FAX: (01) 200-5555

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands

Slovenia Economy

Economy - overview: Although Slovenia enjoys one of the highest GDPs per capita among the transition economies of Central Europe, it needs to speed up the privatization process and the dismantling of restrictions on foreign investment. About 45% of the economy remains in state hands, and the level of foreign direct investment inflows as a percent of GDP is the lowest in the region. Analysts are predicting between 4.0% and 4.2% growth for 2001. Export growth is expected to slow in 2001 and 2002 as EU markets soften. Inflation rose from 6.1% to 8.9% in 2000 and remains a matter of concern.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.9 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%

industry: 35%

services: 61% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2%

highest 10%: 20.7% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 857,400

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%

Unemployment rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $8.11 billion

expenditures: $8.32 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Industries: ferrous metallurgy and rolling mill products, aluminum reduction and rolled products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2000)

Electricity - production: 12.451 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 34.44%

hydro: 29.58%

nuclear: 35.98%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 10.024 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 2.2 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 645 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry

Exports: $8.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Exports - partners: Germany 31%, Italy 14%, Croatia 8%, Austria 7%,
France 6% (1999)

Imports: $9.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food

Imports - partners: Germany 21%, Italy 17%, France 11%, Austria 8%,
Croatia 4%, Hungary, Russia (1999)

Debt - external: $6.2 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $5 million (1993)

Currency: tolar (SIT)

Currency code: SIT

Exchange rates: tolars per US dollar - 225.93 (January 2001), 222.66 (2000), 181.77 (1999), 166.13 (1998), 159.69 (1997), 135.36 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Slovenia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 722,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1 million (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: NA

domestic: 100% digital (2000)

international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 160, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 805,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 48 (2001)

Televisions: 710,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .si

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000)

Internet users: 460,000 (1999)

Slovenia Transportation

Railways: total: 1,201 km

standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (489 km electrified) (1999)

Highways: total: 19,586 km

paved: 17,745 km (including 249 km of expressways)

unpaved: 1,841 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: NA

Pipelines: crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km

Ports and harbors: Izola, Koper, Piran

Airports: 14 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 6

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.)

Slovenia Military

Military branches: Slovenian Army (includes Air and Naval Forces)

Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 523,336 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 416,237 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 14,513 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $370 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY00)

Slovenia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: progress with Croatia on discussions of adjustments to land boundary, but problems remain in defining maritime boundary in Gulf of Piran; Austria has minor dispute with Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Illicit drugs: minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals

@Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands Introduction

Background: The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Current issues include government deficits, deforestation, and malaria control.

Solomon Islands Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 28,450 sq km

land: 27,540 sq km

water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 5,313 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

continental shelf: 200 NM

exclusive 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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Land use: arable land: 1%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 1%

forests and woodland: 88%

other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Solomon Islands People

Population: 480,442 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.79% (male 107,229; female 103,162)

15-64 years: 53.15% (male 129,315; female 126,021)

65 years and over: 3.06% (male 7,190; female 7,525) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.98% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 34.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.55 years

male: 69.12 years

female: 74.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Solomon Islander(s)

adjective: Solomon Islander

Ethnic groups: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%,
European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%

Religions: Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United
(Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other
Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%

Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population

note: 120 indigenous languages

Literacy: definition: NA

total population: NA%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Solomon Islands Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Solomon Islands

former: British Solomon Islands

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Honiara

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western; note - there may be two new provinces of Choiseul (Lauru) and Rennell/Bellona and the administrative unit of Honiara may have been abolished

Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Constitution: 7 July 1978

Legal system: English common law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Father John LAPLI (since NA 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE (since 1 July 2000); Assistant Prime Minister Nathaniel WAENA (since 1 July 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Allan KEMAKEZA (since 1 July 2000); note - Prime Minister Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU was forced to resign his position in June 2000 following the armed takeover of the capital by elements supporting the opposition parties; Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE, who had been opposition leader, was then elected prime minister at a sitting of National Parliament on 30 June 2000

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 6 August 1997 (next to be held by August 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6, other 3

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: there are two main coalitions - Coalition for National Unity, Reconciliation, and Peace or CNURP and Alliance for Change; the CNURP took power on 30 June 2000, it comprises members of the Liberal Party, People's Alliance Party, and the United Party, as well as a number of independents; the Alliance for Change, represents the former government and now is the opposition; in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions; Group for National Unity and Reconciliation or GNUR [leader NA]; Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; National Action Party of Solomon Islands or NAPSI [Francis SAEMALA]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [George LEPPING]; People's Progressive Party [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; United Party or UP [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Jeremiah MANELE

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017

telephone: (212) 599-6192, 6193