Party, Rolf
Hagel; Green Party, no formal leader
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Parliament—last held 18 September 1988 (next to be held September 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(349 total) Social Democratic 156, Moderate (conservative) 66, Liberals 44, Center 42, Communists 21, Greens 20
Communists: VPK and SKP; VPK, the major Communist party, is reported to have roughly 17,800 members; in the 1988 election, the VPK attracted 5.8% of the vote
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development
Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, INTELSAT, IPU,
ISO, ITU, IWC—International, Whaling Commission, IWC—International Wheat
Council, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Anders THUNBORG; Chancery at
Suite 1200, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
telephone (202) 944-5600; there are Swedish Consulates General in Chicago,
Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York;
US—Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN; Embassy at Strandvagen 101,
S-115 27 Stockholm; telephone (8) 7835300
Flag: blue with a yellow 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: Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has essentially full employment, a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled and intelligent labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. As the 1990s open, however, Sweden faces serious economic problems: long waits for adequate housing, the decay of the work ethic, and a loss of competitive edge in international markets.
GDP: $132.7 billion, per capita $15,700; real growth rate 2.1% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.7% (September 1989)
Unemployment rate: 1.5% (1989)
Budget: revenues $58.0 billion; expenditures $57.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
Exports: $52.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products; partners—EC 52.1%, (FRG 12.1%, UK 11.2%, Denmark 6.8%), US 9.8%, Norway 9.3%
Imports: $48.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities—machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing; partners—EC 55.8% (FRG 21.2%, UK 8.6%, Denmark 6.6%), US 7.5%, Norway 6.0%
External debt: $17.9 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.3% (1989)
Electricity: 39,716,000 kW capacity; 200,315 million kWh produced, 23,840 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
Agriculture: animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops—grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes, 85% self-sufficient in sugar beets
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $7.9 billion
Currency: Swedish krona (plural—kronor); 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1—6.1798 (January 1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988), 6.3404 (1987), 7.1236 (1986), 8.6039 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ)—10,819 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately owned railways—511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified); 371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified)
Highways: 97,400 km (51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km unimproved earth)
Inland waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
Pipelines: 84 km natural gas
Ports: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo,
Stockholm; numerous secondary and minor ports
Merchant marine: 173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,856,217 GRT/2,215,659 DWT; includes 9 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container, 42 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 25 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 combination ore/oil, 6 specialized tanker, 12 bulk, 1 combination bulk
Civil air: 65 major transports
Airports: 259 total, 256 usable; 138 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 91 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones; stations—4 AM, 56 (320 relays) FM, 110 (925 relays) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Air Force, Royal Swedish Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,133,101; 1,865,526 fit for military service; 56,632 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: $4.5 billion (1989 est.)
——————————————————————————
Country: Switzerland
- Geography
Total area: 41,290 km2; land area: 39,770 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries: 1,852 km total; Austria 164 km, France 573 km,
Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, FRG 334 km
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 40% meadows and pastures; 26% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: dominated by Alps
Note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe
- People
Population: 6,742,461 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 83 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective—Swiss
Ethnic divisions: total population—65% German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 6% other; Swiss nationals—74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other
Religion: 49% Roman Catholic, 48% Protestant, 0.3% Jewish
Language: total population—65% German, 18% French, 12% Italian, 1%
Romansch, 4% other; Swiss nationals—74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1%
Romansch, 1% other
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 3,220,000; 841,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian; 42% services, 39% industry and crafts, 11% government, 7% agriculture and forestry, 1% other (1988)
Organized labor: 20% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Swiss Confederation
Type: federal republic
Capital: Bern
Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular—canton in French;
cantoni, singular—cantone in Italian; kantone, singular—kanton in German);
Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve,
Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden,
Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri,
Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
Independence: 1 August 1291
Constitution: 29 May 1874
Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council
(German—Bundesrat, French—Conseil Federal)
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (German—Bundesversammlung,
French—Assemblee Federale) consists of an upper council or Council of
States (German—Standerat, French—Conseil des Etats) and and a lower council
or National Council (German—Nationalrat, French—Conseil National)
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Arnold KOLLER
(1990 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Flavio
COTTI (term runs concurrently with that of president)
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut
Hubacher, chairman; Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Hunziker, president;
Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva Segmuller-Weber, president;
Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans Uhlmann, president; Workers' Party (PdA),
Armand Magnin, secretary general; National Action Party (NA), Hans Zwicky,
chairman; Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz Jaeger, president; Republican
Movement (Rep), Dr. James Schworzenboch, Franz Baumgartner, leaders; Liberal
Party (LPS), Gilbert Coutau, president; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max
Dunki, president; Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH),
Georg Degen, secretary; Federation of Ecology Parties (GP), Laurent
Rebeaud, president; Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA), Werner Carobbio,
secretary
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections: Council of State—last held throughout 1987 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(46 total) CVP 19, FDP 14, SPS 5, SVP 4, others 4;
National Council—last held 18 October 1987 (next to be held October 1991); results—FDP 22.9%, CVP 20.0%, SPS 18.4%, SVP 11.0%, GP 4.8%, others 22.9%; seats—(200 total) FDP 51, CVP 42, SPS 41, SVP 25, GP 9, others 32
Communists: 4,500 members (est.)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA,
ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UNESCO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO; permanent observer status at
the UN
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER; Chancery at 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-7900; there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Joseph B. GUILDENHORN; Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern; telephone (31) 437011; there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a Consulate General in Zurich
Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
- Economy Overview: Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any, other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. Inflation remains low because of sound government policy and harmonious labor-management relations. Unemployment is negligible, a marked contrast to the larger economies of Western Europe. This economic stability helps promote the important banking and tourist sectors. Since World War II, Switzerland's economy has adjusted smoothly to the great changes in output and trade patterns in Europe and presumably can adjust to the challenges of the 1990s, in particular, the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political/economic prospects.
GDP: $119.5 billion, per capita $17,800; real growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $17.0 billion; expenditures $16.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
Exports: $51.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing; partners—Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%
Imports: $57.2 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials; partners—Europe 79% (EC 72%, other 7%), US 5%
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 7.0% (1988)
Electricity: 17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced, 8,930 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Agriculture: dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient; food shortages—fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat
Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.5 billion
Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural—francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi
Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1—1.5150 (January 1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 5,174 km total; 2,971 km are government owned and 2,203 km are nongovernment owned; the government network consists of 2,897 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track; 1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; the nongovernment network consists of 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km 1.000-meter gauge, and 75 km 0.790-meter gauge track, 100% electrified
Highways: 62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km are canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km are communal roads
Pipelines: 314 km crude oil; 1,506 km natural gas
Inland waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
Ports: Basel (river port)
Merchant marine: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 215,851 GRT/365,131 DWT; includes 4 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 chemical tanker, 3 specialized liquid cargo, 8 bulk
Civil air: 89 major transport aircraft
Airports: 72 total, 70 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,808,000 telephones; stations—6 AM, 36 (400 relays) FM, 145 (1,250 relays) TV; communications satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,800,211; 1,550,662 fit for military service; 44,154 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: $1.2 billion (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: Syria - Geography Total area: 185,180 km2; land area: 184,050 km2 (including 1,295 km2 of Israeli-occupied territory)
Comparative area: slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries: 2,253 km total; Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km,
Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 6 nm beyond territorial sea limit;
Territorial sea: 35 nm
Disputes: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with Iraq over Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR
Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast
Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Natural resources: crude oil, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use: 28% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 46% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 20% other; includes 3% irrigated
Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: there are 35 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights
- People
Population: 12,483,440 (July 1990), growth rate 3.8% (1990);
in addition, there are 13,500 Druze and 10,500 Jewish settlers in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Birth rate: 44 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: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 70 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Syrian(s); adjective—Syrian
Ethnic divisions: 90.3% Arab; 9.7% Kurds, Armenians, and other
Religion: 74% Sunni Muslim; 16% Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects; 10% Christian (various sects); tiny Jewish communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo
Language: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic,
Circassian; French widely understood
Literacy: 49%
Labor force: 2,400,000; 36% miscellaneous and government services, 32% agriculture, 32% industry and construction); majority unskilled; shortage of skilled labor (1984)
Organized labor: 5% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Syrian Arab Republic
Type: republic; under leftwing military regime since March 1963
Capital: Damascus
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (muhafazat,
singular—muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah,
Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda, Dara, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab,
Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Madinat Dimashq, Tartus
Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration); formerly United Arab Republic
Constitution: 13 March 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 17 April (1946)
Executive branch: president, three vice presidents, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council (Majlis ash Shaab)
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial
Council, Court of Cassation, State Security Courts
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Lt. Gen. Hafiz al-ASSAD (since 22 February
1971); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, Dr. Rifat al-ASSAD, and
Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Mahmud ZUBI (since 1 November 1987);
Deputy Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984)
Political parties and leaders: ruling party is the Arab Socialist
Resurrectionist (Bath) Party; the Progressive National Front is dominated by
Bathists but includes independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist
Party (ASP), Arab Socialist Union (ASU), Socialist Unionist Movement, and Syrian
Communist Party (SCP)
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 10-11 February 1985 (next to be held February
1992);
results—President Hafiz al-Assad was reelected without opposition;
People's Council—last held 10-11 February 1986 (next to be held 22 May 1990); results—Bath 66%, ASU 5%, SCP 5%, Socialist Unionist Movement 4%, ASP 2%, independents 18%; seats—(195 total) Bath 129, Communist 9, ASU 9, Socialiist Unionist Movement 8, ASP 5, independents 35; the People's Council will have 250 seats total in the 22 May 1990 election
Communists: mostly sympathizers, numbering about 5,000
Other political or pressure groups: non-Bath parties have little effective political influence; Communist party ineffective; greatest threat to Assad regime lies in factionalism in the military; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
Member of: Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOOC, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Walid Mu'allim;
Chancery at 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
232-6313;
US—Ambassador Edward P. DJEREJIAN; Embassy at Abu Rumaneh,
Al Mansur Street No.2, Damascus (mailing address is P. O. Box 29, Damascus);
telephone (11) 333052 or 332557, 330416, 332814, 332315
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; similar to the flags of the YAR which has one star and Iraq which has three stars (in a horizontal line centered in the white band)—all green and five-pointed; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: Syria's rigidly structured Bathist economy is turning out roughly the same amount of goods in 1989 as in 1983, when the population was 20% smaller. Economic difficulties are attributable, in part, to severe drought in several recent years, costly but unsuccessful attempts to match Israel's military strength, a falloff in Arab aid, and insufficient foreign exchange earnings to buy needed inputs for industry and agriculture. Socialist policy, embodied in a thicket of bureaucratic regulations, in many instances has driven away or pushed underground the mercantile and entrepreneurial spirit for which Syrian businessmen have long been famous. Two bright spots: a sizable number of villagers have benefited from land redistribution, electrification, and other rural development programs; and a recent find of light crude oil has enabled Syria to cut back its substantial imports of light crude. A long-term concern is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its vast dam and irrigation projects are completed toward the end of the 1990s.
GDP: $18.5 billion, per capita $1,540; real growth rate - 2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 70% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $3.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.92 billion (1989)
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum, textiles, fruits and vegetables, phosphates; partners—Italy, Romania, USSR, US, Iran, France
Imports: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum, machinery, base metals, foodstuffs and beverages; partners—Iran, FRG, USSR, France, GDR, Libya, US
External debt: $5.3 billion in hard currency (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 2,867,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 27% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all major crops (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown on rainfed land causing wide swings in yields; animal products—beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk; not self-sufficient in grain or livestock products
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $538 million; Western (non-US) ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $3.3 billion
Currency: Syrian pound (plural—pounds); 1 Syrian pound (LS) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (LS) per US$1—11.2250 (fixed rate since 1987), 3.9250 (fixed rate 1976-87)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 2,241 km total; 1,930 km standard gauge, 311 km 1.050-meter narrow gauge; note—the Tartus-Latakia line is nearly complete
Highways: 27,000 km total; 21,000 km paved, 3,000 km gravel or crushed stone, 3,000 km improved earth
Inland waterways: 672 km; of little economic importance
Pipelines: 1,304 km crude oil; 515 km refined products
Ports: Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas
Merchant marine: 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,938 GRT/72,220
DWT; includes 16 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 bulk
Civil air: 35 major transport aircraft
Airports: 97 total, 94 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement; 512,600 telephones; stations—9 AM, 1 FM, 40 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station, with 1 Intersputnik station under construction; 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon (inactive)
- Defense Forces
Branches: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,712,360; 1,520,798 fit for military service; 144,791 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Tanzania
- Geography
Total area: 945,090 km2; land area: 886,040 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: 3,402 km total; Burundi 451 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km
Coastline: 1,424 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: boundary dispute with Malawi in Lake Nyasa;
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be
indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the
Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Natural resources: hydropower potential, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel
Land use: 5% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 40% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: lack of water and tsetse fly limit agriculture; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa
- People
Population: 25,970,843 (July 1990), growth rate 3.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Tanzanian(s); adjective—Tanzanian
Ethnic divisions: mainland—99% native African consisting of well over 100 tribes; 1% Asian, European, and Arab
Religion: mainland—33% Christian, 33% Muslim, 33% indigenous beliefs;
Zanzibar—almost all Muslim
Language: Swahili and English (official); English primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education; Swahili widely understood and generally used for communication between ethnic groups; first language of most people is one of the local languages; primary education is generally in Swahili
Literacy: 79%
Labor force: 732,200 wage earners; 90% agriculture, 10% industry and commerce (1986 est.)
Organized labor: 15% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: United Republic of Tanzania
Type: republic
Capital: Dar es Salaam; some government offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital in the 1990s
Administrative divisions: 25 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma,
Iringa, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza,
Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora,
Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West,
Ziwa Magharibi
Independence: Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UN trusteeship under British administration); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964
Constitution: 15 March 1984 (Zanzibar has its own Constitution but remains subject to provisions of the union Constitution)
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Union Day, 26 April (1964)
Executive branch: president, first vice president and prime minister of the union, second vice president and president of Zanzibar, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Bunge)
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Ali Hassan MWINYI (since 5 November 1985);
Head of Government—First Vice President and Prime Minister Joseph Sinde
WARIOBA (since 6 November 1985)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Chama Cha Mapinduzi
(CCM or Revolutionary Party), Julius Nyerere, party chairman
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President—last held 27 October 1985 (next to be held
October 1990);
results—Ali Hassan Mwinyi was elected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held 27 October 1985 (next to be held October 1990); results—CCM is the only party; seats—(244 total, 168 elected) CCM 168
Communists: no Communist party; a few Communist sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU,
NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador-designate Charles Musama
NYIRABU; Chancery at 2139 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 939-6125;
US—Ambassador Edmond DE JARNETTE; Embassy at 36 Laibon Road (off
Bagamoyo Road), Dar es Salaam (mailing address is P. O. Box 9123,
Dar es Salaam); telephone (51) 37501 through 37504
Flag: divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue
- Economy Overview: Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for about 40% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 90% of the work force. Industry accounts for about 10% of GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The economic recovery program announced in mid-1986 has generated notable increases in agricultural production and financial support for the program by bilateral donors. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have increased the availability of imports and provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic infrastructure.
GDP: $5.92 billion, per capita $235; real growth rate 4.5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 29% (1989)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $568 million; expenditures $835 million, including capital expenditures of $230 million (FY89)
Exports: $394 million (f.o.b., FY89); commodities—coffee, cotton, sisal, cashew nuts, meat, tobacco, tea, diamonds, coconut products, pyrethrum, cloves (Zanzibar); partners—FRG, UK, US, Netherlands, Japan
Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., FY89); commodities—manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, cotton piece goods, crude oil, foodstuffs; partners—FRG, UK, US, Iran, Japan, Italy
External debt: $4.5 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1988 est.)
Electricity: 401,000 kW capacity; 895 million kWh produced, 35 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond mine, oil refinery, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for over 40% of GDP; topography and climatic conditions limit cultivated crops to only 5% of land area; cash crops—coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashews, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar); food crops—corn, wheat, cassava, bananas, fruits, and vegetables; small numbers of cattle, sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in food grain production
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $387 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $8.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $44 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $607 million
Currency: Tanzanian shilling (plural—shillings); 1 Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings (TSh) per US$1—192.901 (January 1990), 143.377 (1989), 99.292 (1988), 64.260 (1987), 32.698 (1986), 17.472 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 3,555 km total; 960 km 1.067-meter gauge; 2,595 km 1.000-meter gauge, 6.4 km double track, 962 km Tazara Railroad 1.067-meter gauge; 115 km 1.000-meter gauge planned by end of decade
Highways: total 81,900 km, 3,600 km paved; 5,600 km gravel or crushed stone; remainder improved and unimproved earth
Pipelines: 982 km crude oil
Inland waterways: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Nyasa
Ports: Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Tanga, and Zanzibar are ocean ports; Mwanza on Lake Victoria and Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika are inland ports
Merchant marine: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 29,174 GRT/39,186 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 3 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft
Airports: 103 total, 92 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of open wire, radio relay, and troposcatter; 103,800 telephones; stations—12 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Tanzanian People's Defense Force includes Army, Navy, and Air
Force; paramilitary Police Field Force Unit; Militia
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,351,192; 3,087,501 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (1985)
——————————————————————————
Country: Thailand
- Geography
Total area: 514,000 km2; land area: 511,770 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries: 4,863 km total; Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km,
Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
Coastline: 3,219 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: boundary dispute with Laos
Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Terrain: central plain; eastern plateau (Khorat); mountains elsewhere
Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite
Land use: 34% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 30% forest and woodland; 31% other; includes 7% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution; land subsidence in Bangkok area
Note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and
Singapore
- People
Population: 55,115,683 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 20 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: 64 years male, 70 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Thai (sing. and pl.); adjective—Thai
Ethnic divisions: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, 11% other
Religion: 95.5% Buddhist, 4% Muslim, 0.5% other
Language: Thai; English is the secondary language of the elite; ethnic and regional dialects
Literacy: 82%
Labor force: 26,000,000; 73% agriculture, 11% industry and commerce, 10% services, 6% government (1984)
Organized labor: 300,000 union members (1986)
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Thailand
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Bangkok
Administrative divisions: 73 provinces (changwat, singular and plural);
Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai,
Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi,
Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon, Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri,
Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom,
Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat,
Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao,
Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae,
Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et,
Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun,
Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak,
Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala,
Yasothon
Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date); never colonized
Constitution: 22 December 1978
Legal system: based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 5 December (1927)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers,
Council of Ministers (cabinet), Privy Council
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Ratha Satha) consists of an upper house or Senate (Woothi Satha) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Satha Poothan)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarn Dika)
Leaders:
Chief of State—King BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ (since 9 June 1946);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince VAJIRALONGKORN (born 28 July 1952);
Head of Government Prime Minister Maj. Gen. CHATCHAI CHUNHAWAN (since 9 August 1988); Deputy Prime Minister CHUAN LIKPHAI
Political parties and leaders: Democrat Party (DP), Social Action
Party (SAP), Thai Nation Party (TNP), People's Party (Ratsadon),
People's Party (Prachachon), Thai Citizens Party (TCP),
United Democracy Party, Solidarity Party, Thai People's Party,
Mass Party, Force of Truth Party (Phalang Dharma)
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections: House of Representatives—last held 24 July 1988 (next to be held within 90 days of July 1992); results—TNP 27%, SAP 15%, DP 13%, TCP 9%, others 36%; seats—(357 total) TNP 96, Solidarity 62, SAP 54, DP 48, TCP 31, People's Party (Ratsadon) 21, People's Party (Prachachon) 17, Force of Truth Party (Phalang Dharma) 14, United Democracy Party 5, Mass Party 5, others 4
Communists: illegal Communist party has 500 to 1,000 members (est.); armed Communist insurgents throughout Thailand total 300 to 500 (est.)
Member of: ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, ASPAC, Association of Tin Producing
Countries, CCC, Colombo Plan, GATT, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador VITTHYA VEJJAJIVA; Embassy at 2300 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-7200; there are Thai Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York; US—Ambassador Daniel O'DONAHUE; Embassy at 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96346); telephone (2) 252-5040; there is a US Consulate General in Chiang Mai and Consulates in Songkhla and Udorn
Flag: five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red
- Economy Overview: Thailand, one of the more advanced developing countries in Asia, enjoyed its second straight exceptionally prosperous year in 1989. Real output again rose about 11%. The increasingly sophisticated manufacturing sector benefited from export-oriented investment, and agriculture grew by 4.0% because of improved weather. The trade deficit of $5.2 billion was more than offset by earnings from tourism ($3.9 billion), remittances, and net capital inflows. The government has followed a fairly sound fiscal and monetary policy, aided by increased tax receipts from the fast-moving economy. In 1989 the government approved new projects—roads, ports, electric power, communications—needed to refurbish the now overtaxed infrastructure. Although growth in 1990-91 must necessarily fall below the 1988-89 pace, Thailand's immediate economic outlook is good, assuming the continuation of prudent government policies in the context of a private-sector-oriented development strategy.
GNP: $64.5 billion, per capita $1,160; real growth rate 10.8% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 6% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $12.1 billion; expenditures $9.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY89)
Exports: $19.9 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—textiles 12%, fishery products 12%, rice 8%, tapioca 8%, jewelry 6%, manufactured gas, corn, tin; partners—US 18%, Japan 14%, Singapore 9%, Netherlands, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China (1988)
Imports: $25.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—machinery and parts 23%, petroleum products 13%, chemicals 11%, iron and steel, electrical appliances; partners—Japan 26%, US 14%, Singapore 7%, FRG, Malaysia, UK (1987)
External debt: $18.5 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 12.5% (1989)
Electricity: 7,100,000 kW capacity; 28,000 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism is the largest source of foreign exchange; textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, other light manufacturing, such as jewelry; electric appliances and components, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer
Agriculture: accounts for 16% of GNP and 73% of labor force; leading producer and exporter of rice and cassava (tapioca); other crops—rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans; except for wheat, self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 2.2 million tons (1987)
Illicit drugs: a minor producer, major illicit trafficker of heroin, particularly from Burma and Laos, and cannabis for the international drug market; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been affected by eradication efforts, but unusually good weather boosted output in 1989
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $828 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $7.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million
Currency: baht (plural—baht); 1 baht (B) = 100 satang
Exchange rates: baht (B) per US$1—25.726 (January 1990), 25.699 (1989), 25.294 (1988), 25.723 (1987), 26.299 (1986), 27.159 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
- Communications
Railroads: 3,940 km 1.000-meter gauge, 99 km double track
Highways: 44,534 km total; 28,016 km paved, 5,132 km earth surface, 11,386 km under development
Inland waterways: 3,999 km principal waterways; 3,701 km with navigable depths of 0.9 m or more throughout the year; numerous minor waterways navigable by shallow-draft native craft
Pipelines: natural gas, 350 km; refined products, 67 km
Ports: Bangkok, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha
Merchant marine: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 483,688 GRT/730,750 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 70 cargo, 8 container, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 liquefied gas, 1 chemical tanker, 3 bulk, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 1 combination bulk
Civil air: 41 (plus 2 leased) major transport aircraft