THE WORLD FACTBOOK (continued 16)
Reading edition
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 9.3% (1986)
_#_Electricity: 5,773,000 kW capacity; 15,400 million kWh produced, 6,830 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GNP and 5% of labor force; cash crop—dates; food products—vegetables, watermelons, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food
_#_Economic aid: donor—pledged $9.1 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
_#_Currency: Emirian dirham (plural—dirhams); 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
_#_Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1—3.6710 (fixed rate)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: 2,000 km total; 1,800 km bituminous, 200 km gravel and graded earth
_#_Pipelines: 830 km crude oil; 870 km natural gas, including natural gas liquids
_#_Ports: Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina Jabal Ali, Mina Khalid, Mina Rashid, Mina Saqr, Mina Zayid
_#_Merchant marine: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 925,424 GRT/1,543,716 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 bulk
_#_Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 38 total, 35 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate system of radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy; 386,600 telephones; stations—8 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV; satellite communications ground stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 940,130; 516,218 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $1.59 billion, 6.8% of GDP (1988) % @United Kingdom *Geography #_Total area: 244,820 km2; land area: 241,590 km2; includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
_#_Land boundary: Ireland 360 km
_#_Coastline: 12,429 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Northern Ireland question with Ireland; Gibraltar question with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)
_#_Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than half of the days are overcast
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
_#_Natural resources: coal, crude oil, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
_#_Land use: arable land 29%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 48%; forest and woodland 9%; other 14%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: pollution control measures improving air, water quality; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
_#_Note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now being linked by tunnel under the English Channel
_*People #_Population: 57,515,307 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Briton(s), British (collective pl.); adjective—British
_#_Ethnic divisions: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
_#_Religion: Anglican 27.0 million, Roman Catholic 5.3 million, Presbyterian 2.0 million, Methodist 760,000, Jewish 410,000
_#_Language: English, Welsh (about 26% of population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1978 est.)
_#_Labor force: 28,966,000; services 60.6%, manufacturing and construction 27.2%, government 8.9%, energy 2.1%, agriculture 1.2% (June 1990)
_#_Organized labor: 35.7% of labor force (1989)
_*Government #_Long-form name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; abbreviated UK
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: London
_#_Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas;
England—39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, Buckingham, Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*, Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Hertford, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*, West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire;
Northern Ireland—26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane;
Scotland—9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*;
Wales—8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
_#_Independence: 1 January 1801, United Kingdom established
_#_Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
_#_Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997), Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
_#_Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June), 10 June 1989
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or House of Lords and a lower house or House of Commons
_#_Judicial branch: House of Lords
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the Queen, born 14 November 1948);
Head of Government—Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party, John MAJOR; Labor Party, Neil KINNOCK; Social and Liberal Democratic Party (SLDP; formed from the merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party), Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN; Scottish National Party, Alex SALMOND; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru), Dafydd THOMAS; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James MOLYNEAUX; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), Rev. Ian PAISLEY; Ulster Popular Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James KILFEDDER; Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP, Northern Ireland), John HUME; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry ADAMS; Alliance Party (Northern Ireland), John ALDERDICE; Communist Party, Nina TEMPLE
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Commons—last held 11 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992); results—Conservative 43%, Labor 32%, Liberal/Social Democratic 23%, other 2%; seats—(650 total) Conservative 376, Labor 228, Liberal/Social Democratic 22, Ulster Unionist (Northern Ireland) 9, Scottish National 4, Welsh National 3, Democratic Unionist (Northern Ireland) 3, Social Democratic and Labor (Northern Ireland) 3, Ulster Popular Unionist (Northern Ireland) 1, Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) 1; note—the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party merged to become the Social and Liberal Democratic Party in 1988
_#_Communists: 15,961
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Trades Union Congress, Confederation of British Industry, National Farmers' Union, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESCAP, ESA, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Sir Antony ACLAND; Chancery at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-1340; there are British Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Dallas, Miami, and Seattle;
US—Ambassador Raymond SEITZ; Embassy at 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W.1A1AE, (mailing address is FPO New York 09509); telephone [44] (71) 499-9000; there are US Consulates General in Belfast and Edinburgh
_#_Flag: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
_*Economy #_Overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers, and its economy ranks among the four largest in Europe. The economy is essentially capitalistic with a generous admixture of social welfare programs and government ownership. Over the last decade the Thatcher government halted the expansion of welfare measures and promoted extensive reprivatization of the government economic sector. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. Industry is a mixture of public and private enterprises, employing about 27% of the work force and generating 22% of GDP. The UK is an energy-rich nation with large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. In mid-1990 the economy fell into recession after eight years of strong economic expansion, which had raised national output by one quarter. Britain's inflation rate, which has been consistently well above those of her major trading partners, is expected to decline in 1991. Between 1986 and 1990 unemployment fell from 11% to about 6%, but it is now rising rapidly because of the economic slowdown. As a major trading nation, the UK will continue to be greatly affected by world boom or recession, swings in the international oil market, productivity trends in domestic industry, and the terms on which the economic integration of Europe proceeds.
_#_GDP: $858.3 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 0.8% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.3% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $385.0 billion; expenditures $385.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $35.0 billion (FY91 est.)
_#_Exports: $188.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment;
partners—EC 50.7% (FRG 11.9%, France 10.2%, Netherlands 7.0%), US 13.1%
_#_Imports: $222 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods;
partners—EC 52.6% (FRG 16.6%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 7.9%), US 10.8%
_#_External debt: $10.5 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1990)
_#_Electricity: 98,000,000 kW capacity; 316,500 million kWh produced, 5,520 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: machinery and transportation equipment, metals, food processing, paper and paper products, textiles, chemicals, clothing, other consumer goods, motor vehicles, aircraft, shipbuilding, petroleum, coal
_#_Agriculture: accounts for only 1.5% of GNP and 1% of labor force; highly mechanized and efficient farms; wide variety of crops and livestock products produced; about 60% self-sufficient in food and feed needs; fish catch of 665,000 metric tons (1987)
_#_Economic aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $21.0 billion
_#_Currency: British pound or pound sterling (plural—pounds); 1 British pound (5) = 100 pence
_#_Exchange rates: British pounds (5) per US$1—0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*Communications #_Railroads: Great Britain—16,629 km total; British Railways (BR) operates 16,629 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (4,205 km electrified and 12,591 km double or multiple track); several additional small standard-gauge and narrow-gauge lines are privately owned and operated; Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) operates 332 km 1.600-meter gauge, 190 km double track
_#_Highways: UK, 362,982 km total; Great Britain, 339,483 km paved (including 2,573 km limited-access divided highway); Northern Ireland, 23,499 km (22,907 paved, 592 km gravel)
_#_Inland waterways: 2,291 total; British Waterways Board, 606 km; Port Authorities, 706 km; other, 979 km
_#_Pipelines: 933 km crude oil, almost all insignificant; 2,993 km refined products; 12,800 km natural gas
_#_Ports: London, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Tees and Hartlepool, Dover, Sullom Voe, Southampton
_#_Merchant marine: 251 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,643,056 GRT/6,214,450 DWT; includes 7 passenger, 21 short-sea passenger, 39 cargo, 34 container, 22 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 railcar carrier, 74 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 25 bulk, 2 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 618 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 520 total, 388 usable; 252 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 37 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 133 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern, efficient domestic and international system; 30,200,000 telephones; excellent countrywide broadcast systems; stations—223 AM, 165 (401 relays) FM, 207 (3,210 relays) TV; 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite communication ground stations operating in INTELSAT (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and EUTELSAT systems
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 14,475,433; 12,167,324 fit for military service; no conscription
_#Defense expenditures: $41 billion, 4.8% of GDP (FY90) % @United States *Geography #_Total area: 9,372,610 km2; land area: 9,166,600 km2; includes only the 50 states and District of Colombia
_#_Comparative area: about four-tenths the size of USSR; about one-third the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly smaller than China; about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe
_#_Land boundaries: 12,248 km total; Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,326 km, Cuba (US naval base at Guantanamo) 29 km
_#_Coastline: 19,924 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: not specified;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: maritime boundary disputes with Canada; US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; US 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; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
_#_Climate: mostly temperate, but varies from tropical (Hawaii) to arctic (Alaska); arid to semiarid in west with occasional warm, dry chinook wind
_#_Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
_#_Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, crude oil, natural gas, timber
_#_Land use: arable land 20%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 26%; forest and woodland 29%; other 25%; includes irrigated 2%
_#_Environment: pollution control measures improving air and water quality; acid rain; agricultural fertilizer and pesticide pollution; management of sparse natural water resources in west; desertification; tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; continuous permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
_#_Note: world's fourth-largest country (after USSR, Canada, and China)
_*People #_Population: 252,502,000 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—American(s); adjective—American
_#_Ethnic divisions: white 85%, black 12%, other 3% (1985)
_#_Religion: Protestant 61% (Baptist 21%, Methodist 12%, Lutheran 8%, Presbyterian 4%, Episcopalian 3%, other Protestant 13%), Roman Catholic 25%, Jewish 2%, other 5%, none 7%
_#_Language: predominantly English; sizable Spanish-speaking minority
_#_Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1980)
_#_Labor force: 126,424,000 (includes armed forces and unemployed); civilian labor force 124,787,000 (1990)
_#_Organized labor: 16,729,000 members; 16.1% of total wage and salary employment which was 103,905,000 (1990)
_*Government #_Long-form name: United States of America; abbreviated US or USA
_#_Type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition
_#_Capital: Washington, DC
_#_Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
_#_Independence: 4 July 1776 (from England)
_#_Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 June 1789
_#_Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island; Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island. Since 18 July 1947, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with three of the four political units. The Northern Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth associated with the US (effective 3 November 1986). Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US that was approved by the US Congress but to date the Compact process has not been completed in Palau, which continues to be administered by the US as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986). The Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986).
_#_Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989); Vice President Dan QUAYLE (since 20 January 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Republican Party, Clayton YEUTTER, national committee chairman; Jeanie AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, Ronald H. BROWN, national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results—George BUSH (Republican Party) 53.37%, Michael DUKAKIS (Democratic Party) 45.67%, other 0.96%;
Senate—last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results—Democratic Party 51%, Republican Party 47%, other 2%; seats—(100 total) Democratic Party 56, Republican Party 44;
House of Representatives—last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results—Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 44%, other 4%; seats—(435 total) Democratic Party 267, Republican Party 167, Socialist 1
_#_Communists: Communist Party (claimed 15,000-20,000 members), Gus HALL, general secretary; Socialist Workers Party (claimed 1,800 members), Jack BARNES, national secretary
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, FAO, ESCAP, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Thomas R. PICKERING; Mission at 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 415-4444 (afternoon hours)
_#_Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
_*Economy #_Overview: The US has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GNP of $21,800, the largest among major industrial nations. In 1989 the economy enjoyed its seventh successive year of substantial growth, the longest in peacetime history. The expansion featured moderation in wage and consumer price increases and a steady reduction in unemployment to 5.2% of the labor force. In 1990, however, growth slowed to 1% because of a combination of factors, such as the worldwide increase in interest rates, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August, the subsequent spurt in oil prices, and a general decline in business and consumer confidence. Ongoing problems for the 1990s include inadequate investment in education and other economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and trade deficits.
_#_GNP: $5,465 billion, per capita $21,800; real growth rate 1.0% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $1,106 billion; expenditures $1,272 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)
_#_Exports: $393.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products;
partners—Western Europe 27.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 12.1% (1989)
_#_Imports: $516.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—crude and partly refined petroleum, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages;
partners—Western Europe 21.5%, Japan 19.7%, Canada 18.8% (1989)
_#_External debt: $581 billion (December 1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.0% (1990)
_#_Electricity: 776,550,000 kW capacity; 3,020,000 million kWh produced, 12,080 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, fishing, lumber, mining
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GNP and 2.8% of labor force; favorable climate and soils support a wide variety of crops and livestock production; world's second-largest producer and number-one exporter of grain; surplus food producer; fish catch of 5.0 million metric tons (1988)
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for domestic consumption with 1987 production estimated at 3,500 metric tons or about 25% of the available marijuana; ongoing eradication program aimed at small plots and greenhouses has not reduced production
_#_Economic aid: donor—commitments, including ODA and OOF, (FY80-89), $115.7 billion
_#_Currency: United States dollar (plural—dollars); 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: British pounds (5) per US$—0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985);
Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$—1.1559 (January 1991), 1.1668 (1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985);
French francs (F) per US$—5.1307 (January 1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985);
Italian lire (Lit) per US$—1,134.4 (January 1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1.372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987), 1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985);
Japanese yen (3) per US$—133.88 (January 1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989), 128.15 (1988), 144.64 (1987), 168.52 (1986), 238.54 (1985);
German deutsche marks (DM) per US$—1.5100 (January 1991), 1.6157 (1990), 1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988), 1.7974 (1987), 2.1715 (1986), 2.9440 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
_*Communications #_Railroads: 270,312 km
_#_Highways: 6,365,590 km, including 88,641 km expressways
_#_Inland waterways: 41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes (est.)
_#_Pipelines: 275,800 km petroleum, 305,300 km natural gas (1985)
_#_Ports: Anchorage, Baltimore, Beaumont, Boston, Charleston, Cleveland, Duluth, Freeport, Galveston, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Mobile, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Richmond (California), San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Wilmington
_#_Merchant marine: 404 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling NA GRT/NA DWT); includes 3 passenger-cargo, 44 cargo, 23 bulk, 180 tanker, 13 tanker tug-barge, 11 liquefied gas, 130 intermodal; in addition there are 231 government-owned vessels
_#_Civil air: 3,297 commercial multiengine transport aircraft, including 2,989 jet, 231 turboprop, 77 piston (1985)
_#_Airports: 14,177 total, 12,417 usable; 4,820 with permanent surface-runways; 63 with runways over 3,659 m; 325 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2,524 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 182,558,000 telephones; stations—4,892 AM, 5,200 FM (including 3,915 commercial and 1,285 public broadcasting), 7,296 TV (including 796 commercial, 300 public broadcasting, and 6,200 commercial cable); 495,000,000 radio receivers (1982); 150,000,000 TV sets (1982); satellite communications ground stations—45 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 16 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (including Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 66,458,000; NA fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $312.9 billion, 5.7% of GNP (1990) % @Uruguay *Geography #_Total area: 176,220 km2; land area: 173,620 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Washington State
_#_Land boundaries: 1,564 km total; Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
_#_Coastline: 660 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)
_#_Disputes: short section of boundary with Argentina is in dispute; two short sections of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute (Arroyo de la Invernada area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay)
_#_Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
_#_Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
_#_Natural resources: soil, hydropower potential, minor minerals
_#_Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 78%; forest and woodland 4%; other 10%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: subject to seasonally high winds, droughts, floods
_*People #_Population: 3,121,101 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Uruguayan(s); adjective—Uruguayan
_#_Ethnic divisions: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic (less than half adult population attends church regularly) 66%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other 30%
_#_Language: Spanish
_#_Literacy: 96% (male 97%, female 96%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1,300,000; government 25%, manufacturing 19%, agriculture 11%, commerce 12%, utilities, construction, transport, and communications 12%, other services 21% (1988 est.)
_#_Organized labor: Interunion Workers' Assembly/National Workers' Confederation (PIT/CNT) Labor Federation
_*Government #_Long-form name: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Montevideo
_#_Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular—departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres
_#_Independence: 25 August 1828 (from Brazil)
_#_Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980
_#_Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1828)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly (Asamblea General) consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Representatives (Camera de Representantes)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Luis Alberto LACALLE (since 1 March 1990); Vice President Gonzalo AGUIRRE (since 1 March 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: National (Blanco) Party, Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera; Colorado Party, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez; Broad Front Coalition, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera—includes Communist Party led by Jaime PEREZ and National Liberation Movement (MLN) or Tupamaros led by Eleuterio FERNANDEZ Huidobro; New Space Coalition consists of the Party of the Government of the People (PGP), Hugo BATALLA; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Hector LESCANO; and Civic Union, Humberto CIGANDA
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results—Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera (Blanco) 37%, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (Colorado) 29%, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera (Broad Front) 20%;
Chamber of Senators—last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results—Blanco 40%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 23% New Space 7%; seats—(30 total) Blanco 12, Colorado 9, Broad Front 7, New Space 2;
Chamber of Representatives—last held NA November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results—Blanco 39%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 22%, New Space 8%, other 1%; seats—(99 total) number of seats by party NA
_#_Communists: 50,000
_#_Member of: AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eduardo MACGILLICUDDEY; Chancery at 1918 F Street NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone (202) 331-1313 through 1316; there are Uruguayan Consulates General in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, and a Consulate in New Orleans;
US—Ambassador Richard C. BROWN; Embassy at Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo (mailing address is APO Miami 34035); telephone [598] (2) 23-60-61
_#_Flag: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy
_*Economy #_Overview: The economy is slowly recovering from the deep recession of the early 1980s. In 1988 real GDP grew by only 0.5% and in 1989 by 1.5%. The recovery was led by growth in the agriculture and fishing sectors, agriculture alone contributing 20% to GDP, employing about 11% of the labor force, and generating a large proportion of export earnings. Raising livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, is the major agricultural activity. In 1990, despite healthy exports and an improved current account, domestic growth remained weak because of government concentration on the external sector, adverse weather conditions, and prolonged strikes. Bringing down high inflation, reducing a large fiscal deficit, and avoiding frequent strikes remain major economic problems for the government.
_#_GDP: $9.2 billion, per capita $2,970; real growth rate 1% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 129% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $165 million (1988)
_#_Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—hides and leather goods 17%, beef 10%, wool 9%, fish 7%, rice 4%;
partners—Brazil 17%, US 15%, FRG 10%, Argentina 10% (1987)
_#_Imports: $1.28 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—fuels and lubricants 15%, metals, machinery, transportation equipment, industrial chemicals;
partners—Brazil 24%, Argentina 14%, US 8%, FRG 8% (1987)
_#_External debt: $4.2 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 2.1% (1989 est.)
_#_Electricity: 1,950,000 kW capacity; 5,274 million kWh produced, 1,740 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles, footwear, leather apparel, tires, cement, fishing, petroleum refining, wine
_#_Agriculture: large areas devoted to extensive livestock grazing; wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $105 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $293 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $69 million
_#_Currency: new Uruguayan peso (plural—pesos); 1 new Uruguayan peso (N$Ur) = 100 centesimos
_#_Exchange rates: new Uruguayan pesos (N$Ur) per US$1—1,626.4 (January 1991), 1,171.0 (1990), 605.5 (1989), 359.44 (1988), 226.67 (1987), 151.99 (1986), 101.43 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 3,000 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge and government owned
_#_Highways: 49,900 km total; 6,700 km paved, 3,000 km gravel, 40,200 km earth
_#_Inland waterways: 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft
_#_Ports: Montevideo, Punta del Este
_#_Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 65,212 GRT/116,613 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
_#_Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 91 total, 86 usable; 16 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide radio relay network; 337,000 telephones; stations—99 AM, no FM, 26 TV, 9 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm and Marines), Air Force, Coast Guard, Grenadier Guards, Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 735,971; 597,302 fit for military service; no conscription
_#Defense expenditures: $168 million, 2.2% of GDP (1988) % @Vanuatu *Geography #_Total area: 14,760 km2; land area: 14,760 km2; includes more than 80 islands
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut
_#_Land boundary: none
_#_Coastline: 2,528 km
_#_Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds
_#_Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
_#_Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 1%; other 91%
_#_Environment: subject to tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes
_#_Note: located 5,750 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Australia
_*People #_Population: 170,319 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 36 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural); adjective—Ni-Vanuatu
_#_Ethnic divisions: indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, remainder Vietnamese, Chinese, and various Pacific Islanders
_#_Religion: Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Catholic 15%, indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other 15.7%
_#_Language: English and French (official); pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama)
_#_Literacy: 53% (male 57%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979)
_#_Labor force: NA
_#_Organized labor: 7 registered trade unions—largest include Oil and Gas Workers' Union, Vanuatu Airline Workers' Union
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Vanuatu
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Port-Vila
_#_Administrative divisions: 11 island councils; Ambrym, Aoba/Maewo, Banks/Torres, Efate, Epi, Malakula, Paama, Pentecote, Santo/Malo, Shepherd, Tafea
_#_Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK; formerly New Hebrides)
_#_Constitution: 30 July 1980
_#_Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament; note—the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Frederick TIMAKATA (since 30 January 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Father Walter Hadye LINI (since 30 July 1980); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)
_#_Political parties and leaders: National Party (Vanua'aku Pati), Donald KALPOKAS; Union of Moderate Parties, Maxine CARLOT; Melanesian Progressive Party, Barak SOPE
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Parliament—last held 30 November 1987 (next to be held by November 1991); byelections were held in December 1988 to fill vacancies resulting from the expulsion of opposition members for boycotting sessions; results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(46 total) National Party 26, Union of Moderate Parties 19, independent 1
_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, NAM, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Vanuatu does not have a mission in Washington;
US—the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green (bottom) with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
_*Economy #_Overview: The economy is based primarily on subsistence farming that provides a living for about 80% of the population. Fishing and tourism are the other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties.
_#_GDP: $137 million, per capita $860; real growth rate 4.3% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.8% (1989 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $90.0 million; expenditures $103.0 million, including capital expenditures of $45.0 million (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $14.5 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—copra 59%, cocoa 11%, meat 9%, fish 8%, timber 4%;
partners—Netherlands 34%, France 27%, Japan 17%, Belgium 4%, New Caledonia 3%, Singapore 2% (1987)
_#_Imports: $58.4 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—machines and vehicles 25%, food and beverages 23%, basic manufactures 18%, raw materials and fuels 11%, chemicals 6%;
partners—Australia 36%, Japan 13%, NZ 10%, France 8%, Fiji 5% (1987)
_#_External debt: $30 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 17,000 kW capacity; 30 million kWh produced, 180 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: food and fish freezing, forestry processing, meat canning
_#_Agriculture: export crops—copra, cocoa, coffee, and fish; subsistence crops—copra, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, and vegetables
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $565 million
_#_Currency: vatu (plural—vatu); 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1—109.62 (January 1991), 116.57 (1990), 116.04 (1989), 104.43 (1988), 109.85 (1987), 106.08 (1986), 106.03 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: none
_#_Highways: 1,027 km total; at least 240 km sealed or all-weather roads
_#_Ports: Port-Vila, Luganville, Palikoulo, Santu
_#_Merchant marine: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,242,850 GRT/3,447,671 DWT; includes 33 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 8 container, 11 vehicle carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 55 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry; the USSR has 2 ships under the Vanuatu flag
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 32 total, 28 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: stations—2 AM, no FM, no TV; 3,000 telephones; satellite communications ground stations—1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: no military forces; Vanuatu Police Force, paramilitary force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 41,183; NA fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP % @Vatican City *Geography #_Total area: 0.438 km2; land area: 0.438 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundary: 3.2 km with Italy
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Climate: temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
_#_Terrain: low hill
_#_Natural resources: none
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: urban
_#_Note: landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
_*People #_Population: 778 (July 1991), growth rate NEGL% (1991)
_#_Nationality: no noun or adjectival forms
_#_Ethnic divisions: primarily Italians but also Swiss and other nationalities
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic
_#_Language: Italian, Latin, and various other languages
_#_Literacy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: high dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers who live outside the Vatican
_#_Organized labor: Association of Vatican Lay Workers, 1,800 members (1987)
_*Government #_Long-form name: State of the Vatican City; note—the Vatican City is the physical seat of the Holy See, which is the central government of the Roman Catholic Church
_#_Type: monarchical-sacerdotal state
_#_Capital: Vatican City
_#_Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)
_#_Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
_#_National holiday: Installation Day of the Pope (John Paul II), 22 October (1978); note—Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978
_#_Executive branch: pope
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission
_#_Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLA; since 16 October 1978);
Head of Government—Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo SODANO
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
_#_Elections:
Pope—last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); results—Karol WOJTYlA was elected for life by the College of Cardinals
_#_Communists: NA
_#_Other political or pressure groups: none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
_#_Member of: CSCE, IAEA, ICFTU, IMF (observer), INTELSAT, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
_#_Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121;
US—Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone [396] 639-0558
_#_Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white band
_*Economy #_Overview: This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps, tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
_#_Budget: revenues $76.6 million; expenditures $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
_#_Electricity: 5,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by Italy
_#_Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
_#_Currency: Vatican lira (plural—lire); 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi
_#_Exchange rates: Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1—1,134.4 (January 1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987), 1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985); note—the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates freely
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 850 m, 750 mm gauge (links with Italian network near the Rome station of Saint Peter's)
_#_Highways: none; all city streets
_#_Telecommunications: stations—3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line automatic telephone exchange; no communications satellite systems
_*Defense Forces #Note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City % @Venezuela *Geography #_Total area: 912,050 km2; land area: 882,050 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California
_#_Land boundaries: 4,993 km total; Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
_#_Coastline: 2,800 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 15 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
_#_Terrain: Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guyana highlands in southeast
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 39%; other 37%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo
_#_Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America
_*People #_Population: 20,189,361 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Venezuelan(s); adjective—Venezuelan
_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Indian 2%
_#_Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%
_#_Language: Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior
_#_Literacy: 88% (male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
_#_Labor force: 5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 32% of labor force
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Venezuela
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Caracas
_#_Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular—estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular—territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (dependencia federal); Amazonas*, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro*, Dependencias Federales***, Distrito Federal**, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia; note—the federal dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
_#_Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
_#_Constitution: 23 January 1961
_#_Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
_#_Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI), Eduardo FERNANDEZ, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD), Gonzalo BARRIOS, president, and Humberto CELLI, secretary general; Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Argelia LAYA, president, and Freddy MUNOZ, secretary general
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced
_#_Elections:
President—last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—Carlos Andres PEREZ (AD) 54.6%, Eduardo FERNANDEZ (COPEI) 41.7%, other 3.7%;
Senate—last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(49 total) AD 23, COPEI 22, other 4; note—3 former presidents (1 from AD, 2 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results—AD 43.7%, COPEI 31.4%, MAS 10.3%, other 14.6%; seats—(201 total) AD 97, COPEI 67, MAS 18, other 19
_#_Communists: 10,000 members (est.)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic Action-dominated labor organization
_#_Member of: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro; Chancery at 2445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-3800; there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US—Ambassador Michael Martin SKOL; Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34037); telephone [58] (2) 285-3111 or 2222; there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
_*Economy #_Overview: Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP in 1989, but the economy recovered part way in 1990.
_#_GDP: $42.4 billion, per capita $2,150; real growth rate 4.4% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40.7% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 10.4% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)
_#_Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures;
partners—US 50.7%, Europe 13.7%, Japan 4.0% (1989)
_#_Imports: $8.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment;
partners—US 44%, FRG 8.0%, Japan 4%, Italy 7%, Canada 2% (1989)
_#_External debt: $33.2 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 11% (1989 est.); accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum
_#_Electricity: 19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 16% of labor force; products—corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine do transit the country
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $10 million
_#_Currency: bolivar (plural—bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos
_#_Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1—51.331 (January 1991), 46.900 (1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 542 km total; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned
_#_Highways: 77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels
_#_Pipelines: 6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas
_#_Ports: Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz
_#_Merchant marine: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,650 GRT/1,294,077 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 22 cargo, 1 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 9 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 58 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 296 total, 277 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern and expanding; 1,440,000 telephones; stations—181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite communications ground stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (including Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 5,220,183; 3,782,548 fit for military service; 216,132 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991) % @Vietnam *Geography #_Total area: 329,560 km2; land area: 325,360
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
_#_Land boundaries: 3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km
_#_Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; occupied Cambodia on 25 December 1978; sporadic border clashes with China; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand
_#_Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)
_#_Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
_#_Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests
_#_Land use: arable land 22%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 40%; other 35%; includes irrigated 5%
_#_Environment: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
_*People #_Population: 67,568,033 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 67 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Vietnamese
_#_Ethnic divisions: predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
_#_Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
_#_Language: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
_#_Literacy: 88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990 est.)
_#_Organized labor: reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
_*Government #_Long-form name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV
_#_Type: Communist state
_#_Capital: Hanoi
_#_Administrative divisions: 41 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Kon Tum, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam Ninh, Ha Noi*, Ha Son Binh, Ha Tuyen, Hau Giang, Hoang Lien Son, Ho Chi Minh*, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai, Nghe Tinh, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Phu, Vung Tau-Con Dao; note—diacritical marks are not included
_#_Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
_#_Constitution: 18 December 1980
_#_Legal system: based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
_#_Executive branch: chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Quoc-Hoi)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi CONG (since 18 June 1987);
Head of Government—Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: only party— Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van LINH
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—last held 19 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results—VCP is the only party; seats—(496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496
_#_Communists: nearly 2 million
_#_Member of: ACCT, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IIB, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: none
_#_Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
_*Economy #_Overview: This is a centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural; the sector employs about 65% of the labor force and accounts for almost half of GNP. Rice is the staple crop; substantial amounts of maize, sorghum, cassava, and sweet potatoes are also grown. The government permits sale of surplus grain on the open market. Most of the mineral resources are located in the north, including coal, which is an important export item. Oil was discovered off the southern coast in 1986 with production reaching 54,000 b/d in 1990 and expected to increase in the years ahead. Following the end of the war in 1975, heavy-handed government measures undermined efforts at an efficient merger of the agricultural resources of the south and the industrial resources of the north. The economy remains heavily dependent on foreign aid and has received assistance from Communist countries, Sweden, and UN agencies. Inflation, although down from recent triple-digit levels, is still a major weakness and is showing signs of accelerating upwards again. Per capita output is among the world's lowest. Since late 1986 the government has sponsored a broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to the private sector.
_#_GNP: $15.2 billion, per capita $230; real growth rate 2.4% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 65% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 33% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $892 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $344 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, crude petroleum, ores, seafood;
partners—USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
_#_Imports: $2.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain;
partners—USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
_#_External debt: $16.8 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for 30% of GNP
_#_Electricity: 2,740,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for half of GNP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas) and animal products other 50%; since 1989 self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.)
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $12.0 billion
_#_Currency: new dong (plural—new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
_#_Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1—7,530 (May 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990), 2,047 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note—1985-89 figures are end of year
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service
_#_Highways: about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
_#_Pipelines: 150 km, refined products
_#_Inland waterways: about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
_#_Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City
_#_Merchant marine: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,596 GRT/539,174 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 69 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 bulk; note—Vietnam owns 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 106,759 DWT under the registry of Panama and Malta
_#_Civil air: controlled by military
_#_Airports: 100 total, 100 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones in Ho Chi Minh City (1984); stations—16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio receivers; at least 2 satellite earth stations, including 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines and Naval Infantry), Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 16,260,120; 10,377,105 fit for military service; 809,617 reach military age (17) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.) % @Virgin Islands (territory of the US) *Geography #_Total area: 352 km2; land area: 349 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 188 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
_#_Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
_#_Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
_#_Land use: arable land 15%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 26%; forest and woodland 6%; other 47%
_#_Environment: rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent severe droughts, floods, earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater resources
_#_Note: important location 1,770 km southeast of Miami and 65 km east of Puerto Rico, along the Anegada Passage—a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
_*People #_Population: 99,404 (July 1991), growth rate 0.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Virgin Islander(s); adjective—Virgin Islander
_#_Ethnic divisions: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8%; black 80%, white 15%, other 5%; Hispanic origin 14%
_#_Religion: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
_#_Language: English (official), but Spanish and Creole are widely spoken
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: 45,500 (1988)
_#_Organized labor: 90% of the government labor force
_*Government #_Long-form name: Virgin Islands of the United States
_#_Type: organized, unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
_#_Capital: Charlotte Amalie
_#_Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
_#_Independence: none (territory of the US)
_#_Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 serves as the constitution
_#_Legal system: based on US
_#_National holiday: Transfer Day (from Denmark to US), 31 March (1917)
_#_Executive branch: US president, governor, lieutenant governor
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Senate
_#_Judicial branch: US District Court handles civil matters over $50,000, felonies (persons 15 years of age and over), and federal cases; Territorial Court handles civil matters up to $50,000 small claims, juvenile, domestic, misdemeanors, and traffic cases
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989), represented by Governor Alexander A. FARRELLY (since 5 January 1987); Lieutenant Governor Derek HODGE (since 5 January 1987)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party, Marilyn STAPLETON; Independent Citizens' Movement (ICM), Virdin BROWN; Republican Party, Charlotte-Poole DAVIS
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
_#_Elections:
Governor—last held NA 1986 (next to be held NA 1990); results—Alexander FARRELLY (Democratic Party) defeated Adelbert BRYAN (ICM);
Senate—last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(15 total) number of seats by party NA;
US House of Representatives—last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results—the Virgin Islands elects one nonvoting representative
_#_Member of: ECLAC (associate), IOC
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
_#_Flag: white with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows an eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
_*Economy #_Overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The manufacturing sector consists of textile, electronics, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly plants. The agricultural sector is small, most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. The world's largest petroleum refinery is at Saint Croix.
_#_GDP: $1.0 billion, per capita $9,000; real growth rate NA% (1985)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: 2.0% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $470 million; expenditures $322 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
_#_Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities—refined petroleum products;
partners—US, Puerto Rico
_#_Imports: $3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities—crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials;
partners—US, Puerto Rico
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 12%
_#_Electricity: 358,000 kW capacity; 532 million kWh produced, 5,360 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
_#_Agriculture: truck gardens, food crops (small scale), fruit, sorghum, Senepol cattle
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $34.5 million
_#_Currency: US currency is used
_#_Exchange rates: US currency is used
_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
_*Communications #_Highways: 856 km total
_#_Ports: Saint Croix—Christiansted, Frederiksted; Saint Thomas—Long Bay, Crown Bay, Red Hook; Saint John—Cruz Bay
_#_Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m; international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix
_#_Telecommunications: 44,280 telephones; stations—4 AM, 6 FM, 3 TV; modern system using fiber-optic cable, submarine cable, microwave radio, and satellite facilities; 90,000 radios; 56,000 TVs
_*Defense Forces #Note: defense is the responsibility of the US % @Wake Island (territory of the US) *Geography #_Total area: 6.5 km2; land area: 6.5 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 19.3 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands
_#_Climate: tropical
_#_Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim; average elevation less than four meters
_#_Natural resources: none
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: subject to occasional typhoons
_#_Note: strategic location 3,700 km west of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
_*People #_Population: 195 (January 1990); no indigenous inhabitants; 302 temporary population
_#_Note: population peaked about 1970 with over 1,600 persons during the Vietnam conflict
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Air Force (under an agreement with the US Department of Interior) since 24 June 1972
_#_Flag: the US flag is used
_*Economy #_Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
_#_Electricity: supplied by US military
_*Communications #_Ports: none; because of the reefs, there are only two offshore anchorages for large ships
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440 to 3,659 m
_#_Telecommunications: underwater cables to Guam and through Midway to Honolulu; AFRTS radio and television service provided by satellite; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV
_#_Note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used only by US military and some commercial cargo planes
_*Defense Forces #Note: defense is the responsibility of the US % @Wallis and Futuna (overseas territory of France) *Geography #_Total area: 274 km2; land area: 274 km2; includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 129 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October)
_#_Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills
_#_Natural resources: negligible
_#_Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops 20%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 75%
_#_Environment: both island groups have fringing reefs
_#_Note: located 4,600 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
_*People #_Population: 16,590 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders; adjective—Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
_#_Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Polynesian
_#_Religion: largely Roman Catholic
_#_Language: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
_#_Literacy: 50% (male 50%, female 51%) at all ages can read and write (1969)
_#_Labor force: NA
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government #_Long-form name: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
_#_Type: overseas territory of France
_#_Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France)
_#_Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
_#_Legal system: French
_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
_#_Executive branch: French president, high administrator; note—there are three traditional kings with limited powers
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly (Assemblee Territoriale)
_#_Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law by the chief administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Chief Administrator Roger DUMEC (since 15 July 1988)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR); Union Populaire Locale (UPL); Union Pour la Democratie Francaise (UDF); Lua kae tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche (MRG)
_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
_#_Elections:
Territorial Assembly—last held 15 March 1987 (next to be held March 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(20 total) RPR 7, UPL 6, UDF and Lua kae tahi 7;
French Senate—last held NA September 1989 (next to be held by September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) RPR 1;
French National Assembly—last held 12 June 1988 (next to be held by September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) MRG 1
_#_Member of: FZ, SPC
_#_Diplomatic representation: as an overseas territory of France, local interests are represented in the US by France
_#_Flag: the flag of France is used
_*Economy #_Overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and Futuna imports food, fuel, clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are negligible, consisting of copra and handicrafts.
_#_GDP: $7.5 million, per capita $470; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $2.7 million; expenditures $2.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1983)
_#_Exports: negligible;
commodities—copra, handicrafts;
partners—NA
_#_Imports: $6.9 million (c.i.f., 1983);
commodities—foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel;
partners—France, Australia, New Zealand
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 1,200 kW capacity; 1 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
_#_Agriculture: dominated by coconut production, with subsistence crops of yams, taro, bananas, and herds of pigs and goats
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $118 million
_#_Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural—francs); 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1—93.28 (January 1991), 99.0 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988), 109.27 (1987), 125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note—linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
_#_Fiscal year: NA
_*Communications #_Highways: 100 km on Ile Uvea, 16 km sealed; 20 km earth surface on Ile Futuna
_#_Inland waterways: none
_#_Ports: Mata-Utu, Leava
_#_Airports: 2 total; 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 225 telephones; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV
_*Defense Forces #Note: defense is the responsibility of France % @West Bank #_Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the view of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of the Jordan River under Jordanian administration before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, it is US policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank because of the city's special status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for the final status of Jerusalem could be different in character from that of the rest of the West Bank.
_*Geography #_Total area: 5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware
_#_Land boundaries: 404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
_#_Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
_#_Natural resources: negligible
_#_Land use: arable land 27%, permanent crops 0%, meadows and pastures 32%, forest and woodland 1%, other 40%
_#_Environment: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
_#_Note: landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
_*People #_Population: 1,086,081 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991); in addition, there are 90,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 120,000 in East Jerusalem (1990 est.)
_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: NA
_#_Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%
_#_Religion: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%, Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8%
_#_Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers—small industry, commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%, agriculture 22.4%, service and other 23.6% (1984)
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Note: The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed.
_*Economy #_Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states but remittances from the Gulf dropped dramatically in the wake of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards. The Persian Gulf crisis of 1990-91 also dealt a blow to the economy. Many Palestinians returned from the Gulf, exacerbating unemployment. Export revenues have plunged because of the loss of export markets in Jordan and the Gulf.
_#_GNP: $1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: 40% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
_#_Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—NA; partners—Jordan, Israel
_#_Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—NA; partners—Jordan, Israel
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: power supplied by Israel
_#_Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
_#_Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural—shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural—dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
_#_Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—2.35 (May 1991), 2.0161 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1—0.6670 (January 1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: previously 1 April-31 March; FY91 will be 1 April-31 December and starting 1 January 1992 the fiscal year will conform to the calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways
_#_Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations—no AM, no FM, no TV
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: NA
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 257,740; NA fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP % @Western Sahara *Geography #_Total area: 266,000 km2; land area: 266,000 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
_#_Land boundaries: 2,046 km total; Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
_#_Coastline: 1,110 km
_#_Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
_#_Disputes: claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and guerrilla fighting continues in the area
_#_Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents produce fog and heavy dew
_#_Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
_#_Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 19%; forest and woodland 0%; other 81%
_#_Environment: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land
_*People #_Population: 196,737 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 23 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 177 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 39 years male, 41 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Saharan(s), Moroccan(s); adjective—Saharan, Moroccan
_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab and Berber
_#_Religion: Muslim
_#_Language: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: 12,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continue sporadically.
_#_Capital: none
_#_Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
_#_Leaders: none
_#_Member of: none
_#_Diplomatic representation: none
_*Economy #_Overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little rainfall, has a per capita GDP of just a few hundred dollars. Fishing and phosphate mining are the principal industries and sources of income. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government.
_#_GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
_#_Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.);
commodities—phosphates 62%;
partners—Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
_#_Imports: $30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.);
commodities—fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs;
partners—Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 60,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced, 425 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: phosphate, fishing, handicrafts
_#_Agriculture: limited largely to subsistence agriculture; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces
_#_Economic aid: NA
_#_Currency: Moroccan dirham (plural—dirhams); 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1—8.071 (January 1991), 8.242 (1990), 8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359 (1987), 9.104 (1986), 10.062 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: NA
_*Communications #_Highways: 6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth roads and tracks
_#_Ports: El Aaiun, Ad Dakhla
_#_Airports: 16 total, 14 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: sparse and limited system; tied into Morocco's system by radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations linked to Rabat, Morocco; 2,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 2 TV
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: NA
_#_Manpower availability: NA
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP % @Western Samoa *Geography #_Total area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 403 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
_#_Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10%
_#_Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
_#_Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
_*People #_Population: 190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Western Samoan(s); adjective—Western Samoan
_#_Ethnic divisions: Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4%
_#_Religion: Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
_#_Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English
_#_Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
_#_Labor force: 38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)
_#_Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA)
_*Government #_Long-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
_#_Capital: Apia
_#_Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
_#_Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)
_#_Constitution: 1 January 1962
_#_Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 1 June
_#_Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963);
Head of Government—Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone, chairman
_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly
_#_Elections:
Legislative Assembly—last held NA February 1991 (next to be held by February 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14, independent 3
_#_Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN, 820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196;
US—the ambassador to New Zealand, Della Newman, is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631
_#_Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
_*Economy #_Overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way.
_#_GDP: $115 million, per capita $620; real growth rate - 4.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor
_#_Budget: revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990)
_#_Exports: $9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%;
partners—NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%, US 6% (1990)
_#_Imports: $87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%;
partners—New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987)
_#_External debt: $83 million (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $291 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
_#_Currency: tala (plural—tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
_#_Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1—2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth
_#_Ports: Apia
_#_Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo
_#_Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 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: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Department of Police and Prisons
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 49,119; NA fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP % @World *Geography #_Total area: 510,072,000 km2; 361,132,000 km2 (70.8%) is water and 148,940,000 km2 (29.2%) is land
_#_Comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US
_#_Land boundaries: 442,000 km
_#_Coastline: 359,000 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: generally 24 nm, but varies from 4 nm to 25 nm;
Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters in depth;
Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; only the Maldives varies from 35-310 nm;
Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 50 nm;
note—32 nations and miscellaneous areas are landlocked and include Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Swaziland, Switzerland, Uganda, Vatican City, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
_#_Disputes: major international land boundary disputes—Argentina-Uruguay, Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam, Chad-Libya, China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, Egypt-Sudan, El Salvador-Honduras, Ethiopia-Somalia, French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Israel-Jordan, Israel-Syria, North Korea-South Korea, Oman-UAE, Oman-Yemen, Qatar-UAE, Saudi Arabia-Yemen
_#_Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
_#_Terrain: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest depression is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
_#_Natural resources: the oceans represent the last major frontier for the discovery and development of natural resources
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and woodland 31%; other 34%; includes irrigated 1.6%
_#_Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions), overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
_*People #_Population: 5,419,643,132 (July 1991), growth rate 1.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 65 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Literacy: 74% (male 81%, female 67%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 2.2 billion (1991)
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government #_Administrative divisions: 170 sovereign nations plus 72 dependent, other, and miscellaneous areas
_#_Legal system: varies among each of the entities; 162 are parties to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
_#_Diplomatic representation: there are 159 members of the UN
_*Economy #_Overview: In 1990 the world economy grew at an estimated 1.0%, considerably lower than the estimated 3.0% for 1989 and the 3.4% for 1988. The technologically advanced areas—North America, Japan, and Western Europe—together account for 67% of the gross world product (GWP) of $20.9 trillion; these developed areas grew in the aggregate at 2.3% in 1990. In contrast, output in the USSR and Eastern Europe fell an average of 5.2%; these countries account for 15% of GWP. Experience in the developing countries continued mixed, with the newly industrializing economies generally maintaining their rapid growth, and many others struggling with debt, rampant inflation, and inadequate investment. This third group contributed 18% of GWP and grew on average 2.3% in 1990; output in this group is probably understated because of lack of data and the method of calculation used. The year 1990 witnessed continued political and economic upheavals in the USSR and Eastern Europe, which are in between systems, lacking both the rough discipline of the command economy and the institutions of the market economy. As for prospects in the 1990s, the addition of nearly 100 million people a year to an already overcrowded globe will exacerbate the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine.
_#_GWP (gross world product): $20.9 trillion, per capita $3,930; real growth rate 1.0% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): developed countries 5%; developing countries 100%, with wide variations (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Exports: $3.33 trillion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services;
partners—in value, 74% of exports from industrial countries
_#_Imports: $3.45 trillion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services;
partners—in value, about 75% of imports by the industrial countries
_#_External debt: $1.0 trillion for less developed countries (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1990 est.)
_#_Electricity: 2,864,000,000 kW capacity; 11,450,000 million kWh produced, 2,150 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: chemicals, energy, machinery, electronics, metals, mining, textiles, food processing
_#_Agriculture: cereals (wheat, maize, rice), sugar, livestock products, tropical crops, fruit, vegetables, fish
_#_Economic aid: NA
_*Communications #_Ports: Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,412,502,000; NA fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $1.1 trillion, 5.3% of GWP (1990 est.) % @Yemen *Geography #_Total area: 527,970 km2; land area: 527,970 km2; includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
_#_Land boundaries: 1,746 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
_#_Coastline: 1,906 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: North—18 nm; South—24 nm;
Continental shelf: North—200 meters (depth); South—edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: North—no claim; South 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia; Administrative Line with Oman
_#_Climate: desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
_#_Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 7%; other 57%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: subject to sand and dust storms in summer; scarcity of natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
_#_Note: controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
_*People #_Population: 10,062,633 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 51 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 121 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 51 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Yemeni(s); adjective—Yemeni
_#_Ethnic divisions: North—Arab 90%, Afro-Arab (mixed) 10%; South—almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
_#_Religion: North—Muslim 100% (Sunni and Shia); South—Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
_#_Language: Arabic
_#_Literacy: 38% (male 53%, female 26%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: North—NA number of workers with agriculture and herding 70%, and expatriate laborers 30% (est.); South—477,000 with agriculture 45.2%, services 21.2%, construction 13.4%, industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6% (1983)
_#_Organized labor: North—NA; South—348,200 and the General Confederation of Workers of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen had 35,000 members
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Yemen
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Sanaa
_#_Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana, Shabwah, Taizz
_#_Independence: Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK); the union is to be solidified during a 30-month transition period, which coincides with the remainder of the five-year terms of both legislatures
_#_Constitution: 16 April 1991
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
_#_Executive branch: five-member Presidential Council (president, vice president, two members from northern Yemen and one member from southern Yemen), prime minister
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives; note—northern Yemen's Consultative Assembly (Majlis Chura) and southern Yemen's Supreme People's Council (Majlis al-Shab al-Ala) will combine to form the basis for the new unicameral House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: North—State Security Court; South—Federal High Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen); Vice President Ali Salim al-BIDH (since 22 May 1990, secretary general of the Yemeni Socialist Party); Presidential Council Member Salim Salih MUHAMMED (southern Yemen); Presidential Council Member Kadi Abdul-Karim al-ARASHI (northern Yemen); Presidential Council Member Abdul-Aziz ABDUL-GHANI (northern Yemen); Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr al-ATTAS (since 22 May 1990, former president of South Yemen)
_#_Political parties and leaders: General People's Congress, Ali Abdallah SALIH; Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP; formerly South Yemen's ruling party—a coalition of National Front, Bath, and Communist Parties), Ali Salim al-BIDH
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives—last held NA (next to be held 26-27 May, 12 June, and 24 July 1991); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(301); number of seats by party NA; note—the 301 members of the new House of Representatives will come from North Yemen's Consultative Assembly (159 members), South Yemen's Supreme People's Council (111 members), and appointments by the New Presidential Council (31 members)
_#_Communists: small number in North, greater but unknown number in South
_#_Other political or pressure groups: conservative tribal groups, Muslim Brotherhood, leftist factions—pro-Iraqi Bathists, Nasirists, National Democratic Front (NDF)
_#_Member of: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI; Chancery at Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 965-4760 or 4761; there is a Yemeni Consulate General in Detroit and a Consulate in San Francisco;
US—Ambassador Charles F. DUNBAR; Embassy at Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa, Republic of Yemen or Sanaa—Department of State, Washington, D. C. 20521-6330); telephone [967] (2) 238-842 through 238-852
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
_*Economy #_Overview: Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development of promising oil resources. South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support.